Primary Care Clerkship Patient Education Handouts

Persistent link for this collectionhttps://hdl.handle.net/11299/5603

The Primary Care Clerkship (PCC) was, until April of 2009, a required 8-week interdisciplinary course for all third and fourth year medical students. For several years, students had completed a course project which involved answering a clinical question generated during patient care in their primary care clinic. In addition to summarizing the research available to answer this clinical question, students also translate this medical language into a document suitable to inform an average patient on this topic – a Patient Education Tool (PET) handout. This project has been continued in the required, 4-week, Family Medicine Clerkship, that began May of 2009. Given the time and energy invested by students in creating these handouts and the overall high quality of the final product, the course directors were eager to make these products more generally available to the public through this site. The information provided does not necessarily reflect the views of the University of Minnesota Medical School physicians and faculty. These materials are provided for informational purposes only and are in no way intended to take the place of the advice and recommendations of your personal health care provider. You use the information provided in these handouts at your own risk.

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Browsing Primary Care Clerkship Patient Education Handouts by Title

Now showing 1 - 20 of 195
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    Abnormal Pap Smear in Pregnancy
    (2009-05-06) Fennell, Naomi
    2-7% of pregnant women in the United States will have an abnormal pap during pregnancy. An abnormal pap smear means that some of the cells that were brushed off the cervix during a pap smear appeared atypical, or abnormal, under the microscope. There are many causes of atypical cervical cells, but they are often from infection with the human papillomavirus (HPV). Cervical dysplasia (change in the cells of the cervix) is considered pre-cancerous because if left untreated it can progress to cervical cancer. Some abnormal pap results will lead to an exam called a colposcopy. Colposcopy is when a doctor uses a microscope to look at the cervix. This procedure is similar to a pelvic exam and usually takes about 15 minutes. The doctor will try to visualize any abnormal areas on the cervix and decide if the abnormal area(s) appear to be mild, moderate, or severe dysplasia. The doctor will then decide if a biopsy is required. Current recommendations suggest that pregnant women with cervical lesions that appear to be moderate or severe dysplasia by colposcopy should be biopsied.
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    About Pink Eye (Conjunctivitis)
    (2008-12-02) Jepsen, Susanne
    Pink eye is often caused by an infection of the protective layer covering the eyeball. While it is often caused by bacteria, using antibiotics does not make the infection go away faster. People should return to work or school when their pink eye is no longer making extra tears or pus. To prevent the spread of pink eye, don't touch your eyes and wash your hands often.
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    Acupunture is an effective treatment for lower back pain
    (2008-02-06) Anderson-Beckman, Leah
    According to a study recently done in Germany, almost half of patients suffering from chronic low back pain should expect to see a reduction in pain and increase in their functional ability, if they include some kind of acupuncture in their treatment regimen. Acupuncture may soon be considered part of the accepted standard therapy for back pain, along with more conventional treatments such as physical therapy, pain medications and steroid injections.
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    Acute Bronchitis
    (2009-05-04) Papic, Jon
    This is a patient educational tool on acute bronchitis covering some common questions regarding etiology, symptoms and treatment.
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    The addition of Lactobacilli to oral metronidazole therapy compared to metronidazole monotherapy increases the cure rate of bacterial vaginosis (BV).
    (2008-09-02) Quail, Jacob
    There is increasing evidence that BV is associated with severe gynecological and obstetrical complications. Because of these adverse associations and the high recurrence rates noted with antibiotic treatment there has been a continuing search for more efficacious treatments.
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    ADHD and Your Child
    (2008-11-24) Ritter, Kristin
    ADHD is a common disorder that affects children of all ages and there are many options for treatment. Guanfacine ER is a medication that has been used for other purposes in the past but now has been researched for the treatment of ADHD. It is an efficacious drug to reduce the symptoms of ADHD as reported by parents or caregivers in children and adolescents ages 6-17 when compared to placebo.
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    Alcohol and Heart Attacks: What’s the story?
    (2009-05-04) Clarke, Michael E
    Multiple large studies have found that drinking roughly one or more drinks per night reduces the risk of myocardial infarction. That being said, alcohol use is associated with notable adverse effects, including but not limited to, psychosocial disability, addiction, excess dietary calories, motor vehicle accidents, loss of productive work hours, and increased tendency towards violence and risky sexual practices. Although safe and moderate alcohol consumption may minimize these risks, a physician recommendation to drink alcohol for a “healthy heart” is likely not warranted at this time.
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    Alcohol and high blood pressure
    (2009-05-06) Abanonu, Chinemerem
    Research shows that reduction in alcohol intake among heavy drinkers significantly reduces systolic and diastolic BP. This effect was seen in hypertensive and nonhypertensive subjects and also in those already taking antihypertensive medications. The findings suggest that alcohol reduction should be recommended as an important component of lifestyle modification for the prevention and treatment of hypertension among heavy drinkers.
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    Alcoholism
    (2008-09-02) Adegboyega, Titilayo
    Naltrexone, acamprosate and combined behavior intervention (CBI) substantially reduce drinking. However, naltrexone is most effective in increasing abstinence and significantly reducing risk of a heavy drinking day.
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    Am I In Labor?
    (2008-10-16) Smith, Tim
    Understanding the signs of labor and how to seek appropriate help is important to decrease unnecessary visits as well as decreasing delay for medical treatment.
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    Antibiotic Associated Diarrhea: What is it and how do you make it better?
    (2009-08-19) KenKnight, Jonathan
    Consider using probiotics for the prevention of antibiotic-associated diarrhea in children. Evidence suggests that probiotics given for the duration of the course of antibiotics cut the risk of developing diarrhea by almost 50%.
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    Antibiotic treatment of post-Lyme syndrome is ineffective
    (2008-11-24) Batdorf, Bjorn
    Post-Lyme syndrome happens in patients who received standard treatment of 2-4 weeks of antibiotics, but still have chronic symptoms. These symptoms include muscle or joint pain, fatigue, memory or thinking difficulty, irritability, difficulty sleeping, depression, headache, or limb weakness. These symptoms occur without lab evidence for them such as markers of inflammation. Some clinicians suggest treatment with months of antibiotics. However, in three large clinical trials, long term treatment with antibiotics was the same as placebo in the treatment of these symptoms. While there currently is no treatment to cure post-Lyme syndrome, it is important for the patient to work closely with their physician to manage the symptoms.
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    Antibiotic-associated diarrhea
    (2008-09-02) Stark, Thomas
    Antibiotic-associated diarrhea (AAD) is a significant cause of morbidity and mortality. The most common pathogen associated with AAD is Clostridium difficile which is among the leading causes of nosocomial infections. Succesfull treatment for this condition involves prolonged use of antibiotics or livestool enimas. Evidence suggests that the use of probiotics has no role in treatment or prevention of this condition.
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    Antibiotic-Associated Diarrhea
    (2009-05-04) Turgasen, Sarah
    Antibiotic-associated diarrhea (AAD) is an important cause of morbidity, mortality and cost in hospitalized patients. Recent RTC’s and meta-analyses have shown that administration of a probioticcontaining drink during and after antibiotic treatment may be a cost-effective way to prevent AAD.
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    Asthma Treatment in Children: Information for Parents
    (2008-09-02) Chomilo, Nathan
    Parents are often worried about long-term inhaled steroid use in their children with asthma. This handout explains asthma as a disease as well as going over the risks and benefits of inhaled steroid use.
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    Asthma Treatment: Do I need a nebulizer?
    (2009-05-04) Donahue, Renee
    Asthma is chronic respiratory disease commonly treated using inhaled beta-agonist medications, or bronchodilators, such as albuterol. Medical research has shown that for the treatment of asthma with betaagonists, inhalers are equally as effective as nebulizers. Either treatment is helpful at reducing the symptoms of asthma which may include wheezing, chest tightness, shortness of breath and cough. Inhalers have some practical benefits over nebulizers for everyday use as inhalers are faster to use, are less expensive and do not require a power source or regular maintenance.
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    Atrial Fibrillation: What is it and what are my options?
    (2008-09-02) Mooney, Joshua
    This brochure is a patient’s guide to the risk factors, symptoms, diagnosis and management of atrial fibrillation. There is an explanation of the treatment options available with a specific focus on the available medications to prevent stroke.
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    Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Does my child have it and what do I do?
    (2009-05-01) Krishnan, Balaji
    Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a developmentally inappropriate level of attention, impulsivity, and hyperactivity. Diagnosis should be based on comprehensive assessment and can be accomplished by a primary care physician. Treatments include behavioral management and pharmacologic therapy, usually with stimulant medication. Parent, child, and school should be educated about the condition, and all three involved in treatment.
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    The basics every patient needs to know about Clostridium difficile-associated diarrhea
    (2008-09-02) Lieser, Matthew
    The purpose of this article was to provide patients with background information about Clostridium difficile-associated disease. These include signs/symptoms, risk factors, and treatment options.
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    Behavioral therapy more effective than pharmacotherapy for smokeless tobacco use cessation.
    (2009-05-06) Lawson, Michael
    Behavioral interventions should be used to help smokeless tobacco users to quit specifically utilizing telephone counseling and/or an oral examination with feedback of mucosal damage. Pharmacotherapies examined included bupropion, nicotine patch, and nicotine gum have not shown to effect cessation rates at six months for smokeless tobacco users.