Social media has revolutionized my practice. I stay current with Twitter content from other rheumatologists, patient organizations and medical journals. I am also an active member of the international Twitter-based rheumatology journal club, #RheumJC. Still, I was recently surprised when my patient’s name appeared in a friend request. This same patient was following me on…
Awareness can be an ambiguous term, but it makes all the difference in rheumatology. The first weeks and months following the onset of rheumatic disease symptoms are known as the window of opportunity. Prompt treatment can prevent damage to joints and other organs, improve long-term function and increase the likelihood of achieving disease remission. But…
Thousands of attendees travel to the ACR/ARHP Annual Meeting from outside the U.S. to learn, network and exchange ideas. From Nov. 3–8 in San Diego, speakers from more than 30 different countries are scheduled to participate. The ACR is taking action to maintain diverse attendance in a challenging climate for international travel. New traveler vetting and…
Often, young adults (18–23 years old) with rheumatic illness demonstrate poor adherence to treatment regimens, lack advocacy skills and have inadequate knowledge about diagnosis and treatment.1 Patients presenting at a transition clinic are typically comfortable with having their parents continue to be centrally involved with their care, but this is a time in life when…
Introduction Interest in rheumatology continues to grow, with more than 240 new adult and pediatric fellows to begin their training in the coming academic year. Given the broad and diverse career opportunities, it is an ACR goal to help guide trainees in their career decisions and professional development. Rheumatology fellowship often marks the transition from…
Gout patients need to lower their uric acid levels to 6.0 mg/dL or below and maintain that level. According to N. Lawrence Edwards, MD, MACP, MACR, an education campaign has been raising awareness of this fact and helping gout patients…
Some rheumatologists find that an option other than working in a private practice makes the most sense for them. The reasons rheumatologists choose hospital or academic employment vary. Individual Choice When Lisa Criscione-Schreiber, MD, MEd, associate professor of medicine and rheumatology training program director, Duke University, Durham, N.C., was finishing her fellowship in 2003, she…
April is Sjögren’s Awareness Month, a time for rheumatologists to help educate the public and themselves about Sjögren’s syndrome and its diagnosis. With newly published clinical practice guidelines, Nancy Carteron, MD, encourages rheumatologists to be first responders for this patient population…
The Phone Call A phone call in the middle of the night can rattle one’s nerves. The rush of adrenaline sets the heart pounding as our ears brace for what we are about to hear next. A distress call from an elderly parent or a child away at college? Is everyone safe? Or may this…
(Reuters Health)—Local TV news coverage of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), often called Obamacare, generally focused more on politics than on information consumers can use to help choose insurance, a recent study suggests. Overall, less than half of ACA-related news coverage focused on health insurance products, while much of the rest of the spots concentrated…