Annals of family medicine
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Annals of family medicine · May 2004
Randomized Controlled Trial Clinical TrialPatient pain in primary care: factors that influence physician diagnosis.
The accurate recognition of patient pain is a crucial, but sometimes difficult, task in medical care. This study explored factors related to the physician's diagnosis of pain in primary care patients. ⋯ The diagnosis of pain is influenced by the severity of patient pain, patient gender, and physician practice style. If the routine use of pain assessment tools is found to be effective in improving physician recognition and treatment of patients' pain, then application of these tools in patient care settings should be encouraged.
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Annals of family medicine · May 2004
ReviewWhat can family physicians offer patients with carpal tunnel syndrome other than surgery? A systematic review of nonsurgical management.
We undertook a literature review to produce evidence-based recommendations for nonsurgical family physician management of carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS). ⋯ For those who are not able to get surgery or for those who do not want surgery, there are some conservative modalities that can be tried. These modalities include ones for which there is good evidence. It would be reasonable to try some of the techniques with less evidence if the better ones are not successful. Reconsideration of surgery must always be kept in mind to avoid permanent nerve damage.
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Annals of family medicine · May 2004
Referral of patients to specialists: factors affecting choice of specialist by primary care physicians.
We wanted to determine the importance of factors in primary care physicians' choice of specialist when referring patients and to compare importance ratings by physicians' race and sex. ⋯ Primary care physicians serving adults consider several factors to be of major importance when choosing a specialist. The importance of patient convenience, previous experience with the specialist, specialist board certification, and insurance coverage accepted by specialist varied by physicians' race and sex. A better understanding of factors important to a diverse physician workforce may help to improve the referral process.