Barriers and facilitators to nurse-led advance care planning and palliative care practice change in primary healthcare: a qualitative study.

Primary care settings are ideal for initiating advance care planning (ACP) conversations and assessing palliative and supportive care needs. However, time constraints and a lack of confidence to sensitively and efficiently initiate such discussions are noted barriers. The Advance Project implemented a national multicomponent training package to support Australian general practice nurses (GPNs) to work with GPs to initiate ACP and palliative care conversations in their practice.

Comparison of Alcohol Use Disorder Screens During College Athlete Pre-Participation Evaluations.

Background And Objectives: The US Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) recommends screening adults for alcohol misuse, a challenge among young adults who may not have regular primary care. The pre-participation evaluation (PPE) provides an opportunity for screening, but traditional screening tools require extra time in an already busy visit. The objective of this study was to compare the 10-item Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT) with a single-question alcohol misuse screen in a population of college-aged athletes.

International Health Experiences in Family Medicine Residency Training.

Background And Objectives: International health experiences (IHEs) have been associated with improved clinical skills, altruistic attitudes, cross-cultural sensitivity, and exposure to community medicine for residents and medical students. Although an increasing number of family medicine residencies offer IHEs, there are currently no standardized competencies or guidelines for developing IHEs. The aim of this study was to examine the content of IHEs in order to provide an overview of the current landscape of global health training in family medicine residency programs.

Cost and Utilization: Hospitalized Patients on a Family Medicine Service.

Objectives: The cost of hospitalizations contributes to the rising expense of medical care in the United States. Providing health insurance to uninsured Americans is a strategy to reduce these costs, but only if costs for uninsured patients are disproportionately high. This study examined hospitalization use patterns for uninsured patients compared with those with Medicaid and commercial insurance.

Use of a Tablet-Based Risk Assessment Program to Improve Health Counseling and Patient-Provider Relationships in a Federally Qualified Health Center.

This study evaluates the impact of an interactive, tablet-based lifestyle behavior questionnaire prior to a patient's primary care visit on counseling for health behaviors and patient-provider relationships. Using a quasi-experimental design at 2 federally qualified health centers, adults aged 18 to 35 years were asked to complete a tablet-based assessment about nutrition, physical activity, weight, smoking status, and alcohol use to identify unhealthy behaviors and their desire to discuss them with their provider. In the intervention group, participants were more likely to trust their providers (83% vs 71%, P = .

Balint groups in family medicine residency programs: a follow-up study from 1990--2010.

Background And Objectives: Balint groups have been part of residency education for decades. This study updates our understanding of the organization, purpose, and leadership of Balint groups within US family medicine residency programs.

Methods: Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME)-approved family medicine residency training programs (n=453) were contacted to complete a questionnaire, similar to ones performed in 1990 and 2000.

Stressors and coping mechanisms associated with perceived stress in Latinos.

Objective: To evaluate the relationship between causes of perceived stress and the coping mechanisms used by Latino adults with perceived stress.

Design, Setting, Participants: This cross-sectional survey was conducted on a convenience sample of 200 Latino adults (aged ≥18 years). They were recruited from clinics, migrant camps, community events, and churches located in Charleston, S.

Discrepancies in cardiovascular disease risk calculation affect aspirin use recommendations in patients with diabetes.

Objectives: Aspirin is recommended for cardiovascular disease (CVD) prevention in patients who are at high risk for CVD. The objective of this study was to compare agreement between two American Diabetes Association-endorsed CVD risk calculators in identifying candidates for aspirin therapy.

Methods: Adult patients with diabetes mellitus (n = 238) were studied for 1 year in a family medicine clinic.