Preface

Current Practice Guidelines in Primary Care 2023 is intended for all clinicians interested in updated evidence-based guidelines for primary care topics in ambulatory and hospital settings. This handy reference consolidates information from national medical associations and government agencies into concise recommendations and guidelines covering virtually all primary care topics. This book is organized into topics related to disease screening and prevention for the general population, for specific population groups, and disease management, and further subdivided into organ systems for quick reference to the evaluation and treatment of the most common primary care disorders.

The 2023 edition of Current Practice Guidelines in Primary Care contains updates reflecting more than 140 new guidelines. There are significant updates to several guidelines including cervical cancer screening, colorectal cancer screening, management of sexually transmitted infections, HIV prevention, headache, chronic pain, and gout. This edition also includes several new topics including coronavirus disease, trauma-informed care, vaginitis, vulvar diseases, pyelonephritis, abnormal uterine bleeding, and acne. Residents, medical students, midlevel providers, and practicing physicians in family medicine, internal medicine, pediatrics, and obstetrics and gynecology alike will find it a great resource.

Several guidelines include race as a consideration in their approaches to care. As race is a primarily social construct and purportedly scientific mechanisms to explain racial differences in outcomes are rooted in biased data, guidelines that suggest differentiating care by race should be considered with caution. Drs. Vyas, Einstein, and Jones offer a thoughtful assessment at NEJM 2020;383:847-882 (https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMms2004740).

Although painstaking efforts have been made to find all errors and omissions, some may remain. If you find an error or wish to suggest a change, please e-mail at EditorialServices@mheducation.com.

Evidence-based guidelines such as those reviewed in this book are wonderful tools. They enable management strategies to be standardized and disseminated to a broad swath of the medical profession. At their best, they offer immediate access to the wisdom and analytical approach to data-driven medical care employed by the experts, elevating the quality of our care. But, as with any human endeavor, they are susceptible to bias and misunderstanding. While evidence-based guidelines increasingly dictate the standards for our clinical practice, the highest quality medical care will always derive from a clinician’s experience, curiosity, critical thinking, compassion, and personal relationship with a patient. In that spirit, please use the tools in this book to further hone your craft.