Journal of general internal medicine
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Percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) is performed in many patients with stable coronary artery disease, despite evidence of little clinical benefit over optimal medical therapy. ⋯ The widespread use of PCI in patients with stable coronary artery disease--despite evidence of little benefit in outcomes over medical therapy--may in part be due to psychological and emotional factors leading to a cascade effect wherein testing leads inevitably to PCI. Determining how to help physicians better incorporate evidence-based medicine into decision-making has important implications for patient outcomes and the optimal use of new technologies.
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Multicenter Study
Literacy, social stigma, and HIV medication adherence.
Prior studies have linked limited literacy to poorer HIV medication adherence, although the precise causal pathways of this relationship have only been initially investigated. ⋯ While low literacy was a significant risk factor for improper adherence to HIV medication regimens in our study, perceived social stigma mediated this relationship. Low literacy HIV intervention strategies may also need to incorporate more comprehensive psychosocial approaches to overcome stigma barriers.
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Assessment of authorship contribution is often based on unreliable questionnaires. ⋯ Ordinal scales for reporting authors' contributions to manuscripts were more sensitive than tick boxes for assessing the appropriateness of authorship. The exception is "Final approval of the article," which should be considered a dichotomous variable and may not be appropriate for the ICMJE definition of authorship.
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There are limited data describing how pre-existing heart failure affects mortality following pneumonia. ⋯ History and severity of heart failure are associated with a poor outcome for patients hospitalized with pneumonia.
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The risk of adverse events among alcohol-interactive medication users can occur with one standard alcoholic drink. Research on the extent to which this occurs is scant. ⋯ Combining alcohol and AI medications is a common phenomenon, and the risk of alcohol-related adverse drug events may be nontrivial. Screening for alcohol use before prescribing AI medications would be prudent. Better communication regarding the dangers of mixing alcohol with AI medications is warranted.