The American journal of medicine
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Over 90% of U.S. physicians are currently board certified. Although the American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS) has established standards for physicians to acquire and maintain board certification, a comprehensive description of this process and its associated costs has not been performed. ⋯ ABMS board certification costs nearly $3 billion for initial certification and an additional $9 billion for continuing certification for currently practicing physicians over their careers. Ongoing research should evaluate the utility of the board certification system and explore ways to add value to this process.
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Patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) have elevated cardiopulmonary and mortality risk, particularly following exacerbations. While single inhaler triple therapies (SITTs), such as budesonide/glycopyrrolate/formoterol fumarate (BGF), reduce cardiopulmonary risk versus dual bronchodilator therapy, there is limited evidence comparing outcomes with SITTs versus multiple inhaler triple therapies (MITTs). ⋯ In this real-world comparative effectiveness study of patients with COPD initiating BGF or MITT, BGF was associated with lower all-cause mortality and severe cardiopulmonary event risk versus MITT after accounting for between-group differences in baseline sociodemographic and clinical characteristics. This study supports the benefits of BGF over MITT and the need to consider proactive use of SITTs in COPD management.
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Vertebral fractures are a common cause of back pain and pain-related functional impairments in elderly patients. Despite their widespread occurrence, vertebral fractures frequently remain underdiagnosed, often leading to suboptimal management and poor clinical outcomes. ⋯ PT following vertebral fractures has been shown to significantly improve back pain and patient-reported outcomes, with studies even showing a correlation between resistance and aerobic training with improved bone mineral density. These findings highlight the need for interdisciplinary care and comprehensive PT interventions to address the growing burden of vertebral fractures as their incidence rises with the aging population.