North American Primary Care Research Group President's Award

JABFM Featured on the Web

JABFM articles are often featured, abstracted, or otherwise mentioned in print or on the Internet. Below are examples of where we have seen our articles during 2007. Authors are encouraged to notify the JABFM editorial office (jabfm{at}med.wayne.edu) about sightings or mention of their articles on the Internet or in other media.

Featured in the “Family Medicine Updates” section of the Annals of Family Medicine, 2007;5(1):91–92.

• Cain JJ, et al. Family physicians and youth tobacco-free education: outcomes of the Colorado Tar Wars program.¹

Featured in MDLinx (http://www.mdlinx.com/):

• Arnold JG, McGowan HJ. Delay in diagnosis of diabetes mellitus due to inaccurate use of hemoglobin A_1C levels.²

• Dunlop AL, et al. National recommendations for preconception care: the essential role of the family physician.³

• Leeman LM, et al. Do unsutured second-degree perineal lacerations affect postpartum functional outcomes?⁴

• Petkar N, et al. High-rising epiglottis in children: should it cause concern?⁵

Featured in the US Department of Health and Human Services, Agency for Health Research and Quality Research Activities newsletter (ie, November 2006, July 2007, and October 2007) (http://www.ahrq.gov/):

• Elder NC, et al. Barriers and motivators for making error reports from family medicine offices: a report from the American Academy of Family Physicians National Research Network (AAFP NRN).⁶

• Gaskins ND, et al. Poor nutritional habits: a modifiable predecessor of chronic illness? A North Carolina Family Medicine Research Network (NC-FM-RN) study.⁷

• Hartz A, James PA. A systematic review of studies comparing myocardial infarction mortality for generalists and specialists: lessons for research and health policy.⁸

• Kuo GM, et al. Cross-sectional comparison of electronic and paper medical records on medication counseling in primary care clinics: a Southern Primary-care Urban Research Network (SPUR-Net) study.⁹

• Ralston S, et al. Practice-based assessment of tobacco usage in southwestern primary care patients: a Research Involving Outpatient Settings Network (RIOS Net) study.¹⁰

• Rust G, Cooper LA. How can practice-based research contribute to the elimination of health disparities?¹¹

Featured on Journal Watch (http://firstwatch.jwatch.org/cgi/content/full/2006/1214/2) as well as their Physicians’ First Watch (http:firstwatch.jwatch.org/cgi/archive):

• Ely JW, Kennedy CM, Clark EC, Bowdler NC. Abnormal uterine bleeding: a management algorithm.¹²

Another Exciting Issue of the JABFM

The topic of publishing by family medicine authors has continued to be important to our family physician academicians, those who train our future family physicians and provide new information to guide our practice.^13,14 We have several journals dedicated to family medicine, with a limited number of pages, and an increasing number of well-trained and inquisitive family medicine researchers. Thankfully, there are other avenues and other journals in which family physicians can and should publish. We are proud that the JABFM and the Journal of Women's Health (which MAB edited in 2000–2005) were among the top journals publishing family medicine research.

Wittink¹⁵ provides us with provocative new data on a previously unreported factor for recommendation of mammography: The level of anxiety of the patient as identified by the physician. Is it appropriate for this factor to affect physician recommendations? Were anxious patients more likely to recall physician recommendations? Kemp et al¹⁶ find that patients prefer physicians to assess their understanding of recommendations in a collaborative fashion, something that feels quite true in practice and should inform our teaching practices.

We have 2 articles related to immunizations, an extremely common activity in family physician offices. Ferris¹⁷ is pursuing the issue of the human papillomavirus vaccine, currently recommended up to age 26. What do older, mid-life women think? One of the findings is that women who have had an abnormal Papanicolaou smear were more interested in getting a vaccine, yet currently the efficacy and effectiveness for mid-life women and those with previous abnormal Papanicolaou smears is unknown. However the survey does suggest that increasing awareness of the association of the human papillomavirus and cervical cancer can increase the willingness of women to be vaccinated, so education (perhaps learned the hard way by women with previously abnormal Papanicolaou smears) is key. In addition, family physicians can increase the rate of getting vaccines appropriately completed by implementing standing orders.¹⁸

There are 2 clinical reviews this month. Lessenger¹⁹ reminds us that over-the-counter medicines can be abused, something we may often fail to ask about or consider; we have no equivalent to the recognized screening questionnaires we use to detect alcoholism or depression. A second clinical review reminds us that diesel exhaust can also have wide ranging health implications.²⁰ Remembering to note occupation and the potential exposures could help family physicians prevent issues for individual patients; we also need to work politically to improve the environment for everyone. Think GREEN.

Also in this month's issue of JABFM, a family physician²¹ who works in palliative care suggests something unexpected in a provocative “reflections” piece: pregnancy care helping a physician when providing end-of-life care as well; birth and death provide dramatic transitions. This issue's Brief Reports provide a reminder on primary meningococcal arthritis²² and unique cases of clozapine-induced cardiomyopathy²³ and concurrent babesia and lyme disease after splenectomy.²⁴

This issue of the journal highlights exactly the type of information family medicine researchers are providing to influence practice. From the common to the rare individual case reports or large research studies in the community, and issues affecting both individuals and public health, this issue is an excellent example of the range of family physician publications.