Primary Care Update

Primary care docs Mark Ebell, Kate Rowland, Henry Barry and Gary Ferenchick tackle 4 new studies: health benefits of cocoa supplements, the best antibiotic for managing uncomplicated UTIs in women, left atrial appendage closure for AF with high bleeding or stroke risk, and evolocumab for primary (sort-of) prevention of MACE in patients with diabetes.
Essential Evidence Plus: www.essentialevidenceplus.com

https://www.iafp.org/2026ac
Cocoa and health: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35294962/
Antibiotics for UTI: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/42026010/
Left atrial appendage closure and AF: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41849741/

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41903215/

This week, primary care doctors Mark Ebell, Kate Rowland, Henry Barry and Gary Ferenchick discuss four new studies: whether water is better than diet drinks in diabetes, a new RCT of Paxlovid for COVID in contemporary patients, to switch or not to switch antiplatelet agents after a stroke, and the latest AHA 2026 dietary advice for heart health.
Drinks for diabetes: ttps://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41369640/
Antiplatelet agents after stroke on aspirin: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41347302/
New Paxlovid trial: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/42019019/
AHA 2026 dietary guidance: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41914202/

This week Kate, Mark and Henry talk about empathetic robots, mother-baby singing groups for postpartum depression, and new American College of Cardiology lipid guidelines.
Indiana AFP POEMs course in French Link: https://www.iafp.org/2026ac
Empathetic robots: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41359230/
Weekly singing groups for postpartum depression: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41087020/
ACC/AHA/etc lipid guidelines: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41824552/
A 2025 study in the journal Family Practice finding that the two most trustworthy lipid guidelines recommended against using CAC, while all five less trustworthy guidelines due to poor methods or COI recommended it. Go figure.
Smartphones in schools: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41489912/

Join primary care faculty Gary Ferenchick, Kate Rowland, Henry Barry and Mark Ebell as they discuss 4 important new studies: the value (?) Of biomarkers in cognitive impairment, toilet training, bleeding risk with apixaban versus rivaroxaban for VTE, and diagnosing volume overload in adults  from the JAMA Rational Clinical Exam series.

This week, primary care doctors Kate, Gary, Mark and Henry discuss high vs low dose inhaled steroids for high risk patients with asthma, click based semaglutide titration to reduce GI problems, zoster vaccine and dementia risk, and whether we are trusting AI too much.