Monday, August 19, 2013

The most popular posts of January - July 2013

- Kenny Lin, MD, MPH

Following up on our successful previous collection of the most popular posts of 2012 (which has been viewed more than 1300 times), here are the AFP Community Blog's top 5 most viewed posts from the first seven months of 2013.

1. Are IUDs a reasonable option for birth control in adolescents? (May 21)

What are your thoughts about the intrauterine device for teens? If you are recommending it, what spurred you to do so? If not, what is making you hesitate?

2. Pros and cons of vitamin D screening (April 29)

No study has demonstrated that measurement of serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels offers outcome benefits over clinical assessment alone.


The increasing diversity of the U.S. population has made it more likely that family physicians will care for many patients with cultural backgrounds, beliefs, and practices that are dissimilar to their own.


Given how important many medical professionals feel diet and exercise is to good health, why is our counseling so ineffective? Is something more than just counseling necessary to effect behavior change?

5. Is routine stress testing necessary for resolved chest pain? (May 29)

Are the benefits of routine pre-discharge stress testing in patients with resolved chest pain worth the harms? If not, is reducing medical liability risk enough reason to continue a low-value practice?