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How does gender-affirming hormone therapy affect QOL in transgender patients?
EVIDENCE-BASED ANSWER: There are modest effects on depression but not anxiety. Gender-affirming hormone therapy (GAHT) is associated with modest...
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How accurate is transcutaneous bilirubin testing in newborns with darker skin tones?
EVIDENCE-BASED ANSWER: Fairly accurate. Photometric transcutaneous bilirubin (TcB) testing may overestimate total serum bilirubin (TSB) in...
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Does an early COPD diagnosis improve long-term outcomes?
EVIDENCE-BASED ANSWER: It depends. A diagnosis of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) made using screening spirometry in patients without...
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Does adjunctive oxytocin infusion during balloon cervical ripening improve labor induction?
EVIDENCE-BASED ANSWER: YES. Compared to the use of a transcervical balloon alone, combined cervical ripening with a balloon catheter and oxytocin...
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Can family physicians accurately screen for AAA with point-of-care ultrasound?
EVIDENCE-BASED ANSWER: Likely yes. Point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) screening for abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) by nonradiologist physicians is...
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Is event-driven PrEP dosing for HIV as effective as daily dosing?
Probably, although there are no head-to-head trials comparing the 2 dosing regimens. Event-driven pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) dosing...
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Is ketamine effective and safe for treatment-resistant depression?
EVIDENCE-BASED ANSWER: MAYBE, but it’s too soon to tell. There is limited evidence that ketamine by itself is effective in the very short term....
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Is metformin effective for reducing weight in obese or overweight adolescents?
EVIDENCE-BASED ANSWER: Yes, to some degree—but it is of uncertain clinical significance. Over a period of 6 months, metformin modestly reduced...
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Do electronic reminder systems help patients with T2DM to lose weight?
EVIDENCE-BASED ANSWER: PROBABLY NOT—but they may augment self-management. Four-component telehealth systems—including electronic reminders,...
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Does early introduction of peanuts to an infant’s diet reduce the risk for peanut allergy?
EVIDENCE-BASED ANSWER: Probably not, unless the child has severe eczema or egg allergy. In a general pediatric population, introducing peanuts...
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Does concurrent use of clopidogrel and PPIs increase CV risk in patients with ACS?
EVIDENCE-BASED ANSWER: No. Adding a proton pump inhibitor (PPI) in patients taking antiplatelet medications such as clopidogrel for acute coronary...
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Does vitamin D supplementation reduce asthma exacerbations?
EVIDENCE-BASED ANSWER: Yes, to some extent it does, and primarily in patients with low vitamin D levels. Supplementation reduces asthma...
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Do prophylactic antipyretics reduce vaccination-associated symptoms in children?
EVIDENCE-BASED ANSWER: Yes for acetaminophen, not so much for ibuprofen. Prophylactic acetaminophen reduces the odds of febrile reactions in the...
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Does screening by primary care providers effectively detect melanoma and other skin cancers?
EVIDENCE-BASED ANSWER: Possibly. No trials have directly assessed detection of melanoma and other skin cancers by primary care providers.
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Do group visits improve HbA1c more than individual visits in patients with T2DM?
EVIDENCE-BASED ANSWER: Yes. In patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), group visits led by health professionals or teams improved...