Category Archives: Practice Enhancement

The Integration of Aesthetic Medicine into Primary Care

December 6, 2019

The steadily rising number of cosmetic procedures performed in the United States, which grew by nearly a quarter million from 2017 to 2018, continues to rise as advancements in technology, increased availability and accessibility of treatment, as well as a social media-driven de-stigmatization of plastic surgery influence consumer demands. Expenditure on cosmetic plastic surgery exceeded $16.5 billion last year, and current estimates predict the global industry will surge to a valuation of $40 billion by 2023.

In light of dramatically increasing patient spending on and demand of cosmetic procedures – of which there were 17.7 million in 2018 – the industry of aesthetic medicine may soon require a helping hand. Researchers point to primary care as the potential partner to plastic surgeons and cosmetic specialists, with a growing trend of physicians adopting Botox injections and chemical peel treatments into their practice.

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The Importance of an Online Presence for Physicians

December 3, 2019

While healthcare remains a primarily offline industry with the majority of services rendered during in-person office visits, the rise of telemedicine and other advancements in digital technology are increasingly bringing the field online. As both patients and medical providers utilize the internet, smartphones, and social media regularly, research implicates an increasing value for physicians to maintain a strong online presence in order to attract patients, strengthen visibility, and share relevant medical information.

Research indicates that 80% of physicians use smartphones and medical applications, while many healthcare providers use the internet frequently to educate themselves and share information about their specialty with patients and clients. A growing number  of physicians (93% of respondents) believe health apps improve health outcomes,  with 40% of respondents agreeing  that mobile health services – including applications and social media – can reduce the number of in-person medical visits.

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Alarming Rates of Life-Threatening Patient Nondisclosures

November 15, 2019

A patient’s full disclosure of medically relevant information to their clinician is essential to ensuring all-encompassing health support, developing successful treatment strategies and guaranteeing optimal outcomes. This is especially true in cases of imminent threat, which range from drug and substance abuse habits to domestic violence incidents. Previous research has revealed that patients often choose not to share details about certain behaviors, such as lack of exercise or poor diet, in fear of being judged or reprimanded. However, relatively little knowledge was available thus far about the disclosure rates for life-threatening factors.

While it is essential for primary care providers to be aware of all details affecting patient health, a recent study indicates that nearly half of patients withhold potentially life-threatening information from their physicians. Aiming to determine the prevalence of patient nondisclosure about imminent threats and identify the common underlying reasons, researchers evaluated data from 4,510 Amazon’s Mechanical Turk (MTurk) and Survey Sampling International (SSI) survey respondents.

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