Patient preferences: do they contribute to healthcare disparities?

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of race on whether or not a patient would accept an invasive cardiac procedure when referred by a physician.

Methods: A retrospective longitudinal review of medical records at a public health hospital in southeastern Louisiana was conducted to determine cardiovascular patient acceptance/ rejection differences. Patient charts were examined using specific indicators (type of pain, laboratory values, blood pressure, and radiographic tests) to determine which patients were eligible to be referred.

Physician bias: does it occur at teaching hospitals that serve a majority of African American patients?

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to examine physician bias when patients present with cardiovascular disease in a teaching hospital that treats a majority of African American patients. Physician bias was deemed to occur when cardiovascular disease patients did not receive an invasive procedure when needed.

Methods: The hospital in the study was a teaching facility in southeastern Louisiana.

Religious beliefs, practices and treatment adherence among individuals with HIV in the southern United States.

Nonadherence with medical treatment is a critical threat to the health of those living with HIV disease. Unfortunately the search for explanatory factors for nonadherence is still not fully developed, particularly in the area of religion and spirituality. Extant literature suggests that church attendance, religious practices and spiritual beliefs may improve health and generally benefit patients.

State, heal thy physicians: an assessment of the Louisiana Natural Death Act.

In our society, state governments have the major role in regulating physician behavior and actions related to end-of-life decision making. However, in the current confusing and conflicted legal environment, how well are state governments doing with this serious responsibility? The authors of this article report the results of the first statewide survey of Louisiana physicians regarding their knowledge of and compliance with specific parts of one state government's attempt to regulate end-of-life decision making: the Louisiana Natural Death Act (LNDA). Physician respondents were asked to indicate their level of familiarity with the LNDA and several questions examined physician compliance with specific sections contained in the statute.

The effect of race and gender on invasive treatment for cardiovascular disease.

The purpose of this study was to investigate racial and gender differences in the utilization of invasive procedures for cardiovascular treatment. Medical records data of 3015 patients were abstracted from a Medical System Database from 1999 to 2001. Logit models were used to estimate the adjusted odds in the utilization, referral, and acceptance of invasive procedures, while controllingfor confounders (age, race, sex, comorbidity, disease severity, payer type, marital status and family history) simultaneously.