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Below please find summaries of new articles that will be published in the next issue of Annals of Internal Medicine . The summaries are not intended to substitute for the full articles as a source of information. This information is under strict embargo and by taking it into possession, media representatives are committing to the terms of the embargo not only on their own behalf, but also on behalf of the organization they represent.
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1. ACP recommends hormonal therapy as a first-line treatment for menopausal vasomotor symptoms
Abstract: https://www.acpjournals.org/doi/10.7326/ANNALS-26-01205
Editorial: https://www.acpjournals.org/doi/10.7326/ANNALS-26-03184
URL goes live when the embargo lifts
The American College of Physicians (ACP) recommends estrogen in combination with progestogen (for females with a uterus) or estrogen monotherapy (for females without a uterus) as first-line treatment for perimenopausal and postmenopausal females experiencing menopausal vasomotor symptoms (VMS), which consist of hot flashes and night sweats. ACP’s new clinical guideline is published in Annals of Internal Medicine.
VMS symptoms are the most common symptoms associated with menopause and affect up to 80% of females. Beginning in perimenopause, declining and fluctuating reproductive hormone levels can lead to VMS and other symptoms, including sleep disturbance, weight fluctuations, anxiety, depression, and genitourinary symptoms. VMS can persist into postmenopausal years, and their frequency and severity can disrupt daily life activities and impact quality of life.
For females seeking treatment for VMS, ACP concluded that estrogen in combination with progestogen and estrogen monotherapy had the most favorable benefits compared with harms. For females who have contraindications to or do not tolerate estrogen therapy, ACP suggests physicians use an SNRI (desvenlafaxine or venlafaxine) as second-line treatment, or an SSRI (escitalopram or paroxetine), gabapentin, or an NKra (elinzanetant or fezolinetant) as third-line treatment. ACP encourages physicians to ask their patients about their experience with menopausal VMS, as many females may not initiate these discussions on their own.
ACP emphasizes that when selecting a treatment of VMS, clinicians should use an informed decision-making approach and discuss benefits, harms, contraindications, comorbid conditions, values and preferences, financial burden, and access to and availability of treatments.
Related Evidence Review:
Pharmacologic Treatments for Female Menopausal Vasomotor Symptoms: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis for the American College of Physicians
Abstract: https://www.acpjournals.org/doi/10.7326/ANNALS-26-00943
Media contacts: For an embargoed PDF, please contact Gabby Macrina at gmacrina@acponline.org. To speak with someone at ACP, please email Angela Collom at acollom@acponline.org.
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2. Study finds sharp increase in advanced nurse practitioners trained at for-profit schools
Abstract: https://www.acpjournals.org/doi/10.7326/ANNALS-26-01211
A brief research report found that nearly one-third of newly licensed advanced practice registered nurses (APRNs) in four U.S. states graduated from for-profit schools in 2024, up from just 2.4% in 2010. Researchers found steady growth over the past 15 years, highlighting a major shift in how this rapidly expanding sector of the health care workforce is being trained. The report is published in Annals of Internal Medicine .
Researchers from Brown University School of Public Health and colleagues analyzed licensing records for 117,156 APRNs in California, Florida, Iowa, and Texas between 2010 and 2024 to measure how the educational backgrounds of newly licensed APRNs have changed over time. They matched nursing license data with federal education records to determine whether graduates attended for-profit or public/nonprofit schools. They found that the share of newly licensed APRNs educated at for-profit institutions rose consistently in all four states over the study period, reaching 31% in 2024. California and Florida had the highest share of newly licensed APRNs educated at for-profit schools by 2024. The authors conclude that for-profit programs now play a growing role in preparing the nation's APRN workforce and say more research is needed to understand whether educational settings affect quality of care.
Media contacts: For an embargoed PDF, please contact Gabby Macrina at gmacrina@acponline.org. To contact corresponding author Michael L. Barnett, MD, MS, please email Juan Siliezar at juan_siliezar@brown.edu.
Annals of Internal Medicine
News article
People
Pharmacologic Treatments for Females With Menopausal Vasomotor Symptoms: A Clinical Guideline From the American College of Physicians
6-Oct-2026