PubMed Health⌕ Search

Biomedical subjects

Barry D Weiss

Publications and source records attributed to Barry D Weiss.

28 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed2002

Publications by family medicine faculty in the biomedical literature: 1989-1999.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Concern has been expressed about a possible decrease in publication productivity of family medicine faculty. This study measured trends in publication productivity by family medicine faculty from 1989 to 1999 and determined the journals in which these individuals published their work. METHODS: A sample of Society of Teachers of Family Medicine (STFM) members was identified from the STFM membership roster The sample included 900 members from 1980, 1,801 members from 1994, and 1,524 members from 1999. A MEDLINE search was performed to determine how many articles each individual published during those years and in what journals the articles were published. An estimate was made of the total publication productivity of all STFM members. RESULTS: The percentage of STFM members publishing at least one article in 1989, 1994, and 1999 was 16%, 16.3%, and 8.5%, respectively. The estimated total number of publications by all STFM members in all journals was 729 in 1989,1,040 in 1994, and 669 in 1999. The journals in which STFM members most frequently published were the Journal of Family Practice, Family Medicine, and Academic Medicine; 32% of all publications appeared in those three journals. The number of publications in high-profile interdisciplinary journals was very small. CONCLUSIONS: Based on a MEDLINE search of a large sample of STFM members' publication records, it appears that the publication productivity of the STFM membership is decreasing.

Attitude of Health Personnel↗
PubMed2002

The role of health literacy in patient-physician communication.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Patients' health literacy is increasingly recognized as a critical factor affecting patient-physician communication and health outcomes. We reviewed research on health literacy, examined its impact on patient-physician communication, and offer recommendations to enhance communication with patients who have poor health literacy. METHODS: We conducted a literature review using the MEDLINE database for January 1966 through July 2001. The keywords "literacy" and "health literacy" were searched independently and in combination with the medical subject headings (MeSH) "physician-patient communication," "communication," and "reading." RESULTS: Poor health literacy is common, especially among elderly patients. More than 33% of patients ages 65 and older have inadequate or marginal health literacy, as do up to 80% of patients in public hospital settings. Patients with poor health literacy have a complex array of communication difficulties, which may affect health outcomes. Such patients report worse health status and have less understanding about their medical conditions and treatment; they may have increased hospitalization rates. Professional and public awareness of the health literacy issue must be increased, beginning with education of medical students and physicians and improved patient-physician communication skills. CONCLUSIONS: Future research needs to address identification of optimal methods for communicating with patients who have low literacy skills. This should focus on the effect of poor health literacy on patients' ability to communicate their history and physicians' ability to solicit information, as well as identifying the most-effective techniques to educate patients.

Audiovisual Aids↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Readability characteristics of consumer medication information for asthma inhalation devices.

PURPOSE: Successful control of asthma relies heavily on patient adherence to prescribed inhalation therapies. Many patients are unable to use inhalers correctly and, therefore, do not reap the full therapeutic benefits. The purpose of this study was to assess the readability and related characteristics of Consumer Medication Information (CMI) for all prescription asthma inhalation devices currently available in the United States. METHODS: We identified all brand-name (n = 18) and generic (n = 2) asthma inhalation devices currently available in the United States. English language CMI was obtained from pharmaceutical manufacturers of each identified product. The CMI from these products was evaluated for readability characteristics, including reading grade level using the Fry formula, text point size, dimensions (length and width), diagrams, and directions. RESULTS: The mean Fry readability of the CMI was at grade level 8.2 +/- 1.5 (range = 5-11), while the average text point size was 9.2 +/- 2.2 (range = 6-12). The mean length of the pages on which the CMI was printed was 33.7 +/- 21.5 cm, while the average width of pages was 12.9 +/- 9.5 cm. There was an average of 6.2 +/- 3.6 (range = 2-12) illustrations per CMI, while a device overview diagram was included in 14 (70%). Eleven (n = 11) instructions included detailed step-by-step diagrams to supplement directions. CONCLUSIONS: Overall, most CMI for prescription inhalers is presented with a reading difficulty level, text size, diagrams, and instructions that make it suboptimal for patient education. Prescription inhaler manufacturers should consider revising their CMI to comply with generally accepted guidelines preparing patient education information.

Asthma↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Quick assessment of literacy in primary care: the newest vital sign.

PURPOSE: Current health literacy screening instruments for health care settings are either too long for routine use or available only in English. Our objective was to develop a quick and accurate screening test for limited literacy available in English and Spanish. METHODS: We administered candidate items for the new instrument and also the Test of Functional Health Literacy in Adults (TOFHLA) to English-speaking and Spanish-speaking primary care patients. We measured internal consistency with Cronbach's alpha and assessed criterion validity by measuring correlations with TOFHLA scores. Using TOFLHA scores <75 to define limited literacy, we plotted receiver-operating characteristics (ROC) curves and calculated likelihood ratios for cutoff scores on the new instrument. RESULTS: The final instrument, the Newest Vital Sign (NVS), is a nutrition label that is accompanied by 6 questions and requires 3 minutes for administration. It is reliable (Cronbach alpha >0.76 in English and 0.69 in Spanish) and correlates with the TOFHLA. Area under the ROC curve is 0.88 for English and 0.72 for Spanish versions. Patients with more than 4 correct responses are unlikely to have low literacy, whereas fewer than 4 correct answers indicate the possibility of limited literacy. CONCLUSION: NVS is suitable for use as a quick screening test for limited literacy in primary health care settings.

Arizona↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Relationship between health care costs and very low literacy skills in a medically needy and indigent Medicaid population.

OBJECTIVES: Previous research established that low literacy is independently associated with poorer health. Our objective was to determine whether low literacy skill also is associated with higher health care charges. METHODS: We studied persons enrolled in Medicaid because of medical need/indigence by testing literacy skills in English or Spanish and measuring annual health care charges. Statistical analyses determined if, after adjusting for sociodemographic variables, literacy was associated with charges. RESULTS: Mean charges among subjects with very low literacy skills (< or =3rd-grade reading level) were 10,688 dollars/year, but only 2,891 dollars for those with better literacy skills (> or =4th-grade reading level), statistically significant difference (P =.025). This difference persisted after adjustment for potentially confounding sociodemographic variables. CONCLUSIONS: Based on this small study, very limited reading skills seem to be independently associated with higher health care charges among medically needy and medically indigent Medicaid patients.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Strength of recommendation taxonomy (SORT): a patient-centered approach to grading evidence in the medical literature.

A large number of taxonomies are used to rate the quality of an individual study and the strength of a recommendation based on a body of evidence. We have developed a new grading scale that will be used by several family medicine and primary care journals (required or optional), with the goal of allowing readers to learn one taxonomy that will apply to many sources of evidence. Our scale is called the Strength of Recommendation Taxonomy. It addresses the quality, quantity, and consistency of evidence and allows authors to rate individual studies or bodies of evidence. The taxonomy is built around the information mastery framework, which emphasizes the use of patient-oriented outcomes that measure changes in morbidity or mortality. An A-level recommendation is based on consistent and good quality patient-oriented evidence; a B-level recommendation is based on inconsistent or limited quality patient-oriented evidence; and a C-level recommendation is based on consensus, usual practice, opinion, disease-oriented evidence, or case series for studies of diagnosis, treatment, prevention, or screening. Levels of evidence from 1 to 3 for individual studies also are defined. We hope that consistent use of this taxonomy will improve the ability of authors and readers to communicate about the translation of research into practice.

Algorithms↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Does literacy education improve symptoms of depression and self-efficacy in individuals with low literacy and depressive symptoms? A preliminary investigation.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Individuals with low literacy and symptoms of depression have greater improvement of depression symptoms when their treatment includes education to enhance literacy skills. The reason why literacy enhancement helps depression symptoms is unknown, but we hypothesize that it might be due to improved self-efficacy. We studied whether providing literacy education to individuals with both depression symptoms and limited literacy might improve their self-efficacy. METHODS: We studied 39 individuals enrolled in an adult literacy program and who, on further testing with the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9) had symptoms of depression. While they participated in the literacy program, we monitored their self-efficacy using the General Self Efficacy (GSE) scale, and also monitored the severity of depression symptoms with the PHQ-9. Changes in GSE and PHQ-9 scores from baseline were assessed with the Wilcoxon Signed Ranks Test. RESULTS: Thirty-one (79.5%) subjects participated for 1 year. There was a significant increase in their self-efficacy (P = .019) and a significant decrease in depression symptoms (P < .002). CONCLUSION: The results of this preliminary study suggest that among persons with low literacy and symptoms of depression, depression symptoms lessen as self-efficacy scores improve during participation in adult basic literacy education.

Adult↗