Wolters Kluwer Health's new edition addresses full spectrum of modern primary care

Wolters Kluwer Health, a leading global provider of information and point-of-care solutions for the healthcare industry and students of medicine, today introduced the seventh edition of Primary Care Medicine: Office Evaluation and Management of the Adult Patient, the seminal information resource for office-based adult patient care. This new print and eBook-bundle offers possibly the most significant update since the first edition published more than three decades ago. All 239 chapters have been enhanced and in many instances were rewritten to address the healthcare-delivery reforms specified in the Affordable Care Act (ACA).

The pioneers of the primary care medicine field, Allan H. Goroll, MD, and Albert G. Mulley, Jr., MD, first published Primary Care Medicine in 1981. The first textbook devoted exclusively to management of the adult primary care patient, Primary Care Medicine has helped define primary care medicine for a generation of clinicians. Widely recognized as the most comprehensive resource in the field, Primary Care Medicine is among the most concisely written texts with practical, actionable recommendations and quarterly updates that incorporate best new evidence.

"The publication of this new edition is important as it comes at a time of widespread recognition that high-performance primary care is essential to the survival of healthcare systems," said Dr. Goroll, Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School and Massachusetts General Hospital, and lead editor of Primary Care Medicine. "Core clinical content from previous editions is maintained but meticulously updated and expanded to help today's primary care practitioners and students address the increasing demand for high-value first-contact care as well as chronic illness management, which is becoming a major challenge as the population ages."

This new edition emphasizes many of the principle tenets of the ACA, including patient engagement and personalization. Co-editor Dr. Mulley, Professor of Medicine, Director of the Dartmouth Center for Health Care Delivery Science at Dartmouth's Geisel School of Medicine, and a leading expert in shared decision-making, also led the effort to incorporate shared-decision-making resources into this edition.

Millions of newly insured under ACA and a rising aging population is expected to create a critical shortage of primary care physicians. According to a white paper from the American Association of Medical Colleges (AAMC), "the United States cannot afford to wait until the physician shortage takes full effect."

"In this new healthcare climate, we need mid-level nurse practitioners and physician assistants serving as key members of the primary care team to supplement physician care," continued Dr. Goroll. "They are going to need enhanced training and strong point-of-care decision support if they are to operate with maximum cost-effectiveness and safety."

To facilitate this training, a companion website to the 7^th Edition was developed with the help of Nancy Rittenauer, Dean of the University of New Mexico School of Nursing. This online learning tool features a shared inter-professional curriculum for the primary care team, specifying a core knowledge base and exercises that facilitate learning 'what to do' and 'why.'

The 7^th Edition addresses the full spectrum of modern primary care, ranging from screening, prevention and early diagnosis and treatment to chronic disease management and population health, incorporating nearly 3,000 of the best new references, major new guidelines and diagnostic criteria. The evidence-based content also features many new complementary assets including charts, graphs, tables and color photographs.