Development of a measure of physician engagement in addressing racial and ethnic health care disparities.

Objective: To develop a measure of physician engagement in addressing health care disparities.

Data Sources/study Design: Cross-sectional survey of a national sample of physicians assessing each hypothesized component of engagement (Awareness, Reflection/Empowerment, and Action [AREA]).

Data Collection/extraction Methods: Results examined using factorial analysis; predictive validity of final scale examined among highly engaged physicians.

Brief report: do patients with poor outcomes regret having had infrainguinal bypass surgery?

Background: Retrospection and hindsight bias may lead patients with bad outcomes to regret the choice of infrainguinal bypass surgery.

Objective: To assess patients' retrospective evaluations of surgery stratified by common criteria to judge surgical success. SURVEY DESIGN: Cross-sectional phone surveys of 33 patients, an average of 162 d following infrainguinal bypass surgery.

A comparison of patient and physician beliefs about infrainguinal bypass operation: what role should surgical optimism play?

Background: Risk and outcomes of infrainguinal bypass operation vary by identifiable patient characteristics. Previously, we found that although patients appear willing to undertake considerable risk, they may have unrealistic expectations for operative benefits. Little is known about whether patients and physicians have similar beliefs regarding the risks and benefits of the operation.

Does stress reactivity or response to amphetamine predict smoking progression in young adults? A preliminary study.

Recent studies with laboratory animals indicate that a constellation of behavioral factors predict progression to self-administer drugs. Relatively little is known about behavioral or biological factors that predict the progression in drug use from initial experimentation to regular use in human drug users. The present exploratory study examined reactivity to an acute stressor and reactivity to a single dose of a dopaminergic drug as predictors in progression to heavier smoking in young cigarette smokers over a 6-month period.

Exploring patient preferences for infrainguinal bypass operation.

Background: Surgical risk and outcomes for patients undergoing infrainguinal bypass operation vary by identifiable patient characteristics, yet little is known about whether patients understand the risks, benefits, and alternatives to operation.

Study Design: Cross-sectional surveys administered to 50 patients undergoing infrainguinal bypass operation at one institution an average of 7 days (median 4 days) before operations.

Results: Most patients rated their health as fair or poor (53%) or good (35%), and the majority reported their vascular disease was associated with difficulty doing activities they enjoyed (71%), leg pain (86%), and difficulty walking (98%).