Family medicine
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Colorectal cancer (CRC) screening is widely recommended but underused. A physician's recommendation for CRC screening has been consistently associated with patients undergoing CRC screening, but a better understanding of factors influencing a physician's recommendation for CRC screening is needed. This study's purpose was to describe patient and physician factors associated with a physician's recommendation for CRC screening. ⋯ Female physicians are more likely to recommend CRC. Patients are more likely to receive a CRC recommendation if they are male, have gastrointestinal disease, and have better health status. Further studies should explore cultural influences on physician recommendation for screening.
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Family medicine has evolved into a specialty deeply rooted in clinical service. Because of high demands for clinical practice productivity, family physicians have drifted away from participation in scientific inquiry. There is even an effort in some institutions to reinvent family medicine as a community-based ambulatory specialty, resulting in a further "disconnect" between research and family physicians. ⋯ There is an opportunity for family physicians to become involved in translational research. But, to develop a cadre of translational researchers within the family medicine community, education programs need to train and develop those researchers. Residency education may be an ideal time to begin that training and development.
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Shared decision making (SDM) is part of a larger movement for patient-centered approaches to care. SDM can be facilitated through the use of decision aids (DA), which are evidence-based tools designed to transmit information on topics suitable for SDM. They are intended to facilitate the process of patients arriving at an informed, values-based choice in partnership with physicians. Research indicates that SDM and the use of DA are underutilized. This study evaluated SDM and DA in primary care. ⋯ Even when shared decision making occurs, DAs are rarely used. Research is needed to identify and reduce barriers to using DAs in primary care.