Journal of general internal medicine
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Clinical Trial
A pilot test of the effect of guided care on the quality of primary care experiences for multimorbid older adults.
Improving health care of multimorbid older adults is a critical public health challenge. The objective of this study is to evaluate the effect of a pilot intervention to enhance the quality of primary care experiences for chronically ill older persons (Guided Care). ⋯ In this pilot study, Guided Care appeared to improve the quality of primary care experiences for high-risk, chronically ill older adults. A larger cluster-randomized controlled trial of Guided Care is underway.
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Reduction in cervical cancer incidence and mortality is not only dependant on promoting cervical cancer screening but also on providing appropriate follow-up and treatment of abnormal cervical cytology. ⋯ A significant number of women with abnormal cervical cytology are receiving less than optimal care. Further studies are required to determine the specific healthcare delivery practices that need to be targeted to improve guideline adherence for follow-up of abnormal cytology.
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Although patients should know the level of training of the physician providing their care in teaching hospitals, many do not. ⋯ Physicians in our sample were rarely specific about their level of training and role in patient care when introducing themselves to patients. This lack of communication may contribute to patients' lack of knowledge regarding who is caring for them in a teaching hospital.
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Multicenter Study
Validation of screening questions for limited health literacy in a large VA outpatient population.
Previous studies have shown that a single question may identify individuals with inadequate health literacy. We evaluated and compared the performance of 3 health literacy screening questions for detecting patients with inadequate or marginal health literacy in a large VA population. ⋯ A single question may be useful for detecting patients with inadequate health literacy in a VA population.