Medications to treat opioid addiction vastly underused March 21, 2019

Medications that have proven to treat people with opioid use disorder (OUD) are vastly underused in the United States. According to U.S. News & World Report, only a fraction of the 2 million people in the U.S. suffering from OUD are receiving the medications, which include naltrexone, buprenorphine, and methadone, which help control cravings and withdrawal symptoms.

One of the ways primary care professionals can effect change is to personally engage those individuals who write and pass legislation on the state level. Physicians and medical students are well-respected members of the community and having their voices heard makes a difference. The PAFP has put together a brief primer to help you get involved. 

The physician burnout rate increased between 2014 and 2017, according to a recent study. HealthDay reports research published in JAMA Network Open measured trends and examined factors related to physician burnout in a survey study and found an increase in burnout over the three-year period, from 40.6 to 45.6 percent, with early-career physicians most susceptible.

This year's National Resident Matching Program residency match marks a decade of year-over-year growth for family medicine. According to the American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP), 2019 is the seventh year running that medical students matching into family medicine reached an all-time high: 3,848 medical students and graduates are beginning family medicine careers. 

The Pennsylvania Academy of Family Physicians has released its 2018 Annual Report. Within its pages, you'll find important updates from every corner of the PAFP, including education, government affairs and practice advocacy, resident and student initiatives, and membership, plus updates from the PAFP EVP and CEO and its president. Click here to view the report.