The Journal of family practice
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Despite the success of the national childhood vaccination program in the United States in decreasing mortality due to vaccine-preventable diseases, vaccination rates remain suboptimal. Contributing factors include the failure to appreciate the hazards of vaccine-preventable diseases, concerns about adverse reactions associated with vaccine administration, and missed opportunities to administer vaccines. The 2 major types of indications for vaccinating children are age and presence of a medical condition that increases the risk of a vaccine-preventable disease. ⋯ IPV should eliminate vaccine-associated paralytic poliomyelitis. Pneumococcal conjugate vaccine was licensed in 2000 for routine use on a schedule of 2, 4, 6, and 12 to 15 months. The first dose of measles-mumps-rubella vaccine is now recommended at age 12 to 15 months, simultaneous with varicella vaccine administration.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Clinical Trial
Training in back care to improve outcome and patient satisfaction. Teaching old docs new tricks.
We examined clinical outcomes and patient perceptions of back care given by physicians before and after an intensive course of training in back care and limited manual therapy techniques. ⋯ A structured clinical approach to low back care may bring modestly improved clinical outcomes and patient satisfaction.
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Standard obstetrical practice has included iron therapy for patients with anemia without requiring the determination of iron deficiency. However, the proportion of pregnant women with anemia who have such a deficiency may be relatively modest. We instituted a practice protocol using serum ferritin levels to determine the proportion of women undergoing prenatal care who had both anemia and iron deficiency. ⋯ In our population of prenatal patients with anemia, only approximately half had an iron deficiency. Diagnostic and therapeutic approaches to screening for anemia in pregnancy should be reconsidered and further evaluated.
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Meta Analysis
A systematic review of troponin T and I values as a prognostic tool for patients with chest pain.
The accuracy of the troponin T and I test as a prognostic tool for patients with chest pain varies considerably depending on the patient population, the cutoff for an abnormal test result, and other factors. The goal of our systematic review was to synthesize the best available evidence on this topic. ⋯ If the peak troponin T or I level measured at least 6 hours after the onset of chest pain symptoms is in the normal range in a patient with a normal electrocardiogram, it is very unlikely that the patient will die or have a nonfatal MI in the next 30 days (< or =1%). The initial troponin value is not as helpful as the peak value at least 6 hours after the onset of chest pain. An abnormal troponin test result for patients with unstable angina or non-Q-wave MI identifies a subset at greater risk of death.