Journal Update

Periodically, the National Center for Health Promotion and Disease Prevention will post abstracts on relevant research and clinical topics in the health promotion and disease prevention arena.*

June 2008

• How Long Does It Take to Assess Literacy Skills in Clinical Practice?^
  The Journal of the American Board of Family Medicine 21 (3): 211-214 (2008)
  Health literacy screening is often not performed in clinical settings.  One possible reason is the concern about the time involved in performing such assessments.  The objective of this study was to measure the time required to administer the Newest Vital Sign (NVS) literacy assessment instrument to English-speaking primary care patients.
  
  
  
• In The Clinic^ is a monthly feature in Annals of Internal Medicine  that focuses on practical management of patients with common clinical conditions.  It offers evidence-based answers to frequently asked questions about screening, prevention, diagnosis, therapy, and patient education and provides physicians with tools to improve the quality of care.
  
  
• In the Clinic - Hepatitis C ^
  Annals of Internal Medicine.  3 June 2008, Volume 148, Issue 11
  This issue provides a clinical overview of hepatitis C, focusing on prevention, diagnosis, treatment, practice improvement, and patient information.

May 2008

• Use of recommended ambulatory care services: is the Veterans Affairs quality gap narrowing?
  Arch Intern Med. 2008;168(9):950-958
  Veterans Affairs medical centers (VAMCs) provide better preventive and chronic disease care when compared with other health care organizations, although recent health care quality improvement initiatives outside the VAMC sector may have narrowed quality differences.
  
  
• Counseling for home-based walking and strength exercise in older primary care patients.
  Arch Intern Med. 2008 May 12;168(9):979-86
  This study evaluated the effects of counseling linked with primary care visits on walking and "strength exercise" (the combination of strength-building and flexibility exercise) in aging veterans.
  
  
• Relative Effectiveness of Osteoporosis Drugs for Preventing Nonvertebral Fracture. 
  Ann Intern Med 2008;148 637-646
  This study compared the relative effectiveness of osteoporosis treatments to reduce nonvertebral fracture risk among older adults.
  
  
• Screening for Osteoporosis in Men: A Clinical Practice Guideline from the American College of Physicians. 
  Ann Intern Med 2008;148 680-684
  The American College of Physicians developed this guideline to present the available evidence on risk factors and screening tests for osteoporosis in men. 
  
  
• Screening for Osteoporosis in Men: A Systematic Review for an American College of Physicians Guideline.
  Ann Intern Med 2008;148 685-701
  Screening for low bone mineral density (BMD) by dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry (DXA) is the primary way to identify asymptomatic men who might benefit from osteoporosis treatment. Identifying men at risk for low BMD and fracture can help clinicians determine which men should be tested. The purpose of this study was to identify which asymptomatic men should receive DXA BMD testing.
  
  
• Clinical Practice: Nonsurgical management of obesity in adults.
  N Engl J Med. 2008 May 1;358(18):1941-50. No abstract available
  This Journal feature begins with a case vignette highlighting a common clinical problem.  Evidence supporting various strategies is then presented, followed by a review of formal guidelines,  when they exist. The article ends with the author’s clinical recommendations.
  
  
• Discussing weight with obese primary care patients: physician and patient perceptions.
  J Gen Intern Med. 2008 May;23(5):581-7. Epub 2008 Mar 6
  This study evaluated patient-provider agreement on whether weight and related behaviors were discussed during routine visits.
  
  
• Personally Controlled Online Health Data — The Next Big Thing in Medical Care?
  N Engl J Med. 2008 Apr 17;358(16):1653-6
  Most physicians in the United States have paper medical records — the sort that doctors have kept for generations. A minority have electronic records that provide, at a minimum, tools for writing progress notes and prescriptions, ordering laboratory and imaging tests, and viewing test results.  Yet electronic health data are poised for an online transformation that is being catalyzed by Dossia (a nonprofit consortium of major employers), Google Health, Microsoft HealthVault, and other Web services that are seeking expanded roles in the $2.1 trillion U.S. health care system.

Journal Update Archive

*These links take you to the PubMed and AHRQ websites and you leave the Department of Veterans Affairs website.
^By following this link you will be leaving the Department of Veterans Affairs website.  VA does not endorse and is not responsible for the content of any of the links listed.