PubMed · 9854448
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C Lewis. Sizing up surgery.. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/9854448/
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This audit of 408 synovial fluid samples, analysed for cell counts and crystals, revealed that crystals were present in only 25 samples (6.1%). Of these, in only three patients was the diagnosis uncertain and therefore the analysis helpful. Cell counts and types generally reflected known underlying diagnoses of inflammatory arthritis or osteoarthritis. Routine synovial fluid analysis does not contribute to diagnosis or management in established rheumatic disorders and should be performed only when the underlying cause is uncertain or in newly presenting patients. Major savings can be made by abandoning routine synovial fluid analysis.
OBJECTIVE: This study was undertaken to determine physician use of simple office-based tests in the evaluation of women with vulvovaginal symptoms. STUDY DESIGN: A medical record review of 52 women seeking care at a referral-based vaginitis clinic was performed. The evaluation performed and the care management were recorded for 150 previous physician-provided office visits. RESULTS: A microscopic assessment of vaginal fluid was not performed in 37% of office visits, and 42% of physicians did not perform microscopy as part of any evaluation of vaginitis. Whiff amine tests and measurement of vaginal pH were rarely performed (3% of office visits). Treatment without adequate evaluation of the etiology of the symptoms occurred in 54% of visits in which medication was prescribed. CONCLUSIONS: In our study population the evaluation and care provided to women presenting for evaluation of vulvovaginal symptoms were suboptimal. The use of simple inexpensive office-based tests can optimize the assessment of vaginal infections and should be encouraged.
Prenatal human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) testing and treatment instituted in the 1990s is responsible for a substantial reduction in the number of children diagnosed with AIDS, yet the number of children born with HIV infection remains unacceptably high. To prevent perinatal transmission of HIV, the United States must adopt a goal to test all pregnant women for HIV and to provide optimal treatment for women who test positive and their children. To meet this goal, the United States should adopt a national policy of universal HIV testing with patient notification as a routine component of prenatal care. Adopting this policy will require the establishment of, and resources for, a comprehensive infrastructure. This infrastructure must include education of prenatal care providers, the development and implementation of practice guidelines and the implementation of clinical policies, the development and adoption of performance measures and Medicaid managed care contract language for prenatal HIV testing, efforts to improve coordination of care and access to high-quality HIV treatment, interventions to overcome pregnant women's concerns about HIV testing and treatment, and efforts to increase use of prenatal care, as described above.