Biomedical subjects

Douglas A Mains

Publications and source records attributed to Douglas A Mains.

3 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2006

An employee assistance program for caregiver support.

The Comprehensive Caregiver Choices Program provided support for employee caregivers of elderly people for employees at a hospital in Fort Worth, Texas. Key informant interviews and focus groups provided direction for program development and implementation. A full-time MSW and professionals with expertise in gerontology/geriatrics provided education and care coordination services to caregivers. Approximately 4% of the hospital's workforce participated in the program. Attendees evaluated educational sessions and follow-up interviews were conducted with program participants. Caregiver support programs must continue to seek innovative and creative marketing and service delivery methods to reach out and assist working caregivers in need of support.

Adult↗

PubMed2006

Characteristics of osteopathic physicians choosing to practice rural primary care.

As increasing numbers of women and osteopathic physicians enter medical practice, it is important to identify their choices in medical specialty and practice location and the implications these choices have for the future of healthcare in the United States. In 2003, data from the Texas Medical Board and the Office of the [Texas] State Demographer were aggregated to compare the rates at which physicians differed in their choices to practice primary care specialties in a rural location. In addition, the impact of sex and type of medical degree on these choices was examined. Analyses revealed that male osteopathic physicians were 2.3 times more likely than all other physician groups to practice rural primary care. Analyses also revealed that female osteopathic physicians were more likely than other physicians to choose primary care as a specialty and were 2.5 times more likely than female allopathic physicians to practice primary care in a rural location. Policies intended to produce primary care or rural primary care physicians should take into account the effects of gender and osteopathic training.

Choice Behavior↗

PubMed2003

An analysis of osteoporosis-related hip fractures using hospital discharge data.

The purpose of this study was to assess whether physicians in practice inadequately diagnose osteoporosis in a high-risk population of postmenopausal women who have sustained hip fractures. Using the Texas Hospital Discharge Data-Public Use Data File (PUDF) provided through the Texas Health Care Information Council, the authors conducted a review of all postmenopausal women older than 55 years with fractured hips discharged from Texas hospitals during 1999. A total of 13,628 patients meeting these criteria were found using the PUDF. In their diagnoses, physicians for 2233 (16.3%) of these 13,628 women also specified the code for osteoporosis (P < .001) from the ninth revision of the International Classification of Diseases. It is estimated that between 40% and 50% of postmenopausal women have osteoporosis. Therefore, women with fragility fractures form an even more at-risk subset of the population--so much so that one would expect a majority of these women to carry diagnoses of osteoporosis. The age distribution in each group was comparable, implying that receiving a coded diagnosis for osteoporosis was not related to the age of the patient when she was admitted to the hospital. Further, when data was analyzed by race or ethnicity, percentages for each group (ie, diagnosed with hip fracture only versus diagnosed with hip fracture and osteoporosis) were comparable. In conclusion, physicians practicing in Texas during calendar year 1999 inadequately diagnosed osteoporosis in a high-risk population of postmenopausal women who were admitted to hospitals with fractured hips. Future analysis of subsequent annual databases will identify whether continuing medical education efforts cause physicians to diagnosis osteoporosis in this high-risk population more frequently.

Aged↗