Annals of family medicine
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Annals of family medicine · Mar 2013
Controlled Clinical TrialImproved outcomes in diabetes care for rural African Americans.
Rural low-income African American patients with diabetes have traditionally poorer clinical outcomes and limited access to state-of-the-art diabetes care. We determined the effectiveness of a redesigned primary care model on patients' glycemic, blood pressure, and lipid level control. ⋯ Redesigning care strategies in rural fee-for-service primary care practices for African American patients with established diabetes results in significantly improved glycemic control relative to usual care.
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Annals of family medicine · Mar 2013
Screening for hypertension annually compared with current practice.
Hypertension is the most common diagnosis in ambulatory care, yet little evidence exists regarding recommended screening intervals or the sensitivity and specificity of a routine office-based blood pressure measurement, the most common screening test. Screening for hypertension is usually performed by measuring blood pressure at every outpatient visit, which often results in transiently elevated findings among adults who do not have a diagnosis of hypertension. We hypothesize that a more limited annual screening strategy may increase specificity while maintaining sensitivity. ⋯ A limited annual screening strategy for hypertension can improve specificity without sacrificing sensitivity when compared with routine screening at every visit in previously normotensive adults.