Corresponding Author(s)
Dr. Jay H. Shubrook, Jr., Ohio University COM, Family Medicine, Grosvenor Hall 349, Athens, OH 45701-1902.
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I am constantly reminded of the importance of lifelong education. The practicing family physician must have a broad knowledge base to address the variety of problems that present themselves each and every day. Family medical journals help to keep me abreast of not only those topics that I am already comfortable with but also with those topics on which I can use a refresher. Today there are so many ways to get information, yet little time to integrate it. Sources include medical journals, live courses such as the Annual Meeting and Scientific Sessions of the ACOFP, and online learning including podcasts. In this issue of Osteopathic Family Physician, Allison Petznick, DO, provides an original research article evaluating the management of hyperglycemia in general medical wards and shares strategies to improve glucose management. Steven Clay, DO, provides an insightful review on the risk factors and etiology of addiction.
Using case-based learning, Sam Matlack, DO, and coauthors describe a unique case in which a person has a sudden onset of vision loss and then provides recommendations on triaging patients to know who will need immediate treatment. Mark Abraham, JD, DO, gives a reminder of the importance of the preparticipatory sports physical examination, describing a case when the examination identified a significant abnormality. Finally, Donald Furci, DO, and Jerri O’Donnell, MA, describe a new way of teaching residents and even patients, using pictures to relate patient scenarios.
The family physician is a detective, healer, confidant, and counselor. With the ongoing challenges of modern medicine, the family physician must triage on the fly and make critical decisions with partial information. Furthermore, there are more patients who have access to medical information—some of which may not be accurate or peer reviewed. Physicians need to have reliable sources of information. We will strive to make OFP one of your top sources of medical information and lifelong learning.
Jay Shubrook, Jr., DO, FACOFP
Editor, Osteopathic Family Physician