PEER Primary Picks: Summarizing research relevant to primary care in 2024

Every year when we do our evidence review for all 105 topics for Vital FM Update and The Review Course, we are so impressed by the incredible hard work of the PEER group - their publications come up over and over again.

I am even lucky enough to have the chance to helpe with one of their high-quality guidelines - and got a front-row seat to their rigorous, academic (and importantly - pharma-free!!) process.

In the list below, they've compiled a list of the top Family Med articles over the last year and published in the CFP journal, so we wanted to make sure you don't miss it!

Enjoy,

- Simon

Physicians are often bogged down by heavy workloads and long hours. This makes having time for staying up to date with the latest practice changing research a difficult task. Below is a list of points summarized from a few of the major research articles in 2024.

1. Stopping benzodiazepines for sleeping aids:

   • Behavioural interventions help 1 out of 4 patients in reduction of need for benzodiazepines as sleep aids (compared with 8% with treatment as usual).

   
   

2. Beta-blockers for patients with previous myocardial infarction (MI)

   • In patients with an acute MI and preserved ejection fraction, initiation of beta-blockers did not lower mortality or repeat MI rates at the 3 and half year mark. Stopping beta blocker at the 3 year mark also did not increase such events but did increase the rate of elective cardiac procedures.

     
     

3. Intensive blood pressure (BP) target or not?

   • A more intensive BP target of 120 systolic in patients with high cardiovascular risk burden and hypertension improves major cardiovascular outcomes (when compared to 140 systolic). There is however an increased risk of sustained GFR rate decline.

     
     

4. Vitamin D and fracture prevention

   • Vitamin D supplementation alone (without calcium) does not decrease the risk of hip fractures in elderly healthy populations.

     
     

5. Walking to improve back pain

   • Walking was effective in prolonging time to recurrent back pain by 3 months.

     
     

6. Testosterone and sexual function in men

   • Testosterone supplementation has little to no effect on erectile dysfunction and sexual quality of life in men with sexual dysfunction.

     
     

7. Methotrexate to control osteoarthritis (OA)

   • Oral methotrexate has been shown to be effective for OA pain when conventional methods have failed however more research is needed into this topic.

     
     

8. Edoxaban vs. Dual antithrombotic therapy

   • Patients with stable coronary artery disease and atrial fibrillation did not have any differences in mortality or MACE events whether they were on Edoxaban alone or supplemented with antiplatelet therapy. More bleeding side effects were seen in the dual therapy group.

     
     

9. GLP-1 agonists for obesity-related indications

   • GLP-1 agonists were also found to be effective in lowering OA pain, reducing the number of apneic events for patients with OSA, improved heart failure symptoms in patients with heart failure with preserved EF, as well as resolving MASH in 44-60% of patients compared to placebo.

Sources:

Top studies of 2024 relevant to primary care