Journal of general internal medicine
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Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative Study Clinical Trial
A randomized controlled trial comparing internet and video to facilitate patient education for men considering the prostate specific antigen test.
Little is known about the relative advantages of video versus internet-based decision aids to facilitate shared medical decision making. This study compared internet and video patient education modalities for men considering the prostate specific antigen (PSA) test. ⋯ Overall, the video was significantly more effective than the Internet in educating participants about benefits and risks of PSA screening.
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We examined whether there were racial differences in initial treatment for clinically localized prostate cancer and investigated whether demographic, socioeconomic, clinical, or tumor characteristics could explain any racial differences. ⋯ African Americans with more aggressive cancers were less likely to undergo radical prostatectomy and more likely to be treated conservatively. These treatment differences may reflect African Americans' greater likelihood for presenting with pathologically advanced cancer for which surgery has limited effectiveness. Among men with less aggressive cancers-the majority of cases-there were no racial differences in undergoing radical prostatectomy or radiation therapy.
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Comparative Study
Could we have known? A qualitative analysis of data from women who survived an attempted homicide by an intimate partner.
To examine in-depth the lives of women whose partners attempted to kill them, and to identify patterns that may aid in the clinician's ability to predict, prevent, or counsel about femicide or attempted femicide. ⋯ Clinicians should not be falsely reassured by a woman's sense of safety, by the lack of a history of severe violence, or by the presence of few classic risk factors for homicide. Efforts to reduce femicide risk that are targeted only at those women seeking help for violence-related problems may miss potential victims.
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The Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation II (APACHE II) was developed to predict intensive-care unit (ICU) resource utilization. This study tested APACHE II's ability to predict long-term survival of patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) admitted to general medical floors. ⋯ APACHE II score may be useful in predicting long-term mortality for COPD patients admitted outside the ICU.
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Prior studies have shown that 60% to 75% of adults with upper respiratory tract infections want antibiotics. More recent research indicates declines in antibiotic prescribing for upper respiratory tract infections. To investigate whether there has been a comparable decrease in patients' desire for antibiotics, we measured the proportion of adults with upper respiratory tract infections who wanted antibiotics in the winter of 2001-2002. We also sought to identify factors independently associated with wanting antibiotics and antibiotic prescribing. ⋯ Only 39% of adults seeking care for upper respiratory tract infections wanted antibiotics, less than in previous studies. In continuing efforts to break the cycle of inappropriate antibiotic use, physicians should not assume that most patients with upper respiratory tract infections want antibiotics.