J Natl Med Assoc
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Hypertension is responsible for about 12.8% of deaths around the world. Immigrants' risk of developing hypertension increases with length of residency. There is limited work on the role of social determinants of health and blood pressure control in immigrants. We created a theory-based conceptual model for immigrant-specific and general social determinants variables and their relationship to blood pressure. ⋯ One latent variable measuring need was significantly associated with BP in an immigrant sample. This suggests that interventions targeting burden of disease are likely to be effective in controlling blood pressure in immigrants.
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Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery (MBS) has become increasingly common as a treatment option for severely obese. We examined the association of hospital length of stay (LOS) by race-ethnicity (Hispanic, non-Hispanic white [NHW], NH black [NHB]) and MBS-procedure among Florida inpatients. ⋯ Although LAGB is considered the least invasive MBS, recipients tend to stay longer in hospital after adjustment for health insurance and sociodemographic factors. Medical and socioecological reasons for racial-ethnic variations in LOS relating MBS should be explored further.
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Transparency about the costs that patients incur is an increasingly important factor in making decisions throughout the course of diagnosis and treatment. Both patients and providers regard honest, informed discussions about these costs as critical to providing person-centered care, but often encounter a range of barriers to initiating and maintaining these conversations. ⋯ This article reports the results of this work with recommendations for providers about how to incorporate cost of care discussions into the normal clinical work flow and patient life flow.