Journal of general internal medicine
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Prostate cancer screening (PCS) is controversial. Ideally, patients should understand the risks and benefits of screening before undergoing PSA testing. This study assessed whether primary care physicians routinely discuss PCS and explored the barriers to and facilitators of these discussions. ⋯ PCS discussions sometimes do not occur. Important barriers to discussion are inadequate time for health maintenance, physician forgetfulness, and patient characteristics. Future research should explore using educational and decision support interventions to involve more patients in PCS decisions.
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Although frequent contacts with health care systems may represent more opportunities to receive preventive services, excess body weight has been linked to decreased access to preventive services and quality of care. ⋯ These first data from SHARE did not suggest that overweight or obesity were associated with decreased use of preventive services.
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African-American women are disproportionately affected by obesity. Weight loss can occur, but maintenance is rare. Little is known about weight loss maintenance in African-American women. ⋯ A weight loss questionnaire for African Americans should include questions regarding social support in weight maintenance, the importance of hair management during exercise, the influence of cultural norms on weight and food consumption, and concerns about being perceived as too thin or sick when weight is lost.
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We investigated the association of process of care measures with adverse limb and systemic events in patients with peripheral arterial disease (PAD). ⋯ Our data suggest that glucose control is key to reducing the risk for adverse outcomes, particularly limb events in African Americans. Certain process of care measures, as markers of disease severity and disease management, are associated with poor outcomes in patients with PAD. Further work is needed to determine the role of early disease intervention to reduce poor outcomes in patients with PAD.
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Homeless people face many barriers to obtaining health care, and their attitudes toward seeking health care services may be shaped in part by previous encounters with health care providers. ⋯ Homeless people's perceptions of welcomeness and unwelcomeness are an important aspect of their encounters with health care providers. Buber's "I-It" and "I-You" concepts are potentially useful aids to health care providers who wish to understand how welcoming and unwelcoming interactions are fostered.