Home  About us  Contact
 

Private Physician (private + physician)

Distribution by Scientific Domains
Medical Sciences100%

Selected Abstracts

Evaluating provider prescribing practices for the treatment of tuberculosis in Virginia, 1995 to 1998: An assessment of educational need

THE JOURNAL OF CONTINUING EDUCATION IN THE HEALTH PROFESSIONS, Issue 3 2000
Nicole L. Richardson BA
Abstract Background: Although the use of epidemiologic studies to demonstrate learning needs appears to be infrequent, this study addressed the discrepancies in the prescribing practices for the initial treatment of tuberculosis in Virginia between public and private clinicians, comparing them with the treatment regimens recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the American Thoracic Society (CDC-ATS). Methods: Data examined were the 1995 to 1998 reported cases of tuberculosis within the Commonwealth of Virginia. The study population consisted of 770 laboratory-confirmed tuberculosis cases, living in Virginia, whose isolates were tested for isoniazid susceptibility and were prescribed an initial drug regimen. Prevalence rates, prevalence odds ratios, and logistic regression were used to determine the estimated risk for receipt of the CDC-ATS treatment regimen. Results: Of the 770 cases, 28.7% did not receive the CDC-ATS recommended drug regimen. Prevalence rates and odds for not receiving the recommended regimen were highest among persons of United States origin, Caucasians, females, persons under age 15, and persons from the southwest region of Virginia. Logistic regression indicated a slight increase in the estimated risk of not receiving the CDC-ATS regimen from a private physician (OR: 1.40; CI: 0.97, 2.04) when compared to a public physician. Findings: Private tuberculosis care providers were less compliant with CDC-ATS guidelines than public tuberculosis care providers. Because providers did not follow the recommended treatment guidelines universally, it is advised that all tuberculosis care providers in Virginia would benefit from increased education regarding adequate treatment regimens for tuberculosis and the prevention of multidrug-resistant tuberculosis. [source]

Health Differences Among Lumbee Indians Using Public and Private Sources of Care

THE JOURNAL OF RURAL HEALTH, Issue 3 2004
Alfred Bryant Jr. PhD
ABSTRACT: Context: Of 2.4 million American Indians, approximately 60% are eligible to receive Indian Health Service (IHS) benefits, leaving many to seek care elsewhere. It is unknown if their quality of care, health behaviors, and health status vary by source of care, as demonstrated for other populations. Purpose: The purpose of this study was to determine whether preventive services, health behaviors, and number of health conditions vary as a function of having non-IHS public versus private physicians as sources of usual care. Methods: 1,177 Lumbee Indians, who are ineligible to receive IHS services, completed a telephone interview that included information on receipt of preventive measures, tobacco use, physical activity, breast self-examination, and medical conditions. Frequencies, chi-squares, t tests, odds ratios, and confidence intervals were used to compare variables by source of care. Findings: 939 respondents (80%) had a private and 210 (18%) a public health clinic physician as their usual source of care; 28 (2%) reported having neither. Logistic regression analyses, restricted to the 1,149 participants who reported either a private or public source of care, revealed no differences in receipt of preventive services or health status by usual source of care. Smokeless tobacco use was less common among persons using private than public providers. Conclusions: Lumbees whose usual source of care was a public clinic physician did not differ in receipt of preventive services or in health status compared to their counterparts who received care from a private physician. More targeted research into health similarities and differences arising from access to public and private sources of care is warranted. [source]

Coverage of recommended vaccines in children at 7,8 years of age in Flanders, Belgium

ACTA PAEDIATRICA, Issue 8 2009
Heidi Theeten
Abstract Aim:, Evaluation of the coverage of primary diphtheria-tetanus-pertussis (DTP), poliomyelitis, hepatitis B (HBV) and measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine doses recommended before the age of 18 months in 7-year-old school children in Flanders, Belgium. Meningococcal serogroup C and DT-polio vaccines offered respectively as catch-up and booster vaccinations were also evaluated. Methods:, Parents of 792 children born in Flanders in 1997 and selected by cluster sampling were interviewed at home in 2005. Vaccination data since infancy were collected retrospectively from vaccination documents and school health records. Results:, Coverage rates were 88.0% for the first dose of MMR, and 72.0%, 84.2% and 91.4% for the recommended HBV, DTP and poliomyelitis primary vaccine doses, respectively. These rates included catch-up of missed infant MMR (4.9%) and HBV (6.4%) vaccinations. In addition, 88.3% of the target group received the DT-polio booster dose recommended at 6 years of age and 83.1% a meningococcal C vaccine dose. Preventive public health services as well as private physicians were involved to a varying extent. A lower socioeconomic status of the family was associated with a higher risk of nonvaccination. Conclusion:, Vaccinators in Flanders reach children relatively well during infancy and at school age, but catch-up of missed infant vaccine doses, especially MMR, should be optimized. [source]