Journal of general internal medicine
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To assess the content and extent of HIV risk assessment by primary care physicians across a diverse panel of patients with unidentified HIV risk behaviors. ⋯ Our data suggest that primary care physicians do not routinely perform HIV risk assessments with patients who have risk behaviors for HIV infection. Methods are needed to develop, standardize, and disseminate better screening techniques to identify patients with or at risk of developing HIV infection, such as written HIV risk screening questions for use in medical intake forms.
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To assess the level of involvement patients want in decision making related to the acceptance or rejection of an invasive medical intervention and whether their preference for decision making is related to their preference for qualitative (verbal) or quantitative (numeric) information about the risks of the procedure. ⋯ Male veterans consistently preferred shared patient-physician decision making in the context of invasive medical interventions.
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To evaluate whether laxatives and fiber therapies improve symptoms and bowel movement frequency in adults with chronic constipation. ⋯ Both fiber and laxatives modestly improved bowel movement frequency in adults with chronic constipation. There was inadequate evidence to establish whether fiber was superior to laxatives or one laxative class was superior to another.
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To document the prevalence of tuberculosis (TB) skin test positivity among homeless adults in Los Angeles and determine whether certain characteristics of homelessness were risk factors for TB. ⋯ Homeless adults living in congested inner-city areas are at high risk of both latent and active TB. Endemic risk factors and limited access to medical care support the need for aggressive treatment of active TB cases and innovative programs to ensure completion of prophylactic regimens by homeless individuals with latent infection.