Archives of internal medicine
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Comparative Study
The comparative safety of opioids for nonmalignant pain in older adults.
Severe nonmalignant pain affects a large proportion of adults. Optimal treatment is not clear, and opioids are an important option for analgesia. However, there is relatively little information about the comparative safety of opioids. Therefore, we sought to compare the safety of opioids commonly used for nonmalignant pain. ⋯ The rates of safety events among older adults using opioids for nonmalignant pain vary significantly by agent. Causal inference requires experimental designs, but these results should prompt caution and further study.
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Sugar-sweetened beverage (SSB) taxes are increasingly being considered as a strategy for addressing the obesity epidemic. We sought to investigate the differential impact of targeted beverage taxes on higher- and lower-income households. ⋯ Large taxes on SSBs have the potential to positively influence weight outcomes, especially for middle-income households. These taxes would also generate substantial revenue that could be used to fund obesity prevention programs or for other causes.
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Shared management of surgical patients between surgeons and hospitalists (comanagement) is increasingly common, yet few studies have described its effects. ⋯ Implementation of a hospitalist comanagement service had little effect on patient outcomes or satisfaction but appeared to reduce hospital costs and improve health care professionals' perceptions of care quality. As comanagement models are adopted, more emphasis should be placed on developing systems that improve patient outcomes.