Clinicians are in constant need of information. It is estimated that
providers need answers to two questions for every three patients seen.
Unfortunately, many decisions appear to be opinion based, highly variable,
and without clear justification. The difference between an outstanding
clinician and an average one is the ability to quickly find high-quality
evidence generalizable to their patients.
The
authors of
Pharmacotherapy in Primary Care have been carefully chosen
and their clinical experience represents tens of thousands of patient
visits. Their authoritative recommendations provide evidence-based
information that is essential to accurate clinical decision making. This
text will be a valuable resource for primary care providers of all
disciplines.
Pharmacotherapy in Primary Care is not intended to be an
encyclopedic textbook. For in-depth reviews, readers should refer to texts
such as
Pharmacotherapy: A Pathophysiologic Approach,Harrison's
Principles of Internal Medicine, or
The Heart.Pharmacotherapy in Primary Care includes the search
strategy used by the authors, to allow the reader to know when the
information was assessed, and to feel confident that the most relevant
material is included. There are numerous tables, algorithms, and flow
diagrams to facilitate finding key information. The authors include insights
regarding the need for subspecialty referral or hospitalization, and each
chapter closes with an evidence-based summary.
Pharmacotherapy in Primary
Care is structured so that clinicians can quickly find answers to
specific questions. Readers will feel that they have consulted with a
specialist after reading a chapter.
In closing,
we would like to thank Karen Davis and her colleagues at McGraw-Hill for
their support to
Pharmacotherapy in Primary Care. Without their
resources, dedication, and faith in us, this first edition would not have
been possible.
The Editors
July 2008