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Biomedical subjects

Rajesh Balkrishnan

Publications and source records attributed to Rajesh Balkrishnan.

At least 73 records · Page 4Linked to original sources
PubMed2004

Factors associated with herbal use among urban multiethnic primary care patients: a cross-sectional survey.

BACKGROUND: The use of herbal supplements in the United States has become increasingly popular. The prevalence of herbal use among primary care patients varies in previous studies; the pattern of herbal use among urban racially/ethnically diverse primary care patients has not been widely studied. The primary objectives of this study were to describe the use of herbs by ethnically diverse primary care patients in a large metropolitan area and to examine factors associated with such use. The secondary objective was to investigate perceptions about and patterns of herbal use. METHODS: Data for a cross-sectional survey were collected at primary care practices affiliated with the Southern Primary-care Urban Research Network (SPUR-Net) in Houston, Texas, from September 2002 to March 2003. To participate in the study, patients had to be at least 18 years of age and visiting one of the SPUR-Net clinics for routine, nonacute care. Survey questions were available in both English and Spanish. RESULTS: A total of 322 patients who had complete information on race/ethnicity were included in the analysis. Overall, 36% of the surveyed patients (n = 322) indicated use of herbs, with wide variability among ethnic groups: 50% of Hispanics, 50% of Asians, 41% of Whites, and 22% of African-Americans. Significant factors associated with an individual's herbal use were ethnicity other than African-American, having an immigrant family history, and reporting herbal use by other family members. About 40% of survey respondents believed that taking prescription medications and herbal medicines together was more effective than taking either alone. One-third of herbal users reported using herbs on a daily basis. More Whites (67%) disclosed their herbal use to their health-care providers than did African-Americans (45%), Hispanics (31%), or Asians (31%). CONCLUSIONS: Racial/ethnic differences in herbal use were apparent among this sample of urban multiethnic adult primary care patients. Associated factors of herbal use were non-African-American ethnicity, immigrant family history, and herbal use among family members. Whereas Hispanics and Asians reported the highest rates of herbal use, they were the least likely to disclose their use to health-care professionals. These findings are important for ensuring medication safety in primary care practices.

Adult↗
PubMed2004

How patient-physician encounters in critical medical situations affect trust: results of a national survey.

BACKGROUND: Patients' trust in physicians and in the medical profession is vital for a successful patient-physician relationship. Trust is especially salient in critical medical situations, such as serious side-effects, hospitalizations, and diagnoses of serious medical conditions, but most trust studies have been done with the general population or in routine primary care settings. This study examines the association between patient-physician encounters in such critical medical situations and patients' trust in their physician and in the medical profession in general. METHODS: A random national telephone survey was conducted using validated multi-item questionnaire measuring trust and satisfaction with physicians and with the medical profession. A seven item questionnaire measured the patient-physician encounters in critical medical situations. A total of 1117 subjects aged 20 years and older with health insurance were included for analyses. Spearman rank order correlations were used to determine the association of encounter variables with trust in physicians and the medical profession. RESULTS: Prescription of medications by primary care physicians that patients believed might have side effects was negatively correlated with trust in physician (rho = -0.12, p < 0.001, n = 1045) in multivariate analysis. A primary care physician evaluating the patient for a condition the patient believed was serious was positively correlated with trust in physician (rho= 0.08, p < 0.01). Being hospitalized was positively correlated with trust in the medical profession (rho = 0.12, p < 0.01, n = 475). CONCLUSION: Hospitalization, perceived seriousness of condition, and concerns about the risks of medications were found to be associated with patient trust in physicians or the medical profession. These findings highlight the salience of trust in serious physician-patient encounters and the role that patient vulnerability plays in determining patient trust.

Adult↗
PubMed2004

Surfactant phospholipid changes after antigen challenge: a role for phosphatidylglycerol in dysfunction.

In asthma, inflammation-mediated surfactant dysfunction contributes to increased airway resistance, but the mechanisms for dysfunction are not understood. To test mechanisms that alter surfactant function, atopic asthmatics underwent endobronchial antigen challenge and bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL). BAL fluids were sequentially separated into cells, surfactant, and supernatant, and multiple end points were analyzed. Each end point's unique relationship to surfactant dysfunction was determined. Our results demonstrate that minimum surface tension (gamma(min)) of surfactant after antigen challenge was significantly increased with a spectrum of responses that included dysfunction in 6 of 13 asthmatics. Antigen challenge significantly altered the partitioning of surfactant phospholipid measured as a decreased ratio of large surfactant aggregates (LA) to small surfactant aggregates (SA), LA/SA ratio. Phosphatidylglycerol (PG) was significantly reduced in the LA of the dysfunctional asthmatic BALs. There was a corresponding significant increase in the ratio of phosphatidylcholine to PG, which strongly correlated with both increased gamma(min) and decreased LA/SA. Altered surfactant phospholipid properties correlated with surfactant dysfunction as well or better than either increased eosinophils or protein. Secretory phospholipase activity, measured in vitro, increased after antigen challenge and may explain the decrease in surfactant PG. In summary, alteration of phospholipids, particularly depletion of PG, in the LA of surfactant may be an important mechanism in asthma-associated surfactant dysfunction.

Allergens↗
PubMed2004

Analysis of factors associated with prescription of a potentially inappropriate combination dermatological medication among US outpatient physicians.

PURPOSE: Despite concern associated with the necessity of an additional fluorinated, high potency topical corticosteroid, the clotrimazole/betamethasone diproprionate combination remains a frequently prescribed topical agent in the US. This research was performed to better understand the physician and patient characteristics associated with the prescription of this combination medication in outpatient settings. METHODS: Data from the National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey (1990-2000) were used to determine the patient and physician factors associated with a prescription for clotrimazole/betamethasone diproprionate. The most common diagnoses of patients treated with the drug were also determined. RESULTS: Family medicine physicians were more than twice as likely (OR: 2.28, 95%CI: 1.56, 3.33) and internists were more than 3 times as likely (OR: 3.10, 95%CI: 1.99, 4.84) to prescribe clotrimazole/betamethasone diproprionate compared to pediatricians, the reference category. Dermatologists were less likely to prescribe these medications compared to pediatricians (OR: 0.35, 95%CI: 0.23, 0.54). Prescription for potentially inappropriate indications was detected across all specialties. Prescription rates of the combination medication were higher among patients of non-white race (OR: 1.56, CI: 1.08, 2.26). CONCLUSIONS: The increased risk of potentially inappropriate prescription of clotrimazole/betamethasone diproprionate by physicians across all specialties and increased probability of medication receipt in racial minorities is of concern, when safer alternatives such as antifungals or anti-inflammatory medications without the side effects of the combination medication are easily available.

Administration, Topical↗
PubMed2004

Challenges and innovations in enhancing adherence.

Adherence is a complex phenomenon involving interactions among the individual, the environment and the community. In an adherence workshop, a small group of investigators discussed their experiences with challenges and innovations regarding adherence gleaned from clinical research. This article summarizes the information and outcomes of that meeting. Guided by theoretical frameworks for understanding and promoting adherence, challenges in the areas of measurement, community-based research, and interventions were explored and innovations for meeting these challenges suggested. The article concludes with recommendations for enhancing the adherence agenda: (1) adherence research must have a well-defined conceptual and theoretical basis; (2) individual perceptions and social context of behavior must be incorporated; (3) research must be undertaken as a collaborative process involving participants and the community. Looking ahead, it is clear that if we hope to develop a new and integrated model of adherence, we must continue to advance theory through theory testing, with particular attention given to mediators and diverse samples. Moreover, an interdisciplinary agenda is necessary to set the stage for bringing together researchers from various disciplines and backgrounds with both participants and community representatives.

Clinical Trials as Topic↗
PubMed2004

Adherence to topical therapy decreases during the course of an 8-week psoriasis clinical trial: commonly used methods of measuring adherence to topical therapy overestimate actual use.

INTRODUCTION: Medication nonadherence is common throughout medicine, and research into this area is increasing; however, knowledge about topical medication adherence is limited. METHODS: A total of 30 patients were enrolled in a clinical trial for psoriasis and followed up for 8 weeks using 3 methods of adherence monitoring: electronic monitoring caps; medication logs; and medication usage by weight. RESULTS: Adherence rates calculated from the medication logs and medication weights were consistently higher than those of the electronic monitors (P <.05). Electronically measured adherence rates declined from 84.6% to 51% during the 8-week study (P <.0001). Female sex and increasing age by 1 year predicted improved adherence of 5% and 0.8%, respectively (P <.0001). The number of treatment gaps increased from the first half to the last half of the study, and weekend days were overrepresented in treatment gaps. CONCLUSION: Medication logs and weights do not ensure medication adherence to topical therapy. Electronic monitoring allows a more precise method of adherence measurement.

Administration, Topical↗
PubMed2004

Development and validation of the insulin treatment satisfaction questionnaire.

BACKGROUND: Treatment of diabetes mellitus (DM) is complex, requiring multifaceted lifestyle change or regulation and, for many, self-regulation of insulin levels in the blood. Historically, daily insulin treatment has been viewed as burdensome to patients, prompting newer formulations and improved delivery methods. OBJECTIVE: This multicenter, clinical study was designed to develop a conceptually sound, clinically meaningful, and psychometrically valid measure of insulin treatment satisfaction, applicable to a wide range of insulin therapies. METHODS: A 3-phase iterative process was employed to develop and validate the Insulin Treatment Satisfaction Questionnaire (ITSQ): (1) conceptual development of items, (2) preliminary validation among patients with DM, and (3) confirmatory validation among patients with DM. RESULTS: The ITSQ was validated with 170 patients in phase 2 and 402 patients in phase 3. Confirmatory factor analysis produced a 5-factor, 22-item instrument assessing regimen inconvenience, lifestyle flexibility, glycemic control, hypoglycemic control, and satisfaction with the insulin delivery device. Results for reliability and construct validity of the final version were consistent in both samples of patients treated with insulin, with different data collection methods. Internal consistency (using Cronbach alpha coefficient) of the subscales ranged from 0.79 to 0.91. Test-retest reliability (using Spearman rank correlation coefficients) ranged from 0.63 to 0.94. ITSQ scores showed moderate to high correlation with related measures of treatment burden. The ITSQ differentiated among insulin delivery methods, glycosylated hemoglobin values, the number of times the patient required assistance administering insulin, and insulin adherence. CONCLUSION: In our study samples, the ITSQ appeared to be conceptually and psychometrically sound and applicable to a wide range of insulin therapies.

Diabetes Mellitus↗
PubMed2004

Diabetes care management participation in a primary care setting and subsequent hospitalization risk.

Scant evidence exists that examines the impact of participation in primary care diabetes management programs and their educational components on the risk of subsequent significant patient morbidity. This study examined the association between participation in a diabetes management program in a primary care setting and the risk of subsequent hospitalization. Ten thousand nine hundred eighty patients with diabetes mellitus receiving some type of treatment in a large primary care clinic network in Houston, TX were examined for incidence of hospitalization in the year 2002. Information from the year preceding the hospitalization was obtained on several demographic, clinical, and diabetes care management participation related variables. Multivariate logistic regressions were used to examine the relationship between primary care diabetes management participation as well as individual educational components and the likelihood of subsequent-year hospitalization. Patients participating in some type of primary care diabetes management were 16% less likely to have an incidence of hospitalization (p = 0.05). When individual educational components of the diabetes care management program were examined, diabetes education sessions were more beneficial than certified diabetes educator visits in reducing the incidence of hospitalization. Patients with controlled blood glucose levels and a diabetes education session seemed to have the most significant reduction in hospitalization risk (odds ratio [OR] = 0.62; 95% CI: 0.40, 0.95). There seem to be beneficial effects associated with participation in primary care diabetes management programs in terms of reduced hospitalization risk. Attendance at diabetes educational sessions in primary care settings coupled with maintenance of blood glucose control seem to be associated with greatest risk reduction.

Adult↗
PubMed2004

Trust in insurers and access to physicians: associated enrollee behaviors and changes over time.

OBJECTIVE: Most studies of trust in the medical arena have focused on trust in physicians rather than trust in health insurers, and have been cross-sectional rather than longitudinal studies. This study examined associations among trust in a managed care insurer, trust in one's primary physician, and subsequent enrollee behaviors relating to source of care. The study also documents changes in trust in the study population following the disclosure of physician incentives. STUDY SETTING: A medium-sized (300,000 member) HMO, located in the southeastern United States. DATA COLLECTION: One to two years after baseline, we randomly resurveyed a quarter (n = 558) of the initial study population of a large intervention study designed to measure the impact of disclosing HMO financial incentives on patient trust. This follow-up study was also designed to measure the effects of trust on source of care. ANALYSES: Multivariate regression analyses of survey data examined associations between baseline levels of trust and subsequent enrollee behaviors such as using a non-PCP physician without a PCP referral, as well as changes in trust since baseline. RESULTS: High baseline insurer trust was associated with a lower probability of a patient seeking care from a non-PCP physician (OR = 0.55, 95 percent CI: 0.33, 0.91). No long-term effects of prior disclosure of financial incentives were observed. Overall, there was a slight increase in overall trust in the insurer (1.8 percent, p < .05) but no change in trust in one's primary physician. The increase in insurer trust was primarily restricted to 23 percent of the enrollees who had changed their PCPs following the baseline survey (6.6 percent, p < .01). In multivariate analyses, changing physicians was the most significant predictor of increased insurer trust (OR = 2.17, 95 percent CI: 1.37, 3.43). CONCLUSIONS. Trust in one's insurer seems to change over time more than trust in one's primary physician, and is predictive of enrollee behaviors such as seeking care from other physicians. The ability to change physicians seems to increase trust in the insurer.

Adult↗
PubMed2004

Patients spend more time with the physician for excision of a malignant skin lesion than for excision of a benign skin lesion.

BACKGROUND: Currently, there is a difference in reimbursement between excision of malignant and benign lesions. There is concern that there is not sufficient rationale for differential reimbursement for these two procedures. OBJECTIVE: To assess whether there is a difference in physician work involved with excision of benign versus malignant skin tumors. METHOD: We searched National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey data for visits at which excision of benign and malignant skin lesions was performed. We compared the time spent with the physician at these two types of visits. To exclude confounding issues unrelated to the excision that would affect the time of visit, we excluded visits at which multiple diagnoses were addressed. RESULTS: The mean time spent with the physician at visits for excision of benign lesions was 22.9 +/- 1.0 minutes. The mean time spent with the physician at visits for excision of malignant lesions was 30.0 +/- 1.7, 30% longer (p<0.001). The longer time for excision of malignant lesions remained significant after controlling for age, gender, and race. CONCLUSION: Excision of malignant lesions involves more physician work than does excision of benign lesions. Elimination of differential compensation for benign versus malignant skin lesion procedures would not enhance the accuracy of reimbursement. In the absence of any compelling rationale to change the existing differential reimbursement, the proposals to do so are not warranted.

Episode of Care↗
PubMed2004

Why are there differences in the perceived safety of office-based surgery?

BACKGROUND: Office-based surgery has become an important method of health-care delivery, but there is controversy about its safety and which practitioners should perform it. Several states have already or are preparing to enact legislation regulating office-based surgery. OBJECTIVE: The objective was to discuss recent literature pertaining to the safety of office surgery and to discuss reasons why there are perceived differences in its safety. METHODS: The pertinent literature is reviewed. Results. The majority of studies suggest that office surgery is safe. A recent study that found to the contrary may have methodologic flaws. CONCLUSION: The medical and legislative community should seek to scientifically examine office surgery. Overregulation or loss of office surgery would have a tremendous impact on the management of skin cancers and the delivery of quality cosmetic and laser surgery.

Ambulatory Surgical Procedures↗
PubMed2004

Patient injuries from surgical procedures performed in medical offices: three years of Florida data.

BACKGROUND: Many state medical boards and legislatures are in the process of developing regulations that restrict procedures in the office setting with the intention of enhancing patient safety. The highest quality data in existence on office procedure adverse incidents have been collected by the state of Florida. OBJECTIVE: The objective was to determine and analyze the nature of surgical incidents in office-based settings using 3 years of Florida data from March 2000 to March 2003. METHODS: An incidence study with prospective data collection was performed. Individual reports that resulted in death or a hospital transfer were further investigated by determining the reporting physician's board certification status, hospital privilege status (excluding procedure specific operating room privileges), and office accreditation status. RESULTS: In 3 years there were 13 procedure-related deaths and 43 procedure-related complications that resulted in a hospital transfer. Seven of the 13 deaths involved elective cosmetic procedures, 5 of which were performed under general anesthesia and 2 of which were performed with intravenous sedation anesthesia. Forty-two percent of the offices reporting deaths and 50% of the offices reporting procedural incidents that resulted in a hospital transfer were accredited by an independent accreditation agency. Ninety-six percent of physicians reporting surgical incidents were board-certified, and all had hospital privileges. CONCLUSIONS: Restrictions on office procedures for medically necessary procedures, such as requiring office accreditation, board certification, and hospital privileges, would have little effect on overall safety of surgical procedures. These data also show that the greatest danger to patients lies not with surgical procedures in office-based settings per se, but with cosmetic procedures that are performed in office-based settings, particularly when under general anesthesia. Our conclusions are dramatically different from those of a recent study, which claimed a 12-fold increased risk of death for procedures in the office setting.

Ambulatory Surgical Procedures↗
PubMed2004

Lower adverse event and mortality rates in physician offices compared with ambulatory surgery centers: a reappraisal of Florida adverse event data.

BACKGROUND: A recent study using Florida adverse event data found an increased risk of mortality in offices as opposed to ambulatory surgical centers. A major limitation of Florida adverse event data is the lack of uniform collection of the number of cases performed. OBJECTIVE: The objective was to reassess the risk of mortality from physician office and ambulatory surgical center procedures using improved estimates of the numbers of cases performed in these settings. METHODS: Adverse incident reports from March 2000 to March 2003 were obtained from the Florida Board of Medicine. We used data from the National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey and from the Medicare Current Beneficiary Survey to estimate the number of office procedures in Florida for both the general and the Medicare populations. The number of procedures performed and the number of deaths in ambulatory surgical centers was obtained from the Florida Agency of Healthcare Administration for the years 2000 through 2002. These data were used to calculate adverse event and mortality rates. RESULTS: For physician offices, the adverse event rates and mortality rates calculated per 100,000 procedures from National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey data were 2.1 and 0.41, respectively, and 0.24 and 0.10 using Medicare Current Beneficiary Survey data. For ambulatory surgical centers, the mean adverse event rate was 4.4 and the mean mortality rate was 0.90. DISCUSSION: Florida's adverse event data do not show higher adverse event rates in physician offices compared with ambulatory surgical centers. Incident reporting and public availability of incidents are important, as is standardization of reporting rules for both adverse events and number of procedures performed in different settings.

Ambulatory Surgical Procedures↗
PubMed2004

Healthcare costs and prescription adherence with introduction of thiazolidinedione therapy in Medicaid type 2 diabetic patients: a retrospective data analysis.

OBJECTIVES: Outcomes in patients with type 2 diabetes may vary depending on the antidiabetic medication used. Observational studies of outcomes of diabetes pharmacotherapy are needed to understand the implications of choice of controller in different populations. This study compared differences in total health care costs, medication adherence, and persistence in patients with type 2 diabetes enrolled in the North Carolina Medicaid Program that were newly started on thiazolidinedione (TZD) therapy with patients starting other oral antidiabetics during the same period. In addition differences among the TZDs with respect to these outcomes were examined. METHODS: A total of 1774 patients newly starting TZD therapy between July 2001 and June 2002 were compared to 1709 patients starting other oral antidiabetic medication (metformin or sulfonylureas) for health care costs and outcomes in the post-medication start year. In addition, a sub-group analysis of health care costs in patients starting either TZD (pioglitazone [n = 1086] versus rosiglitazone [N = 688]) was compared. All included patients had complete enrollment for the 24 months of follow-up. Multivariate techniques incorporating health care utilization in the year prior to start of new therapy were utilized to determine the cost impact of one therapy versus another. RESULTS: Results of multiple regression analyses suggest that patients starting TZD have better treatment adherence and persistence in the post-medication start year compared to patients starting other oral antidiabetics (13% increase in Medication Possession Ratios, and 10% increase in therapy persistence index, both p < 0.001). In addition, patients starting TZDs had 16.1% lower total annual health care costs (p < 0.01) compared to patients starting other oral antidiabetics. There were no differences in adherence and cost outcomes between the 2 TZDs. CONCLUSIONS: Introduction of thiazolidinedione therapy in a Medicaid-enrolled type 2 diabetic population was associated with significantly improved treatment adherence, persistence, and lower annual health care costs in the post-start year compared to patients starting other oral antidiabetics.

Administration, Oral↗
PubMed2004

Risk classification of Medicare HMO enrollee cost levels using a decision-tree approach.

OBJECTIVE: To determine whether classification tree techniques used on survey data collected at enrollment from older adults in a Medicare HMO could predict the likelihood of an individual being in a low, medium, high, or very high cost group in the subsequent year. METHODS: Data from comprehensive health risk assessment (HRA) screening of 11 744 new enrollees (age > or = 65 years) continuously enrolled in a Medicare HMO for at least 24 months between 1997 and 2002 were combined with complete healthcare service utilization data for each enrollee in the postenrollment period to create cost groups. An original clinically devised algorithm and a Classification and Regression Tree (CART) that used the HRA data were compared with respect to their ability to correctly place an individual within the cost groups over 12 months of enrollment. RESULTS: The variables that best classified enrollees into 12-month cost groups included quality of life, age, and preenrollment health services. Classification was best for CART: a sensitivity of 39.8% and a specificity of 83% was achieved for very high cost enrollees. Compared with the clinical algorithm, CART also utilized only one third as many predictor variables to define risk categories. CONCLUSION: Brief self-report survey data collected at enrollment can be modeled to provide moderate sensitivity in predicting very high costs in the postenrollment year. The ease of applicability of software to create empirically derived profiles of high-cost enrollees precludes the need to rely on clinically devised algorithms to identify enrollees at risk for very high costs.

Aged↗
PubMed2004

Longitudinal examination of health outcomes associated with botulinum toxin use in children with cerebral palsy.

A prospective cohort study with annual follow-up was conducted on 172 children with spastic type cerebral palsy receiving botulinum toxin type A (BTX) injections for spasticity management. A mixed modeling procedure was used to identify changes in both physical functioning outcomes for the child (using the WeeFIM measure) as well as quality of life of the parent caregiver (using the Stein and Reissman Impact on the Family Scale) with increasing utilization of BTX injections. The study found that each additional BTX injection administration was associated with a 2.3% improvement in the WeeFIM compared to the average baseline score (p < .01). Similarly, the study found an improvement of 2.5% compared to baseline in the parent's overall perception of the severity of the child's condition with each additional BTX injection administration (p < .001). These findings suggest that BTX injections may be associated with beneficial outcomes in childhood spasticity.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2004

Over-the-counter topical skin products--a common component of skin disease management.

Over-the-counter (OTC) products are widely recommended by physicians and utilized by the public for the treatment and prevention of disease. The use of OTC drugs has been studied extensively, but the patterns of physician recommendations for OTC topical skin products and the characteristics associated with patients receiving such recommendations remain unclear. We aimed to look at patterns of OTC topical skin product recommendations by physician specialty, patient demographics, geographical region, diagnosis, and metropolitan status to determine whether there are differences in the utilization of these products in the treatment of dermatologic conditions. We analyzed office-based physician visits for OTC topical skin product recommendations recorded in the 1995 to 2000 National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey (NAMCS). From 1995 to 2000, there were an estimated 36 million physician recommendations for OTC topical skin products. Although dermatologists were responsible for 53.8% of recommendations, pediatricians had the largest proportion of recommendations per prescription recommendation (OTC/Rx=0.58). Women patients, white patients, patients younger than 20 years, urban residents, and those living in the Southern United States received greater numbers of OTC topical skin product recommendations. Of the leading products recommended, hydrocortisone (27.6%), anti-infectives (23.4%), and moisturizers (13.4%) were the most common. OTC topical skin product recommendations by US physicians are substantial, particularly among dermatologists and primary care physicians. Physician specialty, gender, race, and age appear to be factors associated with those recommendations.

Adolescent↗