Validation of the Good Spirit, Good Life quality-of-life tool for older Aboriginal Australians.

Objective: Improving the quality of life (QoL) of older people is a key priority for governments, clinicians, researchers and service providers worldwide. However, the lack of culturally appropriate QoL tools for First Nations people is a major barrier to such efforts. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the psychometric properties of the Good Spirit, Good Life (GSGL) QoL tool for older Aboriginal Australians.

Good Spirit, Good Life: A Quality of Life Tool and Framework for Older Aboriginal Peoples.

Background And Objectives: The lack of appropriate quality of life (QoL) measures is a major barrier to planning and delivering health and aged care services for older Indigenous peoples worldwide. QoL is dependent on cultural values and priorities may vary between age groups. This project aims to develop a QoL tool for older Aboriginal Australians.

A Review of Continuous Quality Improvement Processes at Ten Medical Schools.

The Liaison Committee on Medical Education now expects all allopathic medical schools to develop and adhere to a documentable continuous quality improvement (CQI) process. Medical schools must consider how to establish a defensible process that monitors compliance with accreditation standards between site visits. The purpose of this descriptive study is to detail how ten schools in the Association of American Medical Colleges' (AAMC) Southern Group on Educational Affairs (SGEA) CQI Special Interest Group (SIG) are tackling practical issues of CQI development including establishing a CQI office, designating faculty and staff, charging a CQI committee, choosing software for data management, if schools are choosing formalized CQI models, and other considerations.

Blood culture-negative endocarditis presenting as altered mental status.

Blood culture-negative endocarditis (BCNE) is difficult to diagnose because one of the major criteria to raise suspicion for endocarditis, a positive blood culture, is absent. BCNE accounts for 2.5% to 31% of all cases of endocarditis.

Swollen toes.

A 15-month-old black male was brought to the pediatric emergency department by his grandmother because she was concerned about his 2 swollen big toes. The patient's grandmother said that the swelling began 36 hours prior and that her grandson's big toes had continued to increase in size. She denied trauma, bites, or unusual exposures and said that although her grandson had been fussier than usual that day, he was eating and drinking normally and had normal urine output.

5 Tips for Residents New to Teaching Medical Students.

This article was migrated. The article was marked as recommended. Graduating from medical school is a time of transition that is filled with many responsibilities and opportunities.

The experiences of orthopaedic and trauma nurses who have cared for adults with a learning disability.

Background: There is no published empirical research about the experiences of orthopaedic and trauma nurses who have cared for people with a learning disability. However, adults with a learning disability sustain more injuries, falls and accidents than the general population. Because of their increased health needs, there has been a corresponding increase in their numbers attending general/acute hospitals.

Training family medicine residents in HIV primary care: a national survey of program directors.

Background And Objectives: As the number of people living with HIV steadily increases, severe shortages in the HIV provider workforce in the United States are projected. With an increased emphasis on HIV education during residency, family physicians could play a major role in meeting this need.

Methods: A nationwide survey of family medicine residency program directors (PDs) was conducted to determine their attitudes toward training residents in HIV care.

STFM's National Clerkship Curriculum: CERA reveals impact, clerkship director needs.

Background And Objectives: Consistency is needed in family medicine clerkships nationwide. The Society of Teachers of Family Medicine's (STFM) National Clerkship Curriculum (NCC) and supporting NCC website have been developed to address this need. A survey was used to measure these tools' effect and guide future improvements.

Shots by STFM: value of immunization software to family medicine residency directors: a CERA study.

Background And Objectives: The Group on Immunization Education (GIE) of the Society of Teachers of Family Medicine (STFM) has developed Shots by STFM immunization software, which is available free of charge for a variety of platforms. It is routinely updated with the Center for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC's) most recent immunization schedules. Successful development and marketing of teaching resources requires periodic evaluation of their use and value to their target audience.

Health and turnover of working mothers after childbirth via the work-family interface: an analysis across time.

This study examined organizational levers that impact work-family experiences, participant health, and subsequent turnover. Using a sample of 179 women returning to full-time work 4 months after childbirth, we examined the associations of 3 job resources (job security, skill discretion, and schedule control) with work-to-family enrichment and the associations of 2 job demands (psychological requirements and nonstandard work schedules) with work-to-family conflict. Further, we considered subsequent impact of work-to-family conflict and enrichment on women's health (physical and mental health) 8 months after women returned to work and the impact of health on voluntary turnover 12 months after women returned to work.

Maternal depressive symptomatology: 16-month follow-up of infant and maternal health-related quality of life.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to document risk factors for depressive symptoms during the postpartum period among working mothers and to determine longitudinal effects of depressive symptoms on maternal health-related quality of life and infant health and development.

Methods: Mother-infant dyads from a community-based cohort study of working mothers were recruited when infants were 4 months old and were interviewed every 4 months until infants were 16 months old. Depressive symptoms and health-related quality of life were assessed using the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale and the Short Form-12 Health Survey, respectively.

Return to work, economic hardship, and women's postpartum health.

This study followed a sample of 217 new mothers in a North Carolina county as they returned to work full-time, measuring their mental and physical health-related quality of life through 16 months postpartum. In general, working mothers of infants had mental health scores that were comparable to the general population of U.S.

Clinical inquiries. What is the best approach to benign paroxysmal positional vertigo in the elderly?

A canalith repositioning maneuver (CRM), such as the Epley or Semont maneuver, should be the first-line treatment for benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV) in the elderly. Following the Epley maneuver with self-treatment at home using a modified Epley procedure improves outcomes. Postural restrictions are not necessary after CRM treatment.

Individual and job-related variation in infant feeding practices among working mothers.

Objective: To document working mothers' infant feeding practices and delineate factors that may shape infant feeding.

Methods: Cross-sectional data were obtained from a community sample of working women with 8-month old infants (n=199).

Results: Nearly all working mothers used commercially prepared foods like infant cereals, fruits, and vegetables.

Characteristics of mother-provider interactions surrounding postpartum return to work.

Background: Many mothers with infants work full-time, yet little is known about communication between women and health care providers regarding returning to work (RTW).

Methods: Survey data were obtained from a community-based sample of mothers returning to full-time employment within 4 months postpartum. Bivariate analyses (chi(2) and independent sample t tests) and multivariate logistic regressions were specified.

Impact of a multifaceted intervention on cholesterol management in primary care practices: guideline adherence for heart health randomized trial.

Background: Physician adherence to National Cholesterol Education Program clinical practice guidelines has been poor.

Methods: We recruited 68 primary care family and internal medicine practices; 66 were randomly allocated to a study arm; 5 practices withdrew, resulting in 29 receiving the Third Adult Treatment Panel (ATP III) intervention and 32 receiving an alternative intervention focused on the Seventh Report of the Joint National Committee on the Prevention, Detection, Evaluation, and Treatment of High Blood Pressure (JNC-7). The ATP III providers received a personal digital assistant providing the Framingham risk scores and ATP III-recommended treatment.

A multifaceted intervention to improve blood pressure control: The Guideline Adherence for Heart Health (GLAD) study.

Background: Although high blood pressure is associated with significant morbidity and mortality, the proportion reaching the goal blood pressures as outlined in the Seventh Report of the Joint National Committee on Prevention, Detection, Evaluation, Treatment of High Blood Pressure (JNC 7) is low. We conducted a randomized trial in primary care practices of a multifactorial intervention targeted to improve providers' adherence to hypertension guidelines.

Method: A total of 61 primary care practices in North Carolina were randomized to receive either a multifactorial intervention (guideline dissemination via a continuing medical education session, academic detailing sessions, audit and feedback on preintervention rates of adherence, and automated blood pressure machines) or an attention control of similar magnitude but targeted at a different guideline.

The impact of patient participation on physicians' information provision during a primary care medical interview.

This study investigated the impact of patients' participation on physicians' information provision during a primary care medical interview. When communicating with high-participation patients, physicians provided significantly more information overall, more information in response to patients' questions, and volunteered more information than when interacting with low-participation patients. The most significant differences with respect to volunteered information involved communication about treatment and tests or procedures.

Value of recruitment strategies used in a primary care practice-based trial.

Purpose: "Physicians-recruiting-physicians" is the preferred recruitment approach for practice-based research. However, yields are variable; and the approach can be costly and lead to biased, unrepresentative samples. We sought to explore the potential efficiency of alternative methods.