Here are the top stories recently covered by DocWire News in the rheumatology section. In this edition, read two interviews with the authors of a study about gender discrimination in surgery, mixed outcomes for tocilizumab in COVID-19, and the role providers are (or are not) playing in discussing exercise with arthritis patients.
DocWire News recently covered a study published in JAMA Network Open, “Women Surgeons’ Experiences of Interprofessional Workplace Conflict.” The study has garnered attention on social media. Women have continued sharing their experiences at work using the hashtag #WhyIWasWrittenUp. DocWire spoke with lead study author Lesly A. Dossett, MD, MPH, of the Center for Health Outcomes and Policy, University of Michigan Institute for Health Policy and Innovation, Ann Arbor, and study author Dana A. Dossett, MD, MPH, of the University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, about the paper.
Read Dr. Dossett’s interview here.
Read Dr. Telem’s interview here.
Three studies published on Tuesday in JAMA Internal Medicine evaluated the use of tocilizumab to treat COVID-19 patients—with mixed results. One study observed no benefit of the rheumatic drug compared to standard of care in patients with COVID-19 pneumonia and partial pressure of arterial oxygen to fraction of inspired oxygen ratio between 200 and 300 mm Hg. Another study found that while tocilizumab may reduce the need for mechanical and noninvasive ventilation or death by day 14, it did not decrease mortality risk by day 28. The third study found that its early use in the intensive care unit resulted in reduced mortality.
Providers may not be engaging with their inflammatory arthritis (IA) patients about the importance of exercise, according to a survey. A total of 108 patients completed the survey. The most commonly reported exercise was aerobic (n=60; 56%), followed by flexibility (n=44; 41%), resistance (n=42; 39%) and balance (n=18; 17%). Although the majority of patients said they understood the positive impacts of exercise, only 19% of the entire cohort said that a provide had provided exercise recommendations for any of the four domains.
Credit: Original article published here.
