Implementation of a Research Participant Satisfaction Survey at an Academic Medical Center.

This descriptive case study covers the development of a survey to assess research subject satisfaction among those participating in clinical research studies at an academic medical center (AMC). The purpose was twofold: to gauge the effectiveness of the survey, as well as to determine the level of satisfaction of the research participants. The authors developed and implemented an electronic research participant satisfaction survey.

Clinical utility of a brief screen for health literacy and numeracy among adults with diabetes mellitus.

Background And Objectives: Our objectives were to (1) compare Newest Vital Sign (NVS) scores and administration characteristics with the short (S) version of the Test of Functional Health Literacy in Adults (S-TOFHLA) and Spoken Knowledge in Low-Literacy Diabetes (SKILLD) tool and (2) gather information from research assistants (RAs) regarding their perceptions of patient understanding of NVS items.

Methods: Adults, age ? 18 years, with diabetes mellitus visiting a primary care clinic were recruited to participate. An RA orally administered a sociodemographic questionnaire.

Terminology matters: patient understanding of "opioids" and "narcotics".

Background:  The terms "opioid" and "narcotic" are often used interchangeably by healthcare providers. The purpose of this study was to compare understanding "narcotics" vs. "opioids.

A validation study of the spoken knowledge in low literacy in diabetes scale (SKILLD).

Background: In 2005 the Spoken Knowledge in Low Literacy in Diabetes scale (SKILLD) was introduced as a diabetes knowledge test. The SKILLD has not been validated since its introduction.

Objective: To perform a validation analysis on the SKILLD.

Randomized, open-label, parallel-group evaluations of basal-bolus therapy versus insulin lispro premixed therapy in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus failing to achieve control with starter insulin treatment and continuing oral antihyperglycemic drugs: a noninferiority intensification substudy of the DURABLE trial.

Background: Insulin glargine and lispro mix 75/25 (75% insulin lispro protamine suspension and 25% insulin lispro injection [LM75/25]) represent 2 common starter insulin regimen classes: basal and premixed. After initiation of starter insulin therapy, if patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM) are unable to achieve a glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c) level <7.0%, insulin intensification may be indicated.

Screening questions to predict limited health literacy: a cross-sectional study of patients with diabetes mellitus.

Purpose: Limited health literacy is increasingly recognized as a barrier to receiving adequate health care. Identifying patients at risk of poor health outcomes secondary to limited health literacy is currently the responsibility of clinicians. Our objective was to identify which screening questions and demographics independently predict limited health literacy and could thus help clinicians individualize their patient education.

Finding truth from the medical literature: how to critically evaluate an article.

With Internet access available to all, patients are increasingly gaining access to medical information, and then looking to their primary care physician for interpretation. Physicians encounter an "information jungle"--there were 682,121 articles recorded in PubMed in 2005. If clinicians read two articles per day, in 1 year they would be over nine centuries behind in their reading! Although several excellent services that sift and critically assess medical literature are available to physicians, they are not helpful when a patient brings in the latest article.

An introduction to evidence-based medicine.

Incorporation EBM into one's practice will not only make one a better clinician, it also allows one to provide the best possible quality of medical care to his or her patients. Becoming a medical information master is a task that all can learn [8,9]. In a primary care specialty that, by definition, is broad in scope, and with the seemingly overwhelming amount of medical literature that is produced on a daily basis, this task is essential.

Teaching the outstanding medical learner.

Medical students and residents are typically prescribed a standardized curriculum. Learners who have difficultly meeting requirements of this curriculum often require extra attention and an individualized program of remediation. Outstanding medical learners, on the other hand, are rarely given an individualized learning program, even if they can easily master the standardized curriculum.

Management of the acute migraine headache.

As many as 30 million Americans have migraine headaches. The impact on patients and their families can be tremendous, and treatment of migraines can present diagnostic and therapeutic challenges for family physicians. Abortive treatment options include nonspecific and migraine-specific therapy.

The other half of the whole: teaching patients to communicate with physicians.

Background And Objectives: A wide body of research suggests that the nature of communication between patients and physicians is strongly related to health outcomes. Interventions that involve teaching patients to communicate with physicians are important to assess in this context.

Methods: We conducted a review of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) in the outpatient setting from 1975 to 2000.