JAMA : the journal of the American Medical Association
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Although current depression treatment guidelines recommend continuing antidepressant therapy for at least 4 to 9 months, many patients discontinue treatment prematurely, within 3 months. ⋯ Discrepancies exist between instructions that physicians report they communicate to patients and what patients remember being told. Explicit instructions about expected duration of therapy and discussions about medication adverse effects throughout treatment may reduce discontinuation of SSRI use. Our finding that patients with 3 or more follow-up visits were more likely to continue using the initially prescribed antidepressant medication suggests that frequent patient-physician contact may increase the probability that patients will continue therapy.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter Study Clinical Trial
Effectiveness of nurses as providers of birth labor support in North American hospitals: a randomized controlled trial.
North American cesarean delivery rates have risen dramatically since the 1960s, without concomitant improvements in perinatal or maternal health. A Cochrane Review concluded that continuous caregiver support during labor has many benefits, including reduced likelihood of cesarean delivery. ⋯ In hospitals characterized by high rates of routine intrapartum interventions, continuous labor support by nurses does not affect the likelihood of cesarean delivery or other medical or psychosocial outcomes of labor and birth.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Clinical Trial
Ultrasound-guided extracorporeal shock wave therapy for plantar fasciitis: a randomized controlled trial.
Extracorporeal shock wave therapy (ESWT) is increasingly used for plantar fasciitis, but limited evidence supports its use. ⋯ We found no evidence to support a beneficial effect on pain, function, and quality of life of ultrasound-guided ESWT over placebo in patients with ultrasound-proven plantar fasciitis 6 and 12 weeks following treatment.