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Biomedical subjects

Michael K Paasche-Orlow

Publications and source records attributed to Michael K Paasche-Orlow.

11 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2006

Prevalence of torture survivors among foreign-born patients presenting to an urban ambulatory care practice.

BACKGROUND: The prevalence of torture among foreign-born patients presenting to urban medical clinics is not well documented. OBJECTIVE: To determine the prevalence of torture among foreign-born patients presenting to an urban primary care practice. DESIGN: A survey of foreign-born patients. PATIENTS: Foreign-born patients, age > or = 18, presenting to the Primary Care Clinic at Boston Medical Center. MEASUREMENTS: Self-reported history of torture as defined by the UN, and history of prior disclosure of torture. RESULTS: Of the 308 eligible patients, 88 (29%) declined participation, and 78 (25%) were not included owing to lack of a translator. Participants had a mean age of 47 years (range 19 to 76), were mostly female (82/142, 58%), had been in the United States for an average of 14 years (range 1 month to 53 years), and came from 35 countries. Fully, 11% (16/142, 95 percent confidence interval 7% to 18%) of participants reported a history of torture that was consistent with the UN definition of torture. Thirty-nine percent (9/23) of patients reported that their health care provider asked them about torture. While most patients (15/23, 67%) reported discussing their experience of torture with someone in the United States, 8 of 23 (33%) reported that this survey was their first disclosure to anyone in the United States. CONCLUSION: Among foreign-born patients presenting to an urban primary care center, approximately 1 in 9 met the definition established by the UN Convention Against Torture. As survivors of torture may have significant psychological and physical sequelae, these data underscore the necessity for primary care physicians to screen for a torture history among foreign-born patients.

Adult↗
PubMed2006

Health literacy, antiretroviral adherence, and HIV-RNA suppression: a longitudinal perspective.

BACKGROUND: Low health literacy has been associated with worse adherence to antiretroviral therapy (ART) and higher HIV-RNA levels, but these relationships have not been evaluated in longitudinal analyses. METHODS: We evaluated literacy using the Rapid Estimate of Adult Literacy in Medicine (REALM) (< or = 6th grade, 7th to 8th grade, > or = 9th grade) in the HIV-Alcohol Longitudinal Cohort study of HIV-infected persons with a history of alcohol problems, conducted from 1997 to 2001. We tested HIV-RNA levels and administered a standardized questionnaire regarding demographics, substance use, receipt of ART, and adherence with ART, every 6 months for up to 7 occasions. Among the 235 subjects on ART, we investigated the relationship between literacy and 2 outcomes: 100% 3-day self-reported adherence and HIV-RNA suppression (<500 copies). RESULTS: Subjects' literacy levels were the following: 14% < or = 6th grade, 29% 7th to 8th grade, and 57% > or = 9th grade. In 66% of the observations (478/725), subjects reported 100% 3-day adherence with ART. Of the 685 HIV-RNA assays from these subjects, 62% had <500 copies. In unadjusted analyses, subjects with the lowest literacy level (< or = 6th grade) had a higher odds of adherence (odds ratio [OR] 2.23, 95% confidence interval 1.15 to 4.30) and HIV-RNA suppression (OR 2.01, 95% confidence interval 1.03 to 3.90) compared with those with > or = 9th grade literacy. This trend persisted but was no longer statistically significant in adjusted models of adherence (AOR 1.93, 95% confidence interval 0.86 to 4.31) and HIV-RNA suppression (AOR 1.70, 95% confidence interval 0.79 to 3.65). CONCLUSION: Contrary to our hypothesis, low literacy was not associated with a lower odds of adherence or virologic suppression in this longitudinal analysis of HIV-infected patients with a history of alcohol problems. Indeed, trends in these data suggest the possibility that low literacy may be associated with a higher odds of adherence and virologic suppression. These counterintuitive findings underscore the need to pursue a fuller understanding of the mechanisms by which literacy affects health outcomes.

Adult↗
PubMed2006

Impact of health literacy on depressive symptoms and mental health-related: quality of life among adults with addiction.

BACKGROUND: Health literacy has been linked to health status in a variety of chronic diseases. However, evidence for a relationship between health literacy and mental health outcomes is sparse. OBJECTIVE: We hypothesized that low literacy would be associated with higher addiction severity, higher levels of depressive symptoms, and worse mental health functioning compared with those with higher literacy in adults with alcohol and drug dependence. METHODS: The association of literacy with multiple mental health outcomes was assessed using multivariable analyses. Measurement instruments included the Rapid Estimate of Adult Literacy in Medicine (REALM), the Center for Epidemiologic Studies-Depression (CES-D) scale, the Mental Component Summary scale of the Short Form Health Survey, and the Addiction Severity Index for drug and alcohol addiction. Subjects included 380 adults recruited during detoxification treatment and followed prospectively at 6-month intervals for 2 years. Based on the REALM, subjects were classified as having either low (< or = 8th grade) or higher (> or = 9th grade) literacy levels. RESULTS: In longitudinal analyses, low literacy was associated with more depressive symptoms. The adjusted mean difference in CES-D scores between low and high literacy levels was 4 (P<.01). Literacy was not significantly associated with mental health-related quality of life or addiction severity. CONCLUSIONS: In people with alcohol and drug dependence, low literacy is associated with worse depressive symptoms. The mechanisms underlying the relationship between literacy and mental health outcomes should be explored to inform future intervention efforts.

Adult↗
PubMed2005

Tailored education may reduce health literacy disparities in asthma self-management.

RATIONALE: Although inadequate health literacy has been associated with lower asthma medication knowledge and worse metered-dose inhaler (MDI) technique, the relationship between health literacy and the capacity to learn asthma self-management skills is unknown. OBJECTIVES: In this prospective cohort study of adults hospitalized for severe asthma exacerbations at two inner-city hospitals, we examined the relationship between inadequate health literacy and difficulties learning and retaining instructions about discharge medications and appropriate MDI technique. METHODS: At hospital discharge, participants received one-on-one, 30-min, guideline-based, written and oral instruction about their asthma discharge regimen as well as appropriate MDI technique. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: Seventy-three patients were enrolled. Inadequate health literacy was identified in 16 (22%) participants. Before instruction, inadequate health literacy was associated with lower asthma medication knowledge (5.2/10 vs. 7.2/10, p < 0.001) and worse MDI technique (3.2/6 vs. 3.9/6, p = 0.03). However, inadequate health literacy was not associated with difficulty learning (p = 0.33) or retaining (p = 0.35) instructions about the discharge regimen. Similarly, inadequate health literacy was not associated with difficulty learning (p = 0.26) or retaining (p = 0.97) appropriate MDI technique. Results were similar in multivariable models adjusted for demographic characteristics and asthma severity indicators. CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest that inadequate health literacy is a surmountable barrier to learning and remembering key asthma self-management skills.

Academic Medical Centers↗
PubMed2005

Assessment of medical school institutional review board policies regarding compensation of subjects for research-related injury.

PURPOSE: Although the Institute of Medicine (IOM) calls for research organizations to compensate subjects for research-related injury, administrators may fear that candid presentation of such policies would create financial risk. We hypothesized that informed consent language at U.S. medical schools would be particularly complex and fall short of IOM goals, especially for projects without industry sponsorship. METHODS: Medical school websites (N = 123) were surveyed for informed consent language for research-related injury. Text was extracted from 113 sites (92%) and evaluated for details regarding financial liability for research-related injury. When sufficient template text was available (n = 106), the readability of liability policies was compared with the readability of other standardized passages using Flesch-Kincaid analysis. RESULTS: Coverage for medical bills is offered at 61% (23/38) of schools when there is an industry sponsor as compared with 22% (22/102) when there is none (P <0.001). When coverage is offered in studies with no industry sponsor, it is limited to emergency bills in half (11/22) of these policies. Seventy-two percent (81/113) of medical school consent forms specifically rule out the possibility of monetary compensation. The mean (+/- SD) reading grade level of liability text in consent forms is higher than that in other template paragraphs (11.5 +/- 1.4 vs. 10.6 +/- 1.4; P = 0.0001). CONCLUSION: Federally funded research at most U.S. medical schools is conducted with consent form language that is particularly complex and that fails to protect subjects from the financial burden of research-related injury. Few schools meet IOM standards.

Biomedical Research↗
PubMed2005

Educational attainment but not literacy is associated with HIV risk behavior among incarcerated women.

PURPOSE: To identify the educational factors associated with HIV risk behaviors among incarcerated women. METHODS: We evaluated a cohort of female detainees at The Rhode Island Adult Correctional Institute between July and September 2004. Among the 423 women who participated in the study, 55% did not have a high school diploma, 29% had < or = 8th grade reading capacity, 32% had a learning disability, 37% had problem drinking, and 61% (257/423) reported HIV risk behavior. RESULTS: In multiple logistic regression, participants who had completed high school had the lowest likelihood of HIV risk behavior (adjusted odds ratio [OR] 0.35, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.12-1.00). There was no association between participants? literacy level and HIV risk behavior (adjusted OR 2.02, 95% CI 0.83-4.92). CONCLUSIONS: Correctional education programs to reduce HIV risk behavior should focus on those with low educational attainment irrespective of literacy skills.

Adult↗
PubMed2005

Notices of Privacy Practices: a survey of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 documents presented to patients at US hospitals.

BACKGROUND: Federal regulation requires hospitals to present patients with a Notice of Privacy Practices (NPP) that contains all stipulated content items, is readable by patients, and posted on institutional web sites. OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to determine whether the NPP texts contain the required content, if readability is influenced by local literacy rates, and if readability or the presentation of NPP texts in other languages is influenced by local rates of English proficiency. RESEARCH DESIGN: The authors conducted a cross-sectional study of the web sites of 115 hospitals selected from the US News and World Report list: Best Hospitals in America. MEASURES: English NPP texts were evaluated for 18 content items and readability using the Flesch-Kincaid scale, which assigns the minimal grade level required to read a text (range, 0-16). RESULTS: NPP texts were available for all hospitals (115 of 115). A Spanish-language NPP was available for 25% (29 of 115). All content items were evident in 76% (87 of 115) of hospitals' NPP texts. The average grade-level readability of NPP text was 12.3 (95% confidence interval, 12.0-12.7). Readability was not associated with the rate of local literacy (P = 0.07). Hospitals with a lower local rate of English proficiency had NPP texts that were more difficult to read (P = 0.03) and did not present NPP texts in other languages more frequently (P = 0.15). CONCLUSIONS: Although NPP texts typically cover the stipulated content, they are written beyond the reading capacity of the majority of American adults. Explicit federal guidance is needed to help privacy lawyers draft NPP texts that are both comprehensive and comprehensible. The goals of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 Privacy Rule cannot be met with NPP texts patients cannot decipher.

Analysis of Variance↗
PubMed2005

The prevalence of limited health literacy.

OBJECTIVE: To systematically review U.S. studies examining the prevalence of limited health literacy and to synthesize these findings by evaluating demographic associations in pooled analyses. DESIGN: We searched the literature for the period 1963 through January 2004 and identified 2,132 references related to a set of specified search terms. Of the 134 articles and published abstracts retrieved, 85 met inclusion criteria, which were 1) conducted in the United States with > or =25 adults, 2) addressed a hypothesis related to health care, 3) identified a measurement instrument, and 4) presented primary data. The authors extracted data to compare studies by population, methods, and results. MAIN RESULTS: The 85 studies reviewed include data on 31,129 subjects, and report a prevalence of low health literacy between 0% and 68%. Pooled analyses of these data reveal that the weighted prevalence of low health literacy was 26% (95% confidence interval [CI], 22% to 29%) and of marginal health literacy was 20% (95% CI, 16% to 23%). Most studies used either the Rapid Estimate of Adult Literacy in Medicine (REALM) or versions of the Test of Functional Health Literacy in Adults (TOFHLA). The prevalence of low health literacy was not associated with gender (P=.38) or measurement instrument (P=.23) but was associated with level of education (P=.02), ethnicity (P=.0003), and age (P=.004). CONCLUSIONS: A pooled analysis of published reports on health literacy cannot provide a nationally representative prevalence estimate. This systematic review exhibits that limited health literacy, as depicted in the medical literature, is prevalent and is consistently associated with education, ethnicity, and age. It is essential to simplify health services and improve health education. Such changes have the potential to improve the health of Americans and address the health disparities that exist today.

Educational Status↗
PubMed2003

Readability standards for informed-consent forms as compared with actual readability.

BACKGROUND: Institutional review boards (IRBs) are charged with safeguarding potential research subjects with limited literacy but may have an inadvertent role in promulgating unreadable consent forms. We hypothesized that text provided by IRBs in informed-consent forms falls short of the IRBs' own readability standards and that readability is influenced by the level of research activity, local literacy rates, and federal oversight. METHODS: To test these hypotheses, we conducted a cross-sectional study linking data from several public-use sources. A total of 114 Web sites of U.S. medical schools were surveyed for IRB readability standards and informed-consent-form templates. Actual readability was measured with the Flesch-Kincaid scale, which assigns a score on the basis of the minimal grade level required to read and understand English text (range, 0 to 12). Data on the level of research activity, local literacy rates, and federal oversight were obtained from organizational Web sites. RESULTS: The average readability score for text provided by IRBs was 10.6 (95 percent confidence interval, 10.3 to 10.8) on the Flesch-Kincaid scale. Specific readability standards, found on 61 Web sites (54 percent), ranged from a 5th-grade reading level to a 10th-grade reading level. The mean Flesch-Kincaid scores for the readability of sample text provided by IRBs exceeded the stated standard by 2.8 grade levels (95 percent confidence interval, 2.4 to 3.2; P<0.001). Readability was not associated with either the level of research funding (P=0.89) or local rates of literacy (P=0.92). However, the 52 schools that had been made subject to oversight by the Office for Human Research Protections (46 percent) had lower Flesch-Kincaid scores than the other schools (10.2 vs. 10.9, P=0.005). CONCLUSIONS: IRBs commonly provide text for informed-consent forms that falls short of their own readability standards. Federal oversight is associated with better readability.

Comprehension↗