Annals of Family Medicine articles from March 2008

Annals of Family Medicine archives from March 2008

Effect of psyllium fiber supplementation on C-reactive protein: the Trial to Reduce Inflammatory Markers (TRIM).(ORIGINAL RESEARCH)(Statistical table)
March 1, 2008... ABSTRACT PURPOSE Recent evidence supports a significant association between the intake of dietary fiber and levels of inflammatory markers. The objective of this study was to determine whether daily fiber supplementation would reduce...

What patients want from primary care consultations: a discrete choice experiment to identify patients' priorities.(ORIGINAL RESEARCH)(Survey)
March 1, 2008... ABSTRACT PURPOSE The consultation is fundamental to the delivery of primary care, but different ways of organizing consultations may lead to different patient experiences in terms of access, continuity, technical quality of care, and...

Practice features associated with patient-reported accessibility, continuity, and coordination of primary health care.(ORIGINAL RESEARCH)(Statistical table)(Survey)
March 1, 2008... ABSTRACT PURPOSE On the eve of major primary health care reforms, we conducted a multilevel survey of primary health care clinics to identify attributes of clinic organization and physician practice that predict accessibility, continuity,...

Bypass of local primary care in rural counties: effect of patient and community characteristics.(ORIGINAL RESEARCH)(Statistical table)(Survey)
March 1, 2008... ABSTRACT PURPOSE This national study sought information from rural patients (1) to assess the prevalence of bypass, a pattern of seeking health care outside the local community; (2) to examine the impact of locally available primary care...

Acculturation and healthy lifestyle among latinos with diabetes.(ORIGINAL RESEARCH)
March 1, 2008... ABSTRACT PURPOSE Latinos have a high prevalence of diabetes and disproportionately experience diabetic complications. We sought to examine the association of acculturation on healthy lifestyle habits among the Latino population in the...

Balint groups as a means to increase job satisfaction and prevent burnout among general practitioners.(ORIGINAL RESEARCH)(Survey)
March 1, 2008... ABSTRACT PURPOSE General practitioners (GPs) occupy a central position in health care and often have demanding working situations. This corps shows signs of exhaustion, and many consider quitting their job or plan to retire early. It is...

Beyond fighting fires and chasing tails? Chronic illness care plans in Ontario, Canada.(ORIGINAL RESEARCH)
March 1, 2008... ABSTRACT PURPOSE Recent work has conceptualized new models for the primary care management of patients with chronic illness. This study investigated the experience of family physicians and patients with a chronic illness management...

Data collection outcomes comparing paper forms with PDA forms in an office-based patient survey.(METHODOLOGY)(Statistical table)
March 1, 2008... ABSTRACT PURPOSE We compared the completeness of data collection using paper forms and using electronic forms loaded on handheld computers in an office-based patient interview survey conducted within the American Academy of Family...

Narrative reports to monitor and evaluate the integration of pharmacists into family practice settings.(METHODOLOGY)
March 1, 2008... ABSTRACT PURPOSE Narratives can capture unfolding events and negotiation of roles and thus can help to evaluate interventions in interdisciplinary health care teams. We describe a practical qualitative method, the narrative report, and its...

Screening for phenylketonuria (PKU): US preventive services task force reaffirmation recommendation.(SYSTEMIC REVIEWS)(Brief article)
March 1, 2008... RECOMMENDATION The US Preventive Services Task Force (USP-STF) recommends screening for phenylketonuria (PKU) in newborns. (This is a grade "A" recommendation.) This reaffirmation recommendation statement is based on a targeted literature...

Screening for congenital hypothyroidism: US preventive services task force reaffirmation recommendation.(SYSTEMIC REVIEWS)(Brief article)
March 1, 2008... RECOMMENDATION The US Preventive Services Task Force (USP-STF) recommends screening for congenital hypothyroidism in newborns. (This is a grade "A" recommendation.) This reaffirmation recommendation statement is based on a targeted...

Changing horses midstream: the promise and prudence of practice redesign.(REFLECTION)
March 1, 2008... ABSTRACT An emerging vision for primary care calls for the adoption of information technology and a strong business model to save a dying health care system. The authors are participants in the National Demonstration Project (NDP), a study...

Success, regret, and the struggle for balance.(REFLECTIONS)
March 1, 2008... ABSTRACT The genesis of this article was a conversation between the authors: M.I., a senior faculty member, and J.C., his primary care doctor and a midcareer faculty member. It addresses the challenges facing physicians today as they...

Healing with the needles.(REFLECTIONS)(Clinical report)
March 1, 2008... ABSTRACT A child's spontaneous desire to help her mother during an office visit prompts me to reflect upon the multidimensional nature of healing and how, as family physicians, we often encounter these unique moments in our day-to-day...

Clinical discoveries: a new feature of the Annals.(ON TRACK)
March 1, 2008... CLINICAL DISCOVERIES FROM PRACTICE In an editorial entitled, "Assessing Clinical Discoveries," (1) Ian McWhinney challenged the Annals and other journals to make space for novel ideas that are grounded in the wisdom of knowing and caring...

Assembling patient-centered medical homes--the clerkship initiative.(Family Medicine Updates)
March 1, 2008... The field of family medicine has active national projects for premedical student recruitment (FutureFamilyDocs.org), residency education ([P.sup.4] Project), and practice transformation (TransforMED). The purpose of these projects is to recruit...

You have to be in to win: presenting family medicine's perspective in NIH scientific reviews.(Family Medicine Updates)(National Institutes of Health )
March 1, 2008... Science and investigation are core activities in family medicine. Katerndahl reminds us: "As with Will Pickles, Edward Jenner, James MacKenzie, and Curtis Hames, we are part of a greater quest... we have a duty to question, to investigate, to...

Title VII: revisiting an opportunity.(Family Medicine Updates)
March 1, 2008... Through the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), the Title VII (Section 747) Program is an opportunity for residency programs in family medicine to obtain additional financial resources. Specifically, the announcement for this...

CTSAS and family medicine research--time to get connected.(Family Medicine Updates)(Clinical Translational Science Awards )
March 1, 2008... The window is closing on the opportunity for family medicine departments, working through our medical schools and universities, to be included in the 50 to 60 institutions funded by the US National Institutes of Health (NIH) to transform the US...

AAFP continues to fight for payment reform.(Family Medicine Updates)
March 1, 2008... Payment reform for primary care physicians and, in particular, for family physicians is a top priority for the AAFP. Once again in 2007, the Academy fought long and hard to ensure members of Congress and federal officials recognized the...

A new focus on research.(Family Medicine Updates)
March 1, 2008... Self-assessment is an ongoing and increasingly extensive process. As a matter of basic ethics and good conscience, the ABFM cannot require diplomates to scrutinize their knowledge and practices if we are not equally willing to engage in a...

In this issue: what patients value and how to provide it.(EDITORIAL)(Editorial)
March 1, 2008... Four studies in this issue provide unique insights into what patients value in health care. (1-4) Three studies reveal possible ways to achieve this value. (3-5) Four studies in this issue are from outside the United States, (1,3,4,5) and 1...