Practice Management
Many Americans lack information about sexually transmitted infections (STIs), a new University of Pennsylvania Annenberg Public Policy Center survey shows. Just over half of survey respondents (54%) know that syphilis can be cured, however, 84% incorrectly believe that a vaccine is available. As many as 30% don’t know the signs and symptoms of syphilis, including sores, swollen lymph nodes, fever, etc., but 77% know that using a condom could protect them. The incorrect responses are …
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A new report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) for the first time documents incidents of HIV transmission through cosmetic injection services known as “vampire facials,” which are treatments that inject a person’s own blood into their face for cosmetic purposes, such as skin rejuvenation. The services are usually delivered in spa-type environments and involve drawing a client’s blood, separating the plasma and cells, and using disposable or multi use sterile equipment …
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CVS Health is one of the defendants in a federal lawsuit claiming that it and other companies failed to protect the HIV status of 6,000 patients in Ohio—not through an online data breach, but thanks to a poorly constructed envelope. The suit filed by three unidentified plaintiffs maintains that when CVS mailed letters to patients in the state’s HIV drug assistance program last year, the recipients’ HIV status was visible in the envelope’s glassine window. …
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Urgent message: Increasingly, Americans do not know their human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) serostatus. Implementing rapid HIV testing can allow your center to play a key role in identifying new cases of HIV and linking patients to care. Abstract Background: Data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) suggest that an increasing number of Americans do not know their human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) serostatus. The CDC recommends routine screening for all patients 13 to …
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A 35-year-old man with a history of human immunodeficiency virus presents with smooth, skin-colored pearly papules with central umbilication on his cheeks, chin, and lateral neck. View the image taken (Figure 1) and consider what your diagnosis would be.
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A 40-year-old woman with a history of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) presents with flat-topped verrucous papules on her hands. Her most recent CD4 count was approximately 150 cells/μL. She notes that she regularly uses sunscreen on her face but not on her hands, and she is wondering whether the lack of sunscreen could be a cause of the lesions. View the image taken (Figure 1) and consider what your diagnosis would be.
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Urgent message: Response to a needlestick with potential for HIV exposure requires understanding of both state laws on HIV testing and the latest USPSTF guidelines for post-exposure management. MAYA HECK, MS-2 and JOHN SHUFELDT, MD, JD, MBA, FACEPTwo police officers arrive at your urgent care site with a handcuffed, bloodied prisoner. One officer tells you that the person in custody “spit on me” during the altercation. The officer goes on to tell you that the …
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It is common knowledge that each patient needs to have a symptomspecific evaluation with each visit, but it is easy to be misled by “frequent fliers” who have presented many times with the same complaint. Take this month’s case, for example: a 37-year-old man with a headache who had four emergency department and two primary care visits before finally receiving the correct diagnosis. Accuracy and vigilance must be the goal of each patient encounter, no …
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