Osteopathic physicians, researchers to present clinical and research updates at OMED 15

Osteopathic physicians, researchers and aligned medical professionals will present clinical and research updates in 15 specialties at OMED 15 in Orlando October 17-21.

OMED is the American Osteopathic Association's annual medical education conference and is designed to help the nation's 122,000 osteopathic physicians (DOs) and medical students bring osteopathic principles and practices to their patients and colleagues. The osteopathic philosophy of medicine encourages physicians to partner with patients to help them get healthy and stay well, recognizing the importance of the physician-patient relationship in delivering good outcomes.

New findings in the treatment of Type 2 diabetes and potential breakthroughs in the early detection of Alzheimer's disease will be highlighted during the conference, with presentations from diabetes expert Jay Shubrook, DO, professor and director of diabetes services at Touro University California College of Osteopathic Medicine, and researcher Robert Nagele, PhD, director of the Biomarker Discovery Center at Rowan University. Both will update their research and offer insights for modifying disease progression.

Other clinical presentations include:

Family Medicine: Impact of Unconscious Bias on LGBT and Disabled Patients

Physicians' unconscious attitudes toward LGBT and disabled populations may be partially responsible for poorer overall health observed in these communities. Primary care providers frequently fail to discuss contraception, sexually transmitted diseases, emotional health and basic wellness concerns like diet, exercise, smoking and alcohol use with patients who have disabilities. The LGBT population faces different challenges, primarily cultural attitudes that favor heterosexuals.

Emergency Medicine: Rashes That Kill

Adults with skin rashes accompanied by a fever of 100.5 or higher warrant a trip to the emergency room because the combination of symptoms can be associated with several life-threatening conditions. Taken individually, rashes and fevers may seem benign, but the combination can be indicative of serious or life-threatening illness in adults. Survival rates increase dramatically for patients who receive quick, aggressive treatment for the underlying cause of the rash.

Addiction Medicine: Prescribing and Testing of Controlled Substances in the Ambulatory Setting

Patients undergoing rehabilitation for physical injuries and their physicians can better understand who is most at risk of abusing opioids by reviewing their family history, lifestyle and environment for critical cues about susceptibility to addiction. It's important to recognize that opioids are sometimes the most effective pain treatment available for patients, regardless of their risk profile. Physicians can offer an agreement to patients susceptible to addiction that includes stringent, voluntarily monitoring designed to confirm opioids are used responsibly.

Pediatrics: Neuroprotection and Care of the Brain from Pregnancy through the NICU and into Childhood

Premature infants have a higher chance of healthy brain development through a series of small interventions designed to protect and stimulate neurodevelopment in babies at risk of learning challenges in childhood. By age eight, more than 50 percent of very low birth weight preterm children require special education services and 15 percent will have repeated at least one grade in school. Medications, hospital staff and contact with parents can influence outcomes for preterm babies, though there is no one single factor that produces significant improvements.

Psychiatry: Outpatient Detox Strategies and Alternative Anxiety Treatments

Patients taking benzodiazepines to treat psychiatric conditions should consider transitioning to other therapies because of heightened risks for dementia and death. Despite updated psychiatric protocols, some physicians continue to prescribe benzodiazepines as a primary treatment for insomnia, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder, obsessive compulsive disorder and other ailments. A growing body of research indicates this practice could greatly increase patients' risk of dementia and Alzheimer's disease.