Provider Variation in Antibiotic Prescribing and Outcomes of Respiratory Tract Infections.

Objectives: Inappropriate antibiotic use for respiratory tract infection (RTI) is an ongoing problem linked to the emergence of drug resistance and other adverse effects. Less is known about the prescribing practices of individual physicians or the impact of physician prescribing habits on patient outcomes. We studied the prescribing practices of providers for acute RTIs in an integrated health system, identified patient factors associated with receipt of an antibiotic and assessed the relation between providers' adjusted prescribing rates and a number of patient outcomes.

Disparities in knowledge of heart attack and stroke symptoms among adult men: an analysis of behavioral risk factor surveillance survey data.

Context: The staggering burden of myocardial infarction and stroke in men and for men of African-American descent in particular provided the impetus for this study. Morbidity and mortality from these vascular disorders can be reduced by early treatment, which requires correct prehospital identification of symptoms.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to assess current knowledge of myocardial infarction and stroke symptoms and to examine if there were disparities in knowledge of these among U.

Adolescent daily cigarette smoking: is rural residency a risk factor?

Introduction: Daily cigarette smoking among US adolescents remains a significant public health problem. Understanding risk is important in order to develop strategies to reduce this type of tobacco use.

Purpose: The primary objective of this research was to examine whether rural residency is an independent risk factor for being a daily smoker among adolescents ages 12 to 18 years.