J Am Board Fam Med
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Direct-to-consumer prescription drug advertising is prevalent and affects patient care. Previous research that examined its effect on the patient-provider relationship predates many changes in the advertising and medical landscape that have occurred in the last decade, such as the rise in online promotion and the push for value-based medicine. ⋯ These results suggest that direct-to-consumer advertising is driving some patients to discuss specific products with their health care providers but that most patients do not believe advertising has a negative influence on the patient-provider interaction itself.
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Thyroid disorders are among the most commonly treated conditions by the United States health care system. The number of patients reporting thyroid hormone use has increased in recent years, but it is unknown if there have been differential increases in the number of treated individuals within different demographic groups. Previous research has also not evaluated how expenditures for different thyroid hormone medications have changed in recent years. ⋯ Thyroid hormone use nearly doubled over the last 20 years, and increased use was associated with being older, female, and non-Hispanic white. During the same time period, thyroid hormone expenditures almost tripled.
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Excess weight gain during pregnancy is at epidemic proportions, and pregnancy complications are also on the rise. We sought to determine whether better weight gain counseling of expectant mothers will improve obstetric outcomes. ⋯ Improved weight gain counseling of prenatal patients by physicians did reduce the pregnancy complication of gestational diabetes. This occurred even though the trend toward less excess weight gain was not statistically significant.
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In 2015, Vyvanse (lisdexamfetamine) became the first Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved treatment for binge-eating disorder (BED), a condition first recognized by the DSM-V in 2013. Because pharmaceutical companies use continuing medical education (CME) to help sell drugs, we explored possible bias in CME modules on BED. ⋯ It seems that CME is being used to promote lisdexamfetamine for weight loss (a contraindicated use) and to highlight benefits of lisdexamfetamine while underplaying the risks.