Science Highlights
February 2012
- Study finds rate of additional surgery varies after partial mastectomy
- How does team care improve depression and diabetes? ‘Treating to target’ and self-care
- People with dementia have more preventable hospitalizations
- New tests enhance research on how well people understand health messages
- Pediatric medical homes increase health care use—but not costs
- There’s ‘a room’ for health literacy in the medical home
- Nurse-led disease management helps urban minorities lower blood pressure
- New model can guide vaccine policy when supply runs short
New tests enhance research on how well people understand health messages
A study from the Cancer Research Network (CRN) gives researchers first-time access to a tool for measuring patients’ understanding of spoken health messages. The Cancer Message Literacy Test (CMLT)-Listening and its companion, the CMLT-Reading, also let researchers explore how comprehension of spoken and written messages are related. Sarah M. Greene, MPH, and co-authors from Meyers Primary Care Institute and other CRN sites described the tools in a Patient Education and Counseling report e-published January 11. See abstract.
Pediatric medical homes increase health care use—but not costs
Responding to the need for evidence on what makes medical homes successful, a study e-published January 4 in Medical Care examined health care use and costs among U.S. children and youth with and without a medical home. Although having a medical home was associated with more preventive and dental visits, it did not affect total health care expenditures, wrote David G. Grossman, MD, MPH, with co-authors from the University of Washington (UW) School of Public Health. See abstract.
There’s ‘a room’ for health literacy in the medical home
Integrating health literacy into the patient-centered medical home deserves consideration as a strategy for curbing costs, boosting quality, and providing more equitable care, say Jessica R. Ridpath; Eric B. Larson, MD, MPH; and Sarah M. Greene, MPH. Their commentary, e-published January 4 in the Journal of General Internal Medicine, describes how the increasingly popular medical home model is well suited to accommodate the multi-dimensional health literacy interventions known to be most effective. See abstract.
Nurse-led disease management helps urban minorities lower blood pressure
In a New York City-based randomized trial involving African Americans and Hispanics with uncontrolled hypertension, a nurse management intervention significantly reduced systolic, but not diastolic, blood pressure. The intervention—nurse support plus home blood pressure monitoring—proved more effective than home monitoring alone, which was comparable to usual care. Leah Tuzzio, MPH, e-published these findings December 6 in the Journal of General Internal Medicine, with co-authors from the UW School of Public Health, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, Fordham University, Harlem Hospital Center, and Abt SRBI. See abstract.
New model can guide vaccine policy when supply runs short
During the 2007-2009 Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib) vaccine shortage, expert organizations recommended deferring booster shots for most toddlers. But is deferral the best approach when vaccines run short? In January’s Emerging Infectious Diseases, Michael L. Jackson, PhD, MPH, and co-authors from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention presented a model for predicting the impact of deferring the vaccine. The model suggested three years would pass before routine deferral increased Hib rates in U.S. children. See abstract.