Does This Patient Have Posttraumatic Stress Disorder? Rational Clinical Examination Systematic Review Journal of the American Medical Association Two screening instruments, the PC-PTSD and the PTSD Checklist, show reasonable performance characteristics for use in primary care clinics or in community settings with high-risk populations. Both are easy to administer and interpret and can readily be incorporated into a busy practice setting.
Racial Differences in Veterans' Satisfaction with Addiction Treatment Services Journal of Addiction Medicine (free ASAM member resource) Racial minorities experience lower rates of alcohol treatment completion than whites. Treatment satisfaction is an important factor in alcohol treatment retention, yet few studies have explored the satisfaction of racial minorities while in treatment. This study examined racial differences in addiction treatment satisfaction between non-Hispanic black and non-Hispanic white veterans and explored factors that might mediate or moderate racial differences in satisfaction.
FREE Online CME/CE Tools for Motivational Interviewing
NIDA is offering 2 FREE CME opportunities for Motivational Interviewing. These online simulations guide providers of adult and adolescent patients through MI skills-building with real time testing in a clinical setting.
AMA Launches Opioid Education Website American Medical Association The AMA Task Force to Reduce Opioid Abuse wants physicians across the nation to join together and take action to prevent opioid abuse. With this in mind, the AMA has launched a website dedicated to physician training surrounding opioids.
Treating your patients just got a whole lot easier with Stratus EMR. From consolidated patient histories and robust treatment notes to e‑prescriptions with seamless authorizations, we don’t JUST save you time and money, we ensure the security and quality of care your patients deserve.
2016 Ruth Fox Scholarship Open to Applicants ASAM Providing funds to attend the Annual ASAM conference and Fundamentals of Addiction Medicine course, the Ruth Fox scholarship program was started to encourage emerging physicians-in-training to pursue the addiction medicine field. The 2016 application process is now open through October 30th, 2015 and ASAM encourages residents to apply.
Low Back Pain Medical Treatment Guidelines Colorado Division of Worker’s Compensation A new addition to the National Guideline Clearinghouse focuses clinical attention on an up to date review of literature for treatment of lower back pain. Four important issues were identified and discussed, in the evaluation and management of the injured worker. Only randomized clinical trials (RCT) or meta-analyses were used for evidence statements regarding treatment. RCTs that compared an intervention (for example, surgery) with not using that intervention (for example, non-operative treatment) were designated as more relevant to workers' compensation guidelines than those RCTs which compared variations on technique or types of devices.
Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Among Veterans Journal of the American Medical Association Although effective treatment strategies do exist for PTSD, maintaining patient continuation in trauma focused therapies has been a longstanding difficulty. Among veterans with PTSD, mindfulness-based stress reduction therapy, compared with present-centered group therapy, resulted in a greater decrease in PTSD symptom severity. However, the magnitude of the average improvement suggests a modest effect.
Post-Traumatic Stress Influences the Brain Even in the Absence of Symptoms Neuroscience and Biobehavioral Reviews Stress affects brain function, and may lead to post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Considerable empirical data for the neurobiology of PTSD has been derived from neuroimaging studies, although findings have proven inconsistent. The authors used an activation likelihood estimation analysis to explore differences in brain activity between adults with and without PTSD in response to affective stimuli. This might better have been titled, “Traumatic Stress Influences the Brain Even in the Absence of Symptoms,” as it is the initial insult on which the research focuses. This is not the fault of the authors so much as it is a problem with colloquial use of the diagnosis.
Psychotherapy for Depression in Older Veterans via Telemedicine: A Randomized, Open-Label, Non-Inferiority Trial The Lancet Telemedicine-delivered psychotherapy for older adults with major depression is not inferior to same-room treatment. This finding shows that evidence-based psychotherapy can be delivered without modification via home-based telemedicine, and that this method can be used to overcome barriers to care associated with distance from and difficulty with attendance at in-person sessions in older adults.
ASAM Responds to ‘Physician Health Programs: More Harm Than Good?’ Medscape Multispecialty A recent Medscape article reviewed the complaints of several individuals who, in one fashion or other, have become dismayed with their state Physician Health Program (PHP). The article was disparaging of such programs, and appears to have inadequately examined the sources. In response to the comments and personal experiences highlighted in the original article, ASAM has released this response article to the editor highlighting current focus of PHPs, their treatment success outcome percentages, and their work with state medical boards to protect and treat physicians with a potentially debilitating illness.
Brendan McEntee, Associate Director, Publications and Communications, 301.656.3920
Emily McMartin, Communications and New Media Specialist AdvertiseView media kit Please direct customer service inquiries topubs@asam.org.
Articles included are reviewed on their merit at the discretion of ASAM Weekly’s Editor-in-Chief. Any relationship that exists with products or services advertised with content is coincidental and not an endorsement, guarantee or condemnation of said products or services. Similarly, the views and positions of any content published in ASAM Weekly are not necessarily endorsed by ASAM nor a reflection of ASAM's beliefs and policies. The features are presented as a summary of the contemporary issues being represented and expressed in scientific, governmental, commercial, and media sources across the specialty field of addiction medicine. Contact ASAM Weekly with any comments or feedback.