Journal of general internal medicine
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Reducing hospital readmissions is a federal policy priority, and predictive models of hospital readmissions have proliferated in recent years; however, most such models tend to focus on the 30-day readmission time horizon and do not consider readmission over shorter (or longer) windows. ⋯ It is more difficult to predict distant readmissions than proximal readmissions, and the more information the model uses, the better the predictions. Inclusion of utilization-based risk factors add substantially to the discriminative ability of the model, much more than any other included risk factor domain. Our best-performing models perform well relative to other published readmission prediction models. It is possible that these predictions could have operational utility in targeting readmission prevention interventions among high-risk individuals.
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Patient agency in contraceptive decision-making is an essential component of reproductive autonomy. ⋯ The Contraceptive Agency Scale can be used in research and clinical care to reinforce non-coercive service provision as a standard of care.
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The sobering realization that little has changed in the scope of inpatient harm makes it plain that efforts intent on improving patient safety must be redoubled if the status quo is to be reversed. Living up to the recommendations of the iconic Institute of Medicine (IOM) Report (To Err Is Human: Building a Safer Health System) must remain top of mind. Much can and must be done to assure to the degree possible the safety of the inpatient population.
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Obesity (body mass index [BMI]≥30kg/m2) among US adults has tripled over the past 45 years, but it is unclear how this population-level weight change has occurred. ⋯ BMI in the 10 years following VA enrollment increased modestly. VA should continue prioritizing weight management interventions to the large number of veterans with obesity upon VA enrollment, because the majority remain with obesity.
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Community members may provide useful perspectives on manuscripts submitted to medical journals. ⋯ With training, supervision, and compensation, community members are able to review manuscripts submitted to medical journals. Their comments are useful to editors, address topics relevant to patients and communities, and are reflected in published articles.