Journal of general internal medicine
-
Patient knowledge about the purpose of medications is crucial to ensure safe and correct use, so it is an important index of adherence in patients with chronic illness. ⋯ Our findings establish the role of health literacy in medication taking, in relation to broader cognitive abilities and knowledge. Implications for improving the learning of medication purpose among diverse older adults with chronic illness are discussed.
-
Rigorous evidence about the broad range of harms that might be experienced by a patient in the course of testing and treatment is sparse. We aimed to generate recommendations for how researchers might more comprehensively evaluate potential harms of healthcare interventions, to allow clinicians and patients to better include this evidence in clinical decision-making. We propose seven domains of harms of tests and treatments that are relevant to patients: (1) physical impairment, (2) psychological distress, (3) social disruption, (4) disruption in connection to healthcare, (5) labeling, (6) financial impact, and (7) treatment burden. ⋯ Although some new measures may be needed, diverse data and tools are available to allow the assessment of harms comprehensively across these domains. We encourage researchers to evaluate harms in sub-populations, since the harms experienced may differ importantly by demographics, social determinants, presence of comorbid illness, psychological state, and other characteristics. Regulators, funders, and editors might require either assessment or reporting of harms in each domain or require justification for inclusion and exclusion of different domains.
-
A longstanding gender gap exists in the retention of women in academic medicine. Several strategies have been suggested to promote the retention of women, but there are limited data on impacts of interventions. ⋯ Our findings suggest that institutional factors such as support for work-life integration, fair and transparent policies, and meaningful mentorship opportunities appear impactful in the retention of women in academic medicine.
-
Alcohol use disorder (AUD) imposes a high mortality and economic burden. Effective treatment is available, though underutilized. ⋯ Medications for AUD are infrequently prescribed, but there is considerable variation among PCPs. Increasing the use of pharmacotherapy by non-prescribers may increase abstinence from alcohol.