Nonclinical Time for Family Medicine Residency Faculty: National Survey Results.

Introduction: Recent changes to the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) requirements eliminated minimum standards for protected nonclinical time for core faculty. Faculty perform many nonclinical tasks to maintain family medicine residencies. The objective of this study is to describe the landscape of nonclinical time for family medicine residency faculty.

Integrating Buprenorphine Treatment for Opioid Use with Primary Care is Associated with Greater Retention in Treatment.

Background: METHOD: We conducted a retrospective cohort study of 257 MAT patients in our family medicine clinic to assess retention in treatment for patients receiving MAT integrated with primary care compared with our MAT patients who received their primary care elsewhere.

Results: At 1 year after enrollment, 60% of patients receiving MAT integrated with primary care remained in treatment versus 43% of patients who received their primary care separately. In multivariate analysis, the patients receiving integrated MAT had a significantly lower risk of dropout (hazard ratio 0.

Integrating Buprenorphine Treatment Into Family Medicine Resident Clinic.

Background And Objectives: Medication-assisted treatment (MAT) for opioid use disorder with buprenorphine in primary care is effective and patient-accessible yet remains underutilized, including among residency training programs. One concern in residency programs is that MAT patients must be seen at least monthly and will overwhelm residents' clinic schedules and dilute their clinical experience. Our family medicine residency initiated an MAT program integrated into residents' continuity clinic schedules.

A patient-centered telephone intervention using the asthma action plan.

Background And Objectives: Application of the patient-centered medical home (PCMH) practice model requires managing patients with chronic diseases, such as asthma, with patient-centered approaches that ensure appropriate ongoing assessment and treatment for all patients. The Asthma Control Score (ACS) and the Asthma Action Plan (AAP) are validated tools for assessment and management of asthma. ACS use by phone has been shown to accurately assess patients' asthma control; however, no studies to date demonstrate the utility of AAP implementation by phone to improve asthma control.

Update on acute ankle sprains.

Ankle sprains are a common problem seen by primary care physicians, especially among teenagers and young adults. Most ankle sprains are inversion injuries to the lateral ankle ligaments, although high sprains representing damage to the tibiofibular syndesmosis are becoming increasingly recognized. Physicians should apply the Ottawa ankle rules to determine whether radiography is needed.

Genitourinary infections after a routine pelvic exam.

Purpose: To determine if genitourinary problems are more common in women in the first 1 to 2 months after a routine pelvic examination.

Methods: This was a historical cohort study in 2 family medicine teaching clinics at an urban university. Participants included all women who received a Papanicolaou smear during calendar year 2006.

Urinary symptoms after a routine pelvic exam.

Purpose: To determine if urinary symptoms are more common in women during the 4 weeks after a routine pelvic examination.

Methods: This was a 4-week, prospective, observational cohort study in a Family Medicine residency clinic at an urban university. Participants included women ages 18 to 40 years who identified themselves as sexually active and who presented for a routine pelvic examination.

Evaluation of scrotal masses.

Scrotal masses can represent a wide range of medical issues, from benign congenital conditions to life-threatening malignancies and acute surgical emergencies. Having a clear understanding of scrotal anatomy allows the examiner to accurately identify most lesions. Benign lesions such as hydroceles and varicoceles are often found incidentally by the patient or physician on routine examination.

Bell's palsy: diagnosis and management.

Bell's palsy is a peripheral palsy of the facial nerve that results in muscle weakness on one side of the face. Affected patients develop unilateral facial paralysis over one to three days with forehead involvement and no other neurologic abnormalities. Symptoms typically peak in the first week and then gradually resolve over three weeks to three months.

Fixing family medicine residency training.

The number of US medical students entering family medicine continues to decline. Despite the increased presence of family physicians on medical school faculty and increased exposure to family medicine during training, students still cite lack of respect and excessive knowledge base to master as reasons for not choosing our specialty. Specific changes must be made to family medicine residency training to make it more attractive to students and more compatible with the realities of practice today.

Diagnosis and treatment of rosacea.

Background: Rosacea is a common skin disorder affecting middle-aged and older adults. Many patients mistakenly assume that early rosacea is normally aging skin and are not aware that effective treatments exist to prevent progression to permanent disfiguring skin changes.

Methods: The medical literature was reviewed on the pathophysiology, diagnosis, and treatment of rosacea.