Latest updates on ACP's priorities, initiatives
ACP Spotlight offers readers a look at ACP's current top priorities and initiatives, as well as highlights from our e-newsletter, ACP Internist Weekly.
Registration is now open for Internal Medicine Meeting 2023
ACP's premier meeting for internal medicine takes place in San Diego from April 27-29, 2023.
Attendees will experience three days of comprehensive education to help them stay abreast of the latest in evidence-based clinical medicine, timely topics, and current clinical and practice-changing information.
Standard Registration includes three-day access to the meeting, plus 30 additional days of access to session recordings so attendees can continue to learn and earn CME and MOC credit after the event. Premium Registration provides 12 months of access to the session recordings after the meeting plus bonus educational content for additional CME and MOC credit.
ACP members who register during the Early Bird period, through Jan. 31, 2023, will save $84 on top of their membership savings. Go online to register or learn more.
Reviews of performance measures for cancer screening available
The ACP Performance Measurement Committee's recent reviews of cancer screening measures relevant to internal medicine physicians are now available. The committee used a modified RAND-UCLA appropriateness method to determine whether these measures, which include screening for colorectal, breast, and cervical cancer, are evidence-based, methodologically sound, and clinically meaningful. Measure reviews entail a thorough assessment of each performance measure based on importance, appropriate care, evidence base, specifications, and feasibility/applicability. The measure reviews and more information are online.
ACP addresses genetic testing, precision medicine
A new ACP position paper offers guidance regarding ethical decision making about integrating precision medicine and genetic testing into internal medicine. ACP's Ethics, Professionalism, and Human Rights Committee developed the paper in response to rapid advances in genome sequencing technology and a resulting range of genetic testing technologies that can contribute to precision medicine. The position paper is intended to complement the ACP Ethics Manual. It was published July 26 by Annals of Internal Medicine.
Register now for live, in-person POCUS courses
POCUS: Foundational Skills for Internists is a two-day course available Nov. 10 and 11 or Nov. 12 and 13. In a small-group, hands-on format, attendees will practice ultrasound scanning on live models to support the development of bedside image acquisition skills.
In Ultrasound-Guided Procedures on Nov. 12, participants will receive guided simulation training for common bedside procedures, including peripheral and central venous catheter placement, lumbar puncture, paracentesis, thoracentesis, and arthrocentesis.
POCUS: Advanced Skills for Outpatient Practice, on Nov. 14, is designed to advance outpatient clinical assessment skills through interactive training and individualized feedback. Topics include a PEARLS approach to a multisystem ultrasound physical, abdominal aortic aneurysm screening, skin and soft tissue assessment, and musculoskeletal ultrasound.
All classes will be held in Rosemont, Ill. Participants must register in advance and will earn CME/MOC upon course completion. More information is online.
ICYMI: Highlights from ACP Internist Weekly
- Inhaled bronchodilators may not improve respiratory symptoms in tobacco-smoking patients with preserved lung function. A randomized controlled trial in 471 patients with at least a 10 pack-year smoking history and respiratory symptoms but normal spirometry results found no difference in symptoms over 12 weeks between those who received indacaterol plus glycopyrrolate twice daily or placebo. An accompanying editorial said the trial indicates that long-acting bronchodilators are not effective for treating respiratory symptoms in this population. The trial and editorial were published Sept. 4 by the New England Journal of Medicine and summarized in the Sept. 13 ACP Internist Weekly.
- Statins rarely cause muscle pain, meta-analysis finds. Approximately 11 reports of any muscle pain or weakness per 1,000 treated patients were caused by statins during the first year of use, but few occurred afterward, according to an analysis of placebo-controlled trials and trials of more intensive versus less intensive statin therapy. The authors said their findings suggest that mild muscle symptoms in patients taking a statin are usually not due to the drug and that therapy should continue until other potential causes have been considered. The study was published Aug. 29 by The Lancet and was summarized in the Sept. 6 ACP Internist Weekly.
ACP Internist Weekly is an e-newsletter published every Tuesday and available online.Subscribe online.
