Disparities in Shared Decision-Making Research and Practice: The Case for Black American Patients.

Objective: The extent of shared decision making (SDM) use in the care of Black patients is limited. We explored preferences, needs, and challenges of Black patients to enhance SDM offerings.

Methods: We performed interviews with 32 Black patients receiving type 2 diabetes care in safety-net primary care practices caring predominantly for Black people.

Systems-Based Practice in Chronic Pain Management.

Chronic pain is a significant public health concern. Care for patients with chronic pain is complex and involves many intersecting systems, policies, and procedures. Applying systems engineering concepts to chronic pain management opens the door to addressing a wide range of performance gaps through a structured, evidence-based approach.

Acceptability of Health Information Exchange and Patient Portal Use in Depression Care Among Underrepresented Patients.

Background: Depression is often untreated or undertreated, particularly among underrepresented groups, such as racial and ethnic minorities, and individuals of lower socioeconomic status. Electronic health information exchange (HIE) is a recommended practice to improve care coordination and encourage patient engagement in services, but it remains underutilized in depression care. Understanding factors affecting acceptance and adoption of this technology among underrepresented patient populations is needed to increase dissemination of HIE within mental health treatment.

Shared Decision Making in Primary Care Based Depression Treatment: Communication and Decision-Making Preferences Among an Underserved Patient Population.

Although depression is a significant public health issue, many individuals experiencing depressive symptoms are not effectively linked to treatment by their primary care provider, with underserved populations have disproportionately lower rates of engagement in depression care. Shared decision making (SDM) is an evidence-based health communication framework that can improve collaboration and optimize treatment for patients, but there is much unknown about how to translate SDM into primary care depression treatment among underserved communities. This study seeks to explore patients' experiences of SDM, and articulate communication and decision-making preferences among an underserved patient population receiving depression treatment in an urban, safety net primary care clinic.

Impact of Student-Run Clinics on Students' Attitudes Toward People Experiencing Homelessness.

Introduction: Student-run clinics can supplement medical education by exposing students to diverse clinical scenarios and collaborating with underresourced populations. We examined the impact of volunteering at THRIVE, a student-run bridge clinic located within sheltered housing for individuals with substance use disorder, on students' attitudes toward people experiencing homelessness (PEH).

Methods: This cohort study analyzed pre- and postsurvey matched responses from nonvolunteer and volunteer first-year medical students utilizing the Health Professional Attitudes Towards the Homeless (HPATHI) tool, totaled into three subcategories: Cynicism, Social Advocacy, and Personal Advocacy.

Clinical Practice Guidelines by the Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA), American Academy of Neurology (AAN), and American College of Rheumatology (ACR): 2020 Guidelines for the Prevention, Diagnosis and Treatment of Lyme Disease.

This evidence-based clinical practice guideline for the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of Lyme disease was developed by a multidisciplinary panel representing the Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA), the American Academy of Neurology (AAN), and the American College of Rheumatology (ACR). The scope of this guideline includes prevention of Lyme disease, and the diagnosis and treatment of Lyme disease presenting as erythema migrans, Lyme disease complicated by neurologic, cardiac, and rheumatologic manifestations, Eurasian manifestations of Lyme disease, and Lyme disease complicated by coinfection with other tick-borne pathogens. This guideline does not include comprehensive recommendations for babesiosis and tick-borne rickettsial infections, which are published in separate guidelines.

Clinical Practice Guidelines by the Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA), American Academy of Neurology (AAN), and American College of Rheumatology (ACR): 2020 Guidelines for the Prevention, Diagnosis and Treatment of Lyme Disease.

This evidence-based clinical practice guideline for the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of Lyme disease was developed by a multidisciplinary panel representing the Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA), the American Academy of Neurology (AAN), and the American College of Rheumatology (ACR). The scope of this guideline includes prevention of Lyme disease, and the diagnosis and treatment of Lyme disease presenting as erythema migrans, Lyme disease complicated by neurologic, cardiac, and rheumatologic manifestations, Eurasian manifestations of Lyme disease, and Lyme disease complicated by coinfection with other tick-borne pathogens. This guideline does not include comprehensive recommendations for babesiosis and tick-borne rickettsial infections, which are published in separate guidelines.

Clinical Practice Guidelines by the Infectious Diseases Society of America, American Academy of Neurology, and American College of Rheumatology: 2020 Guidelines for the Prevention, Diagnosis, and Treatment of Lyme Disease.

This evidence-based clinical practice guideline for the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of Lyme disease was developed by a multidisciplinary panel representing the Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA), the American Academy of Neurology (AAN), and the American College of Rheumatology (ACR). The scope of this guideline includes prevention of Lyme disease, and the diagnosis and treatment of Lyme disease presenting as erythema migrans, Lyme disease complicated by neurologic, cardiac, and rheumatologic manifestations, Eurasian manifestations of Lyme disease, and Lyme disease complicated by coinfection with other tick-borne pathogens. This guideline does not include comprehensive recommendations for babesiosis and tick-borne rickettsial infections, which are published in separate guidelines.

Impact of Human Papillomavirus Vaccination in Reducing Cancer.

Human papillomavirus (HPV) is a significant cause of global morbidity and mortality. A nonavalent HPV vaccine is widely available and recommended for routine use at 11 to 12 years old. Older teens and adults though age 45 years also could be offered vaccination.

What's New in Vaccine Science.

Today vaccines can provide immunity against and treatment of a growing number of diseases including noninfectious conditions. Vaccine science continues to evolve newer and safer ways to deliver prevention and treatment of infectious and noninfectious diseases. This includes new adjuvants to enhance immunogenicity; delivery systems to reduce pain and improve acceptability; a wider range of uses including preventing emerging infectious diseases, such as Zika virus and Ebola, treatment of chronic diseases, such as cancer, and autoimmune disorders; and repurposing of existing vaccines, such as bacillus Calmette-Guérin for novel therapies.

Sexual Health History: Techniques and Tips.

Family physicians should use a proactive, integrated, patient-centered approach to sexual health that includes, but is not limited to, disease identification and treatment. Successfully delivering positive, affirming, nonjudgmental sexual health care requires intentionally creating safe spaces for all patients. Physician and staff training could include identifying individual implicit bias around sexuality and sexual topics, adverse childhood experiences, and trauma-informed care.

The Accuracy of Trigger Tools to Detect Preventable Adverse Events in Primary Care: A Systematic Review.

Purpose: To understand the ability of trigger tools to detect preventable adverse events (pAEs) in the primary care outpatient setting using the Institute for Healthcare Improvement's (IHI) Outpatient Adverse Event Trigger Tool (IHI Tool).

Methods: The OVID MEDLINE and OVID MEDLINE In-process and non-Indexed citations databases were queried using controlled vocabulary and Medical Subject Headings related to the concepts "primary care" and "adverse events." Included articles were conducted in the outpatient setting, used at least 1 of the triggers identified in the IHI Tool, and identified pAEs of any type.

Improving Patient Safety: Improving Communication.

Communication among physicians, staff, and patients is a critical element in patient safety. Effective communication skills can be taught and improved through training and awareness. The practice of family medicine allows for long-term relationships with patients, which affords opportunities for ongoing, high-quality communication.

Improving Patient Safety: Prevention of Hospital Readmission.

Identifying and preventing avoidable hospital admissions have become cornerstone quality metrics that influence reimbursement and provision of quality care. Many initiatives focus on improving communication with other clinicians and patients, coordinating care after discharge, and improving care quality during the initial admission to prevent future readmissions. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services define a readmission as an admission to any acute care hospital for any reason within 30 days of discharge from an acute care hospital.

Improving Patient Safety: Care Transitions.

Care transitions are times of high risk of harm to patients. The transition from hospital care to outpatient care is perhaps the most well-studied transition and is encountered commonly in the family medicine setting. For discharge transitions, several hospital-based interventions for patients with major diagnoses have resulted in improvements in readmission rates, costs, and patient satisfaction.