PRESS-NEWS.org - Press Release Distribution
PRESS RELEASES DISTRIBUTION

Study identifies patient and clinician-level characteristics associated with sexual history screening administration

Patient and clinician sociodemographics and sexual history screening at a multisite federally qualified health center: A mixed methods study

2023-09-25
(Press-News.org) Study Identifies Patient and Clinician-Level Characteristics Associated With Sexual History Screening Administration

Researchers conducted a mixed methods study that investigated patient- and clinician-level characteristics associated with a sexual history screening (SHS). Participants included 53,246 patients and 56 clinicians from 13 clinical sites. Less than half (42.41%) of patients had any SHS documentation. Gay and lesbian patients; patients who were cisgender women; and patients whose doctors were cisgender women had significantly higher odds of having any SHS documented in their medical chart. Conversely, older patients; patients whose doctors have more patients on their panel; and patients whose primary language was not English had significantly lower odds of SHS documentation. During interviews, participants expressed discomfort discussing sexual health and assumptions about older patients; patients in long-term relationships; and patients from other cultures. Discordance of patient-clinician gender and patients’ sexual orientation were also pertinent factors. The authors argue that programmatic efforts should address the interplay between the identified social and contextual factors, especially those that elicited discomfort, and the implementation of sexual history screening.

What We Know: Sexually transmitted infections (STIs) rates have consistently increased over time, with a preliminary estimate of 2.5 million cases in 2021. Sexual history screening (SHS) is an evidence-based medical guideline to identify risk of STIs (including HIV), and adverse sexual health outcomes. Primary care settings are an important environment for universal SHS, as patients predominantly report seeking STI care from their primary care physicians (PCP).  Primary care clinics also diagnose approximately half of all reported STIs annually.

What This Study Adds: Among a pool of  53,246 adult patients, less than half had any sexual history documented in their medical charts (42.41%). Study findings demonstrate key sociodemographics associated with the likelihood of implementing SHS, building on both data from the medical record and from the perspective of PCPs. This study underscores the importance of patient-physician relationships, sociodemographics, and SHS. It also indicates the existence of an interplay between social and contextual factors and the implementation of SHS as part of routine clinical care.

Patient and Clinician Sociodemographics and Sexual History Screening at a Multisite Federally Qualified Health Center: A Mixed Methods Study

Kelly W. Gagnon, PhD, MPH, et al
Division of Infectious Disease, School of Medicine, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, Alabama

Pre-embargo article link (Link expires at 5 p.m. EDT Sept. 25, 2023)
Permanent link

END


ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

Researchers identify important strategies for diabetes care and quality improvements in the primary care setting

2023-09-25
Researchers Identify Important Strategies for Diabetes Care and Quality Improvements in the Primary Care Setting This qualitative study considers how the strategies used by high-performing primary care practices to improve diabetes care might play a role in successfully managing practice change. The research team conducted semistructured interviews at 10 Minnesota primary care practices (rural and urban) ranked in the top quartile of diabetes care improvement per their Optimal Diabetes Care (ODC) scores. (Minnesota’s ODC scores are calculated based on mandatory ...

Attentiveness to resting leg cramps may afford greater insight into advancing age and declining health

2023-09-25
Attentiveness to Resting Leg Cramps May Afford Greater Insight Into Advancing Age and Declining Health Researchers developed and conducted a cross-sectional survey to examine the prevalence and characteristics of leg cramps in 294 primary care patients (with a mean age of 46.5 years), with 51.7% reporting leg cramps. Patients who experience resting or exercise-induced leg cramps were more likely to be older (mean age 49.1 years) and female (which comprised 69% of surveyed participants and 72% of the ...

Staffing challenges and general time constraints may harm primary care teams’ ability to implement quality improvement efforts

2023-09-25
Researchers aimed to identify factors leading primary care practice personnel to decline participation in quality improvement (QI) projects, and strategies to improve the feasibility and attractiveness of QI projects in the future. Representatives from 31 practices agreed to participate in the study. Overwhelmingly, respondents said that staff turnover, staffing shortages, and general time constraints, exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, prevented participation in QI projects. Challenges with electronic health records (EHR); an expectation for greater financial compensation for participation; and confidence in the practices’ current care ...

Primary care investigators, clinicians, patients and community members reflect on NAPCRG’s 50 years of leadership and service

2023-09-25
Primary Care Investigators, Clinicians, Patients and Community Members Reflect on NAPCRG’s 50 Years of Leadership and Service A team of primary care investigators, clinicians, learners, patients, and community members reflected on the North American Primary Care Research Group (NAPCRG) as it passed a 50-year milestone at its 2022 meeting. NAPCRG was started in 1972 by a small group of general practice researchers in the US, Canada, and the UK. It has evolved into an international, interprofessional, interdisciplinary, and intergenerational group devoted to improving health and health care through primary care research. The authors of the special report write that NAPCRG provides ...

September/October Annals of Family Medicine 2023 tip sheet

2023-09-25
Transgender Persons Face Challenges When Seeking Clinical Care, Including Decisions About What Information to Disclose and Risk of Substandard Care Researchers conducted a qualitative study to investigate transgender people’s experiences with sharing health information in clinical encounters. They held seven qualitative focus groups with 30 transgender adults living in North America. Four themes emerged: 1) Transgender people often perceive clinicians’ questions as voyeuristic, stigmatizing, or self-protective; 2) Patients describe being pathologized, denied, given substandard care, or harmed when clinicians ...

Combination radiation with immunotherapy shows promise against “cold” breast cancer tumors

2023-09-25
Researchers at Weill Cornell Medicine have discovered that radiation therapy combined with two types of immunotherapy—one that boosts T cells, and another that boosts dendritic cells—can control tumors in preclinical models of triple negative breast cancer, a cancer type that’s typically resistant to immunotherapy alone. Immunotherapy activates the body’s own immune system to fight cancer but isn’t effective for difficult-to-treat “cold” tumors, like this. The findings were published Aug. 24 in Nature Communications. Though radiation therapy has previously been combined with T-cell boosting immunotherapy, it rarely succeeds ...

A new AI model has been developed to improve accuracy of breast cancer tumor removal

A new AI model has been developed to improve accuracy of breast cancer tumor removal
2023-09-25
Artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning tools have received a lot of attention recently, with the majority of discussions focusing on proper use. However, this technology has a wide range of practical applications, from predicting natural disasters to addressing racial inequalities and now, assisting in cancer surgery. A new clinical and research partnership between the UNC Department of Surgery, the Joint UNC-NCSU Department of Biomedical Engineering, and the UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center has created an AI model that can predict whether or not cancerous ...

Finding the balance: Opioids and pain control after surgery

2023-09-25
ROCHESTER, Minn. — In a recent Mayo Clinic study, researchers found that most patients prescribed fewer opioids after surgery were able to maintain satisfactory comfort levels without requiring more prescription refills later. Under new evidence-based guidelines, patients undergoing various surgeries received fewer opioid pills, and 88% reported feeling "very" or "somewhat" satisfied with their pain management. Researchers worked with the Mayo Clinic Survey Research Center to survey patients undergoing a range of elective surgeries. The survey investigated their post-surgery experiences, overall pain management approach and opioid use. The study’s ...

UC Irvine scientists reveal what fuels wildfires in Sierra Nevada Mountains

2023-09-25
Irvine, Calif., Sept. 25, 2023 — Wildfires in California, exacerbated by human-driven climate change, are getting more severe. To better manage them, there’s a growing need to know exactly what fuels the blazes after they ignite. In a study published in Environmental Research Letters, Earth system scientists at the University of California, Irvine report that one of the chief fuels of wildfires in California’s Sierra Nevada mountains is the decades-old remains of large trees.    “Our findings support the idea that large-diameter fuel build-up is ...

US Department of Energy Office of Science awards $115M for High Rigidity Spectrometer project at FRIB

2023-09-25
Images EAST LANSING, Mich. – The U.S. Department of Energy Office of Science, or DOE-SC, has awarded $115 million for the High Rigidity Spectrometer, or HRS, project at the Facility for Rare Isotope Beams, or FRIB, at Michigan State University. The HRS instrument will enable scientists to characterize the properties of isotopes that are created in rare-isotope reactions produced at about 50% of the speed of light. With the ability to measure properties such as the mass, charge and velocity of rare isotopes produced in those conditions, HRS will be a centerpiece experimental instrument ...

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:

Toxic metals linked to impaired growth in infants in Guatemala

Being consistently physically active in adulthood linked to 30–40% lower risk of death

Nerve pain drug gabapentin linked to increased dementia, cognitive impairment risks

Children’s social care involvement common to nearly third of UK mums who died during perinatal period

‘Support, not judgement’: Study explores links between children’s social care involvement and maternal deaths

Ethnic minority and poorer children more likely to die in intensive care

Major progress in fertility preservation after treatment for cancer of the lymphatic system

Fewer complications after additional ultrasound in pregnant women who feel less fetal movement

Environmental impact of common pesticides seriously underestimated

The Milky Way could be teeming with more satellite galaxies than previously thought

New study reveals surprising reproductive secrets of a cricket-hunting parasitoid fly

Media Tip Sheet: Symposia at ESA2025

NSF CAREER Award will power UVA engineer’s research to improve drug purification

Tiny parasitoid flies show how early-life competition shapes adult success

New coating for glass promises energy-saving windows

Green spaces boost children’s cognitive skills and strengthen family well-being

Ancient trees dying faster than expected in Eastern Oregon

Study findings help hone precision of proven CVD risk tool

Most patients with advanced melanoma who received pre-surgical immunotherapy remain alive and disease free four years later

Introducing BioEmu: A generative AI Model that enables high-speed and accurate prediction of protein structural ensembles

Replacing mutated microglia with healthy microglia halts progression of genetic neurological disease in mice and humans

New research shows how tropical plants manage rival insect tenants by giving them separate ‘flats’

Condo-style living helps keep the peace inside these ant plants

Climate change action could dramatically limit rising UK heatwave deaths

Annual heat-related deaths projected to increase significantly due to climate and population change

Researchers discover new way cells protect themselves from damage

Rivers choose their path based on erosion — a discovery that could transform flood planning and restoration

New discovery reveals dopamine operates with surgical precision, not as a broad signal

New AI tool gives a helping hand to x ray diagnosis

New Leicester study reveals hidden heart risks in women with Type 2 Diabetes

[Press-News.org] Study identifies patient and clinician-level characteristics associated with sexual history screening administration
Patient and clinician sociodemographics and sexual history screening at a multisite federally qualified health center: A mixed methods study