Insights on Residency Training

Recent advances and discussions in medicine are the cornerstone of Journal Watch. To provide some insight into what I believe is potentially the most practice-changing current medical information for busy clinicians, I will be highlighting three articles every other week that I think are interesting, relevant, and, in some cases, just plain fascinating. I hope my selections allow you, the followers of this blog, to expand your knowledge without spending too much time (that you probably don’t have), and I hope you enjoy the articles I select.

Please feel free to leave a comment on the articles — Do you like them? Dislike them? Agree, disagree, state your opinion, and participate in the discussion. And if you know of another recent interesting article, post a link to it. I would love to read it.

Greg Bratton, MD

Articles of Interest:

• Diet Soda Tied to Vascular Risk, With Caveats  — Although this was a weak study that was not controlled for variables other than drinking diet soda, the results hint at things to come. For me, I think it is addressing people who order a Big Mac, large fries, and a Diet Coke at McDonalds. Change your eating habits and start exercising — then diet sodas won’t be an issue.
• A Recipe for Medical Schools to Produce Primary Care Physicians  — A thought-provoking editorial that, for the most part, I agree with. We definitely need to start putting the “primary” back into primary care. And with the new movement toward Patient Centered Medical Homes, primary care physicians will be in higher demand.
• FDA Approves a Drug to Lower Risk of Preterm Birth in At-Risk Pregnant Women  — For women out there who have suffered multiple spontaneous abortions with no know cause, hydroxyprogesterone caproate provides new hope. Only time will tell if it will be successful.