Addressing Racism in Preventive Services: Methods Report to Support the US Preventive Services Task Force.

Importance: In January 2021, the US Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) issued a values statement that acknowledged systemic racism and included a commitment to address racism and health equity in recommendations for clinical preventive services.

Objectives: To articulate the definitional and conceptual issues around racism and health inequity and to describe how racism and health inequities are currently addressed in preventive health.

Methods: An audit was conducted assessing (1) published literature on frameworks or policy and position statements addressing racism, (2) a subset of cancer and cardiovascular topics in USPSTF reports, (3) recent systematic reviews on interventions to reduce health inequities in preventive health or to prevent racism in health care, and (4) health care-relevant professional societies, guideline-making organizations, agencies, and funding bodies to gather information about how they are addressing racism and health equity.

Study protocol for evaluating Six Building Blocks for opioid management implementation in primary care practices.

Background: The Six Building Blocks for improving opioid management (6BBs) is a program for improving the management of patients in primary care practices who are on long-term opioid therapy for chronic pain. The 6BBs include building leadership and consensus; aligning policies, patient agreements, and workflows; tracking and monitoring patient care; conducting planned, patient-centered visits; tailoring care for complex patients; and measuring success. The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality funded the development of a 6BBs implementation guide: a step-by-step approach for independently implementing the 6BBs in a practice.

System-Level Patient Safety Practices That Aim to Reduce Medication Errors Associated With Infusion Pumps: An Evidence Review.

Objectives: In this literature review, we discuss 2 system-level, nurse-targeted patient safety practices (PSPs) that aim to reduce medication errors associated with infusion pumps, including smart pumps. One practice focuses on implementing structured process changes and redesigning workflows to improve efficiencies with pump use. The other focuses on investing in initial and ongoing staff training on the correct use, maintenance, and monitoring of infusion pumps.

A novel albumin gene mutation (R222I) in familial dysalbuminemic hyperthyroxinemia.

Context: Familial dysalbuminemic hyperthyroxinemia, characterized by abnormal circulating albumin with increased T4 affinity, causes artefactual elevation of free T4 concentrations in euthyroid individuals.

Objective: Four unrelated index cases with discordant thyroid function tests in different assay platforms were investigated.

Design And Results: Laboratory biochemical assessment, radiolabeled T4 binding studies, and ALB sequencing were undertaken.