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* OBJECTIVES The purpose of our study was to determine the frequency of smoking cessation counseling in relation to insurance status in a practice-based research network. * STUDY DESIGN We [...]

Background. Breast cancer is the second most common cause of cancer death in women, with mammographic screening the only modality shown to decrease the death rate. However, only 17% to [...]

Background. Patients who fall present a diagnostic challenge to family physicians. The diagnostic workup of these patients must be thorough enough to detect and treat important causes of the fall yet not subject patients to unnecessary tests. Previous studies have provided only limited guidance for primary care physicians because in general they occurred in settings other than primary care and focused on a single age group. Methods. The Ambulatory Sentinel Practice Network (ASPN) conducted a 6-month study of primary care patients of all ages presenting after a fall, or with medical problems resulting from a fall. ASPN clinicians collected information about the history, physical examination findings, and follow-up of these patients. Causes of falls were grouped into three categories: external reasons for falling, internal reasons related to gait, and internal reasons unrelated to gait. Results. Participating clinicians identified 431 patients who had falls out of the 256,680 seen for any reason during the study period. The patients ranged in age from 1 to 94 years. The rate of falls for patients increased rapidly after age 65 years. Most falls occurred for reasons external to the patient, but internal reasons, both nonlocomotor and locomotor, increased after age 65 years. No nonlocomotor causes for a fall were found in patients younger than 65 years of age. Also, the rate of hospitalization of patients seen for falls was greater in the geriatric age group. Conclusions. The results highlight the need for further research about falls, particularly those occurring in pediatric and young adult patients. Furthermore, correcting environmental hazards and modifying gait problems in the elderly by increasing lower extremity and truncal strength cold decrease the risk of failing. Key words. Accidental falls; age factors; accidents, home. J Fam Pract 1992; 35:43-48., Determining the causes of falls and preventing their occurrence are important challenges to family physicians. Among all age groups, falls cause 58% of accident-related deaths in the home.[1] Furthermore, among [...]

KEY POINTS FOR CLINICIANS * Family physicians have many opportunities to talk with patients and their families about family history and family context. * Physician knowledge of family context is [...]

* BACKGROUND The primary purpose of this study was to learn more about the characteristics of primary care patients with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and the relationship between PTSD and [...]

* BACKGROUND Health care reform has been the subject of considerable debate, particularly among those in politics, insurance, and business. Patients, however--those who use medical care--have largely been ignored in [...]

A Survey of Colorado Family Physicians BACKGROUND. Visiting patients at home has long been one of the activities of the family physician, but the practice of making house calls has [...]