Journal of general internal medicine
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To assess whether chronic disease is a barrier to screening for breast and cervical cancer. ⋯ Among women who sought outpatient care, screening rates decreased as comorbidity increased. Whether clinicians and patients are making appropriate decisions about screening is not known.
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Comparative Study
Health characteristics and medical service use patterns of sheltered homeless and low-income housed mothers.
To compare the health characteristics and service utilization patterns of homeless women and low-income housed women who are heads of household. ⋯ Both homeless mothers and low-income housed mothers had lower health status, more chronic health problems, and higher smoking rates than the general population. High rates of hospitalization, emergency department visits, and more risk behaviors among homeless mothers suggest that they are at even greater risk of adverse health outcomes. Efforts to address gaps in access to primary care and to integrate psychosocial supports with health care delivery may improve health outcomes for homeless mothers and reduce use of costly medical care services.
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To determine, in a representative sample of patients drawn from a variety of hospitals, the degree of adherence to consensus recommendations for anticoagulation among patients with deep vein thrombosis or pulmonary embolism. ⋯ In a wide variety of hospitals, we found fair, but variable, compliance with consensus recommendations for anticoagulation of patients with venous thromboembolic disease. Simple interventions to improve compliance with these recommendations might improve quality of care and reduce costs.
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We surveyed physicians presenting abstracts at the 1995 Society of General Internal Medicine annual meeting to determine whether the oral or poster format better achieved their presentation goals. Poster presentations better met respondents' objectives for feedback and criticism and for networking and developing collaborative projects, while oral presentations better met their objectives for national visibility and sharing knowledge within one's field. ⋯ The majority of these presenters preferred to present their research in an oral format although poster presentations still played an important role for them, particularly as a venue for feedback on their work. As meeting size increases, different presentation formats should be explored that best meet the needs of the academic community.
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Our objective was to determine the ability of the internal medicine In-Training Examination (ITE) to predict pass or fail outcomes on the American Board of Internal Medicine (ABIM) certifying examination and to develop an externally validated predictive model and a simple equation that can be used by residency directors to provide probability feedback for their residency programs. We collected a study sample of 155 internal medicine residents from the three Virginia internal medicine programs and a validation sample of 64 internal medicine residents from a residency program outside Virginia. ⋯ Results of the logistic model yielded a statistically significant prediction of ABIM pass or fail performance from ITE scores (Wald = 35.49, SE = 0.036, df = 1, p < .005) and overall correct classifications for the study sample and validation sample at 79% and 75%, respectively. The ITE is a useful tool in assessing the likelihood of a resident's passing or failing the ABIM certifying examination but is less predictive for residents who received ITE scores between 49 and 66.