DOUG KNUTSON, MD, and ELIZABETH STEINER, MD

Although breast cancer screening is an important component of health maintenance, recent studies have generated questions about the appropriateness of traditional screening modalities.

SARA G. SHIELDS, MD, MS, STEPHEN D. RATCLIFFE, MD, MSPH, PATRICIA FONTAINE, MD, MS, and LARRY LEEMAN, MD, MPH

Dystocia may be caused by inadequate uterine contractions, fetal malposition, or cephalopelvic disproportion, and it is responsible for more than 50 percent of primary cesarean deliveries. Physicians providing maternity care should be skilled at diagnosing, managing, and preventing dystocia.

SETH L. TOBACK, MD

Primary care physicians report at least one emergency presenting to their office per year, and most offices are not prepared to handle such emergencies. Offices can decrease the risk of unfavorable outcomes in medical emergencies by acquiring the correct equipment, ensuring that staff have ongoing training in lifesaving skills, creating a written emergency protocol, and conducting emergency drills.

Patient information: "Emergencies in the Family Medicine Office," p. 1686

BRETT WHITE, MD

One of the more commonly used herbal supplements, ginger has been shown to be effective for pregnancy-induced and postoperative nausea and vomiting. There is less evidence to support its use for nausea and vomiting from other causes, and evidence regarding its use for the treatment of arthritis symptoms is conflicting.