Women's health care is an ever-changing field. It relies on both quantitative and qualitative
scientific advances that must be translated into clinical skills and application against the
backdrop of current political, social, and global circumstances. New knowledge and
technological advances explode into our daily lives with such astonishing rapidity that we are
often hard-pressed to keep up with them, never mind trying to interpret them into clinical
usefulness. Although scientific advances hold the promise of greater understanding, it is, at
best, an incomplete understanding. The health of our patients is a reflection of more than
just physiology and pathophysiologyBVit is a sum total of who they are (genetics), how
they live (social, economic, and cultural factors), and where they live (environmental
forces).
In keeping with this premise, we wanted to create a textbook that recognized that women's
health care, even the gynecologic care that occurs in an office setting, involves more than a
superb knowledge of scientific data and facts. For the care we render to be effective, it
must incorporate the growing knowledge of how myriad forces influence and, to a large
degree, determine the health of our patients.
Patients wantBVand have the right to ask forBb"feelings of understanding and connection
from their health care providers. For many women, one of the primary contacts they have
with the health care system is an office visit for a gynecologic condition or a well-woman
exam. During these encounters, it is common for them to bring up issues that are beyond the
scope of pure gynecology. This edition has been expanded to include new chapters that draw
from the behavioral sciences, as well as from other disciplines, to help clinicians more fully
address the variety of issues that often arise within the context of an office gynecology
visit.
We are excited and pleased to bring you the sixth edition of Glass' Office Gynecology, and
hope that you will find it informative, easy to read, and a valuable reference source in the
office.