Donna Flake, MSLS, MSAS

Article

Do antibiotics shorten symptoms in patients with purulent nasal discharge?

Author:: Donna Flake, MSLS, MSAS

Publish date: April 1, 2012

EVIDENCE-BASED ANSWER: NO. For most patients with purulent nasal discharge, antibiotics don’t decrease symptom duration; they do increase adv...

Article

Is it safe to vaccinate children against varicella while they’re in close contact with a pregnant woman?

Author:: Donna Flake, MSLS, MSAS

Publish date: July 1, 2011

EVIDENCE-BASED ANSWER: YES. All healthy children without evidence of immunity to varicella who are living in a household with a susceptible pregnan...

Article

Do nonmedicated topicals relieve childhood eczema?

Author:: Donna Flake, MSLS, MSAS

Publish date: May 1, 2009

EVIDENCE-BASED ANSWER: Yes. Emollients are effective first-line treatment to decrease symptoms of eczema and reduce the need to use steroids in chi...

Article

Prophylactic oxytocin: Before or after placental delivery?

Author:: Donna Flake, MSLS, MSAS

Publish date: December 1, 2008

EVIDENCE-BASED ANSWER: Either is fine.

Article

How useful are autoantibodies in diagnosing thyroid disorders?

Author:: Donna Flake, MSLS, MSAS

Publish date: September 1, 2008

EVIDENCE-BASED ANSWER: They’re useful in diagnosing Graves’ disease and, to a lesser extent, autoimmune thyroid disease; they can also ...

Article

Is there much risk in using fluoroquinolones in children?

Author:: Donna Flake, MSLS, MSAS

Publish date: August 1, 2008

EVIDENCE-BASED ANSWER: No, the risks seem to be minimal. Arthralgias and myalgias have been observed clinically in children and adolescents exposed...

Article

Alcoholic liver disease: Is acetaminophen safe?

Author:: Donna Flake, MSLS, MSAS

Publish date: August 1, 2007

EVIDENCE-BASED ANSWER: Yes—acetaminophen is a safe and effective analgesic that can be appropriately used for adult patients with stable chronic al...

Article

What are the indications for meningococcal vaccination?

Author:: Donna Flake, MSLS, MSAS

Publish date: May 1, 2007

EVIDENCE-BASED ANSWER: Routine vaccination with the meningococcal conjugate vaccine MCV4 (Menactra) is indicated for all US adolescents entering hi...

Article

What are the risks and benefits of elective induction for uncomplicated term pregnancies?

Author:: Donna Flake, MSLS, MSAS

Publish date: November 1, 2006

EVIDENCE-BASED ANSWER: Elective induction of labor for term, singleton, uncomplicated pregnancies appears safe for both the mother and infant (stre...

Article

What precautions should we use with statins for women of childbearing age?

Author:: Donna Flake, MSLS, MSAS

Publish date: January 1, 2006

EVIDENCE-BASED ANSWER: Statins are contraindicated for women who are pregnant or breastfeeding. Data evaluating statin use for women of childbearin...

Article

What is angular cheilitis and how is it treated?

Author:: Donna Flake, MSLS, MSAS

Publish date: May 1, 2005

EVIDENCE-BASED ANSWER: Cheilitis is a broad term that describes inflammation of the lip surface characterized by dry scaling and fissuring. Specifi...

Article

Do insulin-sensitizing drugs increase ovulation rates for women with PCOS?

Author:: Donna Flake, MSLS, MSAS

Publish date: February 1, 2005

EVIDENCE-BASED ANSWER: Short-term use of metformin (Glucophage) improves ovulation rates for women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) (strength ...

Article

How should we treat chronic daily headache when conservative measures fail?

Author:: Donna Flake, MSLS, MSAS

Publish date: October 1, 2004

EVIDENCE-BASED ANSWER: For the purposes of this review, we considered conservative measures to include such therapies as nonsteroidal anti-inflamma...

Article

Is exercise treadmill testing useful for detecting heart disease in women?

Author:: Donna Flake, MSLS, MSAS

Publish date: April 1, 2004

EVIDENCE-BASED ANSWER: Exercise treadmill testing has a sensitivity of 70% and specificity of 61% for the detection of coronary artery disease (CAD...

Article

Is neurosurgery referral warranted for small brain aneurysms?

Author:: Donna Flake, MSLS, MSAS

Publish date: July 1, 2003

EVIDENCE-BASED ANSWER: The risk of rupture of a small cerebral aneurysm (<10 mm) is very low in asymptomatic patients who have never had a subar...