Southern medical journal
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Southern medical journal · Jul 2008
Comparative StudyPatient visits to a midwestern primary care practice-based research network: a comparison to two national primary care data sets.
Regional primary care practice-based research networks (PBRNs) have made important contributions to the primary care literature, but have not been well-described. This study compares pediatric patient characteristics within a new regional PBRN to pediatric patient characteristics from two previously published national data sets. ⋯ Regional networks with unique characteristics, such as a large number of Medicaid patients and/or many underserved minority patients have the potential to make significant contributions to primary care research by focusing on problems experienced within those segments of a population (e.g., indigent children and their families).
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Southern medical journal · Jul 2008
Spirituality, adolescent suicide, and the juvenile justice system.
Spirituality is often overlooked as a coping method and resilience factor in the lives of adolescents. An improved understanding of the role of spirituality in the lives of adolescents will help in understanding the choices many teens face during times of personal crisis. Youth entering the juvenile justice system often present with high rates of mental health problems and suicidal ideation. ⋯ An understanding of the role of spirituality for an adolescent in crisis can greatly enhance our ability to provide culturally competent care and offer meaningful support. This becomes increasingly important as the juvenile detention population becomes ever more diverse. Valuable information can be obtained by taking a "clinical spiritual history" which enables clinicians to have a clearer understanding of an adolescent's worldview and provide the necessary therapeutic interventions. Specific questions are suggested as a basis for obtaining this information.
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Southern medical journal · Jul 2008
Cigarette smoking during pregnancy: independent associations with religious participation.
Data from a national health survey were used to test the hypothesis of a negative association of smoking in pregnancy and three measures of religious participation and importance. ⋯ The frequency of attendance at religious services, affiliation, and importance were independently inversely associated with smoking during pregnancy in American women. The strength of these associations varied among ethnic groups.
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Southern medical journal · Jul 2008
Physician discussion about social activities in primary care encounters with older adults.
Involvement in social activities is linked to positive health outcomes. This study focused on the prevalence of social activity discussions during the primary care medical encounter, and examined how patient, physician, and contextual factors were associated with discussions between physicians and older patients. ⋯ Results support the inclusion of discussion and counseling about social activities in medical encounters with older patients. Family physicians will likely experience improved patient satisfaction, and geriatric patients can potentially reap health benefits that improve both quality of life and medical outcomes. Additional research is needed to understand more fully the correlates and benefits of social activity discussion during the medical encounter.