J Am Board Fam Med
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This was a secondary analysis of the National Ambulatory Medicare Care Survey datasets from 2013 to 2016 and 2018. Andersen's Behavioral Model of Health Services Use guided independent variable selection. Weighted multivariable logit models were used to analyze data. ⋯ The use of low-value PSAs and DREs was sizable during the observed time period. Organizations who want to reduce low-value PSAs and DREs may want to focus interventions on providers who order a high number of tests.
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The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) recommend 2 documented doses of the MMR (measles-mumps-rubella) vaccine for adequate measles, mumps, and rubella immunity for all children and most adults. Sometimes, individuals are asked to provide serologic proof of immunity to measles, mumps, and/or rubella for educational or employment purposes. ⋯ These serologic tests may sometimes show negative or equivocal antibody titers to measles, mumps and/or rubella, raising the question of adequate immunity. This report provides practical guidance for clinicians on when to use serologic testing to determine measles, mumps, and rubella immunity.
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Financial Incentives Are Associated with Lower Likelihood of COVID-19 Vaccination in Northeast Ohio.
Declining COVID-19 vaccination rates have led to implementation of monetary incentives to increase vaccine uptake. The Ohio Vax-a-Million lottery and subsequent $100 incentives were created to encourage individuals to become vaccinated. The purpose of this survey was to determine the efficacy of these monetary incentives on vaccination rates. ⋯ Our study results suggest that monetary incentives were not associated with increased COVID-19 vaccination rates. Instead, more participants believed that these incentives decreased their vaccination likelihood. Expansion of the survey across a wider sociodemographic range can provide further evidence of the efficacy of these programs before reimplementation.
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Medicolegal dilemmas faced by Sports Medicine providers differ from those of other primary care physicians in type and frequency. Exotic, high-profile challenges are widely covered in the literature and offer guidance on how to navigate challenging situations. However, there is a gap in the literature on how to approach more mundane, but nevertheless common, medicolegal dilemmas. ⋯ A curriculum using this framework and clinical vignettes provides learners and practitioners with familiarity and confidence when legal and ethical challenges arise in Sports Medicine.
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Spondylolysis and isthmic spondylolisthesis are commonly implicated as organic causes of low back pain in this population. Many patients involved in sports that require repetitive hyperextension of the lumbar spine like diving, weightlifting, gymnastics and wrestling develop spondylolysis and isthmic spondylolisthesis. While patients are typically asymptomatic in mild forms, the hallmark of symptoms in more advanced disease include low back pain, radiculopathy, postural changes and rarely, neurologic deficits. ⋯ Due to the risk of disease progression, referral to a spine surgeon is recommended for any patient suspected of having these conditions. This review provides information and guidelines for practitioners to promote an actionable awareness of spondylolysis and isthmic spondylolisthesis.