| antibiotic-stewardship-resources-for-outpatient-clinics | Antibiotic Stewardship Resources for Outpatient Clinics | Latest_News | Shared_Content/News/Membership_Memo/2025/June-13/antibiotic-stewardship-resources-for-outpatient-clinics | <div class="col-md-12">
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<h5>June 13, 2025</h5>
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<h2>Antibiotic Stewardship Resources for Outpatient Clinics </h2>
<p>The antimicrobial stewardship team at the Washington State Department of Health has new resources to share with the physician community. In addition to enhancing safety for patients, implementation of antibiotic stewardship principles can provide further benefits by improving scores for specific Health Effectiveness Data and Information Set measures and fulfilling select Merit-based Incentive Payment System measures.</p>
<p><strong>Why antibiotic stewardship is critical for patient care</strong> </p>
<p>Optimizing the use of antibiotics through stewardship is critical to effectively treat infections, protect patients from harms caused by unnecessary antibiotic use, and combat antibiotic resistance. Side effects can include rash, dizziness, nausea, diarrhea, and yeast infections, but also more serious conditions like C. difficile infection and severe allergic reactions. Infections caused by antibiotic-resistant bacteria often require extended hospital stays, additional visits to physicians and health care professionals, and treatments that may be more costly and potentially more toxic.</p>
<p><strong>Resources for medical groups and outpatient practices</strong> </p>
<p>Be sure you and your teams are up to speed on these updated resources.</p>
<ul>
<li><a href="https://www.train.org/cdctrain/training_plan/3697">Centers for Disease Control and Prevention training on antibiotic stewardship</a>, completion of which fulfills MIPs improvement activities PSPA_23 and PSPA_24. </li>
<li>University of Washington Centers for Stewardship in Medicine's <a href="https://www.uwcsim.org/sites/default/files/A3972.TASP%20booklet%20v7.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer">Pacific Northwest Antibiotic Guide</a>.</li>
<li>An <a href="https://doh.wa.gov/sites/default/files/2023-06/420-204-ProviderCommitmentToStewardshipPoster.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer">educational poster for display in the patient waiting area</a>.</li>
<li><a href="https://www.cdc.gov/antibiotic-use/communication-resources/?CDC_AAref_Val=https://www.cdc.gov/antibiotic-use/print-materials.html">Educational handouts for patients</a>.</li>
</ul>
<p>Be sure to visit the Department of Health's dedicated <a href="https://doh.wa.gov/public-health-provider-resources/healthcare-professions-and-facilities/healthcare-associated-infections/antimicrobial-resistance-and-antimicrobial-stewardship/antibiotic-stewardship/outpatient-clinics">antibiotic stewardship webpages for outpatient clinics</a> for more resources.</p>
</div> | 6/12/2025 12:00:00 AM | 1/1/0001 12:00:00 AM |
| screening-for-unhealthy-social-media-use-by-adolescents | Screening for Unhealthy Social Media Use by Adolescents | Latest_News | Shared_Content/News/Membership_Memo/2025/June-13/screening-for-unhealthy-social-media-use-by-adolescents | <div class="col-md-12">
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<h5>June 13, 2025</h5>
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<h2>Screening for Unhealthy Social Media Use by Adolescents </h2>
<p>Recognizing the responsibilities of physicians and health professionals to the health and well-being of adolescents, the 2024 House of Delegates passed policy directing the WSMA to encourage physicians to use social media guidelines and resources as a part of routine health screenings and patient care. Use the following guidelines to inform your practice.</p>
<h3><strong>Background</strong></h3>
<p> </p>
<p>Social media use starts during childhood and can play a significant role in the relationships and experiences that impact children and teens' growth, development, and mental health. Today, social media use is pervasive among adolescents, with 95% of teens having access to a smart phone and 46% of teens reporting that they are online "almost constantly," prompting significant concerns about the impact of social media use on adolescent mental and physical health.</p>
<p>Current guidelines stress the need for ongoing parental involvement and monitoring of adolescent social media use to mitigate potential mental health risks, with specific recommendations to avoid social media use during key developmental periods and before bedtime to prevent sleep disruption and other health issues. Further, experts highlight the lack of comprehensive, longitudinal studies on the long-term effects of social media on youth, urging for more research to understand how extended use impacts adolescent development and well-being over time.</p>
<h3><strong>Social media use in adolescence: Guidelines for health professionals</strong></h3>
<p> </p>
<p><strong>American Academy of Pediatrics' Center of Excellence on Social Media and Youth Mental Health </strong>- The Center provides a variety of educational and technical assistance opportunities to support clinicians, educators, parents, youth, and others in encouraging healthy social media use: </p>
<ul>
<li>Virtual interactive learning communities leveraging Project ECHO (Extension for Community Healthcare Outcomes), an online learning community modality that uses didactic presentations from multidisciplinary faculty experts, case-based peer learning discussions, and quality improvement methodologies to improve health outcomes.</li>
<li>Regularly scheduled webinars and follow-up office hours with expert clinicians.</li>
<li>Expert speakers and presentations delivered by the center's co-medical directors, staff, and ambassadors.</li>
<li>A variety of tipsheets, educational case studies, and brief topical educational videos.</li>
<li>A question and answer portal: A two-way communication channel for questions about social media and mental well-being. Each submitted question has an evidence-based response from the center's expert team, and users can search our library of previously submitted questions and responses.</li>
</ul>
<p>To learn more, visit the center's website at <a href="https://www.aap.org/en/patient-care/media-and-children/center-of-excellence-on-social-media-and-youth-mental-health/">aap.org/socialmedia</a>. Download a <a href="https://downloads.aap.org/AAP/PDF/About_the_CoE.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer">PDF flyer</a> to help spread the word.</p>
<h3><strong>American Psychological Association's 2023 Health Advisory and 2024 Report on Social Media Use in Adolescence</strong></h3>
<p> </p>
<p>In 2023, a presidential panel of the American Psychological Association issued a <a href="https://www.apa.org/topics/social-media-internet/health-advisory-adolescent-social-media-use">health advisory on social media use in adolescence</a>, noting that while these platforms can promote healthy socialization, their use should be preceded by training in social media literacy to ensure that youth have skills that will maximize the chances for balanced, safe, and meaningful experiences.</p>
<p>The advisory included 10 recommendations for the use of social media by adolescents, including: </p>
<ul>
<li>Tailor social media use, functionality, and permissions to youths' developmental capabilities; designs created for adults may not be appropriate for children.</li>
<li>For younger kids, adults should monitor social media use, including discussing and coaching around social media content. This should be balanced with youths' appropriate needs for privacy. Autonomy may increase gradually as kids age and gain more digital literacy skills.</li>
<li>Minimize adolescents' exposure to social media content that depicts illegal or psychologically maladaptive behavior, including content that instructs or encourages youth to engage in self-harm or high-risk behaviors or those that encourage eating-disordered behavior (such as restrictive eating, purging, or excessive exercise).</li>
<li>Minimize adolescents' exposure to online content that promotes discrimination, prejudice, hate, or cyberbullying, especially directed toward groups targeted because of race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, religion, or disability status.</li>
<li>Monitor adolescents for signs of problematic social media use that can impair their ability to engage in daily roles and routines and may present risk for more serious psychological harms over time.</li>
<li>Limit social media use so as not to interfere with adolescents' sleep or physical activity, as each is required for healthy brain and psychological development.</li>
<li>Limit adolescents' use of social media for primarily beauty- or appearance-related content.</li>
</ul>
<p>In 2024, the American Psychological Association followed its health advisory with a new report that looked at the science on the risks and opportunities social media present to young social media users: "<a href="https://www.apa.org/topics/social-media-internet/youth-social-media-2024">Potential risks of content, features, and functions: The science of how social media affects youth</a>." </p>
<h3><strong>U.S. Surgeon General's 2021 Advisory: Protecting Youth Mental Health</strong></h3>
<p> </p>
<p>This 2021 advisory from the U.S. surgeon general offers recommendations for supporting the mental health of children, adolescents, and young adults. The advisory includes essential recommendations for the institutions that surround young people and shape their day-to-day lives-schools, community organizations, health care systems, technology companies, media, funders and foundations, employers, and government. For health care professionals, the surgeon general advises: </p>
<ol>
<li>Recognize that the best treatment is prevention of mental health challenges. Implement trauma-informed care principles and other prevention strategies to improve care for all youth, especially those with a history of adversity.</li>
<li>Routinely screen children for mental health challenges and risk factors, including adverse childhood experiences.</li>
<li>Identify and address the mental health needs of parents, caregivers, and other family members.</li>
<li>Combine the efforts of clinical staff with those of trusted community partners and child-serving systems (e.g., child welfare, juvenile justice).</li>
<li>Build multidisciplinary teams to implement services that are tailored to the needs of children and their families.</li>
</ol>
<p>Read the full advisory, "<a href="https://www.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/surgeon-general-youth-mental-health-advisory.pdf?null">Protecting Youth Mental Health: The U.S. Surgeon General's Advisory, 2021</a>." </p>
<p>For more information on these guidelines and for further reading, visit the WSMA's new <a href="[@]wsma/resources/practice-management/social-media-screening/wsma/resources/practice-management/social-media-adolescent-screening.aspx?hkey=ae8a00b6-45cf-468a-bf68-ecac0eb60b0c">Social Media Adolescent Screening</a> page on our website, under Resources then Practice Management.</p>
</div> | 6/12/2025 12:00:00 AM | 1/1/0001 12:00:00 AM |
| wsma_physician_leader_elected_to_leadership_at_the_american_medical_association | WSMA Physician Leader Elected to Leadership at the American Medical Association | Latest_News | Shared_Content/News/Membership_Memo/2025/June-13/wsma_physician_leader_elected_to_leadership_at_the_american_medical_association | <div class="col-md-12">
<div class="col-sm-5 pull-right" style="text-align: center;"><img src="/images/Newsletters/MembershipMemo/2025/june/Rege_5811.jpg" class="pull-right" alt="Teen with smartphone" /></div>
<h5>June 13, 2025</h5>
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<h2>WSMA Physician Leader Elected to Leadership at the American Medical Association </h2>
<p>The WSMA offers a hearty congratulations to Sheila Rege, MD, a radiation oncologist in private practice serving the Kennewick community, who this week was elected to the 21-member AMA board of trustees.</p>
<p>The election was held Tuesday, June 10, during the Annual Meeting of the AMA House of Delegates in Chicago. Dr. Rege is a longtime WSMA member and trustee, currently serving on the WSMA board as an AMA delegate representing the interests and needs of Washington state physicians and their patients in the creation of policies and programs at the AMA.&nbsp;</p>
<p>In her new position on the AMA board, Dr. Rege will have a further strengthened opportunity to inform AMA policy on the many shared interests of the two associations, from reforming onerous prior authorization processes and a broken Medicare physician payment system to providing leadership in the development of artificial intelligence in health care and cultivating the next generation of physician leaders.</p>
<p>“I am deeply honored to be elected to the AMA board of trustees,†said Dr. Rege in a <a href="https://wsma.org/Shared_Content/News/Press_Release/2025/wsma_physician_leader_elected_to_leadership_at_the_american_medical_association"><span data-contrast="none">press release</span></a>. “At a time when physicians are navigating unprecedented pressures—from misinformation to mounting administrative burdens—I’m committed to bringing practical, ethical leadership. I will advocate to protect physician autonomy, and ensure patients—regardless of ZIP code, race, or income—receive high-quality, compassionate care.â€</p>
<p>Dr. Rege has been a member of the WSMA for more than 20 years, serving on its board of trustees for 20 years. As she assumes her new leadership position with the AMA, she will continue to remain active at the state medical association to share insights into her work at the AMA.&nbsp;</p>
<h3>Other newsmakers at the AMA meeting&nbsp;</h3>
<p>WSMA Foundation vice president and WSMA board member, Carrie Horwitch, MD was recognized by the AMA Foundation as one of their <a href="https://amafoundation.org/news/meet-the-2025-ama-foundation-excellence-in-medicine-honorees/"><span data-contrast="none">Excellence in Medicine Award winners</span></a>. Dr. Horwitch received the Jack B. McConnell, MD Award in Excellence for Volunteerism. In honor of Dr. Horwitch, a grant was awarded to the MAVEN Project.&nbsp;</p>
<p>The WSMA would like to also acknowledge WSMA board member Teresa Girolami, MD, for being nominated for an AMPAC award.&nbsp;</p>
<p><em>Picture courtesy of Ted Grudzinski, MMX</em></p>
</div> | 6/12/2025 12:00:00 AM | 1/1/0001 12:00:00 AM |