Fibromyalgia patients who regularly visit their physicians are much less likely to attempt suicide than those who do not, according to a new Vanderbilt University Medical Center study published in Arthritis Care & Research.

The research suggests that metformin should be further studied clinically for the prevention of liver cancer.

Vanderbilt University Medical Center has been awarded a five-year federal grant to train investigators in Learning Healthcare Systems research, aimed at improving patient outcomes and the community’s overall health.

Julia Phillippi, PhD, CNM, has received a K08 Career Development Award from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Phillippi, a Vanderbilt University School of Nursing assistant professor and certified nurse-midwife, will use the three-year, $399,374 mentored award to conduct a randomized trial of an interdisciplinary team-based maternity care model and examine the preferences of patients and providers.

Impaired swallowing — dysphagia — affects 3 percent of hospital inpatients, who have longer hospital stays and are more likely to require post-acute care services.

Removing tonsils modestly reduced throat infections in the short term in children with moderate obstructive sleep-disordered breathing or recurrent throat infections, according to a systematic review conducted by the Vanderbilt Evidence-based Practice Center for the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ).

Robert Dittus, M.D., MPH, Executive Vice President, Public Health and Health Care for Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC), has been named to the National Advisory Council of the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ).