Realistic Approaches to Counseling in the Office Setting

H. RUSSELL SEARIGHT

Although time is an obstacle to office-based counseling, even brief interventions can be effective for many problems. Several counseling models can be adapted to address health risk behaviors, ambivalence to change, and broader psychosocial issues.

How to Find Answers to Clinical Questions

MARK H. EBELL

Lack of time, resources, or computer skills, as well as physicians’ environment and attitudes about problem solving, all contribute to unanswered clinical questions. Making use of computer-based information resources can give physicians a framework for answering questions and...

Evidence for the Use of Intramuscular Injections in Outpatient Practice

MARK SHATSKY

The oral delivery of antibiotics, corticosteroids, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, and vitamin B12 is as effective as intramuscular delivery for some conditions. The intramuscular route should be considered only when the delivery of a medication must be confirmed, such...

Management of the Ingrown Toenail

JOEL J. HEIDELBAUGH, HOBART LEE

Ingrown toenails occur when the periungual skin is punctured by its corresponding nail plate, resulting in a cascade of foreign body, inflammatory, infectious, and reparative processes. Conservative and surgical treatment options exist and should be presented to the patient...

Restraining Devices for Patients in Acute and Long-Term Care Facilities

LAUREN G. COLLINS, CHRISTOPHER HAINES, ROBERT L. PERKEL

In the mid-1900s, many acute and long-term care facilities began routine adoption of physical restraints and bed side rails in an effort to curtail patient falls and reduce liability concerns. This adoption came from a common-sense notion that physical restraints and side...

AAFP News Now: AFP Edition

New Medicare Fee Schedule Provides Boost for Evaluation and Management Services | Witnesses Lobby Congress to Invest in Health Information Technology | Physicians Reconsider Offering Childhood Vaccines as Costs Continue to Rise | Family Health History Tool Allows Patients to...

A Battle to Overcome “Diabulimia”

PETER BAGINSKY

Around my 15th birthday I was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes. I had all the classic signs and symptoms, from frequent thirst and urination to extreme weight loss. My blood sugar was 1,040 the morning I was diagnosed, and my weight was 102 lb (I’m 5 ft 5 in). The medical staff...

Predicting Benefit of Spinal Manipulation for Low Back Pain

MARK H. EBELL

Is it possible to identify which patients with low back pain are most likely to benefit from spinal manipulation?

Sinusitis (Acute)

KIM AH-SEE

Acute sinusitis is defined pathologically as transient inflammation of the mucosal lining of the paranasal sinuses that lasts less than four weeks.

Routine Aspirin or Nonsteroidal Anti-inflammatory Drugs for the Primary Prevention of Colorectal Cancer

KENNETH W. LIN

B.L., a 37-year-old Asian man, comes to your office for a physical examination. He mentions that he started taking a daily aspirin because he heard that it would reduce his risk of heart attack and colorectal cancer. You review B.L.’s medical history and determine that he is...

Glucosamine Not Effective for Hip Osteoarthritis

AMY CRAWFORD-FAUCHER

Personal Contact May Improve Weight Loss Maintenance

CAROLINE WELLBERY

Factors Associated with Survival and Function in Older Men

KENNETH T. MOON

Is Immunization Against Hypertension Possible?

ANNE D. WALLING

A Stinging Rash of Indeterminate Origin

RAVI K. MALLAVARAPU, SITHARAM C. NANDIGAM, EDWIN W. GRIMSLEY

A 48-year-old woman presented with a lower extremity rash (Figures 1 and 2) that had persisted for three months. The rash appeared in recurrent crops in different areas; each lasted three to four weeks. The rash was accompanied by a stinging sensation and residual...

AASLD Updates Chronic Hepatitis B Recommendations

AMBER HUNTZINGER

Guideline source: American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases

Efforts Should Focus on Physician Reimbursement for Services

Ingrown Toenails

An ingrown toenail is when the edge of your toenail curves down and pokes into the skin.