J Am Board Fam Med
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Heart Failure with Preserved Ejection Fraction (HFpEF) is a common diagnosis and accounts for half or more of all cases of heart failure. Despite its high prevalence and significant morbidity, the pathophysiology of HFpEF remains incompletely understood. ⋯ Given the availability of evidence-based treatments for common comorbidities, but not for HFpEF, the necessity of diagnosing HFpEF among symptomatic elderly patients with multiple comorbidities is unclear. This commentary raises the question of whether the search for the diagnosis of HFpEF should instead be refocused to the management of common comorbidities without necessitating the heart failure diagnosis.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative Study
A Cluster Randomized Trial Comparing Strategies for Translating Self-Management Support into Primary Care Practices.
Self-management support (SMS) is a key factor in diabetes care, but true SMS has not been widely adopted by primary care practices. Interactive behavior-change technology (IBCT) can provide efficient methods for adoption of SMS in primary care. Practice facilitation has been effective in assisting practices in implementing complex evidence-based interventions, such as SMS. This study was designed to study the incremental impact of practice education, the Connection to Health (CTH) IBCT tool, and practice facilitation as approaches to enhance the translation of SMS for patients with diabetes in primary care practices. ⋯ An interactive behavior change technology tool such as CTH can increase primary care practice SMS activities and improve patient HbA1c levels. Even brief practice facilitation assists practices in implementing SMS.
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Family physicians' role and interest in caring for underserved or undertreated patients is quite evident in this issue of JABFM. One in 5 family physicians provide urgent or emergency care, which is particularly important in rural areas. Methods and resources for obtaining information about social determinants of health are variable. ⋯ For patients with significant behavioral health disorders, 1 article considers early posthospital follow-up to prevent readmission and another notes differences between the views of generalist physicians and psychiatrists on which specialty should test and manage antipsychotic-related metabolic disorders. Five articles provide topic-specific perspectives for diagnosis of systolic heart failure with preserved systolic function, primary care outpatient radiographs, polypharmacy in the elderly with dementia, supporting patients in self-management, and patient and family physician challenges in opioid prescribing. Furthermore, what happened to total opioid prescriptions when 1 version of opioid medication became more difficult to prescribe? Two articles provide treatment information for hepatitis C and initiation of basal insulin for diabetes.
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This study sought to understand clinicians' and patients' experience managing chronic noncancer pain (CNCP) and opioids in safety-net primary care settings. This article explores the time requirements of safer opioid prescribing for medically and socially complex patients in the context of safety-net primary care. ⋯ Time pressure was identified as a major barrier to safer opioid prescribing. Efforts, including changes to reimbursement structures, are needed to relieve time stress on primary care clinicians treating medically and socially complex patients with CNCP in safety-net settings.