Internal Medicine 2014 tackles medical errors, EHRs, and more

Internal Medicine 2014 was held in April in Orlando, Fla., and as always, ACP Internist's staff was on hand to provide daily updates. If you missed our coverage from Orlando, it's available online. This month's issue is also dedicated to coverage of the meeting.

One story offers a blueprint for telling patients about medical errors, including specific advice on what such disclosures should contain and why actions after an apology are as important as the apology itself. Another story looks at cost-effective ways of managing gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). Endoscopy in most cases isn't necessary for diagnosis, according to the expert who spoke at the meeting, and over-the-counter omeprazole often turns out to be the best treatment.

In-depth Internal Medicine 2014 coverage continues with stories on dealing with patients' ambivalence regarding smoking cessation; diagnosing and managing resistant hypertension; and making a good “marriage” with your electronic health record. Another story provides some perspective on the American College of Cardiology Foundation/American Heart Association guideline on blood cholesterol. An expert provides a tour of oncologic emergencies that can happen in the hospital, while a story discusses the role of exercise in preventing and testing for coronary artery disease. There's also advice on perioperative medication management and how to incorporate cultural competence when caring for Latino patients.

In our Perspectives section, our president, David A. Fleming, MD, MA, FACP, discusses meaningful maintenance of certification, and our Washington columnist, Robert B. Doherty, grades the Affordable Care Act's enrollment so far. And, a medical student offers some thoughts on why physician-administrator partnerships are important.

In other news, I'm happy to announce that ACP Internist was recently recognized by the American Society of Healthcare Publication Editors (ASHPE) for excellence in publishing. We received 2 awards in ASHPE's annual competition, including a Gold Award for Best Single Issue for July/August 2013 and a Bronze Award for Best Newsletter overall.

We're honored by these kudos from our colleagues in health care publishing, and we're always looking for ways to continue to improve our coverage. Please send us your suggestions. We enjoy hearing from you.

Sincerely,

Jennifer Kearney-Strouse