News
Highlighted Article for October 15, 2019:<br /> HHS Guide for Clinicians on the Appropriate Dosage Reduction or Discontinuation of Long-Term Opioid Analgesics
What is the best method to help patients decrease their use of opioids?
The US Department of Health and Human Services has produced a guide to help health care providers answer this complex question.
The guide includes considerations prior to the decision to taper, recommendations on how to individualize plans according to unique patient needs, a decision-making flowchart, and information on additional options regarding withdrawal or behavioral health.
To learn more, check out October's highlighted article of the month!
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Working Group on Patient-Centered Reduction or Discontinuation of Long-term Opioid Analgesics. (2019). HHS guide for clinicians on the appropriate dosage reduction or discontinuation of long-term opioid analgesics. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
For a summary of the guide and context about its release, you can also read this FierceHealthcare article:
Finnegan, J. (2019, October 10). HHS offers guide to help clinicians taper patients off opioids. FierceHealthcare.
October's Highlighted Article:<br /> Shifting the Burden?<br /> Consequences Of Postacute Care Payment Reform On Informal Caregivers
How much of the burden of postacute care in the US has been taken on by the family and friends who provide patients with informal in-home support?
A recent Health Affairs blog post asks this question, discussing the impact that health policy efforts to reduce the cost of postacute care have had on the nation's informal caregivers.
The article also suggests alternative options that healthcare professionals and others can use to improve care and reduce costs without requiring families to take on the burden of postacute care.
To learn more, check out this month's highlighted article!
Chatterjee, P., Hoffman, A.K., & Werner, R.M. (2019, September 5). Shifting the burden? consequences of postacute care payment reform on informal caregivers. Health Affairs Blog.
Highlighted Article:<br /> Driving the Future:<br /> Assessment of the North Carolina Local Public Health Workforce
What do the people who work in North Carolina's local health departments look like?
This recent report from UNC's Gillings School of Public Health, in partnership with NC AHEC, addresses that question, sharing the results from their survey of the NC public health workforce.
The report describes the demographics, skills, and training needs of people currently working in public health in NC, as well as identifying possible next steps for the future.
To learn more, check out this month's highlighted article!
Gillings School of Global Public Health. (July 2019). Driving the future: assessment of the North Carolina local public health workforce. University of North Carolina.
September's Highlighted Article of the Month:<br /> Returning to the Meaning of Medicine:<br /> Three Pivots
How can the healthcare profession return to the roots of why people chose to practice medicine?
In a recent talk, Health Director Anna Roth proposes a moral recovery that would allow the profession to reform its belief systems.
The three pivots described in the video and accompanying article ask people to listen, question beliefs, and trust people.
To learn more, check out the September Article of the Month!
Roth, A. (2019). Returning to the meaning of medicine: three pivots. NEJM Catalyst.
Highlighted Opioid Article: <br /> Opioid Settlements Spark Debate on How to Spend the Money
As large drug companies begin to make settlement payments in relation to the opioid crisis, how should that money be spent?
A recent NC Health News article discusses questions occurring in states that have been awarded settlements, such as how much money should be required to go towards opioid-related efforts.
By comparing the current opioid crisis to past settlements from tobacco companies regarding smoking, the article highlights the problems governments may face when spending this money.
To learn more, check out our highlighted article!
Vestal, C. (2019, August 19). Opioid settlements spark debate on how to spend the money. North Carolina Health News.
Hurricane Resources are now posted!
We have added Hurrican Resources in the Disaster Preparation and Response collection. It can be found at the top of the health topics page.August ABOG Articles are Posted
There will be more forthcoming and we will post those as they are released.Highlighted Article:<br /> Why Health Care Needs More Women and Nurse Leaders
A recent blog post from the Institute of Healthcare Improvement (IHI) shares an interview with IHI President Emerita and Senior Fellow Maureen Bisognano addressing healthcare leadership by women and by nurses.
This interview discusses the changes happening to bring nurses and women into more healthcare leadership roles, including both the benefits and challenges of this shift.
To learn more, check out the highlighted article of the month!
Bisognano, M. (2019, August 6). Why healthcare needs more women and nurse leaders. Improvement Blog. Institute for Healthcare Improvement.
August Opioid Article of the Month: <br /> Prevalence and Risk Factors Associated With Long-term Opioid Use After Injury Among Previously Opioid-Free Workers
What influences opioid-free workers to develop long-term opioid use after injuries?
A recent JAMA Network Open takes on this question, studying a cohort of injured workers to determine which factors carried the highest risk of long-term use.
The study identifies the number of days' supply in the initial opioid prescription as one of the key risk factors.
To learn more, check out the August Opioid Article of the Month!
Durand Z, Nechuta S, Krishnaswami S, Hurwitz EL, McPheeters M. Prevalence and Risk Factors Associated With Long-term Opioid Use After Injury Among Previously Opioid-Free Workers. JAMA Netw Open. Published online July 17, 20192(7):e197222. doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2019.7222
See past Opioid Articles of the Month here.
Highlighted Article:<br /> Care of the Transgender Patient
What do healthcare providers need to know in order to offer appropriate and culturally competent care to the transgender population?
A recent article in the Annals of Internal Medicine answers this question, discussing the health disparities faced by transgender persons, defining key terminology, and suggesting approaches and treatment options that healthcare providers can use when providing care to transgender patients.
To learn more, check out the highlighted article of the month!
Safer JD, Tangpricha V. Care of the Transgender Patient. Ann Intern Med. 2019;171:ITC1–ITC16. doi: 10.7326/AITC201907020!
Request the article via the ADL
Freely available FierceHealthcare summary of the article:
Finnegan, J. (2019, July 2). ACP issues guide to help primary care doctors care for transgender patients. FierceHealthcare.
July Opioid Article of the Month: <br /> Leveraging Medicaid To Combat The Opioid Epidemic: <br /> How Leader States And Health Plans Deliver Evidence-Based Treatment
The July Opioid Article of the Month looks at the different strategies states across the US have used in their efforts to reduce opioid use.
This Health Affairs blog post looks at the many aspects of reducing opioid use, looking beyond initial prescribing limits to describe support for medication-assisted treatment, methods of integrating treatment with payment structures, and clinic-level changes to make opioid treatment more accessible.
The article also reviews successful strategies to reduce opioid use in states that have transitioned to Medicaid Managed Care, combining the two initiatives for increased effectiveness.
To learn more, check out the July Opioid Article of the Month!
See past Opioid Articles of the Month here.
Highlighted Resource:<br /> Effective Communication For Healthcare Teams:<br /> Addressing Health Literacy, Limited English Proficiency and Cultural Differences
How can healthcare providers communicate with patients about important information without understanding a patient’s comprehension?
This CDC online course takes on question, offering three CE-accredited modules on health literacy, cultural compentency, and patients with limited English proficiency.
To learn more about these topics, check out this CDC course!
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2019). Effective Communication for Healthcare Teams. TRAIN.
Note: to access the course, registration for a free TRAIN account is required.
June Opioid Article of the Month: <br /> Virtual Reality as Therapy for Pain
A recent article in the New York Times considers the possibilities offered by some non-opioid methods for treating pain.
The article describes how virtual reality therapies, in combination with other nonpharmacological treatments, are being tested with patients who have chronic pain.
To learn more, check out the June Opioid Article of the Month!
See past Opioid Articles of the Month here.
May Opioid Article of the Month: <br /> News Media Reporting On Medication Treatment For Opioid Use Disorder Amid The Opioid Epidemic
The May Opioid Article of the Month delves into the question of how the US news media has presented stories about opioid use disorder (OUD) treatments.
This study from Health Affairs analyzes local news reporting about OUD treatments, tracking changes in news coverage against the geographic rate of high opioid overdoses and comparing positive versus negative perspectives.
To learn more, check out the May Opioid Article of the Month!
If you would like to request a copy of this article, please contact your librarian.
See past Opioid Articles of the Month here.
May is Mental Health Awareness Month
Join us in increasing awareness. Please visit our new Behavioral Collection among Clinical Staff and our newly updated Mental Health Resource CollecionHighlighted Article:<br /> Trends in Emergency Department Use by Rural and Urban Populations in the United States
Rural emergency departments have faced increasing utilization over the last decade, according to a recent article in JAMA Network Open.
This article analyzes visits in rural and urban areas, concluding that in spite of the US’s average decrease in ED visits, rural regions of the country have become more dependent on EDs as a source of healthcare.
To learn more about this trend, check out this JAMA article.
Highlight Resource: TRAIN Learning Network
"TRAIN is a national learning network that provides quality training opportunities for professionals who protect and improve the public’s health."April Opioid Article of the Month: <br /> Denying Access to Medications to Treat Opioid Addiction is Denying Appropriate Medical Treatment
A recent report from the National Academy of Sciences tackles the problem of treatments for opioid use disorder.
This report explains both the value of the evidence-based treatments and the barriers people frequently encounter in accessing those treatments.
A news article about the report puts it into the current context of the opioid crisis.
To learn more, check out the April Opioid Articles of the Month!
Highlighted Article:<br /> Coordinating Community Planning for Transportation and Health
A recent article from the JAMA Forum highlights the way transportation challenges and mobility barriers affect healthcare.
The article describes the different approaches being taken to reduce these problems at the federal, state, and community levels.
To learn more, check out this JAMA article:
March Opioid Article of the Month: <br /> Opioid Prescribing Trends and the Physician’s Role in Responding to the Public Health Crisis
Several new articles in JAMA Internal Medicine examine the impact that physicians’ prescribing habits can have on the opioid crisis.
The first study looks at prescribing patterns across the demographic groups most affected by the opioid crisis, while the second study examines recent changes in opioid prescribing since 2015.
Both articles are highlighted in the a JAMA Internal Medicine commentary that describes how the data is connected in the opioid landscape.
To learn more, check out the March Opioid Article of the Month!
Adams, J. M., & Giroir, B. P. Opioid Prescribing Trends and the Physician’s Role in Responding to the Public Health Crisis. JAMA Internal Medicine.
See past Opioid Articles of the Month here.Highlighted Article:<br /> High-Need, High-Cost Patients Offer Solutions for Improving Their Care and Reducing Costs
A recent NEJM Catalyst article takes on the question of improving healthcare by asking patients directly.
The article reports the results of a survey of high-need, high-cost patients, sharing their views on how systems could keep them healthier and out of the ER.
To learn more, check out the NEJM article!
Das, L.T., Abranson, E.L., & Kaushal, R. (2019). High-need, high-cost patients offer solutions for improving their care and reducing costs. NEJM Catalyst.
https://catalyst.nejm.org/high-need-high-cost-patients-solutions/
February Opioid Articles of the Month<br /> Five Highlighted Articles
With the expansion of opioid research, policies, and work, there have been many recent strong publications on the topic.
For a one-time event, your ADL librarians have expanded the Opioid Article of the month to include five articles for February.
These articles cover work being done in the Charlotte and Mountain regions, the validity of evidence used to determine opioid policy, differing trends in intentional and unintentional poisoning deaths, and treatments for opioid use in substance use treatment facilities.
To learn more, check out all five of February’s Opioid Articles of the Month!
See past Opioid Articles of the Month here.
January Opioid Article of the Month:<br /> Consequences of the Opioid Epidemic:<br /> Decade of Research Shows Spike in Drug Use-Associated Infective Endocarditis
The January Opioid Article of the Month highlights a newly published study investigating the impact of the opioid crisis on cases of infective endocarditis in North Carolina.
This serious heart condition can be caused by drug injections, and the article shows the connection between the spike in drug-use associated infective endocarditis and the opioid epidemic.
To learn more, check out the January Opioid Article of the Month!
Ward, A. (2018, December 4). Consequences of the opioid epidemic: decade of research shows spike in drug use-associated infective endocarditis. Contagion Live. Retrieved from https://www.contagionlive.com/news/consequences-of-the-opioid-epidemic-decade-of-research-shows-spike-in-drug-useassociated-infective-endocarditis
See past Opioid Articles of the Month here.
December Opioid Article of the Month:<br /> Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs):<br /> An Important Element of a Comprehensive Approach to the Opioid Crisis
December’s opioid article of the month discusses the connection between the opioid crisis and childhood trauma.
Written by Dr. Betsey Tilson, the State Health Director of North Carolina, this article uses local data about Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) and opioid addiction to identify both risk factors for substance abuse and points when intervention could be effective.
To learn more, check out the new opioid article of the month!
Tilson, E. C. (05/2018). Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs): An important element of a comprehensive approach to the opioid crisis.
North Carolina Medical Society
http://www.ncmedicaljournal.com/content/79/3/166.full
See past Opioid Articles of the Month here.
ABPN Pilot Project Articles Now Available Through ADL
In October 2018 the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology released the reading list for the MOC III pilot project. This project will require the ABPN diplomates to read articles from a set list and answer questions.
We are pleased to announce that we are making these articles easily available through the AHEC Digital Library. American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology Pilot Project Articles
Why Opioid Addiction Will Persist Until Physicians Have a Panoramic View of Opioid Exposure
The November opioid article of the month puts the issue of hospital opioid use into the broader context of the addiction epidemic.
This blog post from Health Affairs uses research articles, statistics, and anecdotes to make the case for why hospital opioid use is a critical factor to consider.
To learn more, check out the new opioid article of the month!
October Article of the Month: Opportunities to Prevent Overdose Deaths Involving Prescription and Illicit Opioids, 11 States, July 2016–June 2017
October’s opioid article of the month highlights an attempt to figure out how people who fatally overdose on opioids are combining prescription and illegal drugs. This report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) uses medical examiner and coroner data to analyze specific drugs and other substances used by people who died of opioid overdoses. To learn more about the patterns shown in this data, check out the ADL’s opioid article of the month!
Opportunities to Prevent Overdose Deaths Involving Prescription and Illicit Opioids, 11 States, July 2016–June2017.Mattson CL, O’Donnell J, Kariisa M, Seth P, Scholl L, Gladden RM. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep 2018;67:945–951.
September Opioid Article of the Month
The September opioid article of the month highlights a New York Times news article about recently released opioid statistics. The article discusses the increase in deaths shown in the CDC’s data on opioid use and overdoses, pointing to potential reasons for the increase and showing the points for future success.
To learn more, check out the September opioid article of the month:
Sanger-Katz, M. (2018, August 15). Bleak new estimates in drug epidemic: a record 72,000 overdose deaths in 2017 https://www.nytimes.com/2018/08/15/upshot/opioids-overdose-deaths-rising-fentanyl.html.
Barriers rural physicians face prescribing buprenorphine for opioid use disorder
The August opioid article of the month addresses an issue of particular interest to rural communities – the question of why some physicians who are authorized to prescribe opioid addiction treatments still aren’t doing so.
The article describes a research study surveying this unique population of providers, discussing the barriers that these physicians report facing that make it difficult for them to prescribe addiction treatments.
To learn why these rural physicians aren’t prescribing addiction treatments, check out this month’s article:
Andrilla, C. H. A., Coulthard, C., & Larson, E. H. (2017). Barriers rural physicians face prescribing buprenorphine for opioid use disorder. The Annals of Family Medicine, 15(4), 359-362.
Retrieved from: http://www.annfammed.org/content/15/4/359.long
Possible Access Issues due to recent storms
If you are experiencing problems accessing resources due to the recent storm, please 08/18/2018
Suicide: a silent contributor to opioid-overdose deaths.
This blog post draws attention to one of the most often overlooked aspects of the opioid crisis – the issue of suicide via deliberate overdose. The article explains why this is an important question that should not be ignored, discussing both the relevant statistics and the gaps in the research.
To learn more about how suicide and opioid addiction are interrelated, read the July opioid article of the month.
Oquendo, M.A. & Volkow, N.D. (2018, April 26). Suicide: a silent contributor to opioid-overdose deaths. New England Journal of Medicine 2018; 378:1567-1569.Meeting Opioid Users Where They Are A Service Referral Approach to Law Enforcement
This month’s opioid article addresses the overlap between the clinical and law enforcement sides of the opioid crisis. This commentary provides insight into the challenges that law enforcement can face when dealing with people suffering from substance abuse, and describes one example of a solution through the Fayetteville Police Department’s program partnering law enforcement with medical, behavioral, and social support connections. To learn more, read the June opioid of the month article.The Other Opioid Crisis: Hospital Shortages Lead To Patient Pain, Medical Errors
The Other Opioid Crisis: Hospital Shortages Lead To Patient Pain, Medical Errors The May opioid article of the month discusses one of the lesser-known side effects of the opioid crisis – the hospital shortages of these drugs for patients who have a genuine need. The article describes the ways that doctors and nurses have tried to address these shortages, highlighting the risks involved with these measures and drawing a connection to an increased number of medical errors. To learn more about opioid shortages, check out the full article.Bartolone, P. (2018, March 16). The other opioid crisis: hospital shortages lead to patient pain, medical errors. Kaiser Health News.NEJM's Controlling the Swing of the Opioid Pendulum: challenge chronic pain or opioid addiction
The New England Journal of Medicine’s recent Perspective article,“ Controlling the Swing of the Opioid Pendulum, takes on the question of personal challenges that physicians can face when treating patients with chronic pain or opioid addiction. This article shows one physician’s answer, both highlighting unexpected problems and proposing potential solutions.SAMHSA guide: Words that Matter, explains some simple ways to reduce substance abuse stigma by language choices.
In the March Opioid Article of the Month, a SAMHSA guide explains some simple ways to reduce substance abuse stigma by language choices. The words that healthcare providers use to discuss this condition with patients can have a significant impact on the patient-provider relationship and the patient’s health outcomes. Check out the full article to learn why words matter.
ADL Discontinuing Support For IE 10 and Older
On August 9th, ADL will no longer support access from Internet Explorer versions 10 or older. Prior to that time, please update your version of Internet Explorer, or access the site from Firefox or Chrome.New Resources Added to the Opioid Dependency Guide
NLM has created some saved searches on the opioid dependency topic - we have linked them in our Opioid Guide. Take a few minutes to check the guide for this and other resources.New resource guide to the Zika Virus Disease and North Carolina's readiness
< a href="https://library.ncahec.net/specialCollection?scID=1108">Resource Guide to the Zika Virus and North Carolina Readiness Zika Virus Disease is caused by a flavivirus that spreads to people primarily through the bite of an infected Aedes species mosquito. It can also be transmitted from a pregnant mother to her fetus during pregnancy or around the time of birth, and possibly through sexual contact. Zika Virus Disease is usually mild and short-term, with the most common symptoms being fever, rash, joint pain, and conjunctivitis (red eyes). 4 out of 5 of those infected do not experience noticeable symptoms, and very few become sick enough to go to the hospital. Very rare cases may result in Guillain-Barre syndrome or other serious outcomes. There have been recent reports of a serious birth defect of the brain called microcephaly (a condition in which a baby’s head and brain are significantly smaller than typical) and other poor pregnancy outcomes in babies of mothers who were infected with Zika virus early in pregnancy.Please check out our guide for much important information about this virus and North Carolina's readiness
Average price of medical journals?
Ever wondered overall about the price of medical journals? Well Library Journal has and every year they conduct a journals survey. In 2015 the average price for medical journals was $1,694 per title. Please visit the article Whole Lotta Shakin’ Goin’ On | Periodicals Price Survey 2015In 2016 that increased to $1801 (a 6% increase) please read the 2016 survey Fracking the Ecosystem | Periodicals Price Survey 2016