Family Medicine: Data Driven Practice with Emphasis on Underserved Patients

Abstract

Family physicians' role and interest in caring for underserved or undertreated patients is quite evident in this issue of JABFM. One in 5 family physicians provide urgent or emergency care, which is particularly important in rural areas. Methods and resources for obtaining information about social determinants of health are variable. A data-rich article considers how family medicine practice ownership might be associated with quality outcomes. We have articles on using text messages to increase HIV testing and colon cancer screening for Latino patients. For patients with significant behavioral health disorders, 1 article considers early posthospital follow-up to prevent readmission and another notes differences between the views of generalist physicians and psychiatrists on which specialty should test and manage antipsychotic-related metabolic disorders. Five articles provide topic-specific perspectives for diagnosis of systolic heart failure with preserved systolic function, primary care outpatient radiographs, polypharmacy in the elderly with dementia, supporting patients in self-management, and patient and family physician challenges in opioid prescribing. Furthermore, what happened to total opioid prescriptions when 1 version of opioid medication became more difficult to prescribe? Two articles provide treatment information for hepatitis C and initiation of basal insulin for diabetes.