Journal of general internal medicine
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Randomized Controlled Trial
Delayed Visits for Contraception Due to Concerns Regarding Pelvic Examination Among Women with History of Intimate Partner Violence.
Concern regarding pelvic examinations may be more common among women experiencing intimate partner violence. ⋯ History of pressured sex from an intimate partner is common. Among women who have experienced pressured sex, concern regarding pelvic examinations is a potential barrier to contraception. Communicating that routine pelvic examinations are no longer recommended by professional societies could potentially reduce barriers and increase preventive healthcare visits.
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Randomized Controlled Trial
Text Messaging and Opt-out Mailed Outreach in Colorectal Cancer Screening: a Randomized Clinical Trial.
Routine screening reduces colorectal cancer mortality, but screening rates fall below national targets and are particularly low in underserved populations. ⋯ Serial text messaging with opt-out mailed FIT kit outreach can substantially improve colorectal cancer screening rates in an underserved population.
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Anabolic androgenic steroid (AAS) and performance-enhancing drug (PED) use is a prevalent medical issue, especially among men, with an estimated 2.9-4 million Americans using AAS in their lifetime. Prior studies of AAS use reveal an association with polycythemia, dyslipidemia, infertility, hypertension, left ventricular hypertrophy, and multiple behavioral disorders. AAS withdrawal syndrome, a state of depression, anhedonia, and sexual dysfunction after discontinuing AAS use, is a common barrier to successful cessation. ⋯ Medical education regarding the management of AAS use disorder is paramount to improving care of this currently underserved patient population. Management of these patients must be non-judgmental and focus on patient education, harm reduction, and support for cessation. The approach to harm reduction should be guided by the specific AAS/PEDs used.
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Randomized Controlled Trial
Hospital-Level Care at Home for Acutely Ill Adults: a Qualitative Evaluation of a Randomized Controlled Trial.
Substitutive hospital-level care in a patient's home ("home hospital") has been shown to lower cost, utilization, and readmission compared to traditional hospital care. However, patients' perspectives to help explain how and why interventions like home hospital accomplish many of these results are lacking. ⋯ Compared to control patients, home patients had better experiences with their care team, had more experiences promoting healing such as better sleep and physical activity, and had better experiences with systems factors such as the admission processes. Potential explanations include continuity of care, the power and familiarity of the home, and streamlined logistics. Future improvements include enhanced care transitions and ensuring digital interfaces are usable.