Journal of general internal medicine
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Multicenter Study Comparative Study
Symptoms of anxiety and cardiac hospitalizations at 12 months in patients with heart failure.
Heart failure (HF) is a leading cause of hospitalization. Clinical and socio-demographic factors have been associated with cardiac admissions, but little is known about the role of anxiety. We examined whether symptoms of anxiety were associated with cardiac hospitalizations at 12 months in HF patients. ⋯ The current study found no significant association between symptoms of anxiety and cardiac hospitalizations at 12 months in HF patients. In contrast, clinical indicators (i.e., NYHA class III and a history of HF-related hospitalizations) were significantly associated with admissions due to a cardiac cause. Future studies are warranted to investigate the importance of symptoms of anxiety in HF using a larger sample size and a longer follow-up duration.
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Comparative Study
Traditional expectations versus US realities: first- and second-generation Asian Indian perspectives on end-of-life care.
Although end-of-life care preferences vary across racial/ethnic groups, little is known about how cultural values affect end-of-life care preferences among South Asian immigrants and their offspring in the US. ⋯ Traditional cultural values, such as duty to family, greatly influenced end-of-life care preferences and retained importance across generations. Clinicians caring for Asian Indian patients at the end of life may be better able to assess care preferences after exploring the complex interplay between traditional expectations and specific social realities for each patient. Particular attention should be given to attitudes toward death and suffering, family duty, and preferences for information disclosure and decision making.
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Comparative Study
Resident physician well-being and assessments of their knowledge and clinical performance.
Medical knowledge and clinical performance ratings are major criteria for assessing the competence of resident physicians. However, these assessments may be influenced by residents' mental health. The relationship between residents' well-being and empathy and assessments of their global performance remains unclear. ⋯ Most dimensions of resident well-being were not associated with residents' knowledge scores and assessments of their clinical performance by other members of the health care team, which supports the trustworthiness of these measures. Nonetheless, correlations of resident empathy and burnout with assessments completed by peers and supervising residents suggest that some ratings of residents may be influenced by interpersonal factors.
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Multicenter Study Comparative Study
Evaluation of the PHQ-9 Item 3 as a screen for sleep disturbance in primary care.
Sleep disturbance is a significant problem for adults presenting to primary care. Though it is recommended that primary care providers screen for sleep problems, a brief, effective screening tool is not available. ⋯ Item 3 of the PHQ-9 shows promise as a screener for sleep problems in primary care. Using this one-item of a popular screening measure for depression in primary care allows providers to easily screen for two important issues without unnecessarily adding significant burden.