Annals of family medicine
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Annals of family medicine · Jan 2010
Randomized Controlled TrialSuicide inquiry in primary care: creating context, inquiring, and following up.
We wanted to describe the vocabulary and narrative context of primary care physicians' inquiries about suicide. ⋯ Although most suicide inquiries by primary care physicians are sensitive, clear, and supportive, some language is used that may inhibit suicide disclosure. Some physician responses may unintentionally reinforce patients for remaining silent about their risk. This study will inform future research in the development of quality improvement interventions to support primary care physicians in making clear, appropriate, and sensitive inquires about suicide.
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Annals of family medicine · Jan 2010
Effect of facilitation on practice outcomes in the National Demonstration Project model of the patient-centered medical home.
The objective of this study was to elucidate the effect of facilitation on practice outcomes in the 2-year patient-centered medical home (PCMH) National Demonstration Project (NDP) intervention, and to describe practices' experience in implementing different components of the NDP model of the PCMH. ⋯ Highly motivated practices can implement many components of the PCMH in 2 years, but apparently at a cost of diminishing the patient's experience of care. Intense facilitation increases the number of components implemented and improves practices' adaptive reserve. Longer follow-up is needed to assess the sustained and evolving effects of moving independent practices toward PCMHs.
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Annals of family medicine · Jan 2010
Whose job is it anyway? Swedish general practitioners' perception of their responsibility for the patient's drug list.
Information about the patient's current drug list is a prerequisite for safe drug prescribing. The aim of this study was to explore general practitioners' (GPs) understandings of who is responsible for the patient's drug list so that drugs prescribed by different physicians do not interact negatively or even cause harm. The study also sought to clarify how this responsibility was managed. ⋯ The understanding of the GP's responsibility for the patient's drug list varied, which may be a threat to safe patient care. We propose that GPs are made aware of variations in understanding responsibility so that health care quality can be improved.
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Annals of family medicine · Jan 2010
Vitamin D, race, and cardiovascular mortality: findings from a national US sample.
Findings are conflicting about the relationship between vitamin D levels and cardiovascular mortality. We wanted to determine the contribution of vitamin D levels to black-white disparities in cardiovascular mortality. ⋯ Low serum levels of 25(OH)D are associated with increased cardiovascular mortality in a nationally representative US sample. Black-white differences in 25(OH)D levels may contribute to excess cardiovascular mortality in blacks. Interventional trials among persons with low vitamin D levels are needed to determine whether oral supplementation improves cardiovascular outcomes.
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Annals of family medicine · Jan 2010
Patient outcomes at 26 months in the patient-centered medical home National Demonstration Project.
The purpose of this study was to evaluate patient outcomes in the National Demonstration Project (NDP) of practices' transition to patient-centered medical homes (PCMHs). ⋯ After slightly more than 2 years, implementation of PCMH components, whether by facilitation or practice self-direction, was associated with small improvements in condition-specific quality of care but not patient experience. PCMH models that call for practice change without altering the broader delivery system may not achieve their intended results, at least in the short term.