Principles of Orthopedic Practice for Primary Care Providers

Primary care providers (physicians, nurse practitioners, physician assistants) make decisions on a daily basis regarding treatments for musculoskeletal problems, including referrals to physical therapists, orthopedic surgeons and other specialists. Despite the large number of patients presenting with musculoskeletal complaints, primary care providers often feel poorly educated about how to assess and manage these patients This book provides a high yield and succinct resource on the assessment and management of these conditions. Written by expert orthopedic specialists at a major Harvard teaching hospital, this book fills that educational gap. Chapters overview specific body parts, typical presentations of disease, options for diagnostic testing, treatment paradigms, and anticipated outcomes of management both in the primary care setting and with a specialist. The text offers suggested pathways for working up and treating these problems with an emphasis on when referral to a specialist, or surgical intervention, is needed and when it is not. This is an ideal resource to educate primary care providers and empower them to engage in informed discussions with patients helping patients to arrive at treatment choices consonant with their preferences.

Jeffrey N. Katz, MD, MSc, Cheri Blauwet, MD, and Andrew Schoenfeld, MD, MSc are all part of the Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School. Chapters will be written by members of their department. 

Dr. Katz is a Professor of Medicine, Orthopedic Surgery, Epidemiology, and Environmental Health at Harvard and holds a number of leadership positions, including Director, Orthopaedic and Arthritis Center for Outcomes Research at Brigham and Women’s Hospital.

Dr. Blauwet is an Instructor of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at Harvard.

Dr. Schoenfeld is an Assistant Professor of Orthopedic Surgery at Harvard.