Primary Care
Physician perspectives on preventive care, chronic disease management, and evidence-based primary care practice.
Recent Discussions
Do you routinely hold anticoagulation (including pharmacologic VTE prophylaxis) for bedside procedures such as paracentesis, thoracentesis, and central venous catheter placement?
We do not hold anticoagulation of any kind for paracentesis. I also do not hold anticoagulation of any kind of thoracentesis, though some places will still ask things like Plavix or DOAC to be held. We do hold ppx and anticoagulation for LP due to the risk of epidural hematoma. I do not hold for the...
What recommendations do you provide to patients who develop ocular side effects with Dupixent?
I would start with over-the-counter artificial tears without preservative and then refer to an ophthalmologist, ideally a corneal specialist who is experienced in the nuances of treating this condition. I have also had success switching from Dupixent to Adbry, although JAK inhibitors are a better o...
How do you present the trade off between a small chance of a sustained response for a new drug at the expense of potential worsening quality of life?
Since we now have an increasing number of treatments at our disposal, this becomes an ever more frequent conversation in oncology. This question gets at several Shared Decision Making (SDM) model steps. Usually in this scenario, there are not routine standard of care options and highlighting the pat...
Do you perform pap smears as part of the surveillance of patients with a history of cervical or vaginal cancers who had radiation as part of their treatment?
I personally do not routinely perform pap testing for patients with a prior history of cervical or vaginal cancer who have had prior radiation. The main driver for me in this decision is that the results we receive from Pap testing often show abnormalities that are not reflective of recurrence or de...
In patients on long-term proton pump inhibitors for GERD with stable symptoms, do you routinely attempt discontinuation or continue indefinitely given relapse risk?
This is a good question, as we see many patients who were placed on PPIs and continued indefinitely for GERD. As this question implies, this may not be necessary, and long-term PPI use comes with risks that include C. diff. There are additional studies that suggest fractures, CKD, and nutrient defic...
When considering deprescribing antihypertensives in older patients, how do you approach prioritization of which antihypertensives to target first?
When deprescribing antihypertensives in older adults, my approach is individualized, goal-concordant, and iterative with close monitoring after each step. Every patient is a little different, so there isn't one class of antihypertensives I always deprescribe first. My general rule of thumb is that w...
What resources do you find helpful for patients with MSK concerns who may not have access to physical therapy or who cannot afford it?
I would recommend that all primary care providers purchase a copy of “The Sports Medicine Patient Advisor” by Pierre Rozier (now 3rd edition). It is entirely comprised of handouts with permission to copy for patients. That is my go-to resource for patients. I’ve used a version of it since my fellows...
What resources do you find helpful for patients with MSK concerns who may not have access to physical therapy or who cannot afford it?
I would recommend that all primary care providers purchase a copy of “The Sports Medicine Patient Advisor” by Pierre Rozier (now 3rd edition). It is entirely comprised of handouts with permission to copy for patients. That is my go-to resource for patients. I’ve used a version of it since my fellows...
Is it a good practice to prescribe clonidine to take as needed for occasional severe blood pressure elevations?
Prescribing as needed clonidine is not part of my routine BP management. If the BP is uncontrolled consistently then long-acting medications can be uptitrated or dose adjusted. As needed clonidine may be helpful in the initial evaluation period or when making medications changes. It is important for...
Do you counsel patients to take antihypertensives at specific times of day to maximize efficacy or minimize side effects?
I counsel my patients to take antihypertensives in the morning. The only exception is the alpha-1 antihypertensives. I use them only as an add-on, to be taken at bedtime for two reasons: one is to avoid the blood pressure surge in the early morning hours, and two is to minimize orthostatic blood pre...