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Objective To determine the rate of physical therapy (PT) referral and patient and physician characteristics associated with PT referral for benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV) and other peripheral vestibular disorders (PVD) in ambulatory care clinics in the United States. Design Cross-sectional analysis of the National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey 2004-2015 Setting Ambulatory care clinics in the United States. Participants We identified 5.6 million weighted adult visits for BPPV (International Classification of Diseases–9th Revision–Clinical Modifications (ICD-9-CM): 386.11) and 6.6 million weighted visits for other PVDs (ICD-9-CM: 386.1-386.9, excluding 386.11 and 386.2) made by patients 18 years and older from 2004 through 2015. Interventions Not applicable. Main Outcome Measures Patient, clinical, and physician characteristics were extracted, and descriptive statistics were stratified by referral to PT. Two multivariable logistic regression models were estimated for each diagnostic group (BPPV and other PVDs) to identify predictors of PT referral. Results PT referrals for BPPV increased from 6.2% in the period from 2004 to 2006 to 12.9% in the period from 2013 to 2015, whereas PT referrals for other PVDs decreased from 3.8% in the period from 2004 to 2006 to 0.5% in the period from 2013 to 2015. Other insurance coverage (versus private) and neurologists and other specialists (versus otolaryngologists) were associated with a greater odds of PT referral for BPPV. Visits made in the Midwest and West (versus the Northeast) and in rural versus metropolitan areas had greater odds of PT referral for BPPV. Relative to otolaryngologists, primary care physicians were less likely to refer to PT for other PVDs. Visits made in metropolitan versus rural areas and visits with 1 or more comorbidities (versus none) had greater odds of PT referral for other PVDs. Conclusions PT referrals remain low for ambulatory care visits for BPPV and other PVDs in the United States. Referral to PT for BPPV and other PVDs varied by insurance type, physician specialty, and office location.

Background: Many patients with acute low back pain (LBP) first seek care from primary care physicians. Evidence is lacking for interventions to prevent transition to chronic LBP in this setting. We aimed to test if implementation of a risk-stratified approach to care would result in lower rates of chronic LBP and improved self-reported disability. Methods: We conducted a pragmatic, cluster randomized trial using 77 primary care clinics in four health care systems across the United States. Practices were randomly assigned to a stratified approach to care (intervention) or usual care (control). Using the STarTBack screening tool, adults with acute low back pain were screened low, medium, and high-risk. Patients screened as high-risk were eligible. The intervention included electronic best practice alerts triggering referrals for psychologically informed physical therapy (PIPT). PIPT education was targeted to community clinics geographically close to intervention primary care clinics. Primary outcomes were transition to chronic LBP and self-reported disability at six months. Findings: Between May 2016 and June 2018, 1207 patients from 38 intervention and 1093 from 37 control practices were followed. In the intervention arm, around 50% of patients were referred for physical therapy (36% for PIPT) compared to 30% in the control. At 6 months, 47% of patients reported transition to chronic LBP in the intervention arm (38 practices, n=658) versus 51% of patients in the control arm (35 practices, n=635; OR=0.83 95% CI 0·64, 1·09; p=0·18). No differences in function were detected (difference -2·1, 95% CI -4·9-0·6; p=0·12). Opioids and imaging were prescribed 25% (21%, 28%) and 27% (23%, 31%) of initial visits, respectively. Twelve-month LBP utilization was similar in the two groups. Interpretation: There were no differences in transition to chronic LBP among patients presenting with acute LBP using a stratified approach to care. Opioid and imaging prescribing rates were non-concordant with clinical guidelines. Trial Registration: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT02647658. Funding Statement: Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI) contract # PCS-1402-10867. Declaration of Interests: We declare that we have no conflicts of interest. Ethics Approval Statement: Approval of the study protocol by all site institutional research ethics boards specified: (1) for processes conducted at the primary care clinics, the study was viewed as a quality improvement initiative, (2) for the follow-up assessments at six months, the study was viewed as research requiring patient informed consent for collection of patient-reported primary outcomes, and (3) for the 12-month EMR review patient consent or waiver of HIPAA authorization and patient consent was required.

Osteoarthritis (OA) and type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) often coexist in older adults. Those with T2DM are more susceptible to developing arthritis, which has been traditionally attributed to common risk factors, namely, age and obesity. Alterations in lipid metabolism and hyperglycemia might directly impact cartilage health and subchondral bone, contributing to the development/progression of OA. Adequate management of older persons with both conditions benefits from a comprehensive understanding of the associated risk factors. We discuss common risk factors and emerging links between OA and T2DM, emphasizing the importance of physical activity and the implications of safe and effective physical activity.

Objective To compare skeletal muscle fat (SMF), intermuscular adipose tissue (IMAT) and subcutaneous adipose tissue (SAT) between individuals with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), and healthy individuals of the same age, and healthy individuals at least 10 years older than those with RA. Methods Two cross-sectional studies. In the first study, RA subjects were matched by age, sex, and BMI with healthy adults. In the second, RA subjects were matched by sex and BMI to adults 10–20 years older. SMF, IMAT and SAT were measured with Computed Tomography images of the mid-thigh region. We used parametric or non-parametric related-sample tests to compare fat accumulation between RA subjects and healthy adults. Results In the first study SMF was significantly higher in the RA cohort compared to their age-matched healthy counterparts (mean difference = −3.5 HU (95% −6.2, −0.9), p = 0.011), but IMAT and SAT were similar between cohorts. In the second study, SMF, IMAT and SAT were not significantly different between the RA and matched older healthy cohorts. In both studies, there were no significant differences in mid-thigh muscle area between RA subjects and healthy adults. Conclusion SMF accumulation in RA was higher than in healthy individuals of similar age, sex, BMI. Accumulation of fat within and around the muscles in RA was not different compared to the matched healthy older individuals, indicating that muscle fat accumulation in RA might mimic a pattern not different from healthy aging.