October 1, 2015

Colic is a diagnosis of exclusion after a detailed history and physical examination have ruled out concerning causes. Parental support and reassurance are key components of the management of colic. Treatment options for breastfed infants include the probiotic Lactobacillus…

Clinical pharmacogenetics, the use of genetic data to guide drug therapy decisions, is increasingly being used for medications commonly prescribed by family physicians. Two common gene-drug pairs are cytochrome P450 2D6 and opioids, and CYP2C19 and clopidogrel. When appropriate…

Most lesions can be diagnosed on the basis of history and clinical examination. Some common benign skin tumors that are amenable to office procedures include acrochordons, sebaceous hyperplasia, lipomas, keratoacanthomas, pyogenic granulomas, dermatofibromas, epidermal…

Identifying candidates for diagnostic testing and treatment depends on a patient's overall prognosis and goals of care. This article reviews the evidence on preventing, diagnosing, and treating pneumonia in this population. Recommendations address the timing, duration, and…

Survey Finds Insurance, New Health Care Models Are Physicians' Greatest Worries | Physicians Report Declining Satisfaction with Electronic Health Records | CMS Aims to Reduce Costs in Medicare Advantage Plans | AAFP Paper Offers Family Medicine Approach to Poverty

Family physicians should not naively accept a new technology because it is the latest trend. We need to assess the clinical utility of potential applications of genetic information, adopting them when they improve patient-oriented outcomes and avoiding them when they simply add…

Education about promising physical therapies and treatments that may be on the horizon can be a source of encouragement for physicians and patients alike when facing a diagnosis of Parkinson disease.

High-dose calcium supplementation (i.e., at least 1,000 mg per day) during pregnancy reduces the risk of developing hypertension and preeclampsia. The most significant risk reduction occurs in women at risk of hypertensive disorders and those with low-calcium diets.

Point-of-care C-reactive protein (CRP) testing used as an adjunct to a physician's clinical examination can modestly reduce antibiotic use. Measurement of CRP to guide antibiotic prescription does not appear to affect the duration of illness or recovery, although one study…

Study Population: Healthy children and adults from six countries at average risk of upper respiratory tract infection (URTI)

Thiazide diuretics may be used in most patients with hypertension who have only minimally increased risk of gout.

A man presented with a 10-year history of itchy, scaly, brittle fingernails that were pitted but not painful. His toenails were unaffected. He also had patches of dry, scaly skin on his scalp, low back, and genitals.

In this study, unlike others, patients with chronic plantar fasciitis treated with extra-corporeal shock wave therapy had greater pain relief than those treated with placebo.

Patients with acute LRTI and green sputum or cardiopulmonary comorbidities experience a slightly greater benefit with amoxicillin treatment. That outcome must be balanced against the harms of antibiotics on the individual and population level.

Although acetaminophen was hoped to be a safer alternative to nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and opioids for the treatment of common musculoskeletal problems, on average it provides only minimal pain relief and improvement in function for patients with low back pain or…

A consensus bundle, with recommendations for reducing and managing obstetric hemorrhage and improving overall maternal care, has been published by the National Partnership for Maternal Safety.

The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) has released recommendations on screening women for perinatal depression, with the purpose of increasing awareness of depression and lessening the effects it has on pregnant and post-partum women and their families.

Correction