Annals of family medicine
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Annals of family medicine · Nov 2010
Field test results of a new ambulatory care Medication Error and Adverse Drug Event Reporting System--MEADERS.
In this study, we developed and field tested the Medication Error and Adverse Drug Event Reporting System (MEADERS)-an easy-to-use, Web-based reporting system designed for busy office practices. ⋯ It is feasible for primary care clinicians and office staff to report medication errors and adverse drug events to a Web-based reporting system. Time pressures and a punitive culture are barriers to event reporting that must be overcome. Further testing of MEADERS as a quality improvement tool is warranted.
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Annals of family medicine · Nov 2010
ReviewEfficacy and harms of the hypoglycemic agent pramlintide in diabetes mellitus.
We conducted a study to examine the efficacy, effectiveness, and harms of pramlintide as adjunct therapy in adults and children with type 1 or type 2 diabetes. ⋯ Pramlintide was somewhat more effective than placebo as adjunct therapy for improving HbA(1c) levels and weight in adults with type 1 diabetes on conventional insulin therapy, or type 2 diabetes and inadequate glycemic control with their current therapies, with between-group differences in HbA(1c) levels in the range of 0.2% to 0.4%. Further research is needed to determine pramlintide's durability of hypoglycemic effect, as well as effects on patient-reported outcomes, morbidity, mortality, and long-term harms.
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Annals of family medicine · Nov 2010
Snapshots of Haiti: a physician's relief work in a country in crisis.
On January 12, 2010, a 7.0 magnitude earthquake struck Haiti. All told, more than 240,000 perished; another 200,000 were injured; and one-half of the city's 2,000,000 residents were left homeless. In March I volunteered with Medishare to help with the relief effort. ⋯ In the 7 days I was in Haiti, I worked excruciatingly long hours, witnessed the sorrow of death and joy of birth, and was continually confronted with the challenge of giving adequate and meaningful health care in a broken country. I learned that the physical and emotional toll on those who provide care in a crisis like Haiti is immense and unrelenting. But most importantly, I left Haiti with a renewed belief in what humans are able to accomplish when we all work together for a common purpose.
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Annals of family medicine · Nov 2010
Alcohol and sleep problems in primary care patients: a report from the AAFP National Research Network.
Hazardous and harmful drinking and sleep problems are common, but their associations among patients seen in primary care have not been examined. We hypothesized that greater levels of alcohol consumption would be associated with several self-reported sleep problems. ⋯ Moderate and hazardous drinking were associated with few sleep problems. Using alcohol for sleep, however, was strongly associated with hazardous drinking relative to moderate drinking and may serve as a prompt for physicians to ask about excessive alcohol use.