November 15, 2008

Treatment objectives for chronic nonmalignant pain focus on improving social, occupational, psychological, interpersonal, and physical disabilities that adversely affect the patient's quality of life. Patient education and setting realistic goals are keys to successful…

Having a clear understanding of scrotal anatomy is important for physicians to accurately identify the cause of a scrotal mass. Because scrotal swelling can represent a variety ofmedical conditions ranging frombenign to life threatening, immediate evaluation is crucial.

Patients commonly present to their family physician with fatigue, which may be secondary, physiologic, or chronic. Common causes include medications, surgery recovery, inadequate sleep, and depression. Laboratory evaluation should be considered, but rarely changes treatment…

Documentation of each wound and appropriate staging are essential to the assessment of pressure ulcers. Treatment involves pressure relief, management of infection, removal of necrotic tissue, and maintenance of a moist environment for wound healing.

As pointed out by Jackman and colleagues in this issue of American Family Physician, opioids are commonly used for the treatment of chronic nonmalignant pain (i.e., pain unrelated to cancer that persists beyond the usual course of disease or injury).1 Although most patients…

Faltering Health Care System Requires Urgent Attention from the Next Congress | AAFP, AMA Request Exemption from FTC Identity Theft Prevention Program | Reports Reveal Various Levels of Progress in Incentive Initiatives for EHR Systems | Law Provides Parity for Mental Health…

The personal side of medicine told from the patient's perspective. The patient's story is followed by commentary from a physician and a list of resources.

What are the effects of treatments given during episodes of fever in children with one or more previous simple febrile seizures? What are the effects of long-term (daily, longer than one month) anticonvulsant treatment in children with a history of simple febrile seizures? What…

Case study: B.C., a 28-year-old white orthodontist at 32 weeks' gestation, comes to your office for a routine prenatal visit. She brings her two-year-old son, C.C., who is due for his well-child visit. B.C.'s previous pregnancy was uncomplicated, and she has been healthy during…

The incidence of melanoma is increasing in the United States. Although there is insufficient evidence to recommend routine screening for skin cancer, physicians and patients are encouraged to be vigilant for suspicious skin lesions. The classic mnemonic for the clinical…

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

The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) systematically reviewed the literature on the management of gestational diabetes. Gestational diabetes is one of the most common complications of pregnancy, affecting about 7 percent of pregnancies each year in the United…

It is pain that doesn't go away after six months. It can keep you from doing your normal activities.

A bedsore is a wound that happens when your skin rubs against an object (for example, bedsheets or a wheelchair) or when you don't move for several hours. Bedsores are also called pressure ulcers. They usually happen on areas where a bone sticks out under the skin, like the…