Current texts in rheumatology are very detailed and designed specifically for rheumatologists. This clear and concise guide is targeted at the busy clinician who comes into contact with both common and uncommon rheumatologic disorders. Many chapters presents a common clinical scenario and include a definition of the disease while outlining incidence and prevalence, common manifestations, treatment and pitfalls. A range of topics are included in the fifteen chapters including osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, fibromyalgia, metabolic bone disease, gout and scleroderma, among others. Written by experts in the field, Rheumatology for Primary Care Providers is a definitive guide to rheumatology for the primary care physician and non-specialist.

This practical, clinical reference covers the evaluation of patients with musculoskeletal and rheumatic disease. Emphasizes history-taking, physical examination, and pattern recognition. Laboratory investigations and imaging procedures are reviewed, with a focus toward relevance and cost. Includes excellent illustrations, easy-to-read tables, and decision trees where applicable.

Rheumatic diseases are among the most frequently encountered problems in primary care practice. The aim of this issue is to provide primary care clinicians with the tools they need for treating these disorders in every day practice. The issue focuses on the diagnosis and treatment of common rheumatic ailments such as osteoarthritis, fibromyalgia, rheumatoid arthritis, and systemic lupus erythematosis, emphasizing the practical, hands-on approach that primary care doctors find most useful.

This is a practical resource on the management of rheumatologic disorders. It offers details of symptoms, physical examinations, imaging studies, tests, diagnosis, differential diagnosis, and therapy related to rheumatology. A team of authorities offer a multidisciplinary approach to the field. Examines the systematic diagnosis and differential diagnosis of chronic and acute disorders, as well as inflammatory and degenerative conditions and trauma. Presents essential clinical guidance on a full range of disease entitiesincluding SLE, vasculitis, and myopathies. Makes reference easy with a logical, well organized approach to patient care. Clarifies clinical decision-making with algorithms and figures. Offers specific guidance on when to refer patients to a specialist. Integrates the knowledge and expertise of rheumatologists, orthopedic surgeons, hand and foot surgeons, psychiatrists, podiatrists, and general internists. Includes a comprehensive chapter on the diagnosis and treatment of pain in joints, muscles, and tendons as well as two chapters on foot pain, one by a foot surgeon and the other by a podiatrist.

This volume of Lippincott's Primary Care Series will help family practitioners, internists, nurse practitioners, and physician assistants understand, diagnose, and treat the most common rheumatologic problems seen in the primary care setting. Emphasis on day-to-day practical outpatient office practice distinguishes this from the many existing rheumatology textbooks and it contains numerous images to aid in diagnosis and treatment. Whenever possible, chapters follow a consistent format with headings of Clinical Presentation, Examination, Studies, Treatment, Clinical Course, and Conclusions and box elements such as Introductory Case, Clinical Points/Highlights, Patient Assessment, Not to Be Missed, and When to Refer. Key points are provided for those topics that don't fit this format.

Market forces are driving a radical restructuring of health care delivery in the United States. At the same time, more and more people are living comparatively long lives with a variety of severe chronic health conditions. Many such people are concerned about the trend toward the creation of managed care systems because their need for frequent, often complex, medical services conflicts with managed care's desires to contain costs. The fear is that people with serious chronic disorders will be excluded from or underserved by the integrated health care delivery networks now emerging. Responding to a request from the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases, this book reflects the results of a workshop that focused on the following questions: Does the model of managed care or an integrated delivery system influence the types of interventions provided to patients with chronic conditions and the clinical and health status outcomes resulting from those interventions? If so, are these effects quantitatively and clinically significant, as compared to the effects that other variables (e.g., income, education, ethnicity) have on patient outcomes? If the type of health care delivery system appears to be related to patient care and outcomes, can specific organizational, financial, or other variables be identified that account for the relationships? If not, what type of research should be pursued to provide the information needed about the relationship between types of health care systems and the processes and outcomes of care provided to people with serious chronic conditions?

This issue of Primary Care: Clinics in Office Practice, guest edited by Drs. Seetha Monrad and Daniel Battafarano, is devoted to Rheumatology. Articles in this issue include: Approach to the Patient with Suspected Rheumatic Disease; A Primer on Rheumatologic Labs; Practical Pearls About Current Rheumatic Medications; Diagnosis and Treatment of Gout and Pseudogout for Everyday Practice; Early Diagnosis and Treatment of Rheumatoid Arthritis; Systemic Lupus Erythematosus for Primary Care; Other Inflammatory Arthritides: Ankylosing Spondylitis, Reactive Arthritis, and Psoriatic Arthritis; Musculoskeletal Problems in Children; Soft Tissue Rheumatic Syndromes; Primary Care Vasculitis: Polymyalgia Rheumatica and Giant Cell Arteritis; Fibromyalgia; Recognizing Central Pain and Assorted Symptoms; Autoimmunity Mimics: Infection and Malignancy; and Management of Osteoarthritis.