American journal of preventive medicine
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Within gender-diverse populations, gender-affirming changes in gender on record may improve mental or behavioral health. This study uses claims data to investigate whether sex assigned at birth modifies the association between change in gender on record and mental or behavioral health. ⋯ Oregon Medicaid gender-diverse beneficiaries who changed their gender on record had a meaningfully lower probability of mental and behavioral health conditions. Those assigned female at birth reporting female gender had the highest burdens.
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Video telehealth can offer people convenient, real-time access to clinicians without arranging transportation or time off work. Among people with diabetes, this study examines the association between video telehealth access and changes in HbA1c. ⋯ Gaining access to video telehealth was associated with reductions in HbA1c among people with diabetes. Video telehealth offers people with chronic conditions a new, convenient way to access health care, is not associated with worsening HbA1c, and may support better disease management, particularly among patients with higher baseline HbA1c.
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Increases in opioid prescribing contributed to the opioid epidemic in the U.S. Subsequent efforts to promote safer use of opioids for treating pain included augmenting prescription drug monitoring programs and prescribing guidelines. The purpose of this study is to characterize the distribution of opioids dispensed in the U.S. by specialty. ⋯ During a period in which prescribing interventions were expanded, opioid prescribing declined overall, although not uniformly by specialty.
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This study evaluates the effectiveness of the Veterans Crisis Line on immediate call outcomes (i.e., caller distress, suicidal ideation, and suicidal urgency) for veterans who provide identifying information. ⋯ Veterans Crisis Line callers who provide identifying information experience reductions in distress and suicidal ideation during the call. Research is needed to examine the reduction in suicidal urgency because of fair reliability, generalizability of results to other callers, post-call treatment contact and engagement, and risk for suicide attempts and death.