Search
Now showing items 1-20 of 23
When should you suspect community-acquired MRSA? How should you treat it?
(Family Physicians Inquiries Network, 2009)
There are no clinical or epidemiologic features that will help you to clearly distinguish community-acquired methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus infections (CA-MRSA) from methicillin-sensitive (CA-MSSA) infections (strength of recommendation...
How often should you follow up on a patient with newly diagnosed hypothyroidism?
(Family Physicians Inquiries Network, 2009)
Six to 8 weeks after the start of levothyroxine therapy you should reexamine patients and measure their serum thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) (strength of recommendation [SOR]: C, common practice and expert opinion). If ...
Do patients at high risk of Alzheimer's disease benefit from early treatment?
(Family Physicians Inquiries Network, 2009)
Treating patients with early-stage Alzheimer's disease yields statistically significant, though perhaps not clinically significant, improvement in cognition and global function (strength of recommendation [SOR]: A, consistent evidence from multiple...
What treatment works best for tennis elbow?
(Family Physicians Inquiries Network, 2009)
Topical or oral nonsteroidal anti- inflammatory medications (NSAIDs), corticosteroid injection, and acupuncture are more helpful than placebo in treating lateral epicondylitis, or tennis elbow (strength of recommendation ...
What is the best diagnostic approach to alopecia in women?
(Family Physicians Inquiries Network, 2009)
Indirect evidence and expert opinion indicate that a careful history and thorough physical examination usually suggest the underlying cause of alopecia. Ancillary laboratory evaluation and scalp biopsy are sometimes necessary ...
What's the best way to monitor low-risk patients with a history of differentiated thyroid cancer?
(Family Physicians Inquiries Network, 2009)
-analysis). Low-risk patients are defined as patients who have undergone total thyroidectomy and radioactive iodine (I131) remnant ablation therapy and show no clinical evidence of recurrent disease....
What is the best way to manage phantom limb pain?
(Family Physicians Inquiries Network, 2009)
No single best therapy for phantom limb pain (PLP) exists. Treatment requires a co- ordinated application of conservative, pharmacologic, and adjuvant therapies. Evaluative management (including prosthesis adjustment, ...
Aspirin in Patients with Acute Ischemic Stroke
(Family Physicians Inquiries Network, 2009)
Aspirin in a daily dose of 160 to 300 mg initiated within 48 hours of symptom onset results in a net decrease in morbidity and mortality caused by acute ischemic stroke (Strength of Recommendation [SOR]: A, based on a ...
What does the evidence tell us about treating very-high-risk patients to an LDL <70 mg/dL?
(Family Physicians Inquiries Network, 2009)
No studies directly compare low-density lipoprotein (LDL) levels <70 mg/dL to levels of 71 to 100 mg/dL in very-high-risk patients. However, no evidence suggests a "floor" for LDL cholesterol levels beyond which further ...
How best to manage the patient in term labor whose group B strep status is unknown?
(Family Physicians Inquiries Network, 2009)
Monitor the patient and treat her with intrapartum chemoprophylaxis based on identified risk factors, unless a rapid, highly sensitive (greater than or equal to 85%) polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test is immediately ...
What are the best prophylactic drugs for migraine?
(Family Physicians Inquiries Network, 2009)
Beta-blockers without intrinsic sympathomimetic activity, amitriptyline, divalproex sodium/sodium valproate, and topiramate are the most effective drugs for preventing episodic migraine (strength of recommendation: A, ...
Aspirin Use in Children for Fever or Viral Syndromes
(Family Physicians Inquiries Network, 2009)
Aspirin should not be used to treat acute febrile viral illness in children. (Strength of Recommendation [SOR]: C, based on case- control studies). Although no causal link has been proven, data from case-control and historic ...
Which factors increase the risk of an infant becoming an overweight child?
(Family Physicians Inquiries Network, 2009)
Variables that increase the risk of overweight in childhood include formula feeding, high birth weight, high rate of weight gain in the first 4 months of life, low socioeconomic status, and maternal obesity (strength of ...
How should you treat trochanteric bursitis?
(Family Physicians Inquiries Network, 2009)
Conservative measures--followed by corticosteroid injection, if necessary--are best. Conservative therapy includes rest, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), and stretching exercises focused on the lower back and ...
Which strategies work best to prevent obesity in adults?
(Family Physicians Inquiries Network, 2009)
Regular physical activity decreases long-term weight gain (strength of recommendation [SOR]: B, 2 high-quality, randomized controlled trials [RCTs]). Decreasing fat intake (SOR: B, 1 high-quality systematic review) and ...
Can counseling prevent or treat postpartum depression?
(Family Physicians Inquiries Network, 2009)
In most cases, counseling does not prevent postpartum depression (PPD), though it can treat the disorder. Overall, psychosocial interventions don't offer a significantly greater benefit than standard care in preventing ...
What's the best test for renal artery stenosis in patients with refractory hypertension?
(Family Physicians Inquiries Network, 2009)
Magnetic resonance angiography (MRA) and computed tomography angiography (CTA) are the most consistently accurate, noninvasive screening methods. MRA is likely the preferred option because of its lack of radiation and ...
Are there any known health risks to early introduction of solids to an infant's diet?
(Family Physicians Inquiries Network, 2009)
Few studies support an association between early introduction of solid food and atopic conditions, obesity, or any other illness (strength of recommendation [SOR]: B, cohort studies with mixed results). Very weak evidence ...
Should you use antibiotics to treat acute otitis media in children?
(Family Physicians Inquiries Network, 2009)
Antibiotics are not necessary to treat uncomplicated acute otitis media (AOM) in an otherwise healthy child (strength of recommendation [SOR]: A, systematic review). Children younger than 2 years and children with bilateral ...
What measures relieve postherpetic neuralgia?
(Family Physicians Inquiries Network, 2009)
Tricyclic antidepressants, gabapentin, and pregabalin effectively reduce pain (strength of recommendation [SOR]: A, at least 2 good-quality randomized controlled trials [RCTs] and/or meta-analyses). Opioids have demonstrated ...