Clinical

A new initiative, aimed at attracting PAs and NPs to rheumatology careers, kicked off in Atlanta Aug. 10–12. Dubbed The Training Rheum, the three-day boot camp is part of a budding alliance and collaboration between the ACR’s Committee on Rheumatology Training & Workforce Issues and the interprofessional division of the ACR, the Association of Rheumatology Professionals, and AAPA.

On average, 130 Americans die every day from an opioid overdose. Eleanor Graber, PA-C, received the PA Foundation’s NIDA Mentored Outreach Award for her project, “Every User Has a Story,” which aims to humanize people with SUD and showcase real-life success stories.

The CDC, FDA, and state and local health departments are investigating a multistate outbreak of lung injury associated with the use of e-cigarette, or vaping, products. They encourage clinicians to report possible cases to local or state health departments.

Acute flaccid myelitis (AFM) causes limb weakness, mostly in children. Prompt symptom recognition, specimen collection, and reporting to CDC are all critical to improve understanding of this complex syndrome, including its risk factors, outcomes, possible treatments, and ways to prevent it.

As of August 1, 2019, CDC is reporting 1172 cases of measles from 30 states. This is the greatest number of cases reported in the United States since measles was eliminated from this country in 2000.

CDC is requesting assistance from PAs in responding to outbreaks of hepatitis A nationwide. Visits to a healthcare clinic represent an ideal opportunity to provide hepatitis A vaccination to people at highest risk of infection.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the National Tuberculosis Controllers Association (NTCA) have released “Tuberculosis Screening, Testing, and Treatment of U.S. Health-Care Personnel: Recommendations from the National Tuberculosis Controllers Association and CDC, 2019.”

Common presentations of insomnia include a decrease in sleep drive, frequent awakenings during the night, and early awakenings with difficulty returning to sleep. Expert Sharon O’Brien, MPAS, PA-C, shares insights into diagnosis and treatment of insomnia in the elderly.