Quality Health Care, Public Trust...Setting the Standards in Family Medicine.
03/24/2026
A 13-year-old comes to your clinic for follow up of asthma. She is currently treated with a low dose inhaled corticosteroid and as needed albuterol. Lately she has had daily symptoms requiring her inhaled albuterol as well as 2–3 nighttime coughing episodes per week.
According to the 2025 updated guidelines from the National Asthma Education and Prevention Program (NAEPP) and the 2025 updated Global Strategy for Asthma Management and Prevention, (GINA Guidelines), which one of the following should you recommend?
A. An inhaled corticosteroid/formoterol combination (Symbicort, Dulera), twice daily and as needed
B. An inhaled high-dose corticosteroid daily and inhaled albuterol (Proventil, Ventolin) as needed
C. An inhaled low-dose corticosteroid twice daily and cromolyn inhaler twice daily
D. An inhaled corticosteroid, a long-acting β-agonist, a long-acting muscarinic antagonist combination inhaler
03/20/2026
ABFM is celebrating Match Day with a look back at some of last year's family medicine matches, three of our 2024 Pisacano Scholars! To everyone matching today, congratulations and welcome. Tell us in the comments where you matched!
03/19/2026
What does it look like when a performance improvement activity actually makes a difference for patients? Dr. Mathew Devine, an ABFM Diplomate in upstate New York, shares how a simple change in approach helped underserved patients get the diabetic eye care they needed. https://bit.ly/4sNZDcC
03/17/2026
A 32-year-old male presents to your office saying that he "twisted his ankle" yesterday while playing pickleball. Findings on a physical examination are consistent with a minor ankle sprain.
Which one of the following medications is most likely to result in the highest level of pain relief and a low incidence of side effects?
A. A topical NSAID
B. An oral corticosteroid
C. Oral acetaminophen
D. Tramadol
03/16/2026
A new ABFM study, using data from its National Resident Survey, shows how after-hours Electronic Health Record (EHR) work — often called “pajama time" — is linked to higher burnout among family medicine residents. Learn more about the study:
A new national study led by Yale School of Medicine's Wendy Barr, MD, MPH, alongside researchers at the American Board of Family Medicine, finds that
03/12/2026
New ABFM research in Health Affairs shows that most family physicians stay close to where they completed residency, reinforcing the powerful role of training location in shaping the primary care workforce. Learn more here: https://bit.ly/411K05s
03/11/2026
Nearly 1 in 3 upper year family medicine residents report spending 3+ hours each night on the EHR outside of clinic hours. This high pajama time is associated with lower medical knowledge, lower professional satisfaction, and higher burnout. Read the study now: https://bit.ly/4sGztsh
03/10/2026
A new study using data from ABFM’s PRIME Registry shows how the COVID 19 pandemic disrupted life saving medication use for patients with atrial fibrillation. Researchers found sharp declines in adherence to oral anticoagulants – medications that prevent stroke – even as the pandemic continued. Read the article here: https://bit.ly/3MXLfPY
03/10/2026
You see a 51-year-old male for follow-up of his second episode of podagra (gout) in the past 2 years, and he agrees to start uric acid–lowering therapy. His past medical history is otherwise notable for a history of hypertension treated with losartan (Cozaar), 100 mg daily. His serum uric acid is 9.5 mg/dL (N 4.5–8.0).
When initiating urate-lowering therapy in this patient, which one of the following statements is true?
A. Naproxen 500 mg twice daily is recommended for prophylaxis
B. Allopurinol (Zyloprim) should be initiated at a dosage of 300 mg daily
C. Uric acid–lowering therapy should always start after resolution of the gout flare
D. Normal uric acid levels are the treatment goal
E. Anti-inflammatory prophylaxis with colchicine is recommended for at least 3 months
03/05/2026
Board certification is more than a credential — it's a commitment to patients, to excellence, and to learning. ABFM Board-Certified physicians demonstrate their dedication to delivering a higher standard of care.
Learn about the value of certification → https://bit.ly/42le0LH
03/05/2026
Burnout is not just exhaustion. It is reshaping careers across medicine.
In our latest ABFM Insights article, Dr. Santina Wheat, an ABFM Visiting Scholar, shares how she rediscovered purpose in family medicine and how her scholarly work is helping explore solutions to make practice more sustainable for physicians.
Her story offers honesty, perspective, and a meaningful path forward.
New research from ABFM shows that spaced repetition doesn’t just boost knowledge – it significantly improves physicians’ confidence in what they know. In a randomized trial of more than 16,000 family physicians, repeated exposure to questions led to stronger, more accurate self assessment over time. Read the study now: https://bit.ly/4rOCsyU
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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
ABFM's mission is to improve the health of the public through:
Certification: ABFM certifies family physicians who are highly skilled and effective at improving the health of their patients, their families, and their communities, and assists Diplomates in maintaining high professional standards through professional development and lifelong learning.
Training Standards: ABFM sets standards for the training that prepares Family Medicine residents for board certification.
Research: ABFM funds, conducts, and publishes research that is devoted to creating, evaluating, and maintaining cutting-edge certification methods, and to advancing the scientific basis of Family Medicine.
Leadership Development: ABFM cultivates leaders in Family Medicine to expand the specialty’s contribution to the health of the public.
Collaboration: ABFM collaborates with other specialty boards and organizations to promote better health care, drive better outcomes, and manage health care resources responsibly.
