Clinical Watch Articles

Pain management: Opioid use in chronic noncancer pain

From CSAC, the Clinical and Scientific Affairs Council of the AAPA March 11, 2010

Concerns about prescribing controlled substances and the potential for addiction should not prevent PAs from adequately managing chronic noncancer pain.
 

Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and dementia: Diagnosis and treatment

From CSAC, the Clinical and Scientific Affairs Council of the AAPA January 14, 2010

Clinicians should screen for mild cognitive impairment and initiate treatment with cholinesterase inhibitors as early as possible in the disease process.
 

Major depression: Screening and treatment

From CSAC, the Clinical and Scientific Affairs Council of the AAPA November 06, 2009

Depression is under-diagnosed in primary care and other settings, but screening is as simple as asking the patient two brief questions.
 

The PCMH: A model for primary care

From CSAC, the Clinical and Scientific Affairs Council of the AAPA September 16, 2009

The patient-centered medical home puts the patient's health management under the leadership of a primary care clinician. The concept has been adopted by major primary care associations, including the AAPA.
 

Autistic disorder: Early interventions can improve outcomes

From CSAC, the clinical and scientific affairs council of the AAPA July 15, 2009

Media attention has increased awareness of autism; however, much of the information is misleading and/or confusing. PAs need to have reputable sources of information in order to help patients and their families.
 

Atrial Fibrillation: More help for the most common arrhythmia

From CSAC, the clinical and scientific affairs council of the AAPA May 31, 2009

New guidelines for the management of atrial fibrillation (AF), developed collectively by the American College of Cardiology (ACC), the American Heart Association (AHA), and the European Society of Cardiology (ESC) in collaboration with the European Heart Rhythm Association and the Heart Rhythm Society, were published in 2006.
 

Melanoma: Early detection saves lives

Michelle Lynn Heinan, EdD, PA-C May 14, 2009

All clinicians need to know these potential risk factors for melanoma and which physical examination findings indicate possible malignant disease.
 

Mammography: Screening in women 40 to 49 years old

Marie-Michèle Léger, MPH, PA-C; Robert McNellis, MPH, PA April 07, 2009

The optimal age to begin breast cancer screening with mammography is controversial. Over the past 20 years, federal agencies and professional organizations have released a variety of recommendations addressing the topic.
 

Adult immunization: The 2009 vaccine schedules

From CSAC, the clinical and scientific affairs council of the AAPA March 23, 2009

Every year, more than 40,000 adults in the United States die from influenza, and additional deaths can be directly linked to pneumococcal infections, hepatitis B infection, and other preventable diseases.
 

Colon Cancer: An Update on Screening

From CSAC, the clinical and scientific affairs council of the AAPA February 19, 2009

CRC is the third most common type of neoplasm and the second leading cause of cancer death in the United States for both men and women.