Neil S. Skolnik – författare

Although infectious disease mortality is decreasing, the disease burden remains substantial as many new infections have been identified and some well-established infectious diseases have reemerged. This book provides an easy-to-use, practical, yet comprehensive resource for family practitioners to use in the daily struggle against infectious diseases. It discusses vaccines and preventive measures as well as information on how to reduce the incidence of antimicrobial-resistant organisms by judiciously prescribing antibiotics and informing patients about the appropriate use of these agents.

Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom and with all thy getting get understanding. —Proverbs 4:7 In addition to wisdom, physicians need information—in many different settings—when learning new and reviewing previously learned material, during case conferences, and at the point-of-care while taking care of patients. Num- ous studies have shown that physicians regularly encounter questions that need an answer while they are seeing patients (1). Unfortunately, only about one-third of those questions are eventually pursued to find an answer, likely because of the difficulty of finding answers and the time constraints under which physicians find themselves (2–4). It is important to understand that when information is readily available, physicians utilize that information, and that information impacts on patient care and can alter the clinical decisions that occur (5–7). National clinical guidelines have been increasingly recognized as a potential way of improving the quality of medical care by giving physicians clear, eviden- based guidance on how to treat complex diseases where an abundance of lite- ture may exist. The evolution of medical knowledge proceeds along a predictable route. It starts with careful observation. Next comes the generation of hypotheses. The hypotheses are then tested through studies. These studies are eventually synt- sized into evidence-based guidelines developed through a rigorous process that includes a comprehensive review of the literature combined with expert opinion.

Although infectious disease mortality is decreasing, the disease burden remains substantial as many new infections have been identified and some well-established infectious diseases have reemerged. This book provides an easy-to-use, practical, yet comprehensive resource for family practitioners to use in the daily struggle against infectious diseases. It discusses vaccines and preventive measures as well as information on how to reduce the incidence of antimicrobial-resistant organisms by judiciously prescribing antibiotics and informing patients about the appropriate use of these agents.

Chapter three discusses how to effectively choose an EMR system, while chapters four and five cover all of the vital pre-implementation and implementation issues in establishing an EMR system in the primary care environment.

Physician adoption of electronic medical records (EMRs) has become a national priority. It is said that EMRs have the potential to greatly improve patient care, to provide the data needed for more effective population management and quality assurance of both an individual practice’s patients and well as patients of large health care systems, and the potential to create efficiencies that allow physicians to provide this improved care at a far lower cost than at present. There is currently a strong U.S. government push for physicians to adopt EMR technology, with the Obama administration emphasizing the use of EMRs as an important part of the future of health care and urging widespread adoption of this technology by 2014. This timely book for the primary care community offers a concise and easy to read guide for implementing an EMR system. Organized in six sections, this invaluable title details the general state of the EMR landscape, covering the government’s incentive program, promises and pitfalls of EMR technology, issues related to standardization and the range of EMR vendors from which a provider can choose. Importantly, chapter two provides a detailed and highly instructional account of the experiences that a range of primary care providers have had in implementing EMR systems. Chapter three discusses how to effectively choose an EMR system, while chapters four and five cover all of the vital pre-implementation and implementation issues in establishing an EMR system in the primary care environment. Finally, chapter six discusses how to optimize and maintain a new EMR system to achieve the full cost savings desired. Concise, direct, but above all honest in recognizing the challenges in choosing and implementing an electronic health record in primary care, Electronic Medical Records: A Practical Guide for Primary Care has been written with the busy primary care physician in mind.

Although infectious disease mortality is decreasing, the disease burden remains substantial as many new infections have been identified and some well-established infectious diseases have reemerged.

Sexually Transmitted Diseases: A Guide for Primary Care, second edition, covers the diagnosis and treatment of STDs and other information critical to patient care and reflects the last five years of significant changes in information about STDs.

Written by experts in the field, Top Articles Every Clinician Should Know provides readers with one source where information can be found about the most important articles published in the medical literature that informs the way clinicians practice primary care today.

This book reviews, in one place, the breadth of articles that form the basis for the current practice of medicine. When physicians examine medical literature, there are articles that are quoted over and over again, as well as articles that have established the standards that are so embedded that we no longer think of where those standards came from. When clinicians treat patients with diabetes, why do we aim for an A1c less than 7%?  That standard comes primarily from two trials, the DPPT and the UKPDS trial, both of which broke new ground when they were published.  In addition, the ACCORD trial informed us that a lower A1c goal does not improve outcomes, and may in fact lead to worse outcomes. Understanding these trials helps physicians to make better decisions for their patients and gives them a greater appreciation for the information they work with every day.

The chapters are organized by system such as respiratory, cardiovascular, diabetes, etc. and within each system,in the chronological order of publication. Each article reviewed includes a succinct overview of methodology and the results, followed by a discussion that puts the results into clinical context.  All articles are selected and chapters written by primary care physicians who understand what is relevant to the intended audience for the book.

Written by experts in the field, Top Articles Every Clinician Should Know provides readers with one source where information can be found about the most important articles published in the medical literature that informs the way clinicians practice primary care today.