Since we first introduced AFP By Topic in June 2010, this online and mobile-friendly collection of the journal's best current content selected by AFP's medical editors has grown to include 52 topics that family physicians and other primary care clinicians commonly diagnose and treat in their patients. Recently, we compared the list of AFP By Topic collections to the most popular sessions at the 2011 American Academy of Family Physicians' Scientific Assembly in Orlando, Fla. Of the clinical subjects of 13 non-plenary sessions with an attendance of at least 500 physicians, 10 regularly rank among our most widely viewed topic collections, encompassing a diverse spectrum of acute (e.g., abdominal pain, pulmonary embolism) and chronic (e.g., diabetes, kidney disease, hyperlipidemia) health conditions.
Also at the Scientific Assembly, David T. Walsworth, MD, gave a presentation titled “Medical Applications: Finding the Right App for That." In his presentation, Dr. Walsworth discussed the utility of mobile devices and tablets, including the many uses for related apps in a family physician’s day-to-day practice. Some of the criteria he uses in appraising a medical app include asking the following questions: Does the app do something that I will use frequently? Do I trust the source? and Does the value justify the cost? Ranking highly on all of these criteria, the free AFP By Topic Mobile App not only made his personal Top Ten list, but came in at number 2!
Whether you access AFP By Topic collections on the Web or your mobile device, content links are updated continually to ensure that they remain as current and as useful as possible. The collections include pertinent AFP articles and departments, summaries of practice guidelines from major medical organizations, articles from Family Practice Management, and the AAFP's METRIC practice improvement modules. In short, we aim for AFP By Topic to be your 24-7 virtual Scientific Assembly. Please let us know how we're doing.
