Clinical Inquiries
Clinical Inquiries
Which interventions can increase breastfeeding duration?
EVIDENCE-BASED ANSWER: Breastfeeding support, beyond standard care, from lay people or professionals increases both short- and long-term...
Clinical Inquiries
How effective are opioids for chronic low back pain?
EVIDENCE-BASED ANSWER: Short-term (<4 months) treatment with opioids provides modest relief of chronic low back pain, but only minimal...
Clinical Inquiries
Does qHPV vaccine prevent anal intraepithelial neoplasia and condylomata in men?
EVIDENCE-BASED ANSWER: Yes. Quadrivalent human papillomavirus (qHPV) vaccine reduces rates of anal intraepithelial neoplasia (AIN) by 50% to 54%,...
Clinical Inquiries
What’s the best test for underlying osteomyelitis in patients with diabetic foot ulcers?
EVIDENCE-BASED ANSWER: Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has a higher sensitivity and specificity (90% and 79%) than plain radiography (54% and 68...
Clinical Inquiries
Do statins increase the risk of developing diabetes?
EVIDENCE-BASED ANSWER: Yes. Statin therapy produces a small increase in the incidence of diabetes: one additional case per 255 patients taking...
Clinical Inquiries
What therapies alleviate symptoms of polycystic ovary syndrome?
EVIDENCE-BASED ANSWER: Treatment of polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) in women not actively seeking to become pregnant is symptom-specific....
Clinical Inquiries
Does primary nocturnal enuresis affect childrens’ self-esteem?
EVIDENCE-BASED ANSWER: Yes. Children with primary nocturnal enuresis often, but not always, score about 10% lower on standardized rating scales...
Clinical Inquiries
Are inhaled steroids effective for a postviral cough?
EVIDENCE-BASED ANSWER: No. Inhaled corticosteroids (ICS) don’t improve postviral cough in adults with subacute (3-8 weeks) or chronic (>8 weeks...
Clinical Inquiries
How well do antivirals shorten genital herpes pain duration?
EVIDENCE-BASED ANSWER: Oral and intravenous (IV) acyclovir each shorten the duration of pain for a first primary outbreak of herpes by about 50%;...
Clinical Inquiries
Does the presence of a trained support person during labor decrease C-section rates?
EVIDENCE-BASED ANSWER: Sometimes. The continuous presence of a support person during labor slightly decreases (by about 2%) the likelihood of a...
Clinical Inquiries
Is red-yeast rice a safe and effective alternative to statins?
EVIDENCE-BASED ANSWER: Yes, but perhaps not the red-yeast rice extracts available in the United States. In patients with known coronary artery...