Much is new in Family Medicine since the last edition of our textbook. For example, not only is the therapy of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) disease and the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) much different than a few years ago; the epidemiol ogy of the disease has also changed and more than half of the family physicians in a rural state such as Oregon have already managed patients with HIV disease or AIDS. 1 There are new immunization recommendations for children and new antibiotics for the treatment of bacterial infections. Computers are bringing medical informatics and on-line consultation into office practice. Medicare physician payment reform is underway and the reality of rationing medical care has been recognized. There has been a recent increase in student interest in a family practice career,2 coincidental with a Council on Graduate Medical Education (COGME) recommendation that at least 50 percent of all residency graduates 3 should enter practice as generalists. Also there is increasing awareness of the need for a 4 Center for Family Practice and Primary Care at the National Institutes of Health. This all-new fourth edition is intended to present the scientific and practical basis of family medicine with special attention to what's new in family medicine. The emphasis is on how the physician provides continuing and comprehensive care for persons of all ages, with clinical content selected from the perspective offamily physicians. The format ofthe book, like the practice of family medicine, continues to change.

Preceded by Textbook of family medicine / Ian R. McWhinney, Thomas Freeman. 3rd edition. 2009.

This Second Edition of Family Medicine: Principles and Practice presents a scien tific approach to health and illness in the context of mankind's most enduring societal unit-the family. This is a new book, building on the strengths of the First Edition. The emphasis of this book, like that of the specialty itself, is on the clinical delivery of health care; that is, how the practitioner manages common problems and recognizes uncommon entities encountered in office, hospital, home, and nursing home. In the First Edition, we were faced with the problem of how to organize a family medicine textbook that dealt with clinical topics yet represented more than a series of essays on the specialties for the generalist reader. We began by identifying specific objectives, outlined in the preface to the First Edition. From this evolved an approach which has been called the biopsycho social perspective-inclusion of behavioral, family, social, and cultural aspects of health care integrated with the traditional "manifestations-and-manage ment" textbook model. The First Edition also introduced a comprehensive classification of clinical problems in family medicine now used in curriculum planning in many family practice residency programs.

Family Medicine: Principles and Practice is a comprehensive reference text providing clear guidelines for diagnosing and managing acute and chronic illnesses regularly seen in family practice. The sixth edition will follow the format successfully established with the fourth edition. In addition, it will include new chapters on: Herbal Medicine, Hospitalist Medicine, Telemedicine, Evidence-Based Medicine, Osteopathic Medicine, Effective Office Management. Also, a whole new section on The Future of Family Medicine will be added. All chapters will be completely updated and with new clinical guidelines and references. Websites will be included in the references as well.

Offers guidance on the principles of family medicine, primary care in the community, and various aspects of clinical practice. Suitable for both residents and practicing physicians, this title includes evidence-based, practical information to optimize your patient care and prepare you for the ABFM exam.

This book is intended as an introduction to family medicine and to the behaviors, concepts, and skills upon which the clinical practice of the discipline is based. The chapters that follow will provide a foundation for the student during the pre-doctoral years, a base upon which he or she can build during residency training and practice. Fundamentals of Family Medicine presents Part I (the first 36 chapters) of Family Medicine: Principles and Practice. Because it is intended that the student will eventually move from use of this extracted material to the full textbook, the preface to the comprehensive edition has been included and cross-references to later chapters have been retained. Why publish a student edition? Medical students in various schools partici pate in courses covering a wide range of topics including communication skills, family dynamics, medical ethics, human sexuality, disease prevention, aging and death. Departments of family medicine generally assume a leadership role in presentation of such courses, and this book is intended to integrate these eclectic topics into a single textbook.