The Journal of family practice
-
Metastatic prostate cancer is a serious disease that affects both men and their intimate partners. We explored the perceptions of men who have been treated for metastatic prostate cancer and the views of their wives regarding the changes that were caused by prostate cancer and its treatment. ⋯ Although wives have a profound interest in their husbands' prostate cancer, actual communication about the disease, its treatment, and the feelings it evokes may be less than we believe. Noncommunication in marriages might indicate that these couples are at increased risk for poor adjustment to prostrate cancer.
-
We hoped to determine the attitudes and practices of primary care physicians regarding the use of opioids to treat chronic nonmalignant pain (CNMP). We also examined the factors associated with the willingness to prescribe opioids for CNMP. ⋯ Primary care physicians are willing to prescribe schedule III opioids as needed, but many are unwilling to use schedule II opioids around the clock for CNMP. Individual prescribing practices vary widely among primary care physicians. Concerns about physical dependence, tolerance, and addiction are barriers to the prescription of opioids by primary care physicians for patients with CNMP.
-
Postpartum depression (PPD) is a common and often overlooked condition. Validated screening tools for PPD exist but are not commonly used. We present the 1-year outcome of a project to implement universal PPD screening at the 6-week postpartum visit. ⋯ A high EPDS score was predictive of a diagnosis of postpartum depression, and the implementation of routine EPDS screening at 6 weeks postpartum was associated with an increase in the rate of diagnosed postpartum depression in this community.