Articles
Common Questions About the Diagnosis and Management of Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia
The prevalence of benign prostatic hyperplasia increases with age. It can be differentiated from other causes of lower urinary tract symptoms through history, physical examination, and additional testing such as prostate-specific antigen and urinalysis. Mild, nonbothersome…
Schizophrenia
Patients with schizophrenia often have debilitating social and occupational impairments, but some are able to function well with treatment. Antipsychotic medications can treat some symptoms but are associated with multiple adverse effects, including extrapyramidal symptoms and…
Incidentalomas: Initial Management
Physicians should consider the risk of discovering incidentalomas when contemplating imaging, because further workup of these lesions is costly, provokes anxiety, and unnecessarily exposes patients to radiation. Once detected, appropriate management of incidentalomas is…
AFP News Now - AFP Edition
AAFP News: AFP Edition
Proposed Bill Would Help Physicians Reenter Workforce After Time Away | AAFP, Other Organizations Warn HHS: Meaningful Use Program Is in Jeopardy | CMS Initiative Counts on Health IT to Enhance Care Quality, Coordination | Give Pay-for-Performance a Chance to Succeed, Panelists…
Editorials
How Should We Manage Incidentalomas?
The patient-centered medical home model advocates that diagnostic testing be performed based on shared decision making between the patient and physician. This goal can be challenging when findings are uncertain or incidental to the original reason for ordering the test. For…
Cochrane for Clinicians
Optimal Duration of Treatment Regimens for H. pylori Eradication
A patient with peptic ulcer disease is diagnosed with Helicobacter pylori infection by stool antigen test. What is the optimal duration of treatment to ensure eradication of the bacteria?
U.S. Preventive Services Task Force
Screening for Gestational Diabetes Mellitus: Recommendation Statement
The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) recommends screening for gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) in asymptomatic pregnant women after 24 weeks of gestation.
Graham Center Policy One-Pager
Accounting for Complexity: Aligning Current Payment Models with the Breadth of Care by Different Specialties
Family physicians provide care for a wider range of conditions than do most specialists, introducing a high level of complexity into their practice. Historic assumptions associating complexity with the intensity, skill, and training required to accommodate a single task fail to…
Photo Quiz
Painless Vision Loss
A woman presented with gradually decreasing vision in her right eye. Retinal examination revealed intraretinal hemorrhages in the right eye with edema.
Close-Ups
Group Medical Visits for Chronic Diseases
Patients with diabetes form supportive relationships through group medical visits and learn to take control of their health care goals.
POEMs
USPSTF Recommendations for Hepatitis B Screening
The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) recommends hepatitis B virus screening for human immunodeficiency virus–positive persons, users of illicit injection drugs, men who have sex with men, household contacts or sex partners of infected persons, and persons born in…
High-Dose Vaccine Reduces Clinical Influenza in Older Adults Compared with Standard Dose
High-dose influenza vaccine provided a 25% relative reduction in the likelihood of developing laboratory-confirmed influenza compared with standard-dose vaccine in patients 65 years and older. This corresponds to a number needed to treat of approximately 220 to prevent a…
Practice Guidelines
Management of Atopic Dermatitis: Guideline from the American Academy of Dermatology
Atopic dermatitis, a common and chronic skin condition, affects persons of all ages. Topical therapy is the mainstay of treatment, and in severe cases, it is often combined with systemic therapy. This guideline from the American Academy of Dermatology provides information about…
Letters to the Editor
Information from Your Family Doctor
Incidentalomas
An incidentaloma (IN-suh-den-tul-OH-muh) is something unexpected that shows up when an MRI or CT scan is done to look for something else. For example, if you have a CT scan because your doctor is worried about appendicitis, the scan might also show kidney cysts or liver spots.
Schizophrenia
Schizophrenia (SKITZ-oh-FREN-ee-uh) is a mental illness. No one knows what causes it, but scientists think that genetics, the environment, and brain chemistry may be part of the cause.