Canadian family physician Médecin de famille canadien
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To provide family physicians with an updated approach to diagnosis and treatment of pharyngitis, detailing key symptoms, methods of investigation, and a summary of common causes. ⋯ A thorough history is key to diagnosing pharyngitis. Rapid antigen detection tests should be reserved for concerns about antibiotic initiation. Physicians should exercise restraint in antibiotic initiation for pharyngitis, as restraint does not delay recovery or increase the risk of S pyogenes infections.
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To examine how FP and practice characteristics relate to the provision of home visits. ⋯ Most FPs in Nova Scotia who responded to our survey reported doing home visits. This is an encouraging finding for the care of vulnerable older adults and runs counter to the widely held view that home visits are a dying art. Nevertheless, given that older male FPs are more likely to do home visits, there could be work force implications as these FPs retire. As the population ages, strategies to support home visits will be an important area for further research and policy development.