Dear readers,
This issue of the Malaysian Family Physician is packed with otorhinolaryngology articles ranging from a clinical practice guideline for the management of rhinosinusitis in adults2 to multiple case reports that are of relevance to primary care.3-8 Patients with otorhinolaryngology problems make up to a quarter of the cases seen in primary care.1 It is therefore important for family physicians to have a good understanding of the assessment and management of these conditions.
However, the Malaysian Family Physician is sent a disproportionate number of articles on particular areas. The articles that are submitted do not represent the breadth of our discipline. In order for us to progress as a platform for research and experiences in Family Medicine, we would like to encourage articles in family medicine itself as well as from other relevant disciplines including ophthalmology, rehabilitation medicine, palliative medicine and so on. We would also encourage the submission of research original articles as these offer a higher level of evidence compared to case reports and test your knowledge articles.
We do have three research original articles in this issue that are particularly relevant to Family Medicine. One paper looks at the association of hypertension and anthropometric indices in university students.9 Another is a study on non-adherence to Papanicolaou smear screening.10 Lastly, we have a qualitative study that explored the views and experiences of primary care doctors in managing patients with low back pain.11
References
- 1.Griffiths E.. Incidence of ENT problems in general practice. J R Soc Med. 1979;72:740–742. doi: 10.1177/014107687907201008. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- 2.Husain S, Amilia HH, Rosli MN. et al. on behalf of Development Group Clinical Practice Guidelines Management of Rhinosinusitis in Adolescents & Adults, author. Management of rhinosinusitis in adults in primary care. Malays Fam Physician. 2018;13(1):28–33. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- 3.Vong KS, Mohamad I, Salim R. A food bolus obstructing the oesophagus in a patient with infantile cerebral palsy. Malays Fam Physician. 2018;13(1):34–36. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- 4.Vincent Ngu CY, Rohaizam J, Jong YH. Lemierre's syndrome: A persistent unusual neck pain and swelling. Malays Fam Physician. 2018;13(1):37–40. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- 5.Boon C, Wan Mohamad WE, Mohamad I. Bilateral peritonsillar abscess: A rare emergency. Malays Fam Physician. 2018;13(1):41–44. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- 6.Appannan VR, Md Daud MK. Glomus tympanicum. Malays Fam Physician. 2018;13(1):45–48. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- 7.Appannan VR, Mohamad I, Ramli RR. et al. A child with coated tonsils. Malays Fam Physician. 2018;13(1):55–56. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- 8.Mohamad I, Mohamad IS, Nik Hassan NFH. Single rare central lesion with triple common aerodigestive symptoms. Malays Fam Physician. 2018;13(1):57–58. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- 9.Cheah WL, Majorie Ensayan J, Helmy H. et al. Hypertension and its association with Anthropometric indices among students in a public university. Malays Fam Physician. 2018;13(1):2–9. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- 10.Yunus NA, Mohamed Yusoff H, Draman N. Non-Adherence to recommended Pap smear screening guidelines and its associated factors among women attending health clinic in Malaysia. Malays Fam Physician. 2018;13(1):10–17. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- 11.Hani SS, Liew SM. The views and experiences of Malaysian primary care doctors in managing patients with chronic low back pain: a qualitative study. Malays Fam Physician. 2018;13(1):18–24. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]