Assessment of patient and provider attitudes towards therapeutic drug monitoring to improve medication adherence in low-income patients with hypertension: a qualitative study.

Objectives: Previous studies have implicated therapeutic drug monitoring (TDM), by measuring serum or urine drug levels, as a highly reliable technique for detecting medication non-adherence but the attitudes of patients and physicians toward TDM have not been evaluated previously. Accordingly, we solicited input from patients with uncontrolled hypertension and their physicians about their views on TDM.

Design: Prospective analysis of responses to a set of questions during semistructured interviews.

Patient Preparation for Outpatient Blood Work and the Impact of Surreptitious Fasting on Diagnoses of Diabetes and Prediabetes.

Objective: To describe patient preparation for routine outpatient blood work and examine the implications of surreptitious fasting on interpretation of glucose results.

Patients And Methods: We designed a survey and administered it between September 1, 2016, and April 30, 2017, to assess fasting behaviors in a convenience sample of 526 adults presenting for outpatient blood work in 2 health systems between 7 am and 12 pm. We reviewed the electronic health records to extract glucose results.

Understanding Underuse of Advance Care Planning Among a Cohort of African American Patients With Advanced Cancer: Formative Research That Examines Gaps in Intent to Discuss Options for Care.

Background: Advance care planning (ACP), palliative care (PC), and hospice are often underutilized by African Americans (AAs). This study assessed the impact of stage of intent to discuss ACP options as key potential barriers.

Methods: We examined intent to discuss completion of ACP, PC, and hospice among 22 AA patients with cancer admitted to a local safety net hospital.

The Desires of Their Hearts: The Multidisciplinary Perspectives of African Americans on End-of-Life Care in the African American Community.

Background: Studies have identified racial differences in advance care planning and use of hospice for care at the end of life. Multiple reasons for underuse among African American patients and their families have been proposed and deserve further exploration.

Objective: The goal of this study was to examine perceptions of advance care planning, palliative care, and hospice among a diverse sample of African Americans with varying degrees of personal and professional experience with end-of-life care and use these responses to inform a culturally sensitive intervention to promote awareness of these options.