April 1, 2019

Concussion results from trauma to the head; it affects individuals physically, cognitively, and emotionally/behaviorally and is a major health concern. Headache is the most common symptom. Spine and serious brain injuries should be ruled out before diagnosis. Symptom checklists…

Abnormal uterine bleeding is a common symptom in reproductive-aged women. The acronym PALM-COEIN facilitates the classification of bleeding, with PALM referring to structural etiologies (polyp, adenomyosis, leiomyoma, malignancy and hyperplasia), and COEIN referring to…

A febrile seizure is a seizure occurring in a child six months to five years of age that is accompanied by a fever (100.4°F [38°C] or greater) without central nervous system infection. It can be simple or complex. Children who have a simple febrile seizure and are well…

Through clinical and system-level interventions, family physicians can push back against the high cost of insulin and help patients with type 2 diabetes afford these essential medications.

Making caring, difficult choices on behalf of loved ones at the end of life.

Pulse oximetry is an accurate screening test for critical congenital heart defects in newborns. Pulse oximetry is simple to use, widely available, and has moderate sensitivity (76.3%) and good specificity (99.9%). However, the prevalence of critical congenital heart defects is…

Direct oral anticoagulants are as likely as warfarin to prevent all strokes and systemic embolic events in patients with atrial fibrillation and CKD stage 3. They do not increase the risk of major bleeding events. The evidence remains insufficient to make recommendations for…

How should testicular cancer be diagnosed? | Does the time between contractions help predict when a pregnant woman at term should present for labor evaluation? | Are broad-spectrum antibiotics the preferred treatment in children with acute respiratory tract infections? | Should…

A 60-year-old smoker presented with cough and hemoptysis. She had also developed several subcutaneous masses on her chest wall and left and right abdominal wall over the past several months.

Women should receive the Tdap vaccine during pregnancy regardless of previous immunization history. Infants whose mothers received prenatal immunization had 50% fewer cases of pertussis compared with those whose mothers received postpartum immunization.

What is the best way for family physicians to determine prognosis and applicability of palliative care for patients with dementia?

The goal of screening is to identify a disorder before it becomes symptomatic if early treatment has the potential for greater benefit than waiting until symptoms are reported. Despite the failure to meet this definition, this guideline suggests annual screening of women for…

For patients with acute respiratory failure or shock who develop delirium in the intensive care unit (ICU), the use of haloperidol or ziprasidone (Geodon) does not reduce the duration of delirium. This trial was powered to detect at least a two-day difference in the duration of…

In this retrospective study, statin treatment in patients 75 years or older without preexisting CVD did not change the likelihood of developing CVD or reduce any-cause mortality. However, patients 75 to 84 years of age with diabetes mellitus benefitted from treatment. These…

Mild traumatic brain injury in children is a major problem in the United States. Based on a systematic literature review, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released recommendations specific to children with Glasgow Coma Scale scores of 13 to 15.

Data suggest the benefits of HPV vaccination for reducing precancerous lesions outweigh the potential harms. Find out more.