Journal of general internal medicine
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Comparative Study
Can improved prescription medication labeling influence adherence to chronic medications? An evaluation of the Target pharmacy label.
Prescription medication labels contain valuable health information, and better labels may enhance patient adherence to chronic medications. A new prescription medication labeling system was implemented by Target pharmacies in May 2005 and aimed to improve readability and understanding. ⋯ We found no changes in adherence of chronic medication in new users, and small and likely clinically unimportant changes in prevalent users after implementation of the new label. While adherence may not be improved with better labeling, evaluation of the effect of labeling on safety and adverse effects is needed.
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Multicenter Study Comparative Study
Symptom burden, depression, and spiritual well-being: a comparison of heart failure and advanced cancer patients.
A lower proportion of patients with chronic heart failure receive palliative care compared to patients with advanced cancer. ⋯ Patients with symptomatic heart failure and advanced cancer have similar needs for palliative care as assessed by symptom burden, depression, and spiritual well-being. This implies that heart failure patients, particularly those with more severe heart failure, need the option of palliative care just as cancer patients do.
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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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The effects of smoking cessation on the risk of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease exacerbations.
Smoking cessation has been demonstrated to reduce the rate of loss of lung function and mortality among patients with mild to moderate chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). There is a paucity of evidence about the effects of smoking cessation on the risk of COPD exacerbations. ⋯ Smoking cessation is associated with a reduced risk of COPD exacerbations, and the described reduction is dependent upon the duration of abstinence.
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Comparative Study
The contribution of cancer incidence, stage at diagnosis and survival to racial differences in years of life expectancy.
African Americans have higher cancer mortality rates than whites. Understanding the relative contribution of cancer incidence, stage at diagnosis and survival after diagnosis to the racial gap in life expectancy has important implications for directing future health disparity interventions toward cancer prevention, screening and treatment. ⋯ In addition to breast and colorectal cancer screening, national efforts to reduce disparities in life expectancy should also target cancer prevention, perhaps through smoking cessation, and differences in survival after diagnosis among persons with breast and prostate cancer.