April 1, 2017

Older adults, especially those with chronic conditions, can benefit from regular physical activity and exercise to improve fitness, manage weight and chronic disease, and prevent falls. Physicians can help patients set individual goals to increase physical activity and reduce…

The diagnosis of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) may be suspected based on findings from the history and physical examination, but it must be confirmed by spirometry to detect airflow obstruction. Findings that are most helpful to rule in COPD include a smoking…

As many as 5% of obstetric patients will experience postpartum hemorrhage, and not all will have associated risk factors. Appropriate management requires prompt diagnosis and treatment. Active management of the third stage of labor provides the most effective strategy for…

Federal Appeals Court Strikes Down Physician Gag Law | White Paper Outlines Recommendations to Improve EHR Usability | Family Medicine Faculty More Diverse Than Most, but Still Lacking | Proposed Law Would Create Commission on Complex Diseases

Family physicians are committed to advancing population and community health, and we must take the lead in reducing opioid misuse and overdose before outside entities mandate practice strategies that may not be patient-centered.

Among adolescents, educational interventions increase reported condom use at most recent intercourse, whereas contraceptive-promoting interventions increase use of hormonal contraception.

Reducing salt intake lowers blood pressure and reduces proteinuria in patients with CKD, but there is no evidence to determine whether lowering salt consumption leads to clinically significant reductions in end-stage renal disease, cardiovascular events, or all-cause mortality.

At age 50, Dr. Mellor developed a disability that has entirely changed the way she relates to her patients and their struggles.

Combination treatment with memantine and donepezil results in a small improvement in cognitive function that is of uncertain clinical significance in patients with moderate to severe Alzheimer disease, but no improvement in patients with mild to moderate disease.

A pregnant woman presented with scattered periumbilical and lower extremity pruritic papules.

Among women 22 to 27 years of age with an index cervical cytology showing abnormal squamous cells of undetermined significance (ASCUS) or low-grade squamous intraepithelial lesion (LSIL), the incidence of invasive cervical cancer did not differ between repeat cytology within…

These investigators gave twice daily placebo to patients with chronic back pain and told them it was placebo. They also told them that placebos can have a pronounced effect (which is true). The addition of placebo to usual care improved patients' pain and disability scores over…

These authors begin with the assumption that we should treat children who have AOM with amoxicillin/clavulanate. The greatest benefit was in children one to two years of age who had more severe pain and fever. In children with less severe symptoms, observation should still be…

Overprescribing, misuse, diversion, and dependence on opioids have occurred as a result of external pressures, physician behavior, inadequate evidence, and pharmacologic development. Family physicians could play an important role in alleviating these problems; therefore, the…

Vitamin E supplementation in pregnant women does not show any benefit among the most patient-important outcomes.

Exercise can improve your health and help keep you strong and fit. Exercise can help you stay independent as you get older.