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Medicine & Health

Updates every hour. Last Updated: 21-Jun-2026 04:15 ET (21-Jun-2026 08:15 GMT/UTC)

Combining small changes to sleep, diet, and exercise could be key to reducing heart attack and stroke risk

European Society of Cardiology
Peer-Reviewed Publication

New research shows that small improvements to sleep, diet quality, and physical activity, made in combination, are associated with a significantly reduced risk of major cardiovascular events such as stroke, heart attacks, and heart failure. The study followed more than 53,000 adults from UK Biobank over an eight‑year period and found that making even modest improvements across three behaviours had clinically meaningful benefits.

Journal: European Journal of Preventive Cardiology

Tiny sensors with the power to detect cancer

Adelaide University
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Microscopic sensors that are as thin as a strand of hair but capable of taking multiple measurements simultaneously could revolutionise the diagnosis and monitoring of diseases like cancer.

Journal: Advanced Optical Materials

Joint display method for patient surveys reveals deeper insights into patient satisfaction

American Academy of Family Physicians
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Many patient surveys include both numerical ratings and written comments, responses that are frequently analyzed separately, which can limit what researchers learn from the data. This report demonstrates a method for analyzing survey ratings and open-text comments together. Researchers used survey data from Alberta, Canada’s Long COVID Interprofessional Outpatient Program (IPOP), which provided multidisciplinary care for adults with COVID-19 infection and symptoms lasting at least 12 weeks.

Journal: The Annals of Family Medicine

Chaplain support at primary care buprenorphine clinic addresses mental health needs of patients

American Academy of Family Physicians
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Medication treatment with buprenorphine is widely used for opioid use disorder. Yet many people early in recovery experience emotional distress, social isolation, and difficulty finding meaning or rebuilding relationships. This report describes a team-based buprenorphine clinic within an academic family medicine residency practice that incorporated a clinically trained chaplain into patient care.

Journal: The Annals of Family Medicine

Family medicine practice redesigns patient dismissal process

American Academy of Family Physicians
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Clinicians at an academic family medicine practice in upstate New York serving more than 25,000 patients revised their patient dismissal process after a review found that all immediate dismissals during a six-month period involved Black patients, who represent about 36% of the practice population. The clinic replaced the expedited dismissal approach with a structured review process led by an interdisciplinary Practice Concerns Review Committee.

Journal: The Annals of Family Medicine

Bleeding events largely outnumber thromboembolic events in patients with cancer during the last phase of life, most patients continue antithrombotic therapy

American Academy of Family Physicians
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Researchers in the Netherlands examined blood thinner use and related events in people with cancer during this period using routine general practitioner (GP) records from 2018 to 2022. They analyzed data from 2,860 adults starting when the GP first registered palliative care and reviewed records until death or their last GP visit (median follow up period was about six weeks).

Journal: The Annals of Family Medicine

Integrating social risk alerts into primary care workflows may improve blood pressure control

American Academy of Family Physicians
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Screening for social risks has expanded in recent years. However, less is known about how integrating social risk information into clinical workflows influences patient outcomes. The study was conducted in the OCHIN network, a national consultancy for community health care organizations. Six clinics imple

Journal: The Annals of Family Medicine

Tip sheet and summaries Annals of Family Medicine March/April 2026

American Academy of Family Physicians
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Tip sheet and summaries Annals of Family Medicine March/April 2026

Journal: The Annals of Family Medicine

Patients with floaters or flashes could face higher risk of retinal detachment

American Academy of Family Physicians
Peer-Reviewed Publication

In this study, researchers conducted a retrospective cohort study using electronic records from seven family practices in the Netherlands to examine whether patients presenting with floaters, flashes, or both had different risks of retinal detachment in primary care.

Journal: The Annals of Family Medicine