January 15, 2015

The most important aspect of treating a minor wound is irrigation and cleaning. Occlusion of the wound is key to preventing contamination. Suturing, if required, can be completed up to 24 hours after the trauma occurs. There is no evidence that prophylactic antibiotics improve…

Colon cancer screening should begin at 50 years of age in average-risk persons. Screening recommendations for patients with a family history of colorectal cancer vary based on the relative's relationship to the patient, findings, and age when the cancer was diagnosed. Findings…

Patients with a disability often experience health disparities and barriers to appropriate health care. Disability agencies commonly enlist family physicians to assess impairments and determine functional limitations in their patients. The physician's assessment is then used to…

ONC Researchers Search for Factors That Influence Physician EHR Adoption | 2015 Physician Fee Schedule Lacks Payment Code Details, AAFP Tells CMS | Study: Physician Needs Must Be Addressed to Curb Burnout and Improve Patient Care | CMS to Consider Covering HPV Testing

Pityriasis rubra pilaris, like its mimic psoriasis, can have emotional and social effects.

Although much has been written about the need to encourage colonoscopy in underscreened populations, overscreening for colorectal cancer is now recognized as a problem that can lead to harm.

What are the effects of treatments for typical absence seizures in children?

There are no long-term clinically effective oral medications. Pentosan (Elmiron) can improve overall symptom scores for interstitial cystitis over three to six months, but it does not improve scores for any of three individual symptoms (dysuria, urgency, frequency) compared…

L.M. is a 37-year-old nonsmoking woman who is not taking any medications and has no significant past medical problems. Three of her female relatives have a history of breast cancer: her mother (diagnosed at 49 years of age, before menopause), her paternal grandmother (diagnosed…

A woman taking an antibiotic presented with fever, blistering on her lips, and progressive sloughing of skin. She also had diffuse muscle aches and increased pigmentation and edema on her face. Laboratory tests revealed new acute renal insufficiency.

Family physicians play a key role in identifying patients in need of increased cancer surveillance because of a personal or family history of cancer. How does one know if a patient warrants genetic testing for hereditary cancer predisposition?

After all these years of knowing about Mycoplasma pneumoniae as a cause of lower respiratory tract infections and the effectiveness of various antibiotics against it in a Petri dish, we still do not know whether treating mycoplasma pneumonia in children is effective. This study…

Being the “good” cholesterol is not the same as being the “useful” cholesterol. Drug therapy aimed at increasing HDL cholesterol levels, when added to statin treatment, does not decrease patients' likelihood of experiencing a cardiovascular event or of dying earlier.

Antidepressants and psychological therapies are effective in treating the symptoms of IBS. This study, an update of a similar systematic review and meta-analysis completed five years ago, found the same level of effectiveness for both treatment approaches as the previous…

The American Heart Association (AHA) and American Stroke Association (ASA) have updated their guideline on prevention of future stroke in patients with a history of stroke or transient ischemic attack (TIA). Currently, the average annual rate of future stroke in these patients…

The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) recommends that primary care clinicians screen women who have family members with breast, ovarian, tubal, or peritoneal cancer with one of several screening tools designed to identify a family history that may be associated with…

The colon, also called the large intestine, is a long tube that carries digested food from the small intestine to the anus. Colon cancer is an abnormal growth that can begin anywhere in the colon. It can spread to other parts of the body and lead to death. Colon cancer is…

Hold the wound under warm tap water. Use soap and a soft washcloth to clean the skin around it. Try to keep soap out of the wound. Ask your doctor if you should use anything other than soap and water, because some disinfectants (such as hydrogen peroxide or iodine) may slow…