Two pieces caught our eyes this month. CCPD members Dr. Tom Bent and Dr. Kim Duir are happy to share them with you. Have you seen a video, read an article, watched a TED, heard a lecture that might be of interest to your colleagues? If so, please share your “Show and Tell” with us by sending it via email to Shelly Rodrigues, srodrigues@familydocs.org and we’ll add you to our list of authors. Thank you.
Hypertension management is a common challenge in my Community Clinic practice. The March 15, 2020 issue of American Family Physician has a very useful and accessible update that will help me make better choices for my patients.
The article focuses on using more than one anti-hypertensive agent, as more than 70 percent of patients will need two or more medicines. Using very clear algorithms and tables, the article provided me with the following insights:
I receive at least 20 emails a day from Medscape and other sources. This article reminded me that print is still a useful tool and a valid means of knowledge transfer.
Read more here.
Our colleagues in Seattle have produced some “just in time” guidance for all of us who are facing rising numbers of COVID patients in our outpatient and inpatient work. They developed their approach to vital conversations about COVID during their early experience with the epidemic there. These approaches cover everything from talking to those who are just waiting for test results, to talking with families about limiting ventilator care. Their guide is simple, straightforward, and includes guidance for taking care of ourselves before and after these challenging conversations. It includes a way to upload the content to your smart phone for access at the point of care as needed. This valuable tool for patient care and self-care from VitalTalk.org is available in 19 different languages. For more information, click here.
