Case Studies from Primary Health Care Settings

This text is organized using a lifespan approach in dealing with health promotion, disease prevention, and common primary care illnesses management, all of which are integral parts of the patient care given by nurse practitioners and physician assistants. Illustrations, line drawings, and halftones illustrate pathologies or normal physical variations that cannot be explicated with the text. Selection of the case studies includes the 20 most common diagnoses seen in primary care settings as cited in the most recent National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey, as well as other common problems that primary care providers manage. The case studies also represent a cross cultural array of patients in a wide variety of settings, including private practices, government clinics. HMOs, not-for-profit clinics, and other ambulatory care sites, all of which may exist in urban, suburban, or rural areas.