Journal of general internal medicine
-
Randomized Controlled Trial
Cost-effectiveness of strategies to improve HIV testing and receipt of results: economic analysis of a randomized controlled trial.
The CDC recommends routine voluntary HIV testing of all patients 13-64 years of age. Despite this recommendation, HIV testing rates are low even among those at identifiable risk, and many patients do not return to receive their results. ⋯ In a primary-care population, nurse-initiated routine screening with rapid HIV testing and streamlined counseling increased rates of testing and receipt of test results and was cost-effective compared with traditional HIV testing strategies.
-
Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter Study Comparative Study
Hospital readmission in general medicine patients: a prediction model.
Previous studies of hospital readmission have focused on specific conditions or populations and generated complex prediction models. ⋯ Select patient characteristics easily available shortly after admission can be used to identify a subset of patients at elevated risk of early readmission. This information may guide the efficient use of interventions to prevent readmission.
-
Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter Study Comparative Study
The effects of guided care on the perceived quality of health care for multi-morbid older persons: 18-month outcomes from a cluster-randomized controlled trial.
The quality of health care for older Americans with chronic conditions is suboptimal. ⋯ Guided Care improves self-reported quality of chronic health care for multi-morbid older persons.
-
Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative Study
Are electronic medical records helpful for care coordination? Experiences of physician practices.
Policies promoting widespread adoption of electronic medical records (EMRs) are premised on the hope that they can improve the coordination of care. Yet little is known about whether and how physician practices use current EMRs to facilitate coordination. ⋯ There is a gap between policy-makers' expectation of, and clinical practitioners' experience with, current electronic medical records' ability to support coordination of care. Policymakers could expand current health information technology policies to support assessment of how well the technology facilitates tasks necessary for coordination. By reforming payment policy to include care coordination, policymakers could encourage the evolution of EMR technology to include capabilities that support coordination, for example, allowing for inter-practice data exchange and multi-provider clinical decision support.
-
Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative Study
Perceived quality of care, receipt of preventive care, and usual source of health care among undocumented and other Latinos.
Latinos are the largest minority group in the United States and experience persistent disparities in access to and quality of health care. ⋯ In this national sample, undocumented Latinos were less likely to report receiving blood pressure and cholesterol level checks, less likely to report having received excellent/good quality of care, and more likely to receive no health/health-care information from doctors, even after adjusting for potential confounders. Our study shows that differences in nativity/immigration status should be taken into consideration when we discuss perceived quality of care among Latinos.