Development of a Scale to Assess Physician Advance Care Planning Self-Efficacy.

Background: Although patients prefer that physicians initiate advance care planning (ACP) conversations, few physicians regularly do so. Physicians may be reluctant to initiate ACP conversations because they lack self-efficacy in their skills. Yet, no validated scale on self-efficacy for ACP exists.

The assessment and treatment of back and neck pain: an initial investigation in a primary care practice-based research network.

Aim: The purpose of this study was to conduct an exploratory examination of the current state of non-malignant acute and chronic back and neck pain assessment and management among primary care providers in a multi-site, practice-based research network.

Background: Acute and chronic pain are distinct conditions that often require different assessment and management approaches, however, little research has examined assessment and management of acute and chronic pain as separate conditions. The large majority of patients with acute and chronic back and neck pain are managed in primary care settings.

Physician activities during time out of the examination room.

Purpose: Comprehensive medical care requires direct physician-patient contact, other office-based medical activities, and medical care outside of the office. This study was a systematic investigation of family physician office-based activities outside of the examination room.

Methods: In the summer of 2000, 6 medical students directly observed and recorded the office-based activities of 27 northeastern Ohio community-based family physicians during 1 practice day.

Discussing spirituality with patients: a rational and ethical approach.

Background: This study was undertaken to determine when patients feel that physician inquiry about spirituality or religious beliefs is appropriate, reasons why they want their physicians to know about their spiritual beliefs, and what they want physicians to do with this information.

Methods: Trained research assistants administered a questionnaire to a convenience sample of consenting patients and accompanying adults in the waiting rooms of 4 family practice residency training sites and 1 private group practice in northeastern Ohio. Demographic information, the SF-12 Health Survey, and participant ratings of appropriate situations, reasons, and expectations for physician discussions of spirituality or religious beliefs were obtained.

Stages of change analysis of smokers attending clinics for the medically underserved.

Objective: To determine whether smokers at clinics providing care for the medically underserved can be characterized according to the transtheoretical stages of change model.

Study Design: Prospective, descriptive study.

Population: Smokers in the waiting rooms of clinics providing care for the medically underserved.