Annals of family medicine
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Annals of family medicine · Jan 2012
Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter StudyDepression treatment in patients with general medical conditions: results from the CO-MED trial.
We studied the effect of 3 antidepressant treatments on outcomes (depressive severity, medication tolerability, and psychosocial functioning) in depressed patients having comorbid general medical conditions in the Combining Medications to Enhance Depression Outcomes (CO-MED) trial. ⋯ Patients with general medical conditions can be safely and effectively treated for MDD with antidepressants with no additional adverse effect or tolerability burden relative to their counterparts without such conditions. Combination therapy is not associated with an increased treatment response beyond that found with traditional monotherapy in patients with MDD, regardless of the presence and number of general medical conditions.
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Annals of family medicine · Jan 2012
Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter StudyIntegrated management of type 2 diabetes mellitus and depression treatment to improve medication adherence: a randomized controlled trial.
Depression commonly accompanies diabetes, resulting in reduced adherence to medications and increased risk for morbidity and mortality. The objective of this study was to examine whether a simple, brief integrated approach to depression and type 2 diabetes mellitus (type 2 diabetes) treatment improved adherence to oral hypoglycemic agents and antidepressant medications, glycemic control, and depression among primary care patients. ⋯ A randomized controlled trial of a simple, brief intervention integrating treatment of type 2 diabetes and depression was successful in improving outcomes in primary care. An integrated approach to depression and type 2 diabetes treatment may facilitate its deployment in real-world practices with competing demands for limited resources.
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Annals of family medicine · Nov 2011
Randomized Controlled TrialTranslating cholesterol guidelines into primary care practice: a multimodal cluster randomized trial.
PURPOSE We wanted to determine whether an intervention based on patient activation and a physician decision support tool was more effective than usual care for improving adherence to National Cholesterol Education Program guidelines. METHODS A 1-year cluster randomized controlled trial was performed using 30 primary care practices (4,105 patients) in southeastern New England. The main outcome was the percentage of patients screened for hyperlipidemia and treated to their low-density lipoprotein (LDL) and non-high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol goals. ⋯ CONCLUSION This study showed null results with the intent-to-treat analysis regarding the benefits of a patient activation and a decision support tool in improving cholesterol management in primary care practices. Post hoc analysis showed a potential benefit in practices that used the e-health tools more frequently in screening and management of dyslipidemia. Further research on how to incorporate and increase adoption of user-friendly, patient-centered e-health tools to improve screening and management of chronic diseases and their risk factors is warranted.
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Annals of family medicine · Jul 2011
Randomized Controlled TrialPlacebo effects and the common cold: a randomized controlled trial.
We wanted to determine whether the severity and duration of illness caused by the common cold are influenced by randomized assignment to open-label pills, compared with conventional double-blind allocation to active and placebo pills, compared with no pills at all. ⋯ Participants randomized to the no-pill group tended to have longer and more severe illnesses than those who received pills. For the subgroup who believed in echinacea and received pills, illnesses were substantively shorter and less severe, regardless of whether the pills contained echinacea. These findings support the general idea that beliefs and feelings about treatments may be important and perhaps should be taken into consideration when making medical decisions.
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Annals of family medicine · May 2011
Randomized Controlled TrialCorticosteroid injections for greater trochanteric pain syndrome: a randomized controlled trial in primary care.
We undertook a study to evaluate the effectiveness of corticosteroid injections in primary care patients with greater trochanteric pain syndrome (GTPS). ⋯ In this first randomized controlled trial assessing the effectiveness of corticosteroid injections vs usual care in GTPS, a clinically relevant effect was shown at a 3-month follow-up visit for recovery and for pain at rest and with activity. At a 12-month follow-up visit, the differences in outcome were no longer present.