Journal of general internal medicine
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Technologies, including mobile health applications (apps) and wearables, offer new potential for gathering patient-generated health data (PGHD) from patients; however, little is known about patient preferences for and willingness to collect and share PGHD with their providers and healthcare systems. ⋯ Our data suggest that healthcare team members can influence patient sharing of PGHD, as can a patient's knowledge that PGHD will be used in clinical practice. Efforts to increase the number of patients who share PGHD with a healthcare system may benefit from buy-in among healthcare team members, who appear to play an influential role in patient decisions to share data.
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The number and complexity of obesity treatments has increased rapidly in recent years. This is driven by the approval of new anti-obesity medications (AOMs) that produce larger degrees of weight loss than previously approved AOMs. Unfortunately, access to these highly effective therapies and to integrated team-based obesity care is limited by intra-/interpersonal patient, institutional/practitioner, community, and policy factors. ⋯ Without multi-level intervention, these barriers to care will deepen the existing inequities in obesity prevalence and treatment outcomes among historically underserved communities. As General Internal Medicine (GIM) physicians, we can help our patients navigate the complexities of evidence-based obesity treatments. As care team leaders, GIM physicians are well-positioned to (1) improve education for trainees and practitioners, (2) address healthcare-associated weight stigma, (3) advocate for equity in treatment accessibility, and (4) coordinate interdisciplinary teams around non-traditional models of care focused on upstream (e.g., policy changes, insurance coverage, health system culture change, medical education requirements) and downstream (e.g., evidence-based weight management didactics for trainees, using non-stigmatizing language with patients, developing interdisciplinary weight management clinics) strategies to promote optimal obesity care for all patients.
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A 52-year-old male comes to the internal medicine clinic for a follow-up for the management of hypertension. He was initially diagnosed with hypertension 5 years ago. His other past medical history includes obesity and hyperlipidemia. ⋯ Multiple comorbidities, including obesity, sleep apnea, chronic kidney disease, heart failure, and diabetes mellitus, are associated with resistant hypertension. Our understanding of the potential etiologies for this condition continues to evolve rapidly. We used a narrative review to explore four research areas in the pathophysiology of resistant hypertension (the sympathetic nervous system, aldosterone excess, endothelial dysfunction, and inflammation) and explore the novel therapies currently in development.
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The number of both US citizen and noncitizen international medical graduates (IMGs) practicing in the United States has grown substantially over the last two decades, but little is known about how these groups differ in clinical specialty and practice location. ⋯ There was a declining proportion of NCNP IMGs entering primary care; citizenship status affected IMGs' specialty and practice location choices with NCNP IMGs more likely to choose primary care and work in rural areas and HPSAs.