Background Sexuality is an important factor influencing quality of life that may be altered for patients with coronary disease. Little is known about the extent to which patients want their cardiologists to counsel th...
详细信息
Background Sexuality is an important factor influencing quality of life that may be altered for patients with coronary disease. Little is known about the extent to which patients want their cardiologists to counsel them about sexuality. Purpose Our study evaluated the extent to which patients with known coronary disease expect cardiologists to discuss matters related to sexuality. A secondary goal was to determine the extent to which patients' preferences correspond to the realities of clinical practice. Results On the basis of the results of a questionnaire survey completed by 48 women and 188 men with known coronary disease in an outpatient cardiology practice, we found that most patients believed that their cardiologist should talk with them about sexual functioning. However, only a minority (3% men, 18% women) believed that they were adequately informed about their sexual functioning. Chart review demonstrated that most discussions occurred with male patients and that sexual dysfunction was also more likely to be discussed with men (43%) than with women (13%). Conclusions Our study suggests that patients welcome the chance to talk with their cardiologist about sexual function. More attention should be given to this aspect of quality of life, especially for women with coronary disease.
Background. The five-year survival rate for patients in the United States diagnosed with oral pharyngeal cancer is 52 percent, which suggests that these cancers are diagnosed at late stages. The authors conducted this...
详细信息
Background. The five-year survival rate for patients in the United States diagnosed with oral pharyngeal cancer is 52 percent, which suggests that these cancers are diagnosed at late stages. The authors conducted this study to determine U.S. dentists' opinions and practices regarding oral cancer prevention and early detection. Methods. The authors mailed a pretested survey to 7,000 randomly selected general practitioners. A total of 3,200 dentists provided information on how they conduct oral cancer examinations, their use of health history questions to assess patients' oral cancer risks and their oral cancer training and practices. The authors carried out analyses using unweighted data;both bivariate and logistic analytical techniques at a P less than or equal to .01 level of significance were used. Results. On average, dentists assessed about five of the eight health history items on the survey. Eighty-six percent indicated that they did not conduct oral cancer examinations on edentulous patients 18 years of age or older;81 percent, however, reported that they conducted oral cancer examinations for 100 percent of their patients 40 years of age or older on their initial appointment. Conclusions. The reported practices of these dentists regarding oral cancer, in conjunction with their opinions about key aspects of these practices and their training, point to a need for systematic educational updates in oral cancer prevention and early detection. Clinical Implications. Dentists need to determine their patients' risks for oral cancers and provide routine and comprehensive oral cancer examinations.
Assessment of multiple drug use relies primarily on self-report. Several studies support the reliability of client self-reports of drug use but these studies have not involved assessments of the actual frequency of dr...
详细信息
Assessment of multiple drug use relies primarily on self-report. Several studies support the reliability of client self-reports of drug use but these studies have not involved assessments of the actual frequency of drug Else. This test-retest reliability study assessed the frequency of drug use in a clinical sample of 103 multiple drug users, aged 16-25 years. At initial assessment, all participants completed the Drug Use History Form (DUHF) that inquired about the number of drug-using days and the daily frequency of use for 13 drug classes during four time intervals. The DUHF was readministered 2-4 week later: Reliability was assessed using Intra-class correlations (ICC's). The results indicated that clients do, in general, reliably report both the number of days of use and daily frequencies. The two frequency measures were not highly correlated. Reliability estimates declined over time but most markedly after 90 days, suggesting that assessments of drug use can be reliably extended beyond 30 days. Frequency estimates based solely on the number of days of use of a substance may be unreliable estimates of actual drug consumption, indicating limitations to this commonly used outcome measure.
暂无评论