Background And Objectives: Children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) continue to experience significant delays in diagnosis and interventions. One of the main factors contributing to this delay is a shortage of developmental-behavioral specialists. Diagnostic evaluation of ASD by primary care pediatricians (PCPs) has been shown to be reliable and to decrease the interval from first concern to diagnosis. In this paper, we present the results of a primary care ASD diagnosis program in which the PCP serves as the primary diagnostician and leverages the infrastructure of the primary care medical home to support the child and family during the pre- and post-diagnostic periods, along with data on parental satisfaction with this model.
Methods: Retrospective data from a cohort of patients evaluated through this program were analyzed to determine the mean age at diagnosis and interval from referral for evaluation to diagnosis. We used survey methodology to obtain data from parents regarding their satisfaction with the process.
Results: Data from 8 of 20 children evaluated from April 2021 through May 2022 showed a median age of diagnosis of 34.5 months compared to the national average of 49 months. Mean interval from referral for evaluation to diagnosis was 3.5 months. Parental survey responses indicated high satisfaction.
Conclusions: This model was successful in shortening the interval from referral to diagnosis resulting in significant decrease of age at diagnosis compared with the national average. Widespread implementation could improve access to timely diagnostic services and improve outcomes for children with ASD.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/21501319241247997 | DOI Listing |
Ann Intern Med
January 2025
Department of Epidemiology and Welch Center for Prevention, Epidemiology, and Clinical Research, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore; and Department of Pediatrics, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland (T.M.B.).
Background: Guidelines emphasize quiet settings for blood pressure (BP) measurement.
Objective: To determine the effect of noise and public environment on BP readings.
Design: Randomized crossover trial of adults in Baltimore, Maryland.
J Med Internet Res
January 2025
NOCD, Inc, Chicago, IL, United States.
Background: An effective primary treatment for obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) in children and adolescents as well as adults is exposure and response prevention (ERP), a form of intervention in the context of cognitive-behavioral therapy. Despite strong evidence supporting the efficacy and effectiveness of ERP from studies in research and real-world settings, its clinical use remains limited. This underuse is often attributed to access barriers such as the scarcity of properly trained therapists, geographical constraints, and costs.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFJ Med Internet Res
January 2025
Unitat de Recerca i Innovació, Gerència d'Atenció Primària i a la Comunitat de la Catalunya Central, Institut Català de la Salut, Sant Fruitós de Bages, Spain.
Background: The COVID-19 pandemic reshaped social dynamics, fostering reliance on social media for information, connection, and collective sense-making. Understanding how citizens navigate a global health crisis in varying cultural and economic contexts is crucial for effective crisis communication.
Objective: This study examines the evolution of citizen collective sense-making during the COVID-19 pandemic by analyzing social media discourse across Italy, the United Kingdom, and Egypt, representing diverse economic and cultural contexts.
JMIR Res Protoc
January 2025
Department of Public Health Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Cheras, Malaysia.
Background: Postpartum depression remains a significant concern, posing substantial challenges to maternal well-being, infant health, and the mother-infant bond, particularly in the face of barriers to traditional support and interventions. Previous studies have shown that mobile health (mHealth) interventions offer an accessible means to facilitate early detection and management of mental health issues while at the same time promoting preventive care.
Objective: This study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of the Leveraging on Virtual Engagement for Maternal Understanding & Mood-enhancement (LoVE4MUM) mobile app, which was developed based on the principles of cognitive behavioral therapy and psychoeducation and serves as an intervention to prevent postpartum depression.
Health Psychol
January 2025
Department of Public Health and Primary Care, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Ghent University.
Objective: Sleep deprivation and reduced sleep quality are common in adolescents and negatively impact their physical and mental wellbeing. This study evaluates the effect of a participatory-developed school-based healthy sleep intervention for adolescents.
Method: A 16-week long intervention, cocreated with adolescents, was conducted with two schools with four schools serving as measurement-only controls.
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