Customizing Inhaled Therapy to Meet the Needs of COPD Patients.
Postgrad Med. 2010 Mar;122(2):83-93
Authors: Fromer L, Goodwin E, Walsh J
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a progressive disease characterized by airflow limitation resulting from emphysema and chronic bronchitis. Inhaled therapy is the major therapeutic approach for treating COPD. Multiple inhaler medications are available in the United States and are delivered by a variety of different devices: metered-dose inhalers, dry powdered inhalers, and nebulizers. Each inhaler device has unique requirements for use that must be correctly performed by the patient for successful drug delivery. Patients with COPD represent a medically diverse population, with each patient having distinct characteristics, such as lung function, comorbidities, cognitive functions, hand strength, and lifestyle. These characteristics impact the patient’s ability to properly use specific inhaler devices and therefore affect adherence to therapy, therapeutic outcomes, and quality of life. It is estimated that between 28% to 68% of patients do not use metered-dose inhalers or dry powder inhalers correctly. Worsening symptoms or increased frequency of exacerbations may not always indicate disease progression but may indicate a patient’s inability to use their inhaler device properly. This review discusses the patient- and device-specific factors to be considered when choosing an inhaled therapy, which will be concordant with the patient’s medical needs, preferences, and lifestyle. The review also considers how the ideas underlying the patient-centered medical home model can be incorporated into the choice and use of inhaler device for a given patient with COPD to improve treatment outcomes.
PMID: 20203459 [PubMed - in process]
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Perspective: anticipating the challenges of reforming the United States medical licensing examination.
Acad Med. 2010 Mar;85(3):453-6
Authors: McMahon GT, Tallia AF
The practice of medicine is a shared social contract between the medical profession and the public. Assessments for licensure should reflect competencies that patients expect of their physicians and should be patient-centered and mirror the progressive nature of medical education. The National Board of Medical Examiners recently accepted the recommendations of the Committee to Review the United States Medical Licensing Examination Program to align the examination sequence with two patient-centered decision points: when a student enters into supervised graduate training, and when a physician receives initial licensure for unsupervised practice. The revised examination program would aim to evaluate for the presence of at least minimum proficiency in all competencies that are measurable in a valid, reliable manner at each decision point, including the scientific foundation of medical practice, the application of medical knowledge to patient care, and the clinical skills relevant to practice level, whether measured by standardized patient-based assessments or other formats. Students, educators, educational leaders, and program directors have raised legitimate concerns about the anticipated changes. The anticipated costs, the changes’ effect on basic science education, their impact on dual-degree candidates and international medical graduates, and the utility of score reporting are each of concern. Anticipated benefits include a closer alignment of assessments with the expectations of patients and licensing authorities, closer integration of the sciences fundamental to medical practice throughout the examination sequence, and an increased breadth of competency assessment. The authors believe that the benefits to patients and the profession will outweigh the acknowledged challenges the changes will pose to medical education.
PMID: 20182117 [PubMed - in process]
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Requiring human papillomavirus vaccine for immigrant women.
Obstet Gynecol. 2009 Nov;114(5):1135-9
Authors: Hachey KJ, Allen RH, Nothnagle M, Boardman LA
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices recommends human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination of 11- to 12-year-old girls, with catch-up vaccination for girls and women aged 13 to 26 years. Although compulsory HPV vaccination is not currently mandated for any U.S. population, immigrant women aged 11-26 years are now required to receive the first injection of the vaccine (the full series consists of three doses) as a result of the 1996 Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act. According to this law, immigrants applying for visas to enter the United States or to adjust their immigration status must receive the inoculations that the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices recommends for U.S. residents. In the case of HPV, this law represents not only an undue burden on immigrant women, but also raises scientific and ethical questions regarding the benefit of vaccination in this population. Given these issues, immigrant women should not be required to provide documentation of HPV vaccination at the time of visa application or adjustment of immigration status.
PMID: 20168117 [PubMed - in process]
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