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Biomedical subjects

M S O'Malley

Publications and source records attributed to M S O'Malley.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2001

The association of race/ethnicity, socioeconomic status, and physician recommendation for mammography: who gets the message about breast cancer screening?

OBJECTIVES: This study investigated the association between physician recommendation for mammography and race/ethnicity, socioeconomic status, and other characteristics in a rural population. METHODS: In 1993 through 1994, we surveyed 1933 Black women and White women 52 years and older in 10 rural counties. RESULTS: Fifty-three percent of the women reported a physician recommendation in the past year. White women reported recommendations significantly more often than did Black women (55% vs 45%; odds ratio = 1.49). Controlling for educational attainment and income eliminated the apparent racial/ethnic difference. After control for 5 personal, 4 health, and 3 access characteristics, recommendation for mammography was found to be more frequent among women who had access to the health care system (i.e., had a regular physician and health insurance). Recommendation was less frequent among women who were vulnerable (i.e., were older, had lower educational attainment, had lower annual family income). CONCLUSIONS: Socioeconomic status, age, and other characteristics--but not race/ethnicity--were related to reports of a physician recommendation, a precursor strongly associated with mammography use. Efforts to increase physician recommendation should include complementary efforts to help women address socioeconomic and other barriers to mammography use.

Black or African American↗
PubMed2000

Informing patients of diagnostic mammography results: mammographer's opinions.

PURPOSE: The authors' purpose was to determine mammographers' practices and attitudes regarding disclosing results of diagnostic mammograms to patients. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In 1995, the authors mailed a questionnaire to 500 members of the Society of Breast Imaging; 399 (80%) responded to the survey. RESULTS: Three-quarters of respondents stated that mammographers should disclose results to their patients, and approximately half were already doing so (52% for normal results, 51% for abnormal results). A sizable minority (25%) said that not telling patients was the best practice and identified several barriers to direct disclosure, including lack of time. Although bivariate analysis showed direct disclosure to be more common among female mammographers, the sex difference did not persist in multivariate analysis. In both bivariate and multivariate analyses, reading more than 100 mammograms per week and having a radiology practice in a university or academic setting were each strongly associated with direct disclosure. CONCLUSION: Implementation of the Mammography Quality Standards Reauthorization Act of 1998 may not require a major change in mammographers' current practice. It remains critical to establish systems that help radiologists disclose results and communicate with referring physicians efficiently and effectively.

Adult↗
PubMed2000

Communicating results of diagnostic mammography: what do patients think?

RATIONALE AND OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to investigate women's preferences for who (radiologist or referring physician) should communicate the results of diagnostic mammography. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Data from 153 women presenting to two sites for diagnostic mammography between February and June 1995 were collected with a 24-item, self-administered, closed-ended survey. For both normal and abnormal hypothetical results, contingency tables with chi2 tests and multiple logistic regression were used to determine the association, if any, between women's characteristics and their preferences. RESULTS: Women undergoing diagnostic mammography preferred that their radiologists disclose their normal (90%) and abnormal (88%) mammogram results to them immediately after their examination, rather than have their referring physicians disclose results at a later time. In the case of normal findings, women whose regular physicians were specialists were less likely to want to hear first from their radiologists (odds ratio [OR] = 0.06; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.01, 0.77; P = .03), but women who were nervous about learning their results were more likely to want to hear first from their radiologists (OR = 4.5; 95% CI = 1.2, 17.3; P = .03). CONCLUSION: Radiologists may want to consider assessing women's preferences for who communicates their mammogram results, as most women in this study preferred to hear these results from their radiologists rather than waiting to hear from their referring physicians.

Female↗
PubMed2000

The practices and attitudes of primary care nurse practitioners and physician assistants with respect to colorectal cancer screening.

OBJECTIVES: Although nurse practitioners and physician assistants form a large and growing portion of the primary care workforce, little is known about their colorectal cancer screening practices. The aim of this study was to assess the colorectal cancer screening practices, training, and attitudes of nurse practitioners and physician assistants practicing primary care medicine. METHODS: All nurse practitioners (827) and physician assistants (1178) licensed by the Medical Board of the State of North Carolina were surveyed by mail. Both groups were further divided into primary care versus non-primary care by self-described roles. Self-reported practices, training, and attitudes with respect to colorectal cancer screening were elicited. RESULTS: Response rates were 71.4% and 61.2%, for nurse practitioners and physician assistants respectively. A total of 51.3% of nurse practitioners and 50.3% of physician assistants described themselves as adult primary care providers. No primary care nurse practitioners and only 3.8% of primary care physician assistants performed screening flexible sigmoidoscopy. However, 76% of primary care physician assistants and 69% of primary care nurse practitioners reported recommending screening flexible sigmoidoscopy. A total of 95% primary care physician assistants and 92% of primary care nurse practitioners reported performing fecal occult blood testing. Only 9.4% of physician assistants and 2.8% of nurse practitioners received any formal instruction in flexible sigmoidoscopy while in their training. Additionally, 41.4% of primary care physician assistants and 27.7% of primary care nurse practitioners reported that they would be interested in obtaining formal training in flexible sigmoidoscopy. CONCLUSIONS: Physician assistants and nurse practitioners are motivated, willing and underutilized groups with respect to CRC screening. Efforts to increase education and training of these professionals may improve the availability of CRC screening modalities.

Adult↗
PubMed1997

Race and mammography use in two North Carolina counties.

OBJECTIVES: This study investigated racial differences in mammography use and their association with physicians' recommendations and other factors. METHODS: The study used 1988 survey data for 948 women 50 years of age and older from the New Hanover Breast Cancer Screening Program. Racial differences in terms of physician recommendation, personal characteristics, health characteristics, and attitudes toward breast cancer and mammography were examined. Factors at least minimally associated with race and use were included in multivariate logistic regression analyses to examine the effect of race while controlling for other factors. RESULTS: In comparison with White women. Black women were half as likely to report ever having had a mammogram (27% vs 52%) and having a mammogram in the past year (17% vs 36%). Black women also significantly less often reported physician recommendation (25% vs 52%). Although Black and White women differed significantly in other characteristics, multivariate logistic regression analyses indicated that physician recommendation accounted for 60% to 75% of the initial racial differences in mammography use. CONCLUSIONS: Understanding physicians' recommendations for breast cancer screening is a critical first step to increasing mammography use in disadvantaged populations.

Aged↗
PubMed1995

The North Carolina Breast Cancer Screening Program: foundations and design of a model for reaching older, minority, rural women.

Breast cancer screening programs do not reach all women at the same rate. Screening mammography use varies according to sociodemographic characteristics; mammography utilization is highest among women in their fifties but then decreases with age. In North Carolina, breast cancer is a particular burden for Black and lower-income women. Black women are more likely to be diagnosed with late stage disease, and their rate of breast cancer mortality is higher than it is for White women even though the incidence in White women is greater. Older, Black, and low-income women are less likely to obtain screening by mammography and clinical breast examination. The Black-White gap is even more pronounced among rural women, in part because they are more likely to be poor. The North Carolina Breast Cancer Screening Program (NC-BCSP) was established to increase the rate of regular mammography screening by an absolute 20% in 3 years among older Black women ages 50 and older in five rural counties in the eastern part of the state. In this paper, we describe the genesis of this comprehensive community intervention model, highlighting the behavioral science constructs, health education principles, and theories of behavioral and organizational change that form its conceptual foundation. NC-BCSP's theoretical foundations include the social ecological perspective, the PRECEDE model of health promotion, the Health Belief Model of individual change, and the "stages of change" transtheoretical model. We also review the experiences and lessons learned from two previous outreach initiatives in North Carolina that provided valuable "lessons" in the development of the NC-BCSP intervention model. In the second half of the paper, we describe the actual NC-BCSP interventions, activities, and evaluation tools, citing specific examples of how the underlying theories are implemented. NC-BCSP's goal goes beyond individual behavior change to raise low mammography screening rates among Black women in rural North Carolina. Its ultimate objective is to create linkages across agencies, and between agencies and communities, that will endure after the research project ends.

Adult↗
PubMed1990

How best to teach women breast self-examination. A randomized controlled trial.

OBJECTIVE: To compare three methods for teaching breast self-examination. DESIGN: Randomized controlled trial with factorial design. SETTING: A general medicine group practice in a university hospital. PATIENTS: Continuing-care patients from 40 to 68 years of age. Of 456 eligible women, 156 refused participation, 300 were randomly assigned, 269 completed assigned interventions, and 260 completed the post-test 1 year later. INTERVENTIONS: One third of patients received nurse instruction stressing tactile skills (Mammacare group) (Mammatech Corporation, Gainesville, Florida); one third, traditional nurse instruction emphasizing technique (traditional group); and one third, no nurse instruction (control group). Half of each group received physician encouragement. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: One year later, women in the Mammacare group found more lumps (mean, 57%; 95% CI, 54% to 60%) in manufactured breast models than did those in the traditional (mean, 47%; CI, 44% to 51%) and control (mean, 45%; CI, 42% to 48%) groups. Lump detection specificity was unaffected. Self-reported examination frequency rose in all groups, to 5.1 times per 6 months in the traditional group, 4.2 in the Mammacare group, and 3.9 in the control group. Physician encouragement did not improve sensitivity, specificity, or overall frequency. Women in the Mammacare group used more of seven examination techniques (4.9) than did those in the traditional (3.9) or control (3.2) groups (P less than 0.001). No group increased health care use or reported more overall worry about breast cancer. CONCLUSIONS: Mammacare instruction resulted in more long-term improved lump detection and examination technique use than did traditional instruction or physician encouragement. Breast self-examination instruction should emphasize lump detection skills.

Adult↗
PubMed1987

US Preventive Services Task Force. Screening for breast cancer with breast self-examination. A critical review.

We reviewed evidence regarding breast self-examination (BSE) and screening for breast cancer. To our knowledge, no controlled prospective trial links BSE to lives saved from breast cancer. Compared with clinical breast examination and mammography, the estimated sensitivity of BSE is low (20% to 30%) and is lower among older women. The potential sensitivity of BSE should be higher because women can detect small lumps (0.3 cm) in silicone models. Instruction increases BSE frequency over the short term. Sensitivity also increases, but specificity decreases. The psychological effects of teaching and performing BSE are not yet clear. The cost of screening by BSE is unknown but depends on the accuracy of the test as well as the training method used. Breast self-examination has potential as a screening test for breast cancer, but many questions require scientific examination before this procedure can be advocated as a screening test for breast cancer.

Adult↗
PubMed1985

Physicians' abilities to detect lumps in silicone breast models.

Little is known about how well physicians detect breast lumps in clinical breast examinations. We studied 80 general medicine, family medicine, general surgery, and obstetrics/gynecology physicians to determine their abilities to detect lumps in manufactured breast models. The mean number of lumps detected was 8.0 (44%), with a range of three (17%) to 15 (83%). Detection varied significantly by size (87% of 1.0-cm and 14% of 0.3-cm lumps) and hardness (56% of hard and 40% of soft lumps), but not depth; by specialty (from 50% for general internists to 40% for obstetricians), but not by level of training or experience; and by search duration (r = .59). On multiple regression analysis, only search duration was consistently associated with increased detection. Modest detection rates and wide variation suggest breast lump detection can be improved among physicians. Adequate search duration may be important for high detection rates.

Breast Neoplasms↗
PubMed1985

Physicians and the teaching of breast self-examination: implications from a survey at a university teaching hospital.

We surveyed 80 physicians from four specialties (Family Medicine, General Medicine, General Surgery, Ob-Gyn) to investigate how they taught breast self-examination (BSE). Only half reported personally teaching BSE. Few MDs reported routinely using techniques to assess BSE competency. Most (72 per cent) claimed no formal training in teaching BSE; 10 per cent claimed no training at all. Techniques used to teach BSE may vary, and physicians may lack the training to teach BSE.

Adult↗
PubMed1984

Measuring the continuity and coordination of medical care in a system involving multiple providers.

Patients often receive medical care from many different providers. Consequently, the various episodes of care may not be integrated into a meaningful whole, and the quality of care may suffer. Before this possibility can be evaluated, it is necessary to develop a measure of the integrating process. The authors studied the continuity and coordination of care for 197 patients attending the General Medicine Practice within a large teaching hospital. Each patient had one internist as primary physician; however, a broad array of special services were available at the hospital and were often required. Of 1,768 total visits to the hospital, 62.2% were scheduled to the practice, whereas 92.9% were with the primary physician. For visits outside the practice, coordination (defined as the percent of visits for which the primary and other physicians were aware of each other's contact with shared patients) was 35.2%. Only 74.4% of all visits were either continuous or coordinated. Continuity with a single provider may be determined by patients' needs for services by others. A combined measure of continuity with coordination, such as the one used in this study, is more appropriate for a setting with multiple providers.

Continuity of Patient Care↗
PubMed1984

Attitudes of internal medicine subspecialty fellows toward primary care.

Subspecialists deliver a substantial proportion of primary care but little is known about how their training affects their attitudes toward this role. We surveyed a department of medicine to determine fellows' (N = 34) attitudes toward primary care and how these compared with the attitudes of house staff (N = 45) and faculty (N = 66). Continuous, coordinated, and accessible care as departmental policy was almost unanimously endorsed by all physicians. In contrast, fellows less often supported the provision of such care for their own patients in actual clinical situations. Fellows were also less likely than either house staff or faculty to endorse primary care attributes for their own patients. Departments of medicine should examine how negative attitudes toward primary care develop in subspecialty fellows and whether these attitudes persist after fellowship.

Academic Medical Centers↗
PubMed1983

Patients' priorities for medical care.

Relatively little research has been done on the importance patients attach to various aspects of their medical care when their options are constrained. We studied priorities for care among 225 patients attending the medical clinics of a university teaching hospital. Eight attributes of medical care were considered: continuity, coordination, comprehensiveness, availability, convenience, cost, expertise, and compassion. Priorities were established by the method of paired comparisons. Continuity of care was the highest priority for these patients, while cost and convenience were lowest. Priorities varied in subgroups of patients defined by demographic, illness, and utilization characteristics. Patients with acute problems preferred coordination and expertise, while those with chronic problems ranked continuity higher. Patients younger than 30 years old valued coordination most; older patients preferred continuity and comprehensiveness. Since all aspects of medical care cannot be provided to all people, and choices are necessary, patients' priorities should be considered when planning health services.

Adolescent↗