Top studies of 2025 relevant to primary care: From the PEER team

To identify and summarize the most impactful medical articles published in 2025 relevant to primary care.

The Patients, Experience, Evidence, Research (PEER) team, a Canadian evidence-based medicine research group with a focus on primary care, identified randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and meta-analyses relevant to primary care by reviewing the table of contents of major medical journals and medical email alert services. The articles were evaluated, ranked by the PEER team, and summarized.

The most impactful articles addressed a variety of clinical areas in primary care. Topics included the following: bedtime administration of blood pressure medications; comparison of tirzepatide and semaglutide for weight loss; β-blockers in patients with preserved ejection fraction heart failure; treatment of male partners of women diagnosed with bacterial vaginosis; early exposure of surgical wounds to water; impact of noise or arm position on blood pressure readings; mirtazapine for chronic insomnia; evolocumab for primary prevention of cardiovascular events; and emerging evidence for glucagonlike peptide-1 (GLP-1) agonist therapy. An honourable mention was made for several RCTs published on dual antiplatelet therapy.

Several clinical trials and meta-analyses published in 2025 were relevant to primary care, particularly in the areas of cardiology, infectious diseases, and GLP-1 agonist therapy.