News and Updates for Healthcare Professionals

NIH leaders emphasize the importance of patient voices in addiction medication development.

The National Health and Aging Trends Study (NHATS) was launched in recognition of the shifting landscape of late-life and the need for data to support the scientific study of how daily life changes as we age.

You can download the brief National Health and Aging Trends Study Research Brief here.

On World Asthma Day, the National Institutes of Health reaffirms its commitment to research to improve the lives of people with asthma. More than 25 million people in the United States have asthma(link is external), including 5.1 million children, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. This chronic lung disease can reduce quality of life, contributes to considerable emotional and financial stress, and is a major contributing factor to missed time from school and work.

The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force released today a final recommendation statement on screening for hypertension in adults. The Task Force recommends that clinicians screen all adults for hypertension.

Screening for atrial fibrillation (Afib) — whether with ECG in office or via a wearable device — cannot be recommended for middle age and older adults without symptoms.

The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force released today a final recommendation statement on screening for vitamin D deficiency in adults. The Task Force determined more research is needed to make a recommendation for or against screening. To view the recommendation, the evidence on which it is based, and a summary for clinicians, please go here. The final recommendation statement can also be found in the April 13, 2021 online issue of JAMA.

This strategic plan demonstrates the commitment of all of NIH to improving minority health and reducing health disparities.

The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force released today a final recommendation statement on screening for hearing loss in older adults. The Task Force concluded that more research is needed to determine whether or not to screen older adults for hearing loss before they have symptoms.

Patient Safety Awareness Week is an annual recognition event intended to encourage everyone to learn more about health care safety. During this week, IHI seeks to advance important discussions locally and globally, and inspire action to improve the safety of the health care system — for patients and the workforce.

Patient Safety Awareness Week serves as a dedicated time and platform for growing awareness about patient safety and recognizing the work already being done.

Effort is part of the Accelerating Medicines Partnership to enable development of effective targeted therapies.

The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force released today a final recommendation statement on screening for asymptomatic carotid artery stenosis. The Task Force continues to recommend against screening in adults

Our health literacy skills and those of the people we serve can vary in different situations. For example, our health literacy skills can decline when we’re under stress, such as when we’re dealing with an illness or when we’ve been up all night with a crying baby.

In an effort to address the opioid epidemic, a prominent goal of current research is to identify alternative treatments with equal or better benefits for pain while avoiding potential unintended consequences that could result in harms.

The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force released today a final recommendation statement on interventions for tobacco smoking cessation in adults, including pregnant persons. The Task Force recommends clinicians ask about tobacco use and connect people to proven, safe methods to help them quit. The evidence is unclear whether e-cigarettes help adults quit smoking. More research is needed on the benefits and harms of using medications to help pregnant people quit.

The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force released today a final recommendation statement on screening for hepatitis B virus infection in adolescents and adults. The Task Force recommends screening people at increased risk for hepatitis B infection.

Over the past two years, we have made tremendous progress in growing our network and disseminating current, evidence-based guidelines to users around the world. We are pleased to represent more than 1,800 guidelines from over 200 national and international guideline developer organizations. This year we launched a new offering, the Guideline Snapshot, a screening tool that succinctly outlines a guideline’s focus, patient population, and major interventions, as well as the Cultural Competence Corner, highlighting articles and guideline content which focus on underserved populations.

Updates to six key areas of asthma care focus on improving diagnosis, management and treatment.

The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force released today a final recommendation statement on behavioral counseling interventions to promote a healthy diet and physical activity for cardiovascular disease prevention in adults with cardiovascular risk factors.The Task Force recommends counseling for a healthy diet and physical activity to help people at risk for cardiovascular disease. The final recommendation statement can also be found in the November 24, 2020 online issue of JAMA.

Nearly half of U.S. adults have hypertension, or high blood pressure, and only about 1 in 4 of those individuals has their hypertension under control.

Chronic diseases are a source of high payer spending, but payers can implement preventive care strategies to lower their expenses and maintain positive patient outcomes.

Approximately 15% of adults in the United States have chronic kidney disease (CKD). Aging is associated with a decline in kidney function, as estimated by glomerular filtration rate (GFR), even in healthy individuals without CKD. Furthermore, declining kidney function with age occurs faster in people who smoke or have obesity, diabetes, or high blood pressure. Lower GFR is associated with complications, such as heart disease and stroke, kidney failure, and early death.3 Thus, health care providers should pay special attention to a lower GFR when giving medicines (i.e., dosing) that are filtered through the kidneys to older individuals and CKD patients.