J Am Board Fam Med
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Recently, the use of electronic cigarettes increased sharply, leading to increased e-cigarette, or Vaping Product Use-Associated Lung Injury (EVALI), and other acute pulmonary conditions. There is an urgent need for clinical information about e-cigarette users to identify factors that contribute to EVALI. We developed an e-cigarette/vaping assessment tool (EVAT) that was integrated into the Electronic Health Record (EHR) of a large state-wide medical system and initiated a system-wide dissemination and education to support its use. ⋯ EVAT was successfully implemented. Continued outreach efforts are needed to further increase its usage. Education materials should be enhanced to help providers to reach youth and vulnerable populations and connect patients to the tobacco treatment resources.
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We analyzed data from a prospective cohort of older primary care patients to determine whether the presence of peripheral neuropathy (PN) was associated with premature mortality and to investigate potential mechanisms. ⋯ In this relatively healthy cohort of older primary care patients, PN detectable by physical examination was extremely common and strongly associated with earlier mortality. One possible mechanism involves loss of balance, though our data were insufficient to determine whether poor balance led to injurious falls or to less-specific declines in health. These findings may warrant further studies to determine the causes of age-associated PN and potential impact of early detection and balance improvement and other fall prevention strategies.
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The articles in this issue are divided into 3 categories: 1) increasing our understanding of people's (patients') behaviors; 2) changing how we practice Family Medicine; and 3) rethinking common clinical problems. These categories include multiple topics: nonprescription antibiotic use, recording electronic smoking/vaping, virtual wellness visits, an electronic pharmacist consult service, documenting social determinants of health, medical-legal partnerships, local professionalism, implications of peripheral neuropathy, harm-reduction informed care, decreasing cardiovascular risk, persistent symptoms, and colonoscopy harm.
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Randomized Controlled Trial
Medical-Legal Partnership Effects on Mental Health, Health Care Use, and Quality of Life in Primary Care: A Randomized Clinical Trial.
To determine whether an immediate referral to a medical-legal partnership (MLP), compared with a 6-month waitlist control, improved mental health, health care use, and quality of life. ⋯ Immediate referral to the MLP was associated with lower stress and a lower rate of ED visits but higher anxiety and a higher rate of hospital visits.