Clinical Pathways

Providers, payers, and patients looking to do research on a clinical guideline need to get busy: They only have this weekend to download thousands of pages from federally funded websites that will close due to federal budget cuts in President Donald Trump’s budget.

The United States Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) decided that current evidence is insufficient to recommend screening for peripheral artery disease and cardiovascular risk with the ankle-brachial index in asymptomatic adults.

During the first round of screening, a human papillomavirus (HPV) test detected more abnormal cells grade 3 or worse in the cervix than a Papanicolau (Pap) smear, resulting in a lower liklihood of abnormal cells grade 3 or worse at 48 months.

Using a series of small public data sets, researchers found a positive association of prenatal exposure to folic acid fortification with subsequent cortical development in the brain—considered key for cognitive and mental health—through adolescence. The finding suggests that increased prenatal exposure to folic acid through food fortification may protect against psychosis through altered postnatal cortical development.

Three pain societies have come together to create consensus guidelines for the use of ketamine for both acute and chronic pain.

TAILORx is very good news for an estimated 60,000 women a year, who in years past would have received chemotherapy, possibly risking long-term physical and mental side effects, in addition to experiencing what is now an additional and recognized side effect of cancer treatment: financial toxicity.

Guidelines can help address issues of cost and variation, especially in complex diseases, said Derek Raghavan, MD, PhD, FACP, FRACP, president, Carolinas HealthCare System's Levine Cancer Institute.