Partnering for Integrated Care: A Learning Collaborative for Primary Care and Oral Health Teams.

Purpose: The Teaming and Integrating for Smiles and Health (TISH) Learning Collaborative was developed to help health care organizations accelerate progress in integrating delivery of oral and primary care. By providing expert support and a structure for testing change, the project aimed to improve the early detection of hypertension in the dental setting and of gingivitis in the primary care setting, and to increase the rate of bidirectional referrals between oral and primary care partners. We report its outcomes.

Acute Coronary Syndrome: Posthospital Outpatient Management.

When providing care for patients who are discharged from the hospital after experiencing acute coronary syndrome (ACS), several issues should be addressed. Drug regimens should be reviewed to ensure that patients are taking appropriate drugs, including antiplatelet agents, angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors/angiotensin II receptor blockers, aldosterone antagonists, beta blockers/calcium channel blockers, cholesterol-lowering drugs, and nitroglycerin. The review also should confirm that patients understand when and how to take their drugs, and that there are no obstacles (eg, cost) that might result in nonadherence to drug regimens.

Acute Coronary Syndrome: Inpatient Management.

The first step in inpatient management of acute coronary syndrome (ACS) is determining whether the patient has ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI). For STEMI, the initial approach to management is cardiac catheterization with percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) to reperfuse the blocked artery; PCI should take place within 120 minutes of first medical contact. However, if no contraindications are present, fibrinolytic therapy is preferred if PCI will take more than 120 minutes.

Acute Coronary Syndrome: Emergency Department Evaluation and Management.

Patients with chest pain who present to emergency departments have a significantly higher incidence of acute coronary syndrome (ACS) than patients with chest pain presenting to outpatient settings, so emergency department clinicians should have a lower threshold for considering ACS as an etiology. Evaluating patients with suspected ACS in the emergency department involves obtaining a history, physical examination, electrocardiograms (ECGs), and cardiac troponin measurements in conjunction with risk calculators. These parameters cannot be used individually because, for example, a normal ECG result does not exclude ACS and troponin levels can be elevated in many conditions.

Acute Coronary Syndrome: Out-of-Hospital Evaluation and Management.

Identifying acute coronary syndrome (ACS) in family medicine settings can be challenging, partly because it is uncommon in office practice and partly because symptoms can be atypical. Initial evaluation includes review of the patient's symptoms, an assessment of risk factors, and an electrocardiogram (ECG). When symptoms are typical, such as chest pain and diaphoresis, patients should be transported rapidly by emergency medical services (EMS) to the nearest emergency department.