Journal of general internal medicine
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Decision analysis is a tool that clinicians can use to choose an option that maximizes the overall net benefit to a patient. It is an explicit, quantitative, and systematic approach to decision making under conditions of uncertainty. In this article, we present two teaching tips aimed at helping clinical learners understand the use and relevance of decision analysis. ⋯ Learners identified the importance of incorporating values into the decision-making process as well as the role of uncertainty. The educational objectives appeared to be reached. These teaching tips introduce clinical learners to decision analysis in a fashion aimed to illustrate principles of clinical reasoning and how patient values can be actively incorporated into complex decision making.
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Comparative Study
Early identification of co-occurring pain, depression and anxiety.
Depression and anxiety frequently co-occur with pain and may affect treatment outcomes. Early identification of these co-occurring psychiatric conditions during routine pain screening may be critical for optimal treatment. ⋯ VA patients with moderate-severe pain are at high risk for psychological distress, which often goes unrecognized. Providers need to be more vigilant to mental health problems in patients experiencing high pain levels. Targeted screening for co-occurring conditions is warranted.
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Review Meta Analysis
Obesity and mammography: a systematic review and meta-analysis.
Obese women experience higher postmenopausal breast cancer risk, morbidity, and mortality and may be less likely to undergo mammography. ⋯ Morbidly obese women are significantly less likely to report recent mammography. This relationship appears stronger in white women. Lower screening rates may partly explain the higher breast cancer mortality in morbidly obese women.
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Comparative Study
African Americans' perceptions of physician attempts to address obesity in the primary care setting.
Obesity disproportionately affects African Americans and leads to several major co-morbidities. While guidelines recommend physicians identify obese patients and counsel them on weight management, little is known about how these efforts are received by patients. ⋯ Physicians must be cognizant of the potential unintended consequences of the techniques they use to educate and counsel African-American men and women on obesity, particularly those that may be perceived as negative and act to further alienate obese patients from seeking the care they need.