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Family physicians make a difference in child passenger safety |
Parents look to their physicians for advice on child safety seats, and physicians can keep up with the latest research and recommendations with resources from the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension. Many parents mistakenly think that when their child turns one year old or reaches 20 pounds, they should turn the child forward-facing. New recommendations from the American Academy of Pediatrics show that children should stay rear-facing until age two or to the limit of their car seat. In addition, parents need to be reminded to keep their child in a harnessed seat until he or she is mature enough to use a booster seat. Boosters can be used for children who are at least four years old and 40 pounds or more. Children should stay in a booster seat until they fit the seat belt system in the vehicle (usually at 4’9” tall and between 8-12 years old). Download a free brochure, here, to give to parents, or download a poster for your clinic, here, that directs parents to buckleup.tamu.edu to find certified child seat technicians in their areas.
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Access resources on ICD-10 in preparation for new implementation date |
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has released the final rule for the new International Classification of Diseases-Volume 10, Clinical Modification (ICD-10), stating that Oct. 1, 2014, will be the implementation date. This extra year delay before implementation will be important for planning, preparation, and education for a smooth transition to ICD-10. AAFP is creating tools and timelines to assist practices in assessing where they are and what planning needs to be done to meet the implementation date. A presentation will also be held at Scientific Assembly on Oct. 19 that will cover the timing and critical impact of ICD-10 implementation and how to prepare for this change. For more information and resources on ICD-10, visit the ICD-10-CM section of the AAFP website.
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Smart phone app guides young cancer survivors through post-cancer life |
A new smart phone app designed for adolescent and young adult cancer survivors ages 15-39 helps this patient population assess their health habits for a healthy post-cancer life. AYA Healthy Survivorship contains current guidelines on cancer prevention screening and offers personalized tips for being more active, eating better, and living a healthier life. It uses an interactive assessment tool that gives patients a score for lifestyle, physical activity, diet and nutrition, and well-being, and they can save this score and re-take the assessment once they’ve made changes. They can personalize the settings to have tips sent to their phone every day and get weekly healthy recipes delivered via e-mail. Most important, it allows users to create a cancer survivorship plan and links to CureSearch for Children’s Cancer, a nonprofit providing additional information and resources for childhood cancer survivors. Go to www.healthysurvivorship.org for more information and to download the app.
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Learn more about pain management, opioid abuse with AAFP paper |
AAFP is actively working toward a solution to America’s pain management and opioid abuse epidemics through advocacy, collaboration, and education. A new resource outlining AAFP’s formal position, “Pain Management and Opioid Abuse: A Public Health Concern,” is now available. The 16-page document outlines AAFP’s action plan, as well as what others are doing to evaluate and mitigate products at risk of abuse, educate actively practicing physicians on identifying patients at high risk of abuse, and train future physicians to understand chronic pain and its treatment. Access the document on AAFP’s website, here. Additional resources for physicians can be found under pain management and opioid abuse on the AAFP website, here.
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Stay updated on the latest in immunizations with IAC e-newsletters |
The Immunization Action Coalition (IAC) presents Needle Tips, a quarterly online newsletter for physicians and other health care professionals who administer vaccines. Also available is Vaccinate Adults, a shortened version of Needle Tips, modified for those who work only with adult patients. These publications contain ready-to-print educational materials for physicians and their patients, vaccine news highlights, and IAC’s “Ask the Experts” Q&A column with answers by CDC experts. Find the current August issue and past issues of Needle Tips at www.immunize.org/nt and Vaccinate Adults at www.immunize.org/va.
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