The Most Important Guideline Updates of 2017

How do you stay up-to-date on the latest guidelines? It’s tough! Every year brings a truckload of tweaks and changes to standards of care. Though you need to keep abreast of them all, some updates are more impactful than others to your day-to-day practice.

 Below are our top picks for guideline updates provided by two of our physician contributors.

Cathy A. Hatchell, MD

Cathy specializes in internal medicine and works as a contributor and Senior Medical Editor on MedStudy’s Internal Medicine Core, as well as a reviewer on IM Audio Pearls, IM and Peds Q&As, IM Flashcards, and IM Hospital Medicine Basics. Dr. Hatchell received her medical degree at University College of Medicine, Rockford, IL, and completed her internship and residency at St. Joseph Hospital in Denver. She currently practices at UC Health in Colorado Springs, CO.

“Medicine is constantly evolving. It is important to stay informed of current guidelines. The updates I chose as the most important for 2017 are from various specialties and will help primary care providers provide the most up-to-date medical care for their patients.”

Click on study titles for details of the guideline updates.

1. Yancy CW, Jessup M, et al. 2017 ACC/AHA/HFSA Focused Update of the 2013 ACCF/AHA Guideline for the Management of Heart Failure: A Report of the American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association Task Force on Clinical Practice Guidelines and the Heart Failure Society of America. Circulation. 2017 Apr 28. pii: CIR.0000000000000509.
2. Shen WK, Sheldon RS, et al. 2017 ACC/AHA/HRS Guideline for the Evaluation and Management of Patients With Syncope: Executive Summary: A Report of the American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association Task Force on Clinical Practice Guidelines and the Heart Rhythm Society. Circulation. 2017 Aug 1;136(5):e25-e59.
3. Garber AJ, Abrahamson MJ, et al. CONSENSUS STATEMENT BY THE AMERICAN ASSOCIATION OF CLINICAL ENDOCRINOLOGISTS AND AMERICAN COLLEGE OF ENDOCRINOLOGY ON THE COMPREHENSIVE TYPE 2 DIABETES MANAGEMENT ALGORITHM - 2017 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY. Endocr Pract. 2017 Jan 17.
4. Qaseem A, Barry MJ, et al; Clinical Guidelines Committee of the American College of Physicians. Oral Pharmacologic Treatment of Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus: A Clinical Practice Guideline Update From the American College of Physicians. Ann Intern Med. 2017 Jan 3.
5. Rex DK, Boland CR, et al. Colorectal Cancer Screening: Recommendations for Physicians and Patients From the U.S. Multi-Society Task Force on Colorectal Cancer. Gastroenterology. 2017 Jun 2. pii: S0016-5085(17)35599-3.
6. Robertson DJ, Lee JK, et al. Recommendations on Fecal Immunochemical Testing to Screen for Colorectal Neoplasia: A Consensus Statement by the US Multi-Society Task Force on Colorectal Cancer. Gastroenterology. 2017 Apr;152(5):1217-1237.e3.
7. Shane AL, Mody RK, et al. 2017 Infectious Diseases Society of America Clinical Practice Guidelines for the Diagnosis and Management of Infectious Diarrhea. Clin Infect Dis. 2017 Oct 19. doi: 10.1093/cid/cix669.
8. Grohskopf LA, Sokolow LZ, et al. Prevention and Control of Seasonal Influenza with Vaccines: Recommendations of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices - United States, 2017-18 Influenza Season. MMWR Recomm Rep. 2017 Aug 25;66(2):1-20.
9. Vogelmeier CF, Criner GJ, et al. Global Strategy for the Diagnosis, Management, and Prevention of Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease 2017 Report: GOLD Executive Summary. Am J Respir Crit Care Med. 2017 Jan 27.
10. Qaseem A, Wilt TJ, et al; Clinical Guidelines Committee of the American College of Physicians. Noninvasive Treatments for Acute, Subacute, and Chronic Low Back Pain: A Clinical Practice Guideline From the American College of Physicians. Ann Intern Med. 2017 Feb 14.

Lynn Bullock, MD

Lynn specializes in pediatrics and works as Senior Medical Editor and writer on the Pediatrics Core; a reviewer for Peds Audio Pearls; a writer/reviewer for Peds Q&As; a writer, reviewer, and medical editor for Peds Flashcards; a writer/editor for Peds Edge; as well as a medical editor for IM Flash Cards and Senior Medical Editor for the IM Core. Dr. Bullock earned her medical degree at Louisiana State University and completed her residency training at Louisiana State University School of Medicine in Shreveport Medical School.

“There have been many new guideline updates this year. The following are some that deal with preventive care that every pediatrician will use.”

1. Bright Futures/American Academy of Pediatrics Recommendations for Preventive Pediatric Health Care (Periodicity Schedule) 2017https://www.aap.org/en-us/Documents/periodicity_schedule.pdf
2. COMMITTEE ON INFECTIOUS DISEASES. Recommended Childhood and Adolescent Immunization Schedule-United States, 2017. Pediatrics. 2017 Feb 6. pii: e20164007 
3. Flynn JT, Kaelber DC, et al; SUBCOMMITTEE ON SCREENING AND MANAGEMENT OF HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE IN CHILDREN. Clinical Practice Guideline for Screening and Management of High Blood Pressure in Children and Adolescents. Pediatrics. 2017 Aug 21. pii: e20171904
4. Ryan SA, Ammerman SD; COMMITTEE ON SUBSTANCE USE AND PREVENTION. Counseling Parents and Teens About Marijuana Use in the Era of Legalization of Marijuana. Pediatrics. 2017 Mar;139(3). pii: e20164069
5. Togias A, Cooper SF, et al. Addendum Guidelines for the Prevention of Peanut Allergy in the United States: Report of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases-Sponsored Expert Panel. Pediatr Dermatol. 2017 Jan;34(1):e1-e21
6. COMMITTEE ON INFECTIOUS DISEASES; COMMITTEE ON FETUS AND NEWBORN. Elimination of Perinatal Hepatitis B: Providing the First Vaccine Dose Within 24 Hours of Birth. Pediatrics. 2017 Sep;140(3). pii: e20171870

To keep up with the latest internal medicine and pediatrics guidelines and review articles, visit MedStudy’s regularly updated, free online resource page at MedStudy Hub.