Annals of family medicine
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Annals of family medicine · Jan 2013
Primary care physicians' use of an informed decision-making process for prostate cancer screening.
Leading professional organizations acknowledge the importance of an informed decision-making process for prostate cancer screening. We describe primary care physicians' reports of their prescreening discussions about the potential harms and benefits of prostate cancer screening. ⋯ Much of the variability in physicians' use of an informed decision-making process can be attributed to beliefs about screening. Concerns about medicolegal risk remain an important barrier for shared decision making.
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Annals of family medicine · Jan 2013
Comparative StudyClinician suspicion of an alcohol problem: an observational study from the AAFP National Research Network.
In clinical practice, detection of alcohol problems often relies on clinician suspicion instead of using a screening instrument. We assessed the sensitivity, specificity, and predictive values of clinician suspicion compared with screening-detected alcohol problems in patients. ⋯ Clinician suspicion of alcohol problems had poor sensitivity but high specificity for identifying patients who had a positive screening test for alcohol problems. These data support the routine use of a screening tool to supplement clinicians' suspicions, which already provide reasonable positive predictive value.
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Annals of family medicine · Jan 2013
Comparative StudyThe rise of electronic health record adoption among family physicians.
Realizing the benefits of adopting electronic health records (EHRs) in large measure depends heavily on clinicians and providers' uptake and meaningful use of the technology. This study examines EHR adoption among family physicians using 2 different data sources, compares family physicians with other office-based medical specialists, assesses variation in EHR adoption among family physicians across states, and shows the possibility for data sharing among various medical boards and federal agencies in monitoring and guiding EHR adoption. ⋯ Two independent data sets yielded convergent results, showing that adoption of EHRs by family physicians has doubled since 2005, exceeds other office-based physicians as a group, and is likely to surpass 80% by 2013. Adoption varies at a state level. Further monitoring of trends in EHR adoption and characterizing their capacities are important to achieve comprehensive data exchange necessary for better, affordable health care.