All articles tagged with #medication management
Parents should teach their teens essential healthcare skills, such as managing appointments, understanding insurance, communicating effectively with doctors, and following up on treatments, to ensure they are prepared to handle their health independently when they leave home or go to college.
Samsung Health is expanding its features by partnering with companies like HealthTap, Walgreens, and iFIT to add telehealth visits, medication management, and premium workout videos, aiming to enhance lifestyle management beyond basic fitness tracking.
Certain medications, including beta blockers, diuretics, and antidepressants, can impair the body's ability to regulate heat, increasing the risk of overheating during heatwaves. Patients are advised to take precautions such as staying cool, hydrated, and avoiding excessive heat exposure, without discontinuing their medications. Ongoing research aims to better understand the combined effects of multiple drugs and climate change on heat-related health risks.
The shortage of geriatricians in the United States is leaving many older patients without specialized care, leading to misdiagnoses and overprescribing of medications. With only 7,300 board-certified geriatricians in the country, experts are calling for increased financial incentives and exposure to the field to attract more doctors. Medicare funding for residencies and fellowships could require basic competency in geriatrics, and student loan forgiveness programs for geriatric specialists are being suggested. The growing number of older patients highlights the urgent need for more doctors who are trained to understand the unique healthcare needs of seniors.
Many Americans who have successfully used weight-loss drugs like Wegovy are facing uncertainty about stopping the medication, with some attempting to stretch out doses or stop and start as needed. Doctors emphasize that obesity is a chronic condition requiring long-term management, and the drugs are designed for continuous use. Patients cite reasons such as side effects, cost, and insurance coverage for wanting to pause the medication, but experts warn that stopping the drugs can lead to weight regain and a return of obesity symptoms. While some individuals hope to maintain their weight loss without the medication, the long-term effects of intermittent use remain unclear.
Geriatricians emphasize that aging well involves physical well-being, emotional connection, and mental support. To age well, individuals should engage in activities that stimulate the brain, speak up about their needs, socialize with others, maintain physical health through exercise and a healthy diet, do activities they enjoy, review their medications regularly to avoid adverse interactions, and have a plan in place for future healthcare decisions. These factors contribute to a healthy and fulfilling life in older adults.
A new AI app called "Together" aims to help aging adults and their caregivers manage medications and other health care tasks. The app uses generative AI to automatically detect key information about a medication from a photo of the prescription bottle, such as the doctor's name, dosage, refill dates, and precautionary advice. It also offers features like storing health care provider information, checking vital signs based on a selfie, adding appointment cards to the calendar, and sharing data with caregivers. The app is designed to be user-friendly and does not require manual data entry. The company plans to add more features, including insurance card benefits and stress measurement through voice monitoring.
Geriatric healthcare providers should follow the "Geriatric 5Ms" (mobility, medications, mind, multicomplexity, and matters most) to manage patients with osteoporosis. This includes fall risk assessment, medication management, and considering the patient's medical complexity and preferences. Shared decision-making can help patients understand the risks and benefits of treatment. Exercise programs can also help reduce fear of falling and social isolation. Clinicians should address vision problems, psychotropic drugs, and heart rate and rhythm abnormalities, and suggest modifications to the home environment to prevent falls.