OBJECTIVE To examine recent studies on the effect of mobile and electronic (ME)-health technology on adherence to acne treatment. BACKGROUND With emerging use of ME-health technology, there is a growing interest in evaluating the effectiveness of the tools on medication adherence. Examples of ME-health technology-based tools include text message-based pill reminders and Web-based patient educ...

OBJECTIVE To describe persistence to newly prescribed antidepressant medications within the Rhode Island Medicaid population. METHODS This retrospective study analyzed antidepressant medication persistence in a cohort of new users for a period spanning 2013-2014, focusing on the acute treatment phase (first 12 weeks of treatment). Covariates assessed included patient gender, age, comorbidity ...

BACKGROUND Colorectal cancer (CRC) is a leading cause of cancer death, reducible by screening and early diagnosis, yet many patients fail to receive recommended screening. As part of an academic improvement collaborative, 25 primary care practices worked to improve CRC screening and diagnosis. METHODS The project featured triannual learning sessions, monthly conference calls, practice coach s...

BACKGROUND There is considerable regional variation in Medicare outpatient visit rates; such variations may be the consequence of patient health, race/ethnicity differences, patient preferences, or physician supply and beliefs about the efficacy of frequently scheduled visits. OBJECTIVE The objective of the study was to test associations between varying regional Medicare outpatient visit rate...

PHYSICIANS SHOULD CREATE COLlaborative partnerships with patients (and families) in which clinical decisions are made using the best available evidence, consistent with patients’ values, goals, and capabilities. However, this ideal is rarely achieved. Physicians typically spend less than 1 minute out of a 20-minute visit discussing treatment and planning. Informed decision making occurs in only...

BACKGROUND Interpersonal aspects of care, such as the communication behaviors of physicians, are often cited as central to patients' decisions to initiate malpractice litigation. Relatively little is known, however, about the impact of the communication behaviors of surgeons. In the current study, we investigated the relationship between judgments of surgeons' voice tone and their malpractice c...

OBJECTIVE To determine the effect of continuous acupressure at P6 applied by Sea-Bands with acupressure buttons on the frequency and severity of nausea and vomiting of pregnancy during the 1 st trimester. DESIGN A two-group, quasi-experimental, posttest-only and posttest-repeated measure. SETTING Seventeen medical clinics or offices in southern Michigan. PARTICIPANTS Convenience sample of...

INTRODUCTION Patients with diabetes type2 should receive regular medical care. We aimed at investigating the association between the number of office visits and improvement of their cardiovascular-risk factors. METHODS Four hundred and ninety patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus who were followed in a tertiary center were enrolled in this longitudinal study. The minimum follow up period was...

OBJECTIVE To assess whether increasing enrollment in State Children's Health Insurance Programs (S-CHIPs) has an impact on the number of office physicians participating in Medicaid and the extent of their participation. Effects are measured for a freestanding S-CHIP program with an open provider panel and an S-CHIP program that uses the state's Medicaid provider panel. DATA SOURCES Children's...

BACKGROUND & AIMS Satisfaction with care is an important measure of quality, from the patients' perspective, and could also affect outcomes. However, there is no standard measure of patient satisfaction for irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) care; a multi-item, condition-specific instrument is needed. METHODS Using standard qualitative methods, we conducted focus groups to identify items that pat...