The Journal of family practice
-
By judicious consideration of the clinical appearance, by direct examination with magnification, and by culture results, skin biopsy, and other laboratory results, the clinician is able to diagnose most pathological conditions of the scalp. The scalp participates in many systemic disorders and frequently is the chief site of involvement. Similarly, many generalized disorders limited to the skin exhibit their most typical manifestations in the scalp. ⋯ By utilizing follow-up examinations at appropriate intervals, the diagnosis can eventually be made. Once a diagnosis is made, appropriate treatment will generally produce satisfactory improvement or cure. Nevertheless, a few generally rare conditions will defy the physician's most enlightened and aggressive therapy.
-
Continuity of care, one of the basic characteristics of family medicine, was studied over a 12-month period in a family practice residency program. Continuity was measured in three contact areas; office hours, after hours, and on the inpatient service. The intensity of continuity was defined at three levels, from encounters with the personal physician to those with physicians on other medical teams. ⋯ Residents from other years were noted to have lower levels of continuity. Similar figures were noted for family practice inpatients. Continuity of care in private practice occurs in about 80 percent of patient encounters and it seems reasonable and feasible to expect residency training programs to come close to this figure.
-
While the elderly comprise a large proportion of patients seen in ambulatory care settings, characteristics of these patients have not been well documented. This paper summarizes results of a survey of functional impairment of elderly patients seen in a family medicine center. Assessments were performed in the areas of social and economic resources, mental health, physical health, and the ability to perform routine activities needed for independent living. Results of the survey suggest that family physicians need to know how to perform a multidimensional functional assessment in order to formulate a comprehensive treatment plan for elderly patients.