Simple Referral Rule May Lead to Earlier Referral and Diagnosis of Axial Spondyloarthritis

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Early referral and diagnosis remains a challenge for many who care for patients with musculoskeletal complaints.  This is especially so in those with chronic low back pain (LBP) and the minority who will have ankylosing spondylitis or axial spondyloarthritis.

Anniversary Feature: Top 5 Most-Read Articles from 1st Year

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It is important to know where you’ve been, as it will most certainly color where you are going. Hence, in honor of our 1st year anniversary, we have taken note of our most popular articles.

Doctors Need to See the Forest, Not Just the Trees

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Doctors have an interesting problem. They have an ingrained professional obsessive-compulsive habit; they fixate on the care of individual patients and on the science of healing. This is an admirable trait; it results in high-quality care. However, when physicians need to change their attention from healer to leader, from medicine to the business of medicine, from healthcare to the healthcare system, they falter. Stuck in silos, they fail to adjust their focus. They resist systemic innovation. Because they cannot flip, they flop.

Statin Side Effects Are For Real

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The GAUSS-3 trial, recently published in JAMA, examined cholesterol-lowering interventions in patients with a high LDL (>120 mg/dl) and a history of statin intolerance to 2 or more statins. 

Tools, Brains & Organizers for Your Phone

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Most people can’t live without their cell phone. But does the device define the modern medicine man and woman?  

Cell Phone Study Proves Car Crash Risk

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In a study published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, researchers enrolled over 3,500 U.S. drivers, aged 16 to 98 years, and followed them for a three-year period after rigging their vehicles with internal video cameras and devices to track speed and location.

Only Two-Thirds of US Adults Get Adequate Sleep

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Optimal sleep duration for adults is suppose to be 7 or more hours of sleep each night. Shorter sleep duration (7 hours per night) is associated with greater likelihoods of obesity, high blood pressure, diabetes, coronary heart disease, stroke, frequent mental distress, and death.

10 Ways Rheumatoid Arthritis Could’ve Killed Glenn Frey

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I was truly stunned Monday when it was announced that Glenn Frey, from the Eagles, had died as a result of complications from his rheumatoid arthritis, ulcerative colitis and pneumonia.

Prescribing Rules

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If you are responsible for the outcome and welfare of patients – you need prescribing rules.

If you are supervising others or responsible for the training of those learning rheumatology – you need prescribing rules.

Famous Rheumatologist Quotes – Part II

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Last month, many rheumatologists offered up their favorite quotes. Most of these were on medicine, medical skills, some pertained to rheumatology and others were axioms for life.

A Rheumatology State of Mind (Best of 2015)

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A 2013 study reported that people from Denmark were the happiest. Reasons were postulated, but it was suggested it was because their expectations were so low.

Top 5 and Bottom 5 Joints (Best of 2015)

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Who knows or ponders the articulations (joints) more so than the rheumatologist or orthopedist? We know their anatomy, their contours, tender sites and how to examine them. Adults have over 200 bones and up to 360 joints. Imagine if you had to do a DAS360?

Rheumatologists Should be on Twitter (Best of 2015)

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Twitter? Really?

Famous Rheumatologist Quotes – Part I (Best of 2015: #8)

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A famous quote from Verna Wright, MD,states, “Clinicians may all too easily spend years writing“doing well” in the notes of a patient who has become progressively crippled before their eyes".

Building a Better Rheumatologist (Best of 2015)

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There’s a certain comfort to work that is rote, mechanistic and almost automatic.

Alcohol and Methotrexate - What Do You Advise? (Best of 2015: #9)

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What are your rules on methotrexate and alcohol use? How about casual, social or occasional alcohol use? If one alcoholic beverage is ok, what about 2, 3 or six while taking MTX?

In Academic Leadership, Women Outnumbered by Men With Moustaches

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A study published in the BMJ Christmas issue shows only 13% of academic positions at US medical schools are held by women. Sadly, and strangely, even the uncommon subset, men with moustaches, outnumbered (20%) the women in academic leadership spots. 

Famous Rheumatologist Quotes – Part I

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A famous quote from Verna Wright, MD, states, “Clinicians may all too easily spend years writing“doing well” in the notes of a patient who has become progressively crippled before their eyes".

Physician Burnout on the Rise

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Burnout among U.S. doctors affects more than half of practicing physicians, according to a new study published in Mayo Clinic Proceedings. (Citation source http://buff.ly/1RpV8Q0)

EHR Connected Doctors May Be Disconnected from Patients

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Reuters reports doctors who entered data into electronic health records (EHR) during patients' appointments tend to communicate less and receive lower ratings from their patients.