A Qualitative Examination of Health Barriers and Facilitators Among African American Mothers in a Subsidized Housing Community.

Although African American families are at particular risk for obesity and its associated health comorbidities, few interventions have directly targeted low-income members of this group living in subsidized public housing. Using a consensual qualitative research approach, we conducted 11 interviews with African American mothers living in two public housing communities to enhance understanding of their perceived barriers and facilitators to health. Five primary domains emerged, including barriers (access, financial, personal, and neighborhood concerns), resources (personal and community), current behaviors (diet, physical activity, and program participation), definition of health (mental well-being, physical well-being, and health behaviors), and needs/interests in programming (health behavior-specific programs, non-health-related programs, child-focused programming, and qualities of programs and their leaders). Results demonstrate the complex interaction among social, environmental, and personal factors on health behaviors for this priority population, and highlight the need for community members' involvement in the development of community-based obesity prevention programming.

Medical clinics versus usual care for patients with both diabetes and hypertension: a randomized trial.

BACKGROUND: Group medical clinics (GMCs) are widely used in the management of diabetes and hypertension, but data on their effectiveness are limited. OBJECTIVE: To test the effectiveness of GMCs in the management of comorbid diabetes and hypertension. DESIGN: Randomized, controlled trial. (ClinicalTrials.gov registration number: NCT00286741) SETTING: 2 Veterans Affairs Medical Centers in North Carolina and Virginia. PATIENTS: 239 patients with poorly controlled diabetes (hemoglobin A(1c) [HbA(1c)] level > or =7.5%) and hypertension (systolic blood pressure >140 mm Hg or diastolic blood pressure >90 mm Hg). INTERVENTION: Patients were randomly assigned within each center to either attend a GMC or receive usual care. Clinics comprised 7 to 8 patients and a care team that consisted of a primary care general internist, a pharmacist, and a nurse or other certified diabetes educator. Each session included structured group interactions moderated by the educator. The pharmacist and physician adjusted medication to manage each patient's HbA(1c) level and blood pressure. MEASUREMENTS: Hemoglobin A(1c) level and systolic blood pressure, measured by blinded research personnel at baseline, study midpoint (median, 6.8 months), and study completion (median follow-up, 12.8 months). Linear mixed models, adjusted for clustering within GMCs, were used to compare HbA(1c) levels and systolic blood pressure between the intervention and control groups. RESULTS: Mean baseline systolic blood pressure and HbA(1c) level were 152.9 mm Hg (SD, 14.2) and 9.2% (SD, 1.4), respectively. At the end of the study, mean systolic blood pressure improved by 13.7 mm Hg in the GMC group and 6.4 mm Hg in the usual care group (P = 0.011 by linear mixed model), whereas mean HbA(1c) level improved by 0.8% in the GMC group and 0.5% in the usual care group (P = 0.159). LIMITATION: Measurements of effectiveness may have been limited by concomitant improvements in the usual care group that were due to co-intervention. CONCLUSION: Group medical clinics are a potent strategy for improving blood pressure but not HbA(1c) level in diabetic patients. PRIMARY FUNDING SOURCE: U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Health Services Research and Development Service.

Use of psychosocial support services among male Veterans Affairs colorectal cancer patients.

The authors describe use of psychosocial services within +/- 3 months of diagnosis among male colorectal cancer (CRC) patients treated within the Veterans Affairs (VA) health care system. Analysis included 1,199 patients with CRC treated at 27 VA medical centers primarily diagnosed between the periods 2005 to 2007. Of the patients, 78.6% received some form of psychosocial support, including 50.5% social work, 58.9% chaplain, 6.2% psychologist, 7.1% psychiatry, 3.5% mental health nurse, and 4.4% other. Logistic regression results indicate that rectal cancer patients were less likely to receive psychosocial services (odds ratio = .65, 95% confidence interval [0.43, 0.97]). The majority of patients in the VA receive some type of psychosocial service at the time of CRC diagnosis.

Concordance between self-reported race/ethnicity and that recorded in a Veteran Affairs electronic medical record.

BACKGROUND: Using information from electronic health records (EHRs) to examine racial/ethnic health disparities is increasingly common. This study examines the degree of concordance between administratively recorded race/ethnicity and the criterion standard of self-reported race/ethnicity at a tertiary care Veterans Affairs Medical Center (VAMC) in North Carolina. METHODS: We compared self-reported race among 204 respondents to a cross-sectional mailed survey of patients with diabetes conducted in 2006-2007 to the race/ethnicity recorded in the EHR. Concordance was defined as the percent agreement between self-reported and administratively-reported race. RESULTS: The overall response rate to the survey was 68.9% (204 of 296). Of the 204 respondents, 32 (15.7%) reported a different race/ethnicity from the race/ethnicity reported in the EHR. Misclassification resulted from either the patient reporting a race/ethnicity and having the information missing in the EHR (9.3% of respondents) or the EHR having a different race/ethnicity listed than reported by the patient (6.3% of respondents). LIMITATIONS: This study was conducted at one VAMC. CONCLUSIONS: While we found misclassification of race/ethnicity in the EHR, the level of discordance is smaller than previously reported in the Veterans Health Administration. Despite this, efforts still need to be made to ensure correct information is included in the EHR.

Quality of nonmetastatic colorectal cancer care in the Department of Veterans Affairs.

PURPOSE: The Veterans Affairs (VA) healthcare system treats approximately 3% of patients with cancer in the United States each year. We measured the quality of nonmetastatic colorectal cancer (CRC) care in VA as indicated by concordance with National Comprehensive Cancer Network practice guidelines (six indicators) and timeliness of care (three indicators). PATIENTS AND METHODS: A retrospective medical record abstraction was done for 2,492 patients with incident stages I to III CRC diagnosed between October 1, 2003, and March 31, 2006, who underwent definitive CRC surgery. Patients were treated at one or more of 128 VA medical centers. The proportion of patients receiving guideline-concordant care and time intervals between care processes were calculated. RESULTS: More than 80% of patients had preoperative carcinoembryonic antigen determination (ie, stages II to III disease) and documented clear surgical margins (ie, stages II to III disease). Between 72% and 80% of patients had appropriate referral to a medical oncologist (ie, stages II to III disease), preoperative computed tomography scan of the abdomen and pelvis (ie, stages II to III disease), and adjuvant fluorouracil-based chemotherapy (ie, stage III disease). Less than half of patients with stages I to III CRC (43.5%) had a follow-up colonoscopy 7 to 18 months after surgery. The mean number of days between major treatment events included the following: 26.6 days (standard deviation [SD], 38.2; median, 20 days) between diagnosis and initiation of treatment (in stages II to III disease); 64.8 [corrected] days (SD, 54.9; median, 50 days) between definitive surgery and start of adjuvant chemotherapy (in stages II to III disease); and 444.2 [corrected] days (SD, 182.1; median, 393 days) between definitive surgery and follow-up colonoscopies (in stages I to III disease). CONCLUSION: Although there is opportunity for improvement in the area of cancer surveillance, the VA performs well in meeting established guidelines for diagnosis and treatment of CRC.

Racial/ethnic and educational-level differences in diabetes care experiences in primary care.

AIMS: To assess potential racial/ethnic and educational-level differences in the degree to which patients with diabetes who receive primary care from a Veterans Affairs Medical Center report that experiences with the diabetes care system are consistent with the Chronic Care Model (CCM). METHODS: A cross-sectional mailed survey of 296 patients included the Patient Assessment of Chronic Illness Care (PACIC), which measures components of the care system suggested by the CCM. RESULTS: Among 189 patients with complete information, non-white veterans had more than twice the odds of indicating that their diabetes care experience is in line with the CCM [measured by overall PACIC score > or =3.5] (OR 2.3; 95% CI 1.3-4.1). Non-white veterans were more likely to report high levels of assistance with problem solving and follow-up. Patients not completing high school had three times the odds of reporting care in line with the CCM (OR 3.0; 95% CI 1.2-7.6). Associations were also seen with implementation of the CCM in the areas of patient activation, perceived care teams, collaborative goal setting, and collaborative problem solving. CONCLUSIONS: Non-white patients and those with less than a high school education had more than twice the odds of reporting that the diabetes care system is in line with the CCM.