Preventive medicine
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Preventive medicine · Nov 2021
EditorialBehavior change, health, and health disparities 2021: Rural addiction and health.
This Special Issue of Preventive Medicine (PM) is the 8th in a series on behavior change, health, and health disparities. This is a topic of critical importance to improving U. S. population health. ⋯ As in prior Special Issues in this series, we devote considerable space to the ongoing U. S. opioid epidemic while also examining selected issues in rural health disparities involving tobacco use, cancer, and cardiovascular disease. Across each of these topics we have recruited contributions from accomplished investigators, clinicians, and policymakers to acquaint readers with recent advances while also noting knowledge gaps and unresolved challenges.
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Preventive medicine · Apr 2021
EditorialDying at home of Covid-19: Meeting the need for home-based care.
Despite the increased burden of Covid-19 on older adults, ethical and public health frameworks lack adequate guidance for elderly patients who manage severe, even fatal, illness at home. The U. S. ⋯ Older patients are more susceptible to experiencing severe illness at home from which they may not recover; and if they do seek medical care, they tend to suffer worse outcomes than younger patients in intensive care settings. Given their likelihood of severe illness, worse outcomes in intensive care settings, and potential difficulty accessing resources, frail, disabled, and otherwise vulnerable older patients may face Covid-19 at home without adequate resources, information, or support for home-based care. This editorial proposes three approaches to prevent needless suffering and ensure that this vulnerable population continues to receive needed care.