Pharmacist-led intervention can improve medication adherence among Latinos with type 2 diabetes

UCLA-led research suggests that diabetes control can significantly improve for Latinos when a pharmacist implements an intervention that addresses these patients’ barriers to medication adherence. In this pharmacist-led intervention, pharmacists reviewed the patients’ lab results, vital signs, and barriers to adherence. They then used this information to design a personally-tailored intervention to boost medication adherence and optimize the treatment regimen. […]

Placebo added to methadone increases opioid treatment adherence

Researchers report that patients who knowingly took a “sugar pill” placebo along with daily methadone treatment achieved significantly higher 90-day adherence to treatment for opioid abuse disorder than patients using only methadone. The findings were published on April 12 in JAMA Network Open. “The clinical implications of our intervention have great potential impact, as retention in treatment is a serious […]

Enhancing pharmacy services for patients does not impact health care utilization

New research from Boston Medical Center found that enhancing pharmacy services for patients with high levels of health care utilization did not lead to reduced hospital admissions and emergency department visits, relative to usual pharmacy services. Published in JAMA Network Open, researchers highlight that, compared with usual pharmacy care, more frequent screening for health-related social needs and patient navigation embedded in […]

Bariatric surgery lowers risk of cardiovascular disease

New research involving adults diagnosed with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and morbid obesity (body mass index > 40) indicates that subjects who had bariatric surgery achieved a significantly reduced risk of developing subsequent cardiovascular disease (CVD). The findings appeared on Oct. 5, 2022 in JAMA Network Open. “The findings provide evidence in support of bariatric surgery as an effective […]

Deaths from alcohol use disorder surged during pandemic, study finds

Deaths involving alcohol use disorder increased dramatically during the pandemic, according to a new study by Cedars-Sinai investigators. The study also found that young adults 25 to 44 years old experienced the steepest upward trend in alcohol use disorder mortality. In the study, published this month in the peer-reviewed journal JAMA Network Open, investigators used predictive modeling to compare expected — […]

Third dose of COVID-19 vaccine does not appear to increase severe adverse events

Investigators report that even though there was some increase in cases of low-severity adverse events after third-dose vaccination against SARS-CoV-2 infection with mRNA vaccines, such third-dose vaccination did not significantly increase severe adverse events. The findings appeared on April 14, 2022 in JAMA Network Open. As background the authors said. “Recent reports on waning of COVID-19 vaccine–induced immunity have led […]