Real-Life Observational Studies Provide Actionable Data for Family Medicine

This issue includes several excellent observational studies prompted by physicians' clinical questions. Many people use lots of menthol cough drops-does the menthol overall lengthen the cough duration? When should we intensify treatment of older individuals with diabetes? Do occipital nerve blocks work for acute migraine headaches? Did you know that the plantar fascia can rupture? What happens to those patients with chest pain but low pretest probability for serious cardiac disease who are admitted to the hospital? Acupuncture can work well-for the patients-but how can we incorporate it into the usual pace of the family medicine office? Is it a win-lose situation when medical assistant roles are expanded? How many practice sites do physicians have and does that make a difference in the number or type of health personnel shortage areas? What would you guess on the presence of humor in the medical office-more or less than half of the visits; introduced by doctors or patients; primary care or specialty doctors?