The Journal of family practice
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Comparative Study
Racial differentials in the identification of hypercholesterolemia.
African Americans have higher rates of cardiovascular disease than white Americans. To address this differential, barriers to cardiovascular risk reduction need to be identified. This study examines the association of race with the likelihood of screening for and diagnosis of hypercholesterolemia. ⋯ Our data suggest that provider behavior in diagnosing hypercholesterolemia varies by the race of the patient.
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The Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 prohibits discrimination against persons with disabilities in employment, government services, public accommodations, public transportation, and telecommunications. This article reviews the impact of the law on the practice of family physicians. ⋯ The law provides that persons with disabilities will have equal access to medical care, through prohibiting discrimination based on disability and through the design and construction of medical offices. The law requires physicians who are covered by the law to make reasonable accommodations so that qualified employees and applicants can perform the essential functions of a job.
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Ethics consultation is a relatively new service in clinical medicine. Most such services have been developed in departments of internal medicine. Few studies have evaluated the results of such consultations, and none have examined whether a family practice perspective enhances the consultation process. ⋯ It is feasible to establish an ethics consultation service within a department of family medicine in a university hospital and to provide consultations to physicians in other specialties.