PPI use, Dementia and a Small Schedule Tweak

Author

Ashley Chambers
August 25, 2023

Hello! Welcome back to The Friday Sign Out - a newsletter for primary care physicians and advanced practice providers.

Happy weekend everyone! Hope all the school-age parents out there are surviving the back-to-it transition. I have to remind myself that changes in routines can be bumpy for everyone - 5 year olds and 39 year olds alike!

Here’s what I’m reading and thinking about this week.

In the News

This article published in Neurology on 8/9 looked at cumulative use of proton-pimp inhibitors and the risk of developing dementia. The conclusion? There is an increased risk after 4.4 years of PPI use. Further studies are needed, obviously, to understand the exact mechanism. However, it’s another data point we can use in counseling patients about long-term medication use and GERD management.

Long-term PPI use associated with higher incidence of dementia

While patients who took proton-pump inhibitors (PPIs) from mid- to late life had a modestly higher risk of dementia in late life versus nonusers, shorter-term use was not associated with increased risk.

acpinternist.org/weekly/archives/2023/08/15/2.htm?utm_campaign=FY23-24_NEWS_INTERNIST_DOMESTIC_081523_EML&utm_medium=email&utm_source=Eloqua

In Your Practice

I was at a day-long primary care conference put on by my organization last winter and there was a great lecture about providing primary care to the LGBTQ+ community. The speaker, Dr. Matthew Adkins, passed along a great tip.

Add the patient’s preferred name to your schedule.

I know all EMRs are a little different, but our system adds the patient’s preferred name to the upper left corner of their chart. This is easy to find when I’m reviewing their chart before a visit. However, if you haven’t opened the chart or your MA goes into the waiting room to call a patient back, they might just be using the name printed on the schedule, which is sometimes not the name they go by. In our EMR, you have the capability to add a column for “patient preferred name” on to your schedule print out. This allows you to see their name even without opening the chart.

It’s a simple effort that can go a long way in making a patient more comfortable.

In Your Heart

"I always tell my residents to never forget that we have the opportunity to do more good in one day than most people have in a month."

Dr. Suneel Dhand

Just a little reminder to carry with you, especially if your day is long and arduous. Keep it up, quarterbacks!

Have a wonderful weekend!

Ashley