Journal of general internal medicine
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Editorial Comment
Barriers to postfracture osteoporosis care in postmenopausal women.
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To determine patient preferences for addressing religion and spirituality in the medical encounter. ⋯ Physicians should be aware that a substantial minority of patients desire spiritual interaction in routine office visits. When asked about specific prayer behaviors across a range of clinical scenarios, patient desire for spiritual interaction increased with increasing severity of illness setting and decreased when referring to more-intense spiritual interactions. For most patients, the routine office visit may not be the optimal setting for a physician-patient spiritual dialog.
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Primarily because of immigration, Asian Americans are one of the fastest growing and most ethnically diverse minority groups in the United States. However, little is known about their perspectives on health care quality. ⋯ Cultural and linguistically appropriate health care services may lead to improved health care quality for Asian-American patients who have limited English language skills. Important aspects of quality include providers' respect for traditional health beliefs and practices, access to professional interpreters, and assistance in obtaining social services.
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To evaluate the pattern of osteoporosis evaluation and management in postmenopausal women who present with low-impact (minimal trauma) fracture. ⋯ Despite guidelines that recommend osteoporosis evaluation in adults experiencing a low-trauma fracture, we report that postmenopausal women hospitalized for low-impact fracture were not sufficiently evaluated or treated for osteoporosis during or after their hospital stay. There are substantial opportunities for improvement of care in this high-risk population to prevent subsequent fractures.