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Background: Regular physical activity (PA) is a major factor in maintaining health in aging populations. This study examines the influences of sociodemographic, health, and environmental characteristics on older adults' walking behaviors, and the role physicians can play in promoting physical activity.Methods: Online and paper surveys (n = 272) were distributed to community-dwelling older (age ≥ 60) adults from a large integrated healthcare system in two counties in Central Texas. Descriptive statistics were utilized to characterize participant's walking behaviors and places. Multivariate logistic regression was employed to predict being: 1) a frequent walker (i.e., walking at least three times a week); and 2) meeting the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) PA recommendation through walking (i.e., walking ≥150 min per week), while considering sociodemographic, health, and environmental factors.Results: Individuals had a median age of 69 years, were of both genders (50.37 % female), and were primarily non-Hispanic White (84.87 %). While the majority (59.55 %) walked at least three times a week, only 27.86 % walked ≥150 min a week. Factors associated with a lower likelihood of being frequent walkers included experiencing poor mental health in the past month (OR = 0.345, 95 % CI = 0.185-0.645) and residing in areas with low or moderate (versus high) perceived neighborhood cohesion (OR = 0.471, 95 % CI = 0.228-0.974), while those in Census Tracts reflecting populations with a lower median age were more likely to report frequent walking behavior (OR = 1.799, 95 % CI = 1.034-3.131). Factors associated with a lower likelihood of meeting the CDC PA recommendation included being 60-69 years (versus 70 years or older) (OR = 0.538, 95 % CI = 0.290-0.997), experiencing poor mental health in the past month (OR = 0.432, 95 % CI = 0.198-0.944), and lacking social support for walking (OR = 0.383, 95 % CI = 0.154-0.957).Conclusion: Given the health benefits, PA promotion must be seen as a national responsibility. In particular, physicians have a major role to play in communicating the importance of PA to their older patients and making discussions about strategies for overcoming barriers to walking an integral part of their clinical encounter with these patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article reports on the study concerning the New Ambulatory Care Medication Error and Adverse Drug Event Reporting System (MEADERS). The study concludes that it is practical for the primary care professionals to report the locations through MEADERS. Details on the MEADERS's design principles and event reporting form, study setting, and data analysis are discussed.

Objectives: To assess physicians' responses to written feedback on medication discrepancies found with their elderly ambulatory patients. Design: Cross-sectional survey. Setting: Four clinics of a large university-affiliated, multispecialty group practice associated with a 186,000-member health maintenance organization. Participants: Patients aged 65 and older (n=202) and their family physicians (n=32). Measurements: Medication discrepancies and physicians' responses to written feedback on letters and adhesive labels containing a list of patients' actual medications. Results: A medication discrepancy was identified with 171 of 202 patients (84.7%). They resulted from patients not taking charted medications (52.9%), patients taking medications that were not charted (34.3%), or difference in dosage and/or schedule (12.8%). The medications involved were mostly complementary/alternative (28.3%), respiratory/allergy (15.1%), and analgesics (14.1%). The majority of physicians reported that the letters (93.8%) and accompanying labels (90.6%) were helpful to them. Half of the physicians reported filing the letters in patients' charts, whereas the other half discarded them. The majority (93.8%) also perceived the labels as an additional benefit to their practice and placed them in patients' charts to be used to correct patients' medications. Receptivity to the feedback was unrelated to physician age group, sex, years in practice, or clinic of practice. Conclusion: Although medication discrepancies are common in elderly ambulatory patients, their family physicians appreciate assistance in correcting these discrepancies, although potential problems, such as cultural or organizational resistance to the open disclosure of medication discrepancies in medical records due to associated legal ramifications, may need to be resolved. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Objectives:: The objectives of this study were to assess patients’ willingness to use e-mail to obtain specific test results, assess their expectations regarding response times, and identify any demographic trends. Methods:: A cross-sectional survey of primary care patients was conducted in 19 clinics of a large multi-specialty group practice associated with an 186,000-member Health Maintenance Organization. The outcome measures were proportion of patients with current e-mail access, their willingness to use it for selected general clinical services and to obtain specific test results, and their expectations of timeliness of response. Results:: The majority of patients (58.3%) reported having current e-mail access and indicated strong willingness to use it for communication. However, only 5.8% reported having ever used it to communicate with their physician. Patients were most willing to use e-mail to obtain cholesterol and blood sugar test results, but less willing to use it to obtain brain CT scan results. Patients’ expectations of timeliness were generally very high, particularly for high-stakes tests such as brain CT scan. Significant differences of willingness and expectations were found by age group, education, and income. Conclusions:: These findings indicate that most patients are willing to use e-mail to communicate with their primary care providers even for specific test results and that patients will hold providers to high standards of timeliness regarding response. The implication is that integration of e-mail communications into primary care ought to assure prompt and accurate patient access to a plethora of specific clinical services. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

domestic violence;Objective:To characterize injury frequency, injury patterns, and health care seeking behavior in women with intimate partners enrolled in batterer intervention programs. Methods: A standardized telephone interview was conducted on a sample of women with male partners enrolled in batterer intervention programs in four U.S. cities. Information on prior injuries and the utilization of health care services was sought. Results: Four hundred and eighty eight of the 648 women (75.3%) reported a history of prior injury as a result of abuse. Contusions were the most common injury. Of the women reporting contusions, 233 (51.4%) reported contusions as their only injuries. Another 220 women (48.6%) reported other injuries in addition to contusions. In the majority of cases (63.2%) the contusions were to multiple body parts. When the contusion involved only one anatomical region, it was mostly to the face. A total of 192 of the 488 injured women (39.3%) reported ever seeking medical care for injuries caused by their intimate partner. Twenty-three women (4.7% of the injured cohort or 3.5% of the total cohort) reported having ever been hospitalized for injuries sustained from abuse. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Injuries have now become a recognizable public health problem in developing Countries. However, no definite policies regarding their surveillance and control are yet available in most of these countries. This paper, using Ghana as a prototype, examines the need for policy and action which has been accentuated in recent times by public outcry. The paper also provides some recommendations to solve this problem: the urgent need to initiate programs such as needs assessment, the establishment of a surveillance system for injuries at various levels of health services, creation of public awareness and provision of health education, and the institution of simple first-aid measures. Specific policies regarding injuries from motor vehicle accidents and fires are also given. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Editorial. Addresses injury prevention for people with disabilities. How risks can be minimized without unduly restricting activities; Mechanics behind why the risk of injury for people with impairments, disabilities or other special healthcare needs is multiplied exponentially; Details of injury prevention, a multidisciplinary science of averting damage to body tissues by identifying the host, agent, and environmental factors that interact to create the risk of injury.