title: Primary care for women. Comprehensive assessment of the head and neck.
abstract: This article reviews the pertinent anatomy of each body system involved in the assessment of the head and neck (including the eyes, ears, nose, and throat) and describes the basic elements of the comprehensive health assessment. Frequently encountered chief complaints are discussed. Aspects of the health assessment that will assist the primary care provider in making a differential diagnosis and determining the need for referral are presented. This article is the first of two articles on this topic; the subsequent article will address primary care management of common conditions of the head and neck.
authors.affiliation: Boston University School of Public Health, Nurse-Midwifery Education Program, MA 02118, USA.
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Kingston
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Reynolds
authors.forename: L P
authors.initials: LP
authors.lastname: Phillips
mesh_terms: D005128:Eye Diseases / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000451:nursing; D005260:Female; D006257:Head / Q000033:anatomy & histology*; D006801:Humans; D008487:Medical History Taking; D009333:Neck / Q000033:anatomy & histology*; D010038:Otorhinolaryngologic Diseases / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis*; D010808:Physical Examination; D011247:Pregnancy; D013959:Thyroid Diseases / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis