Health Exec (2/28, Baxter) reported on the fifth annual healthcare industry survey from InCrowd, in which “physicians cited affordability and access to healthcare as the top concerns for the industry.” In addition, “they’re more concerned about these issues in 2020 compared to 2019.” InCrowd “polled 200 generalists and specialists between Dec. 30, 2019 and Jan. 2, 2020.”

Related Links:

— “Affordability, access are top healthcare concerns for physicians, “Amy Baxter, Health Exec, February 28, 2020

HealthDay (3/3, Preidt) reports, “Teens who are bullied about their weight are at increased risk for alcohol or marijuana use – and this is especially true for girls,” researchers concluded after surveying “more than 1,300 students at five public middle schools in Connecticut.” The findings were published online Feb. 10 in the journal Psychology of Addictive Behaviors.

Related Links:

— “Being Bullied About Weight May Raise Risk of Drug Use, “Robert Preidt, HealthDay, March 3, 2020

Healio (3/3, Gramigna) reports, “A telephonic work-focused counseling program added to integrated care improved veterans’ psychiatric and occupational outcomes, which reduced obstacles in civilian life,” researchers concluded after testing “whether integrated telephonic work-focused counseling, known as Be Well at Work…combined with the VHA integrated care program is superior to integrated care alone for improving depression and occupational functioning.” Included in the randomized study were 253 veterans. The findings were published online Feb. 28 in JAMA Network Open.

Related Links:

— “Telemedicine intervention plus integrated care improves outcomes of veterans with depression, “Joe Gramigna, Healio, March 3, 2020

Psychiatric News (3/2) reports, “Fear, stigma, depression, anxiety, and post traumatic stress disorder followed major infectious disease outbreaks earlier in this century,” and psychiatrists should now “be prepared for similar reactions as the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak expands.” Research focusing on “survivors of the severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) outbreak in Asia and Canada in 2003 indicated high rates of psychiatric disorders both during the acute phase of the pandemic and up to four years later.” In an email, Joshua Morganstein, MD, chair of APA’s Committee on the Psychiatric Dimensions of Disasters, stated, “It is essential to understand how any given patient will most effectively receive information and tailor communication and interventions using a patient-centered approach.” Click here to “see the APA blog post ‘Coronavirus and Mental Health: Taking Care of Ourselves During Infectious Disease Outbreaks’” that Dr. Morganstein has written.

Related Links:

— “How Psychiatrists Can Help Patients During Coronavirus Outbreak, Psychiatric News, March 2, 2020

Medscape (3/2, Lowry, Subscription Publication) reports, “A significant proportion of patients who suffer from chronic pain also have features of borderline personality disorder (BPD),” research indicated. After analyzing “data from 11 studies published between 1994 and 2019,” investigators found that “23% of patients with chronic noncancer pain (CNCP) had some features of BPD, including difficulty maintaining relationships as well as affect and mood instability.” The findings of the “systematic literature review” were presented at the American Academy of Pain Medicine’s annual meeting.

Related Links:

— Medscape (requires login and subscription)