Journal of health communication
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FDA issues Drug Safety Communications (DSCs) to alert health care professionals and the public about emerging safety information affecting prescription and over-the-counter drugs. News media may amplify DSCs, but it is unclear how DSC messaging is transmitted through the media. We conducted a content analysis of the lay media coverage reaching the broadest audience to characterize the amount and content of media coverage of two zolpidem DSCs from 2013. ⋯ Other DSC messages were reported in fewer than one-third of stories, such as the warning that impairment can happen even when people feel fully awake. The first-but not the second-zolpidem DSC generated high-profile news coverage. The finding that some messages were widely reported but others were not emphasizes the importance of ensuring translation of key DSC content.
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Comparative Study
Comparing Well-Tested Health Literacy Measures for Oral Health: A Pilot Assessment.
There has been growing national concern over the low health literacy of Americans and, coinciding with this, a growing importance placed on measuring health literacy. Health literacy is the ability to access, understand, and use information to make health decisions. ⋯ Using a survey of dental patients from safety net dental clinics in two states, we explored differences and similarities between health literacy measures as they pertained to oral health perceptions and oral self-efficacy. Findings indicated that the three health literacy measures were not interchangeable and had differential effects on data collected, which suggested differential relationships with oral health perceptions and outcomes.
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Randomized Controlled Trial
The Role of Health Care Provider Goals, Plans, and Physician Orders for Life-Sustaining Treatment (POLST) in Preparing for Conversations About End-of-Life Care.
The Physician Orders for Life-Sustaining Treatment (POLST) is a planning tool representative of an emerging paradigm aimed at facilitating elicitation of patient end-of-life care preferences. This study assessed the impact of the POLST document on provider goals and plans for conversations about end-of-life care treatment options. A 2 (POLST: experimental, control) × 3 (topic of possible patient misunderstanding: cardiopulmonary resuscitation, medical intervention, artificially administered nutrition) experimental design was used to assess goals, plan complexity, and strategies for plan alterations by medical professionals. ⋯ However, preliminary evidence suggested that the utility of the POLST surfaced with provider responses to patient misunderstanding, in which differences in conditions were identified. Significant differences in goals reported as most important in driving conversational engagement emerged. Implications for findings are discussed.
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During and after the 2011 Republican presidential debate, a candidate questioned the safety of HPV vaccine. The authors aimed to determine the effect of these comments on parents. A national sample of 327 parents with adolescent sons ages 11-17 years completed online surveys in fall 2010 (baseline, about 1 year before the debate) and 2011 (follow-up, about 1 month after the debate). ⋯ Parents aware of the comments had a larger increase between baseline and follow-up in the belief that HPV vaccine might cause short-term health problems compared with parents who were not aware. Although the candidate's comments may have increased some parents' beliefs about the short-term harms of HPV vaccine, the comments had no effect on other beliefs, willingness to vaccinate, or behavior. Having accurate information about HPV vaccine that is readily available to the public during such controversies may diminish their effect.