Journal of general internal medicine
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To establish the frequency of criteria-based depression and anxiety in newly admitted medical inpatients and to determine the natural history of depressive and anxiety symptoms during hospitalization. ⋯ Major depression occurs more commonly than anxiety disorder in newly admitted medical inpatients but both resolve spontaneously in the majority during the course of hospitalization without specific psychiatric intervention unless the hospitalization is prolonged. One in ten will continue to show symptoms of depression.
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Complications secondary to the use of oral contraceptive agents are rare. Hepatobiliary complications, while often dramatic in presentation, occur infrequently. In a patient without predisposing conditions to complications, the benefits achieved with estrogen/progesterone products outweigh the risks. ⋯ Fortunately, the complications associated with these drugs are infrequent and may be decreasing due to lower-dose products. Complications still occur, however, and need to be recognized by the general internist as medication-induced problems so the offending drugs can be discontinued and appropriate treatment and follow-up initiated. In addition, patients at risk for the development of complications need to be recognized and advised prior to the introduction of oral contraceptives.
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Comparative Study
Validity of the in-training examination for predicting American Board of Internal Medicine certifying examination scores.
To determine whether the results of the Internal Medicine In-Training Examination (ITE) can predict subsequent performance on the American Board of Internal Medicine certifying examination (ABIMCE). ⋯ Performance on the ITE can accurately predict and is highly correlated with performance on the ABIMCE. ITE results may therefore be useful in counseling residents about their educational needs in preparation for the ABIMCE.