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Purpose: Although the majority of US adults obtain health information on the internet, the quality of information about prostate cancer is highly variable. Black adults are underrepresented in online content about prostate cancer despite a higher incidence of and mortality from the disease. The goal of this study was to explore the perspectives of Black patients with prostate cancer on the importance of racial representation in online content and other factors influencing trust. Materials and Methods: We conducted 7 virtual focus groups with Black patients with prostate cancer in 2022 and 2023. Participants completed an intake questionnaire with demographics followed by a group discussion, including feedback on purposefully selected online content. Transcripts were independently analyzed by 2 investigators experienced in qualitative research using a constant comparative method. Results: Most participants use online sources to look for prostate cancer information. Racial representation is an important factor affecting trust in the content. A lack of Black representation has consequences, including misperceptions about a lower risk of prostate cancer and discouraging further information-seeking. Other key themes affecting trust in online content included the importance of a reputable source of information, professional website structure, and soliciting money. Conclusions: Underrepresentation of Black adults in prostate cancer content has the potential to worsen health disparities. Optimal online communications should include racially diverse representation and evidence-based information in a professional format from reputable sources without financial conflict. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To develop and pilot test a patient decision aid (DA) describing small kidney masses and risks and benefits of treatment for the masses.Methods: An expert committee iteratively designed a small kidney mass DA, incorporating evidence-based risk communication and informational needs for treatment options and shared decision-making. After literature review and drafting content with the feedback of urologists, radiologists, and an internist, a rapid qualitative assessment was conducted using two patient focus groups to inform user-centered design. In a pilot study, 30 patients were randomized at the initial urologic consultation to receive the DA or existing institutional patient educational material (PEM). Preconsultation questionnaires captured patient knowledge and shared decision-making preferences. After review of the DA and subsequent clinician consultation, patients completed questionnaires on discussion content and satisfaction. Proportions between arms were compared using Fisher exact tests, and decision measures were compared using Mann-Whitney tests.Results: Patient informational needs included risk of tumor growth during active surveillance and ablation, significance of comorbidities, and posttreatment recovery. For the DA, 84% of patients viewed all content, and mean viewing time was 20 min. Significant improvements in knowledge about small mass risks and treatments were observed (mean total scores: 52.6% DA versus 22.3% PEM, P < .001). DA use also increased the proportion of patients discussing ablation (66.7% DA versus 18.2% PEM, P = .02). Decision satisfaction measures were similar in both arms.Discussion: Patients receiving a small kidney mass DA are likely to gain knowledge and preparedness to discuss all treatment options over standard educational materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Black men have the highest incidence and mortality from prostate cancer (PCa) and lower quality of life compared to other U.S. racial groups. Additionally, more Latinx men are diagnosed with advanced disease and fewer receive guideline-concordant care. As many men seek medical information online, high-quality information targeting diverse populations may mitigate disparities. We examined racial/ethnic representation and information quality in online PCa content. Materials and Methods: We retrieved 150 websites and 150 videos about "prostate cancer" using the most widely used search engine (Google) and social network (YouTube). We assessed quality of health information, reading level, perceived race/ethnicity of people featured in the content and discussion of racial/ethnic disparities. Results: Among 81 websites and 127 videos featuring people, 37% and 24% had perceived Black representation, and racial/ethnic disparities were discussed in 27% and 17%, respectively. Among 1,526 people featured, 9% and 1% were perceived as Black and Latinx, respectively. No content with Black or Latinx representation was high quality, understandable, actionable and at the recommended reading level. Conclusions: Black and Latinx adults are underrepresented in online PCa content. Online media have significant potential for public education and combating health disparities. However, most PCa content lacks diversity and is not readily understandable. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Resistant hypertension, defined as blood pressure levels above goal while taking ≥3 classes of antihypertensive medication or ≥4 classes regardless of blood pressure level, is associated with increased cardiovascular disease risk. The 2018 American Heart Association Scientific Statement on Resistant Hypertension recommends healthy lifestyle habits and thiazide-like diuretics and mineralocorticoid receptor antagonists for adults with resistant hypertension. The term apparent treatment-resistant hypertension (aTRH) is used when pseudoresistance cannot be excluded. We estimated the use of healthy lifestyle factors and recommended antihypertensive medication classes among US Black adults with aTRH. Data were pooled for Black participants in the JHS (Jackson Heart Study) in 2009 to 2013 (n=2496) and the REGARDS study (Reasons for Geographic and Racial Differences in Stroke) in 2013 to 2016 (n=3786). Outcomes included lifestyle factors (not smoking, not consuming alcohol, ≥75 minutes of vigorous-intensity or ≥150 minutes of moderate or vigorous physical activity per week, and body mass index <25 kg/m2) and recommended antihypertensive medications (thiazide-like diuretics and mineralocorticoid receptor antagonists). Overall, 28.3% of participants who reported taking antihypertensive medication had aTRH. Among participants with aTRH, 14.5% and 1.2% had ideal levels of 3 and 4 of the lifestyle factors, respectively. Also, 5.9% of participants with aTRH reported taking a thiazide-like diuretic, and 9.8% reported taking a mineralocorticoid receptor antagonist. In conclusion, evidence-based lifestyle factors and recommended pharmacological treatment are underutilized in Black adults with aTRH. Increased use of lifestyle recommendations and antihypertensive medication classes specifically recommended for aTRH may improve blood pressure control and reduce cardiovascular disease-related morbidity and mortality among US Black adults. Graphic Abstract A graphic abstract is available for this article. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To describe behavioral and genetic beliefs about developing hypertension (HTN) by sociodemographic factors and self-reported HTN status, and among those with a history of HTN, evaluate associations between HTN-related causal beliefs and behavior change attempts. Method: Data from the 2014 Health Information National Trends Survey were evaluated. HTN causal beliefs questions included (a) "How much do you think health behaviors like diet, exercise, and smoking determine whether or not a person will develop high blood pressure/HTN?"; and (b) "How much do you think genetics, that is characteristics passed from one generation to the next, determine whether or not a person will develop high blood pressure/HTN?" Multivariate logistic regressions evaluated associations between HTN causal beliefs and behavior change attempts including diet, exercise, and weight management. Results: Approximately 1,602 out of 3,555 respondents with nonmissing data (33% weighted) reported ever having HTN. In logistic regression models, results show that the more strongly people believed in the impact of behavior on developing HTN, the higher their odds for behavior change attempts. Beliefs about genetic causes of HTN were not associated with behavior change attempts. Women had higher odds of attempts to increase fruit and vegetable intake, reduce soda intake, and lose weight compared to men. Blacks and Hispanics were significantly more likely than Whites to report attempts to lose weight. Conclusions: Beliefs about behavioral causes of HTN, but not genetic, were associated with behavior change attempts. Health messages that incorporate behavioral beliefs and sociodemographic factors may enhance future prohealth behavior changes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Eliciting patient preferences and goals of care are foundational to the shared decision-making process and are also important to consider in clinical trial design. This qualitative study was part of formative work of a planning study to determine optimal design for a future randomized clinical trial comparing revascularization with coronary artery bypass grafting vs. percutaneous coronary intervention in patients with ischemic cardiomyopathy. Objective: To elicit patient preferences for CABG vs. PCI among ischemic heart disease patients for use in refining study design and methods. Methods: We conducted individual interviews and focus groups with 20 subjects (>age 18) with ischemic cardiomyopathy to elicit patient attitudes and descriptions of patient preferences for treatment option. A semi-structured interview guide that included open-ended questions "What is the most important thing you consider when⋯" provided structure but allowed participants to communicate attitudes and patient preferences. All interviews and focus groups were audiotaped and transcribed verbatim; and analyzed using Atlas ti v 8.0 to identify attributes and levels of attributes that influence decision making. Results: Among this sample of patients with ischemic cardiomyopathy (85% male; 80% non-hispanic White); patients described that they are most likely to take the advice of their trusted provider "he's the expert and he knows my case⋯I do what he says". Five attributes of patient preferences emerged: invasiveness, quality of life, sustainability, complications and recovery period. In each category, subjects described 3 levels of attributes they deemed as influential (e.g., critical, major or minor complication). They also described preferences as a trade off or balancing of attributes. For example trading a longer recovery period for sustainability "If I'm in the hospital longer, I'll manage⋯I prefer one and done!" Or balancing procedure invasiveness with impact to quality of life "I don't want to crack my chest but if it means I will play tennis again⋯". Conclusions: Preferences for CABG vs. PCI among ischemic heart disease patients provide important data for determination of study feasibility, entry criteria and recruitment strategies to support planning of a future clinical trial. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: By 2035, it is expected that older adults (aged 65 years and older) will outnumber children and will represent 78 million people in the US population. As the aging population continues to grow, it is critical to reduce disparities in their representation in medical research.Objective: This study aimed to describe sociodemographic characteristics and health and information behaviors as factors that influence US adults' interest in engaging in medical research, beyond participation as study subjects.Methods: Nationally representative cross-sectional data from the 2014 Health Information National Trends Survey (N=3677) were analyzed. Descriptive statistics and weighted multivariable logistic regression analyses were performed to assess predictors of one's interest in patient engagement in medical research. The independent variables included age, general health, income, race and ethnicity, education level, insurance status, marital status, and health information behaviors.Results: We examined the association between the independent variables and patient interest in engaging in medical research (PTEngage_Interested). Patient interest in engaging in medical research has a statistically significant association with age (adjusted P<.01). Younger adults (aged 18-34 years), lower middle-aged adults (aged 35-49 years), and higher middle-aged adults (aged 50-64 years) indicated interest at relatively the same frequency (29.08%, 29.56%, and 25.12%, respectively), but older adults (aged ≥65 years) expressed less interest (17.10%) than the other age groups. After the multivariate model was run, older adults (odds ratio 0.738, 95% CI 0.500-1.088) were found to be significantly less likely to be interested in engaging in medical research than adults aged 50 to 64 years. Regardless of age, the strongest correlation was found between interest in engaging in medical research and actively looking for health information (P<.001). Respondents who did not seek health information were significantly less likely than those who did seek health information to be interested in engaging in medical research.Conclusions: Patients' interest in engaging in medical research vary by age and information-seeking behaviors. As the aging population continues to grow, it is critical to reduce disparities in their representation in medical research. Interest in participatory research methods may reflect an opportunity for consumer health informatics technologies to improve the representation of older adults in future medical research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Approximately 73% of US adults use YouTube, making it the most popular social media platform. Misinformation on social media is a growing concern; recent studies show a high proportion of misinformative health-related videos. Several studies on patient-provider communication and general health information seeking have been conducted. However, few studies to date have examined the potential association between patient-provider communication and health information seeking on specific social media platforms such as YouTube. A better understanding of this relationship may inform future health communication interventions.Objective: The aim was to use nationally representative cross-sectional data to describe the association between perceived patient-provider communication quality and sociodemographic factors on watching YouTube health-related videos.Methods: Data from the 2018 Health Information National Trends Survey were analyzed (N=3504). The primary outcome was whether participants watched a health-related video on YouTube over the past 12 months. A patient-provider communication composite score was created by summing responses about how often providers did the following: (1) gave you the chance to ask all the health-related questions you had, (2) gave attention to your feelings, (3) involved you in health care decisions as much as you wanted, (4) made sure that you understood the things you needed to do to take care of your health, (5) explained things in a way that you could understand, (6) spent enough time with you, and (7) helped you deal with feelings of uncertainty. Sociodemographic factors included age, gender, race/ethnicity, and education. Descriptive statistics and multivariable logistic regression were conducted.Results: Approximately 1067 (35% weighted prevalence) participants reported watching a health-related video on YouTube. Higher perceived quality of patient-provider communication on the composite score was significantly associated with lower odds of watching health-related videos on YouTube. Regarding sociodemographic factors, increasing age and being a high school graduate (compared with college graduate) were associated with lower odds of watching health-related videos on YouTube; whereas, Hispanic and non-Hispanic Asians were more likely to have watched a health-related video on YouTube. For individual aspects of patient-physician communication, two of seven patient-provider communication variables were significant. Those who reported that providers "sometimes" spent enough time with them had higher odds of watching a health-related video on YouTube, compared with those who said providers "always" spent enough time with them. Participants reporting that they "never" have a chance to ask all their health-related questions also had higher odds of watching health-related videos on YouTube compared with those who reported "always."Conclusions: Higher perceived quality of patient-provider communication is associated with lower odds of watching health-related videos on YouTube. When providers do not spend enough time or give an opportunity to ask questions, patients are more likely to pursue health information on social media. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The Mobile Insulin Titration Intervention (MITI) program helps patients with type 2 diabetes find their correct basal insulin dose without in-person care. Requiring only basic cell phone technology (text messages and phone calls), MITI is highly accessible to patients receiving care in safety-net settings. MITI was shown in a randomized controlled trial (RCT) to be efficacious at a New York City (NYC) safety-net clinic where patients often have challenges coming for in-person care. In 2016, MITI was implemented as usual care at Bellevue Hospital (the site of the original RCT) and at Gouverneur Health (a second NYC safety-net clinic) under 2 different staffing models.Objective: This implementation study examined MITI's transition into real-world settings. To understand MITI's flexibility, generalizability, and acceptability among patients and providers, we evaluated whether MITI continued to produce positive outcomes in expanded underserved populations, outside of an RCT setting.Methods: Patients enrolled in MITI received weekday text messages asking for their fasting blood glucose (FBG) values and a weekly titration call. The goal was for patients to reach their optimal insulin dose (OID), defined either as the dose of once-daily basal insulin required to achieve either an FBG of 80-130 mg/dL (4.4-7.2 mmol/L) or as the reaching of the maximum dose of 50 units. After 12 weeks, if OID was not reached, the patients were asked to return to the clinic for in-person care and titration. MITI program outcomes, clinical outcomes, process outcomes, and patient satisfaction were assessed.Results: MITI was successful at both sites, each with a different staffing model. Providers referred 170 patients to the program-129 of whom (75.9%, 129/170) were eligible. Of these, 113 (87.6%, 113/129) enrolled. Moreover, 84.1% (95/113) of patients reached their OID, and they did so in an average of 24 days. Clinical outcomes show that mean FBG levels fell from 209 mg/dL (11.6 mmol/L) to 141 mg/dL (7.8 mmol/L), P<.001. HbA1c levels fell from 11.4% (101 mmol/mol) to 10.0% (86 mmol/mol), P<.001. Process outcomes show that 90.1% of MITI's text message prompts received a response, nurses connected with patients 81.9% of weeks to provide titration instructions, and 85% of attending physicians made at least one referral to the MITI program. Satisfaction surveys showed that most patients felt comfortable sharing information over text and felt the texts reminded them to take their insulin, check their sugar, and make healthy food choices.Conclusions: This implementation study showed MITI to have continued success after transitioning from an RCT program into real-world settings. MITI showed itself to be flexible and generalizable as it easily fits into a second site staffed by general medical clinic-registered nurses and remained acceptable to patients and staff who had high levels of engagement with the program. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]