NEW YORK — When implemented correctly, AI voice agents can not only help cataract surgeons use time more efficiently in the clinic but improve the patient-physician relationship, according to a speaker at OSN New York and Retina.
During a presentation, P. Dee G. Stephenson, MD, FACS, said that the cataract surgery patient population is rising steadily while care resources remain limited. Using AI, she said, is an essential tool for closing this gap amid cuts in coverage while tailoring care to each patient’s needs.
“We only have 60 minutes in an hour,” Stephenson told Healio. “We can’t add any

Drug-resistant gonorrhea — considered a top public health threat by both WHO and the CDC — is surging globally.
Frequently described as a “smart” bug, the bacterial STI “has basically evolved resistance to every antibiotic we have thrown at it,” Infectious Diseases Society of America CEO Jeanne M. Marrazzo, MD, MPH, noted in an interview.
“Gonorrhea is one of the pathogens that anybody who knows anything about antimicrobial resistance really respects,” she said.
For this story, we spoke with experts about the ongoing burden of drug-resistant gonorrhea, the approval of the first new antibiotics

ORLANDO — Understanding why people struggle to change unhealthy behaviors may help clinicians find more effective ways to support lasting lifestyle changes, according to Judson Brewer, MD, PhD.
Brewer is a psychiatrist, neuroscientist and associate professor at Brown University who has spent decades studying the brain mechanisms underlying habits, cravings and anxiety.
He is the author of several books, including The Craving Mind: From Cigarettes to Smartphones to Love — Why We Get Hooked and How We Can Break Bad Habits, Unwinding Anxiety: New Science Shows How to Break the Cycles of Worry and

ORLANDO — AI offers value within lifestyle medicine thanks to its ability to raise practice capacity and lower administrative loads, a speaker at the American College of Lifestyle Medicine’s annual meeting said.
As AI within healthcare continues to expand, patients’ openness to the technology may be underestimated by healthcare professionals, according to a recently released West Health-Gallup survey.
The survey (n = 5,330) showed that across three aspects of clinical care, between 38% to 56% of patients are comfortable with AI use if a provider is involved.
The data also indicated that nearly

ORLANDO — Patients with psoriatic arthritis or rheumatoid arthritis who are exposed to higher air pollution demonstrated increased disease activity scores, according to data presented at ACR Convergence.
“Our previous studies suggested that air pollution may influence rheumatoid arthritis activity, but large-scale evidence, particularly in psoriatic arthritis, was lacking,” Giovanni Adami, MD, PhD, of the University of Verona, in Italy, told Healio. “We wanted to investigate the impact of both chronic and short-term exposure in a nationwide cohort.”
Adami and

The FDA has approved Sunharbo, the only approved factor XIa inhibitor intended to reduce the risk for stroke in adults who recently experienced a non-cardioembolic ischemic stroke or high-risk transient ischemic attack.
With the approval, physicians now have a treatment option that can lower patient risk for secondary stroke, which can come with more severe outcomes than incident strokes, said Ashkan Shoamanesh, MD, senior scientist with the Population Health Research Institute at Hamilton Health Sciences and McMaster University.
“For those who survive a stroke, the risk of another potentially

SAN DIEGO — Physicians at Mayo Clinic developed a program to encourage medical students to pursue pediatrics as well as benefit children in their care.
An advocacy project at Mayo Clinic called The Teddy Bear Clinic had two goals: reducing stigma around medical devices for children, and recruiting medical students to pediatric residency programs, according to Anders C. Jenson, MD, a pediatric resident at the hospital.
“I am passionate about pediatrics, and I wanted to encourage other students in my class at Mayo Clinic to apply to pediatrics,” Jenson told Healio. “I’m well aware that we need

LAS VEGAS — Sometimes trading in a stethoscope for a microphone can make a meaningful impact on patients that healthcare providers never even meet, according to a speaker here.
Christopher M. Colbert, DO, LTC, FAAEM, FACOEP, FACEP, an emergency medicine physician and medical media contributor, discussed the unique opportunity that media presents and how to navigate that journey while maintaining integrity.
Healio spoke with Colbert to learn more about his experiences with media, his advice for providers who want to get involved and more.
Healio: Why is this an important topic for healthcare

SAN DIEGO — Poly-L-lactic acid injections are biodegradable polymers naturally excreted from the body, yet their classification as plastics can confuse patients concerned about microplastic accumulation in the body, according to a speaker.
There is growing concern in nonmedical communities about poly-L-lactic acid (PLLA), a popular type of dermal filler, contributing to microplastic accumulation, particularly as literature suggests microplastic accumulation in human tissue harms long-term health, Grace McCollam, MD, a clinical research fellow at Tulane University School of Medicine, said

ORLANDO — Switching from originator infliximab to a biosimilar failed to impact rheumatoid arthritis treatment response in a large, real-world analysis, according to data presented at ACR Convergence.
“Formulary-mandated switches to biosimilars are increasingly common, and some clinicians have lingering concerns about their safety and efficacy,” Eric Roberts, PhD, MPH, of the University of California, San Francisco, told Healio. “It is important that we augment clinical trial data with real-world evidence to assess the appropriateness of switching to assure patients and