July 1, 2014

The goals of managing pain at the end of life are to provide adequate analgesia and preserve or improve quality of life. Several assessment scales are available to measure the patient's level of pain and response to therapy. Opioids remain a central component to pain management…

Ectopic pregnancy is the leading cause of maternal death in the first trimester. The most common symptoms are bleeding and abdominal pain. Diagnosis generally requires transvaginal ultrasonography. If the pregnancy location is not confirmed, the diagnosis can be made using the…

Patients should be counseled to identify situations that will lead to motion sickness and minimize the amount of unpleasant motion they are exposed to. Some effective behavioral strategies for patients include watching the true visual horizon, steering the vehicle, tilting…

CDC Issues Guidance on Measles Outbreak | Medicare Panel Recommends Against Covering CT Screening for Lung Cancer | CDC Corrects Report of Third U.S. MERS Case After Further Testing Reveals No Infection | Proposed Rule from CMS Would Stretch Timeline on Meaningful Use…

Family physicians need a basic skill set that includes facilitating discussions on advance planning and goals, identifying and treating depression and anxiety, and managing pain and symptoms at the end of life.

Compared with placebo, antibiotics can shorten the duration of sore throat symptoms by about 16 hours and can reduce complications. In countries where the absolute rates of complications are higher, antibiotic therapy is more likely to be effective. The effectiveness of…

Topiramate in a dosage of 100 mg per day is effective for decreasing the frequency of headaches in adults with episodic migraine.

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

This case boils down to being realistic about what new screening tools and techniques can and can't do, and understanding their actual value in diagnoses. I'd argue that it is not unethical to accommodate a patient's requests, as long as the physician's approach to the patient…

The American College of Physicians (ACP) has developed a guideline to assist physicians in choosing the best initial treatment for adults with Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA). Management is based on type and severity of symptoms and on patient education about the benefits vs…

Not everyone has pain at the end of life, but if you do, your doctor can help. He or she will ask about your pain. Questions might include where, how much, and how often it hurts.

Motion sickness is a group of unpleasant symptoms that can happen when someone is in a moving vehicle or on a boat or airplane. The first symptom is usually a feeling of fullness in the stomach. You might feel unwell, drowsy, or irritable. You may also have a headache, feel…