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Approach to Treating Constipation

Teaser: 

Dr. Marina Abdel Malak, MD, CCFP,

is a Family Physician in Mississauga, Ontario. She has served on several committees and groups, including The Primary Care Network and Collaborative Mental Health Network. She has a passion for medical education, patient empowerment, and increasing awareness about the relationship between mental, emotional, and physical health. Dr. Abdel Malak is highly involved in quality improvement initiatives, and her research interests include strategies to support physician wellness, patient self-management, and optimizing physician education.

CLINICAL TOOLS

Abstract: Chronic constipation is a common condition seen by primary care physicians. In order to create an effective treatment plan, physicians must obtain a thorough history about the patient's current bowel patterns, interventions that they have tried on their own, and how effective these have been. Afterwards, physicians should utilize an organized approach to treat the constipation using pharmacological and non-pharmacological treatments. Educating the patient and following up to reassess and adjust the treatment plan ensures that the constipation is adequately addressed.
Key Words: constipation; digestion; patient education.

Members of the College of Family Physicians of Canada may claim MAINPRO-M2 Credits for this unaccredited educational program.

www.cfpc.ca/Mainpro_M2

You can take quizzes without subscribing; however, your results will not be stored. Subscribers will have access to their quiz results for future reference.

Pre-test CME Quiz Post-test CME Quiz
1. Constipation is a commonly seen condition in primary care
2. Obtaining a thorough patient history is essential to creating a successful treatment plan
3. Pharmacological options for constipation include osmotic laxatives, stimulant laxatives, and enemas or suppositories
4. Non pharmacological interventions include lifestyle adjustments such as exercise, hydration, fibre intake, and maintaining a healthy bowel routine
Physicians must obtain a thorough history about their patient's current bowel patterns, interventions that they have tried on their own, and how effective these have been, in order to create an effective treatment plan.
To have access to full article that these tools were developed for, please subscribe. The cost to subscribe is $80 USD per year and you will gain full access to all the premium content on www.healthplexus.net, an educational portal, that hosts 1000s of clinical reviews, case studies, educational visual aids and more as well as within the mobile app.
Related Terms: Gastrointestinal Diseases, Urogenital Disorders, constipation, digestion, patient education
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GLA:D® Back

Teaser: 

Brandyn Powelske, PhD Candidate, 1 Greg Kawchuk, 2 Ted Findlay,3

1 Faculty of Rehabilitation Medicine, Department of Physical Therapy, University of Alberta.
2 Professor, Faculty of Rehabilitation Medicine, Department of Physical Therapy, University of Alberta.
3Medical Staff, Calgary Chronic Pain Centre at Alberta Health Services, Calgary. Alberta.

CLINICAL TOOLS

Abstract: While low back pain is one of the most common clinical conditions seen in a family physician's office, there remains a lack of low or no cost initial treatment options that are concordant with recognized best practice guidelines. As a result, many patients are offered investigations and treatments that have limited value and/or significant risks but are readily available through publicly funded provincial health care systems. GLA:D® Back builds upon the successful GLA:D model (initially developed for hip and knee osteoarthritis patients) by using the same established methodology to deliver a patient education and targeted rehabilitation program for low back pain.
Key Words: low back pain; best practice; guidelines; education; rehabilitation.

Members of the College of Family Physicians of Canada may claim MAINPRO-M2 Credits for this unaccredited educational program.

www.cfpc.ca/Mainpro_M2

You can take quizzes without subscribing; however, your results will not be stored. Subscribers will have access to their quiz results for future reference.

Pre-test CME Quiz Post-test CME Quiz
1. Low Back Pain remains one of the most seen conditions in a family medical practice, and chronic low back pain the leading cause of ongoing disability
2. There are significant patient financial and access barriers to treatment modalities most consistently recommended in practice guidelines: education and activity/rehabilitation-based therapies.
3. GLA:D Back presents a validated option that can help close the gap between recommended treatments for low back pain and access through a primary care practice.
4. GLA:D Back is an extension of the well-recognized and widely used GLA:D program for hip and knee osteoarthritis.
In the absence of clinical "Red Flags", avoid ordering unnecessary imaging when the results are not needed for investigating an established clinical diagnosis or to initiate a therapeutic procedure.
When considering pharmacotherapeutic options, remember that the Institute for Safe Medical Practices (Canada Institute for Safe Medication Practices Canada notes that opioids should generally be avoided in the treatment of low back pain, headache and fibromyalgia.
The Covid-19 Pandemic has taught us that many group based education and rehabilitation-based programs can be effectively delivered in a virtual format.
To have access to full article that these tools were developed for, please subscribe. The cost to subscribe is $80 USD per year and you will gain full access to all the premium content on www.healthplexus.net, an educational portal, that hosts 1000s of clinical reviews, case studies, educational visual aids and more as well as within the mobile app.
Related Terms: Back Health, low back pain, best practice guidelines, education, rehabilitation

Nothing New in the Sky

Teaser: 

One of the advantages of aging, is having a time-line perspective that often scans decades and various upheavals or dramatic changes in human history.

Related Terms: Medical Narratives
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