The self-administered patient satisfaction scale for primary hip and knee arthroplasty.

Introduction. The objective of this study was to develop a short self-report questionnaire for evaluating patient satisfaction with the outcome of hip and knee replacement surgery. Methods.

Screening for low literacy in a rheumatology setting: more than 10% of patients cannot read "cartilage," "diagnosis," "rheumatologist," or "symptom".

Objectives: The objectives of the study were to analyze literacy in 194 consecutive patients at an academic rheumatology setting with the Rapid Estimate of Adult Literacy in Medicine (REALM) and an "Arthritis-Adapted" REALM (A-REALM), and to compare responses to one another and to demographic and clinical measures.

Methods: The REALM and A-REALM are two 66-item word recognition tests. Both were administered to 194 consecutive patients in usual rheumatology care.

A controlled trial of a novel primary prevention program for Lyme disease and other tick-borne illnesses.

To evaluate a theory-based educational program to prevent Lyme disease and other tick-borne illnesses (TBI), a randomized controlled trial of an educational program was delivered to ferry passengers traveling to an endemic area in southeastern Massachusetts. Rates of TBI and precautionary and tick check behaviors were measured over three summers in 30,164 passengers. There were lower rates of TBI among participants receiving TBI education compared with control participants receiving bicycle safety education (relative risk [RR] = 0.

Strategies for primary and secondary prevention of Lyme disease.

Lyme disease (borreliosis) incidence continues to increase despite a growing knowledge of primary and secondary prevention strategies. Primary prevention aims to reduce the risk of tick exposure and thereby decrease the incidence of new Lyme disease cases. Secondary prevention targets the development of disease or reduces disease severity among people who have been bitten by infected ticks.

Comprehension of information in three direct-to-consumer television prescription drug advertisements among adults with limited literacy.

Direct-to-consumer (DTC) television advertisements present a number of facts about prescription drug risks and benefits in a brief time. This study assessed comprehension of information in three advertisements among 50 adults with limited literacy. Participants correctly answered an average of 59% of comprehension questions.