Annals of Family Medicine articles from May 2007

Annals of Family Medicine archives from May 2007

In this issue: new concepts for diabetes and chronic disease management.(EDITORIAL)
May 1, 2007... This issue of Annals brings into view new ways of understanding chronic illness care (1) and efforts to improve the quality of care. (2-4) It identifies a possible new diabetes risk factor that is easily visible on physical examination, rather...

Competing demands or clinical inertia: the case of elevated glycosylated hemoglobin.(Disease/Disorder overview)
May 1, 2007... ABSTRACT PURPOSE This study aimed to examine the contribution of competing demands to changes in hypoglycemic medications and to return appointment intervals for patients with type 2 diabetes and an elevated glycosylated hemoglobin...

Acanthosis nigricans and diabetes risk factors: prevalence in young persons seen in southwestern US primary care practices.
May 1, 2007... ABSTRACT PURPOSE Evidence shows acanthosis nigricans is often associated with hyperinsulinemia and may indicate increased risk of type 2 diabetes mellitus. The purpose of this study was to determine the association of acanthosis nigricans...

Electronic medical records and diabetes quality of care: results from a sample of family medicine practices.
May 1, 2007... ABSTRACT PURPOSE Care of patients with diabetes requires management of complex clinical information, which may be improved by the use of an electronic medical record (EMR); however, the actual relationship between EMR usage and diabetes...

Sufficiently important difference for common cold: severity reduction.
May 1, 2007... ABSTRACT PURPOSE We undertook a study to estimate the sufficiently important difference (SID) for the common cold. The SID is the smallest benefit that an intervention would require to justify costs and risks. METHODS Benefit-harm...

Home visiting for adolescent mothers: effects on parenting, maternal life course, and primary care linkage.
May 1, 2007... ABSTRACT PURPOSE Adolescent mothers are at risk for rapidly becoming pregnant again and for depression, school dropout, and poor parenting. We evaluated the impact of a community-based home-visiting program on these outcomes and on linking...

Different paths to high-quality care: three archetypes of top-performing practice sites.(Case study)
May 1, 2007... ABSTRACT PURPOSE Primary care practices use different approaches in their quest for high-quality care. Previous work in the Practice Partner Research Network (PPRNet) found that improved outcomes are associated with strategies to...

A national survey of primary care practice-based research networks.
May 1, 2007... ABSTRACT PURPOSE Increasing numbers of primary care practice-based research networks (PBRNs) are being developed in the United States to perform research relevant to everyday practice. To assess the current status and potential value of...

Improving medical practice: a conceptual framework.
May 1, 2007... ABSTRACT PURPOSE The purpose of this article is to produce a relatively simple conceptual framework for guiding and studying practice improvement. METHODS I summarize the lessons from my experience with a variety of quality...

Disease management: panacea, another false hope, or something in between?(REFLECTION)
May 1, 2007... ABSTRACT Disease management is being promulgated by many policy makers, legislators, and a burgeoning new disease management industry as the next major hope, together with information technology and consumer-directed health care, to bring...

The impotence of being important--reflections on leadership.(REFLECTION)
May 1, 2007... ABSTRACT An observed doctor-patient encounter, in which impotence and importance were confused, led me to a reflection on leadership. A sense of importance can be destructive in leadership, leading to failure to perform, or impotence....

Toward an ecosystemic approach to chronic care design and practice in primary care.(REFLECTION)
May 1, 2007... ABSTRACT Despite the increasing prevalence of chronic conditions and multimorbidities, the essential attributes of the structure and delivery of primary care continue to be defined in terms of disease-specific approaches and acute...

On track: primary care opportunities for filling unmet need.(ON TRACK)
May 1, 2007... EXPANDED PRIMARY CARE CAN FILL CRITICAL HOLES IN HEALTH CARE The study of outpatient treatment of opioid addiction in the last issue of Annals (1) stimulated a dialogue between the lead author (2-4) and an international group of clinicians...

Academic family medicine's response to CTSA.(Family Medicine Updates)(Conference notes)
May 1, 2007... From the Society of Teachers of Family Medicine, North American Primary Care Research Group, and Association of Departments of Family Medicine The Institutional Clinical and Translational Science Awards (CTSAs) are the cornerstone of the...

Academy builds coalitions for health system reform.(Family Medicine Updates)
May 1, 2007... The Academy has been working hard at building coalitions during the past year, and some of those efforts are beginning to pay off. In January, the Academy led 9 other medical associations to introduce 11 principles for health system reform and...

ABFM's In-Training Examination.(Family Medicine Updates)(American Board of Family Medicine)
May 1, 2007... The American Board of Family Medicine's (ABFM) In-Training Examination was conceived in 1979 as part of a tripartite assessment process for family medicine residents in training. This 3-fold assessment process was developed under the aegis of...

[P.sup.4] = innovation.(Family Medicine Updates)
May 1, 2007... The initial goal of the Preparing the Personal Physician for Practice ([P.sup.4]) Initiative is innovation in family medicine residency training, in real-life situations, in various settings. After an exhaustive process of evaluation and...