April 1, 2005

Routine prenatal interventions are controversial, but fetal heart auscultation,urinalysis, and assessment of maternal weight, blood pressure, and fundal height generally are recommended. Women should be offered screening for anemia and ABO and Rh blood typing during the first…

A comprehensive evaluation of patients with muscle weakness includes a thorough examination and coordinated laboratory, radiologic, electrodiagnostic, and pathologicstudies.

The clinical evaluation of gastrointestinal bleeding depends on the hemodynamic status of the patient and the suspected source of the bleed. Several diagnostic tools are available depending on these variables.

Methadone may be used to treat cancer and neuropathic pain states. It may bean appropriate replacement for other opioids when side effects have limitedfurther use.

After nearly 15 years of publishing clinical information in various forms for a nursing organization, I knew the move to the AAFP and this journal would be a big step, but it's one I took with enthusiasm and confidence. Not only are the Academy and AFP well known to family…

AAMC Calls for 15 Percent Increase in Medical School Enrollment | Graham Center Report Emphasizes Quality Not Quantity | Family Medicine Residency Matches Continue to Increase | CHiT Survey Concludes EHRs Approaching Affordability | AAFP Consolidates News Publications and…

Is a visit to the dentist’s office an important part of prenatal care? Research has shown that pregnant women with gum disease are more likely to give birth prematurely, according to a report in the University of Minnesota publication Pictures of Health. Now researchers from…

The chief objective of prenatal care is to ensure good pregnancy outcomes. The concept evolved significantly in the 20th century, when advances in medical knowledge and practice contributed to a dramatic reduction in maternal and perinatal mortality and morbidity rates…

This week, I returned to Palenque in the state of Chiapas, Mexico, for a mission with the Franciscan Sisters of Stella Niagra. The team consisted of two family physicians, one internal medicine/pediatric resident, a pediatric nurse practitioner, an interpreter/physical…

Prophylactic antibiotics can reduce the number of recurrent UTIs in nonpregnant women while they are taking the medication (relative risk [RR], 0.21; number needed to treat [NNT], 2). No antibiotic was significantly better than others at decreasing the number of UTIs, and all…

Effects of Discontinuing Epidurals in Late Labor

Comparison of Short-Term Treatments for GERD

What are the effects of treatments and interventions to prevent recurrence?

Case study: LF, a 50-year-old woman, requests a “thyroid blood test.” You review the symptoms of hypothyroidism and hyperthyroidism with her and find that she has none of them.

Does St. John’s wort relieve depression in adult patients?

Photo Quiz presents readers with a clinical challenge based on a photograph or other image.

Guidelines for the diagnosis and treatment of diabetic foot infections have been developed by the Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA). In persons with diabetes, foot infections can cause substantial morbidity and are the most common nontraumatic cause of amputations.

Antioxidant Vitamin Supplements and Cardiovascular Disease Risk Reduction

Medication Guide for Amiodarone

You can help make sure that you and your baby will be as healthy as possible by making some lifestyle changes while you are pregnant. It is important to check in with your doctor regularly. Tell him or her about any prescription, over-the-counter, and herbal medicines that you…