Journal of general internal medicine
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Comparative Study
Racial differences in attitudes toward innovative medical technology.
New medical technologies are used at different rates among whites and blacks. This variation may be partially explained by racial differences in patient innovativeness-the propensity of patients to adopt unfamiliar therapies. ⋯ Blacks and whites have differing attitudes toward medical innovation. These differences are associated with significant racial differences in response to particular health care technologies. These findings suggest potentially remediable causes for racial differences in the utilization of innovative medical technologies.
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Complementary medication is en vogue and an increasing number of patients consume herbal medicine without reporting their use to physicians. We report a case of iodine-induced hyperthyroidism due to the ingestion of a kelp-containing tea. A 39-year-old woman with multinodular goiter presented with typical signs of hyperthyroidism, which was confirmed by endocrine tests. ⋯ However, a detailed medical history revealed that she had been treated for a period of 4 weeks by a Chinese alternative practitioner with a herbal tea containing kelp because of her enlarged thyroid. The consumption of the tea was discontinued and an antithyroid drug therapy was initiated. Physicians should advise patients with underlying thyroid disease to avoid all complementary or alternative medications containing iodine.
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To improve pain management, the Veterans Health Administration launched the "Pain as the 5th Vital Sign" initiative in 1999, requiring a pain intensity rating (0 to 10) at all clinical encounters. ⋯ Routinely measuring pain by the 5th vital sign did not increase the quality of pain management. Patients with substantial pain documented by the 5th vital sign often had inadequate pain management.
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Many scholars have written about the historical underpinnings and likely consequences of African Americans distrust in health care, yet little research has been done to understand if and how this distrust affects African Americans' current views of the trustworthiness of physicians. ⋯ Unique factors contribute to trust and distrust in physicians among African-American patients. These factors should be considered in clinical practice to facilitate trust building and improve health care provided to African Americans.
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Comparative Study
Correlates of use of antifracture therapy in older women with low bone mineral density.
Guidelines exist for treatment of low bone mineral density (BMD). Little is known about patient characteristics associated with use of treatment. ⋯ Even when physicians of study participants were provided with DXA scan results, 70% of older high-functioning women with an indication for therapy did not start or remain on an antifracture therapy. Substantial room for improvement exists in fracture prevention following a diagnosis of low BMD-especially among women with a history of falls, prior fractures, and among black women.