American Board of Family Medicine

American Board of Family Medicine Quality Health Care, Public Trust...Setting the Standards in Family Medicine.

A national cohort study examined how residency training influences whether family medicine graduates provide pregnancy c...
11/21/2025

A national cohort study examined how residency training influences whether family medicine graduates provide pregnancy care and perform deliveries in practice. Read the study now: https://bit.ly/49ygzNX

You diagnose polymyalgia rheumatica in a 63-year-old female and begin treatment with oral prednisone, 20 mg daily. You a...
11/18/2025

You diagnose polymyalgia rheumatica in a 63-year-old female and begin treatment with oral prednisone, 20 mg daily. You anticipate several months of treatment with prednisone and plan to taper the dose as tolerated but are concerned about her bone health.

Which one of the following would be most appropriate for addressing the risk of osteoporotic fractures in this patient?

A. DXA scan now
B. DXA scan in 6 months
C. A calcium intake of 1200 mg daily
D. Alendronate, 35 mg weekly

A 58-year-old athletic trainer presents with a 2-week history of low back pain. He has had some short flares of back pai...
11/11/2025

A 58-year-old athletic trainer presents with a 2-week history of low back pain. He has had some short flares of back pain in the past for a day or two, but then he improves. This time the pain has persisted. He cannot remember any specific event that precipitated the pain. The pain does not radiate, and prolonged standing exacerbates the pain. He does not have any bowel or bladder incontinence, fever, or saddle anesthesia. He asks which type of therapy is most likely to shorten the course of the pain.

Which one of the following would be the best recommendation?

A. Ice
B. Targeted exercises
C. Oral analgesics
D. Spinal manipulation
E. Evidence does not support the superiority of any modality

ABFM honors the courage and dedication of all U.S. Armed Forces veterans. Thank you for your unwavering service to our c...
11/11/2025

ABFM honors the courage and dedication of all U.S. Armed Forces veterans. Thank you for your unwavering service to our country.

A 28-year-old female presents with a several-month history of gradually worsening pain on the radial side of the right w...
11/04/2025

A 28-year-old female presents with a several-month history of gradually worsening pain on the radial side of the right wrist that increases while she is at work. She does not have any numbness or tingling. Her symptoms began after she started a new job as a machinist operating a press, which involves repetitive grabbing and pulling.

An examination reveals no gross abnormalities and only minimal soft-tissue tenderness around the base of the thumb. Range of motion of the thumb is limited by pain that is provoked when she makes a fist over her thumb and moves the hand into ulnar deviation. There is no pain with axial compression or rotation of the first metacarpophalangeal joint.

Which one of the following is the most likely diagnosis?

A. Arthritis of the first carpometacarpal joint
B. Carpal tunnel syndrome
C. de Quervain tenosynovitis
D. Stress fracture of the scaphoid
E. Ulnar nerve entrapment

The initial treatment of choice for head lice is A. lindane 1% shampooB. permethrin 1% shampoo (Nix)C. pyrethrum 0.3%/pi...
10/28/2025

The initial treatment of choice for head lice is

A. lindane 1% shampoo
B. permethrin 1% shampoo (Nix)
C. pyrethrum 0.3%/piperonyl butoxide 4% shampoo (Rid)
D. ivermectin 0.5% lotion (Sklice)
E. malathion 0.5% lotion (Ovide)

Huge congratulations to our colleagues elected to the NAM class of 2025! ABFM is delighted to recognize the outstanding ...
10/27/2025

Huge congratulations to our colleagues elected to the NAM class of 2025! ABFM is delighted to recognize the outstanding work of five family physicians: Mohammed K. Ali, MD, MSc, MBA, Andrea A. Anderson, MD, Med, Esa M. Davis, MD, MPH, FAAFP, Christine E. Dehlendorf, MD, MS, and Donald K. Warne, MD, MPH. Learn more: https://bit.ly/4hr1RKo

A 58-year-old male is brought to the emergency department. EMS reports he had been sleeping in a doorway due to being un...
10/21/2025

A 58-year-old male is brought to the emergency department. EMS reports he had been sleeping in a doorway due to being unhoused. He is clearly hypothermic due to cold exposure and has superficial frostbite of his extremities. He is still conscious and shivering.

In addition to rewarming him, which one of the following should you administer?

A. Acetazolamide (Diamox Sequels)
B. Amitriptyline
C. Ceftriaxone
D. Ibuprofen
E. tPA

In the latest ABFM Phoenix Newsletter, read a message from Dr. Warren Newton, learn about the Continuous Certification 5...
10/15/2025

In the latest ABFM Phoenix Newsletter, read a message from Dr. Warren Newton, learn about the Continuous Certification 5-Year Cycle, the new CKSA mobile experience, five new health-equity focused activities, and more! View the full newsletter here: https://bit.ly/3yxhwpr

A 25-year-old female is concerned about skin lesions that have repeatedly appeared and resolved, sometimes lasting for m...
10/14/2025

A 25-year-old female is concerned about skin lesions that have repeatedly appeared and resolved, sometimes lasting for months. She has tried treatment with topical over-the-counter antibiotic ointments with no success. She states that her mother has similar lesions.

On examination her vital signs are unremarkable and her BMI is 32 kg/m2. The examination also reveals multiple deep-seated inflammatory nodules in both axillae that are up to 1.5 cm in size and painful to touch. You also note some malodorous drainage and scars in her axillae that she says are from previous lesions. No other areas are affected. She is afebrile and has no other symptoms.

Which one of the following is the most likely diagnosis?

A. Acne conglobata
B. Cutaneous Crohn disease
C. Hidradenitis suppurativa
D. Pilonidal cyst
E. Recurrent primary bacterial abscess

10/07/2025

We had a great opening day at ! Stop by booth 764 to share your feedback, join the new Engagement Network, and get assistance with your certification requirements. We can't wait to see you!

A 48-year-old female presents with concerns about hair loss. She has noticed gradual thinning of the hair on the top of ...
10/07/2025

A 48-year-old female presents with concerns about hair loss. She has noticed gradual thinning of the hair on the top of her head for the last year. Her scalp is now visible through the hair. She is not taking any oral medications. A levonorgestrel IUD (Mirena) was placed 4 years ago. She has not had any recent illnesses or stressors and a review of systems is negative. Her mother had similar hair loss starting in her fifties. On examination you note thin hair on the top of the scalp, an intact frontal hair line, and growth of thin, wispy hairs on her crown.

Which one of the following would be most appropriate for this patient?

A. Removal of the levonorgestrel IUD
B. Spironolactone (Aldactone), 50 mg daily for 6 months
C. Finasteride (Proscar), 5 mg daily indefinitely
D. Minoxidil (Rogaine) 2% solution for 6 months
E. Minoxidil 5% foam indefinitely

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American Board of Family Medicine

Founded in 1969, ABFM is a not-for-profit, private organization whose mission is to improve the health of the public through Board Certification, Residency Training, Research, Leadership Development, and promoting the development of the specialty of Family Medicine. As of summer 2018, ABFM has more than 92,000 Diplomates and is the third largest of 24 boards that make up the American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS). Through ABMS, the specialty boards work together to establish common standards for physicians to achieve and maintain board certification.

ABFM was the first purely primary care specialty board of ABMS. ABFM administered its first Certification Examination in 1970 and was the first ABMS specialty board to issue time-limited certificates, requiring recertification every seven years over the Diplomate’s (the term used to describe a board-certified physician) professional lifespan. Other notable facts include being: the first board to require continuing medical education (CME) for re-certification; the first, and currently only, board to include other specialists on its Board of Directors; the only board that has the same standard of knowledge for initial certification as it does for recertification; among the first to have public members on its Board; and the only one to publish its own journal.

ABFM’s primary role is to support family physicians who are committed to achieving excellence in improving the health of their patients, their families, and their communities. Certification is voluntary, requires attaining high standards and a lifelong commitment to learning and professional development. In addition to maintaining the highest ethical standards, Diplomates must continuously hold medical licenses which meet the licensure requirements of the Guidelines for Professionalism, Licensure, and Personal Conduct. Every 10 years, Diplomates must pass an independent test of medical knowledge. What follows gives more detail about each of the components of certification, along with the rationale and current evidence of effectiveness.

AMERICAN BOARD OF FAMILY MEDICINE MISSION