Biomedical subjects

Robert L Cook

Publications and source records attributed to Robert L Cook.

21 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

PubMed2002

Primary care physician attitudes regarding sexually transmitted diseases.

BACKGROUND: Primary care physicians see the majority of patients with sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), but little is known about their attitudes regarding STD-related issues. GOAL: The study goal was to determine the attitudes of primary care physicians toward STD-related issues, to determine physicians' characteristics associated with attitudes, and to examine the relationship of attitudes to STD counseling practices. STUDY DESIGN: A cross-sectional survey was mailed to randomly selected primary care physicians in Pennsylvania. RESULTS: Of 1054 eligible physicians, 541 (51%) responded. Although most physicians were comfortable discussing sex-related issues with their patients (89%), many believed their STD counseling was ineffective (70%), their medical school STD training was inadequate (48%), or that they were not responsible for STD preventive services for their patients (43%). Overall, STD-related attitudes were more positive among physicians who were female, worked in clinic settings, and received adequate training in STDs. More positive attitude scores were significantly associated with performance of six specific risk-assessment and counseling behaviors. CONCLUSIONS: Many physicians reported low confidence, limited responsibility, and time barriers that may affect their STD-prevention practices. Interventions that influence STD-related attitudes may improve STD-prevention practices by primary care physicians.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2002

Smoking cessation in a homeless population: there is a will, but is there a way?

This cross-sectional study sought to determine the prevalence of smoking, readiness to quit, and preferences for smoking cessation treatments among a sample of 236 homeless adults attending 9 sites serving homeless persons (mean age 41.8 years; 73% male). Two thirds (69%) were current smokers, of whom 37% reported readiness to quit smoking within the next 6 months. In bivariate analyses, persons were significantly (P <.05) more likely to be ready to quit if they had tried to quit in the past and if they had social support to quit smoking. Nicotine replacement was the most commonly preferred assistance method (44%), and self-efficacy to quit (10-point scale) was significantly greater if assistance was available (7.3 vs 4.9; P <.001). The findings suggest an urgent need to develop and implement smoking cessation programs for homeless persons.

Adult↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Adherence to antiretroviral therapy among women with HIV infection.

OBJECTIVE: The overall objective of this secondary analysis was to examine self-reported adherence to antiretroviral therapy in a sample of women with HIV. DESIGN: The primary study used survey methodology. SETTING: The setting included a university-based HIV/AIDS clinic in southwestern Pennsylvania and a community-based HIV/AIDS clinic in eastern Pennsylvania. PARTICIPANTS: Sixty-one women infected with HIV who were taking protease inhibitors. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: Self-reported adherence was based on responses to two questions: whether the person had missed a dose of her medications within the past 24 hours, and how many pills the person had taken on time as scheduled (none, very few, a few, about half, most, nearly all, all of them). RESULTS: Adherence ranged from 60% to 75%. Two thirds (65.6%) of the sample thought that their medications were helping them; three fifths (57.4%) thought that it was dangerous to miss a dose of their medications. CONCLUSIONS: Adherence in this sample was less than perfect, suggesting the need to develop, implement, and test interventions to promote better adherence to antiretroviral medication regimens among women with HIV.

Adult↗