Annals of Family Medicine articles from March 2005

Annals of Family Medicine archives from March 2005

Physicians, families, and population health.(EDITORIAL)(Editorial)
March 1, 2005... Ferrer, Palmer, and Burge (1) make an important contribution toward reorienting family medicine and the primary care disciplines to understand the health and illness of individuals as members of populations in a multilevel context. It is...

The family contribution to health status: a population-level estimate.
March 1, 2005... ABSTRACT PURPOSE Clinical studies have shown strong family influences on individual health, but the aggregate importance of family effects for population health is unknown. Our objective was to estimate, at a population level, the variance...

Long-term results from a randomized controlled trial to increase cancer screening among attendees of community health centers.
March 1, 2005... ABSTRACT PURPOSE We assessed whether increased cancer screening rates that were observed with Cancer Screening Office Systems (Cancer SOS) could be maintained at 24 months' follow-up, a period in which clinics were expected to be largely...

Liability implications of physician-directed care coordination.
March 1, 2005... ABSTRACT PURPOSE Various public and private initiatives encourage physicians to coordinate care for patients who have multiple chronic conditions, but physicians may resist doing so for fear of liability. This article assesses the extent...

Outpatient colonoscopy by rural family physicians.
March 1, 2005... ABSTRACT PURPOSE Five percent of family physicians offer colonoscopy services, either in the office or the hospital, often in rural areas that have no gastroenterologist. Two previous large series have shown the quality and safety of...

Office-based unsedated ultrathin esophagoscopy in a primary care setting.
March 1, 2005... PURPOSE Gastroesophageal reflux disease is common and with time may be complicated by Barrett's esophagus and esophageal adenocarcinoma. Upper gastrointestinal endoscopy, including esophagoscopy, is the procedure of choice to diagnose Barrett's...

Transferrin saturation, dietary iron intake, and risk of cancer.
March 1, 2005... PURPOSE Transferrin saturation of more than 60% has been identified as a cancer risk factor. It is unclear whether dietary iron intake increases the risk of cancer among individuals with transferrin saturation of less than 60%. The purpose of...

Patients' beliefs about racism, preferences for physician race, and satisfaction with care.
March 1, 2005... ABSTRACT PURPOSE Few studies have attempted to link patients' beliefs about racism in the health care system with how they use and experience health care. METHODS Using telephone survey data from a national sample of 1,479 whites,...

Opening the black box: cognitive strategies in family practice.
March 1, 2005... ABSTRACT PURPOSE We wanted to describe the cognitive strategies used by family physicians when structuring the decision-making tasks of an outpatient visit. METHODS This qualitative study used cognitive task analysis, a structured...

The practice of acupuncture: who are the providers and what do they do?
March 1, 2005... ABSTRACT PURPOSE This study provides basic information about the training and practices of licensed acupuncturists. METHODS Randomly selected licensed acupuncturists in Massachusetts and Washington state were interviewed and asked to...

Interpersonal continuity of care and care outcomes: a critical review.
March 1, 2005... ABSTRACT PURPOSE We wanted to undertake a critical review of the medical literature regarding the relationships between interpersonal continuity of care and the outcomes and cost of health care. METHODS A search of the MEDLINE database...

Screening for primary open-angle glaucoma in the primary care setting: an update for the US Preventive Services Task Force.
March 1, 2005... ABSTRACT PURPOSE Primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG) is a leading cause of blindness and vision-related disability. This review examines the effectiveness of screening for and treatment of early POAG in asymptomatic persons. METHODS We...

Screening for glaucoma: recommendation statement.
March 1, 2005... This statement summarizes the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) recommendation on screening for glaucoma and the supporting scientific evidence, and updates the 1996 recommendations contained in the Guide to Clinical Preventive...

Ecological change and the future of the human species: can physicians make a difference?(REFLECTIONS)
March 1, 2005... ABSTRACT Global environmental change is occurring so rapidly that it is affecting the health and threatening the future of many of Earth's inhabitants, including human beings. Global warming; contamination of the air, water, and soil; and...

Stimulus, response, interpretation.(ON TRACK)(reader responses to articles in the previous issue)
March 1, 2005... In this On TRACK, I consider the stimulus provided by articles in the last issue of the Annals and the response of thoughtful readers commenting in the Annals online discussion (TRACK), and I provide my own interpretation. I encourage readers...

Academic family medicine chairs.(Family Medicine Updates)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... Family medicine departments continue to grow and develop. According to an Association of American Medical Colleges database (available online at http:// www.aamc.org/data/msps/start.htm), family medicine departments now average more than 35...

Academic family medicine chairs--new departments and new appointments.(Family Medicine Updates)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... Academic Family Medicine Chairs--New Departments and New Appointments ALABAMA University of Alabama, Huntsville Marcia Chesebro, MD University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa Owings, MD (interim) University of South Alabama...

Academy helps family physicians, patients learn about health care legislation.(PATIENT'S VOICE IN WASHINGTON)
March 1, 2005... In a democracy, informed voters are the government. That premise is the driving force behind the enhanced Patient's Voice in Washington, the Academy-sponsored program that distributes information about important health-related issues to AAFP...

2005 examination dates and test centers, 2004 Pisacano scholars.(FAMILY MEDICINE UPDATES)(Calendar)
March 1, 2005... The American Board of Family Medicine (ABFM) will administer its certification/recertification, sports medicine and adolescent medicine examinations exclusively on computer in 2005. The certification/recertification and geriatric certification...

In this issue.(EDITORIAL)
March 1, 2005... This issue features important clinical and policy studies that reflect the diversity of authors and topics in primary care research. Using data from 60 communities across the United States, Ferrer, Palmer, and Burge apply sophisticated...