February 15, 2009

Although time is an obstacle to office-based counseling, even brief interventions can be effective for many problems. Several counseling models can be adapted to address health risk behaviors, ambivalence to change, and broader psychosocial issues.

Lack of time, resources, or computer skills, as well as physicians’ environment and attitudes about problem solving, all contribute to unanswered clinical questions. Making use of computer-based information resources can give physicians a framework for answering questions and…

The oral delivery of antibiotics, corticosteroids, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, and vitamin B12 is as effective as intramuscular delivery for some conditions. The intramuscular route should be considered only when the delivery of a medication must be confirmed, such as…

Ingrown toenails occur when the periungual skin is punctured by its corresponding nail plate, resulting in a cascade of foreign body, inflammatory, infectious, and reparative processes. Conservative and surgical treatment options exist and should be presented to the patient…

In the mid-1900s, many acute and long-term care facilities began routine adoption of physical restraints and bed side rails in an effort to curtail patient falls and reduce liability concerns. This adoption came from a common-sense notion that physical restraints and side rails…

New Medicare Fee Schedule Provides Boost for Evaluation and Management Services | Witnesses Lobby Congress to Invest in Health Information Technology | Physicians Reconsider Offering Childhood Vaccines as Costs Continue to Rise | Family Health History Tool Allows Patients to…

Around my 15th birthday I was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes. I had all the classic signs and symptoms, from frequent thirst and urination to extreme weight loss. My blood sugar was 1,040 the morning I was diagnosed, and my weight was 102 lb (I’m 5 ft 5 in). The medical staff…

Two systematic reviews found that spinal manipulation is superior to sham therapy or placebo in patients with acute low back pain, and has effectiveness similar to analgesics, physical therapy, or usual care by a primary care physician.

What are the effects of treatments in persons with clinically diagnosed or radiologically or bacteriologically confirmed acute sinusitis?

Case study: B.L., a 37-year-old Asian man, comes to your office for a physical examination. He mentions that he started taking a daily aspirin because he heard that it would reduce his risk of heart attack and colorectal cancer.

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

Updated recommendations from the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases (AASLD) include the preferred diagnostic, therapeutic, and preventive approaches to chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection.

An ingrown toenail is when the edge of your toenail curves down and pokes into the skin.