The Scientific Basis of Guideline Recommendations on Sugar Intake: A Systematic Review

A review of the scientific basis of dietary guidelines for sugar intake supported by the sugar and soda industries and published in Annals of Internal Medicine concluded that these “Guidelines on dietary sugar do not meet criteria for trustworthy recommendations and are based on low-quality evidence. Public health officials (when promulgating these recommendations) and their public audience (when considering dietary behavior) should be aware of these limitations.” An editorial on the review criticized its methodology and conclusions. An author of the editorial told the New York Times that the writers of the review were “hijacking the scientific process in a disingenuous way to sow doubt and jeopardize public health.”

Public Opinion Regarding Whether Speaking With Patients about Firearms Is Appropriate: Results of a National Survey

Health care providers have been encouraged to discuss firearms with patients; whether patients view these discussions as appropriate is unclear.  In an online survey of U.S. adults, researchers found that two thirds of non–firearm owners and more than one half of firearm owners in the United States believe that health care provider discussions about firearms are at least sometimes appropriate.

Citation: Betz ME, Azrael D, Barber C, Miller M. Public Opinion Regarding Whether Speaking With Patients About Firearms Is Appropriate: Results of a National Survey. Ann Intern Med. [Epub ahead of print 26 July 2016] doi:10.7326/M16-0739

Marketing and the Most Trusted Profession: The Invisible Interactions between Registered Nurses and Industry

A study published in Annals of Internal Medicine describes pharmaceutical industry activities targeted at registered nurses. Using qualitative, ethnographic methods to study pharmaceutical industry-nurse interactions at four acute care hospitals in one U.S. city, the authors found that nurses’ reported financial relationships with industry were similar to those reported by prescribers. However, nurses reported that their most significant interactions with industry occurred in daily practice.

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