In the Clinic is a monthly feature in Annals of Internal Medicine introduced in January 2007 that focuses on practical management of patients with common clinical conditions. It offers evidence-based answers to frequently asked questions about screening, prevention, diagnosis, therapy, and patient education and provides physicians with tools to improve the quality of care. All ACP members and Annals subscribers have full access to this content.
Preoperative Evaluation for Noncardiac Surgery
The previous In the Clinic that addressed preoperative evaluation for noncardiac surgery was published in December 2016. This update reaffirms much of the information in the previous version and provides new information that has accumulated since then. The goal of preoperative assessment is to identify the risk for postoperative complications so health care teams can more fully understand how to implement strategies to mitigate risks before and after the operation.
Read this issue of In the Clinic.
Alcohol Use
Unhealthy alcohol use—the consumption of alcohol at a level that has caused or has the potential to cause adverse physical, psychological, or social consequences—is common, underrecognized, and undertreated. For example, data from the 2020 National Survey on Drug Use and Health indicate that 7.0% of adults reported heavy alcohol use in the previous month, and only 4.2% of adults with alcohol use disorder received treatment. Primary care is an important setting for optimizing screening and treatment of unhealthy alcohol use to promote individual and public health.