J Am Board Fam Med
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In a recent study conducted in a family medicine setting, the medication acamprosate was found not to be efficacious in the treatment of alcohol dependence, but a drinking goal of abstinence was found to have positive effects on alcohol use outcomes. The purpose of this secondary analysis was to further understand which patients with an alcohol use disorder may be most successfully treated in a primary care setting. ⋯ Patients with an alcohol use disorder who have a drinking goal of abstinence, in particular consistent daily drinkers, may maximally benefit from alcohol use disorder treatment, including the use of medication, in a primary care setting.
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Care coordinators are increasingly featured in patient-centered medical home (PCMH) projects, yet little research examines how coordinators themselves define and experience their role. This is the first study describing experiences of care coordinators across the US from their own perspectives. ⋯ While all the barriers and facilitators were important to performing coordinators' roles, relationship building materialized as key to effective care coordination, whether with clinicians, patients, or outside organizations. We discuss implications for practice and provide suggestions for further research.
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The general public's preferences for modes of communication (other than in-person communication) for medical test results were investigated. We hypothesized that patients would prefer a variety of methods to receive common tests results (blood cholesterol and colonoscopy) compared with genetics test results. ⋯ Participants demonstrated preferences in how they received test results by non-in-person communication methods, preferring personal E-mail and password-protected websites, but did not prefer fax. Importantly, participants also demonstrated that preference was dependent on test type.
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Randomized Controlled Trial
Ear Acupuncture for Acute Sore Throat: A Randomized Controlled Trial.
Sore throat is a common cause of pain in outpatient encounters. Battlefield auricular acupuncture (the placing of needles in specific points in the ear) is a modality used to treat acute pain associated with a variety of ailments. The aim of our study was to determine whether auricular acupuncture reduces pain, medication usage, and missed work hours when added to standard therapy in adult patients with acute sore throat. ⋯ Compared with usual treatment, battlefield auricular acupuncture was associated with reduced sore throat pain for 24 hours and decreased use of pain medication for up to 48 hours. There was no apparent effect on hours missed from work.
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Observational Study
Out-of-Hours Care Collaboration between General Practitioners and Hospital Emergency Departments in the Netherlands.
In the Netherlands, general practitioners (GPs) and emergency departments (EDs) collaborate increasingly in what is called an Urgent Care Collaboration (UCC). In UCCs, GPs and EDs share 1 combined entrance and joint triage. The objective of this study was to determine if GPs treat a larger proportion of out-of-hours patients in the UCC system, and how this relates to patient characteristics. ⋯ When GPs and EDs collaborate, GPs take a substantially higher proportion of all out-of-hours patients.