J Am Board Fam Med
-
To provide a potential biological, mechanistic link for the well-established association between primary care access and reduced mortality, this study sought to measure the impact of having a usual source of health care on leukocyte telomere length (LTL). ⋯ Having a usual source of health care is associated with longer LTL among older adults. This study provides a potential biologic link for the noted association between primary care access and reduced mortality that has been observed at the individual and population level.
-
This issue of the Journal contains some exceptional research articles. A few are truly "must-reads," including a fascinating look at the relationship between having a usual source of care and telomere length. Glucosamine/chrondroitin supplementation seems to be helpful for more than just arthritis pain. ⋯ This issue also features 5 articles addressing how family physicians can combat the opioid epidemic. Three articles highlight research on diabetes and another 3 on breast cancer. Payment reform, dermoscopy, and telemedicine are among many other topics covered.
-
Guidelines updated by the United States Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) in 2019 recommend referral to genetic counseling for asymptomatic women that have a family history of cancers potentially associated with variants in the breast cancer type 1 and 2 susceptibility genes (BRCA1 and BRCA2). ⋯ The rate that undifferentiated women seeking primary care met 2019 USPSTF criteria for BRCA-related cancer genetic counseling referral (24.4% ± 4.2%) exceeds earlier estimates (4 to 5%) but agrees with later, population-level estimates (24.1%). Health systems will need to appropriately allocate capacity to genetic counseling services and/or reconsider the appropriateness of FHS-7 as a primary care risk-stratification tool.