• Articles

    Hemorrhoids: Diagnosis and Treatment Options

    Timothy Mott, Kelly Latimer, Chad Edwards

    Although their exact cause is unknown, hemorrhoids are associated with conditions that increase pressure in the hemorrhoidal venous plexus. Many patients are asymptomatic, but others may present with painless bright red bleeding, prolapse, soiling, or itching. Internal...

    Tremor: Sorting Through the Differential Diagnosis

    Paul Crawford, Ethan E. Zimmerman

    The most common types of tremor encountered in primary care are enhanced physiologic tremor, essential tremor, and parkinsonian tremor. Asymptomatic physiologic tremor is a low-amplitude, high-frequency tremor that may occur with anxiety, medication use, caffeine intake, or...

    Childhood Bullying: Implications for Physicians

    Mary M. Stephens, Hazel T. Cook-Fasano, Katherine Sibbaluca

    Childhood bullying can lead to lasting effects for the victim and the bully. Bully-victims (victims who reactively bully others) are at particularly high risk. Family physicians can make a difference by screening early for bullying, recognizing signs of bullying, and...

    AAFP News Now: AFP Edition

    AAFP News: AFP Edition

    AAFP's Alternative Payment Model Wins Testing Recommendation | FDA Proposes New Approach to Regulating Homeopathic Drugs | Research Suggests Strategies for Breaking the Interruption Cycle in Clinical Practice | FDA Finalizes Ban on Triclosan, Other Over-the-Counter Antiseptics

    Editorials

    Introducing AFP's Next Editor-in-Chief

    Jay Siwek

    Twenty-three years ago and from 1,000 miles away, I received a request from a student at the University of Miami to take a one-month elective in medical editing. Shortly after I became editor of American Family Physician (AFP) in 1988, I offered that elective at the...

    AFP: What's Ahead

    Sumi Makkar Sexton

    Having the opportunity to serve as editor-in-chief has been a goal—well, actually a dream—of mine since I began my medical editing fellowship in 2000. At some point in my career, I wasn't sure this goal was achievable anymore because I was entrenched in the hustle and bustle...

    Cochrane for Clinicians

    Injected Corticosteroids for Plantar Heel Pain

    Michael J. Arnold, Jonathan Gruber

    There is low-quality evidence that corticosteroid injections slightly reduce heel pain at one month, but they make no significant difference beyond that time. Patients treated with corticosteroid injections were less likely to experience treatment failure—a designation that...

    Effectiveness of Skin-to-Skin Care for Procedure-Related Pain in Newborns

    Drew Baird, Michael Bybel

    Skin-to-skin care, also known as kangaroo care, effectively reduces physiologic and behavioral measures of pain in neonates during painful procedures and has no identified adverse effects. Infants who received skin-to-skin care during painful procedures had a heart rate of 10...

    Implementing AHRQ Effective Health Care Reviews

    Clostridium difficile Infection: Prevention and Treatment

    Tyler W. Barreto, Kenneth W. Lin

    How effective are interventions to prevent and treat Clostridium difficile infection?

    Close-ups

    Opioids for Acute Pain: Proceed with Caution

    Adam Visconti

    Physicians should consider nonopioid options for postsurgery pain to avoid the unpleasant effects of of withdrawal and risk of dependence.

    Photo Quiz

    Diffuse, Thick Scale on Both Hands

    Eric C. Parlette, Robert M. Simonds, Jr., Margaret Barton, Laurel W. Cummings, Amy E. Leib

    A 60-year-old woman with a history of nonverbal autism, intellectual disability, and quadriplegia presented with a nonhealing erosion of the left distal index finger and skin changes involving both hands. The patient was unable to provide further history.

    Practice Guidelines

    Cancer Screening Recommendations from the ACS: A Summary of the 2017 Guidelines

    Mara Lambert

    Each year, the American Cancer Society (ACS) releases guidelines for health care professionals and patients on current cancer screening recommendations. The annual report updates previous recommendations, provides data on cancer screening rates, and discusses issues relating...

    Medicine by the Numbers

    Beta Blockers Compared with Other Drug Options for the Treatment of Hypertension

    Edwin Choi, Grace Pak, Jeffrey Burket

    Although beta blockers seem to have a positive impact on patient-oriented evidence that matters in patients with hypertension, they appear to be inferior when compared with other medications.

    FPIN's Help Desk Answers

    Effectiveness of ACL Injury Prevention Programs

    Will Paulson, Andrew H. Slattengren

    ACL injury prevention programs reduce the incidence of ACL injuries by at least 50% in a variety of sports, and should be used for all athletes. There is no evidence that any particular prevention program or component is superior.

    OnabotulinumtoxinA Injections for Urge Incontinence

    Alexander J. Hubb, Anne M. Stachowicz, Sara C. Wood

    Detrusor muscle injections of onabotulinumtoxinA can be used to decrease the number of episodes of urinary incontinence in women for whom treatment with anticholinergic agents has been ineffective.

    Letters to the Editor

    Evidence Poses a Challenge to Imaging Standards in the Diagnosis of Pneumonia

    Corrections

    Correction



    Disclosure

    All editors in a position to control content for this activity, AFP journal, are required to disclose any relevant financial relationships. View disclosures.


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