Polypharmacy: Evaluating Risks and Deprescribing.

Polypharmacy, defined as regular use of at least five medications, is common in older adults and younger at-risk populations and increases the risk of adverse medical outcomes. There are several risk factors that can lead to polypharmacy. Patient-related factors include having multiple medical conditions managed by multiple subspecialist physicians, having chronic mental health conditions, and residing in a long-term care facility.

Innovative utilization of pharmacist-led board review in a family medicine residency curriculum.

Background And Purpose: The Society of Teachers of Family Medicine Group on Pharmacotherapy recommends a formal curriculum during family medicine residency training and describes benefits of utilizing pharmacists. Limited literature exists on how programs have incorporated questions from family medicine board preparation sources into pharmacotherapy academic education. The primary objective was to assess the impact on family medicine residents' perceived knowledge after incorporation of board review items into pharmacotherapy sessions.

Opportunities for Identifying and Addressing Unhealthy Substance Use in Rural Communities: A Commentary on Cucciare et al (2017).

Unhealthy substance use is a public health problem facing rural communities across the United States. Unfortunately, numerous challenges including stigma, perceived need for care, and perceived accessibility of substance use treatment serve as barriers to many rural adults using substances in obtaining the care they need. It is therefore important to examine whether accessing health care options other than substance use treatment is associated with improved substance use.

Reach and Adoption of a Randomized Weight Loss Maintenance Trial in Rural African Americans of Faith: The WORD (Wholeness, Oneness, Righteousness, Deliverance).

Purpose: There is minimal information regarding the Reach and Adoption of evidence-based weight loss maintenance interventions for African Americans of faith.

Design: The WORD (Wholeness, Oneness, Righteousness, Deliverance) was an 18-month, cluster randomized trial designed to reduce and maintain weight loss in African American adults of faith. Participants received the Diabetes Prevention Program adapted core weight loss program for 6 months, and churches were subsequently randomized to 12-month maintenance treatment or control.

Emergence of Global Antibiotic Resistance.

Antibiotic resistance is a worldwide phenomenon and a global public health crisis. The inappropriate use of antibiotics in the human, animal, food, and agricultural arenas have contributed to the current dilemma. Both gram-positive and gram-negative resistant bacteria have been deemed serious and urgent threats by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.