Maren Karine Olsen

Journal article J Am Geriatr Soc · April 2026 BACKGROUND: Despite longstanding concern about an increase in use of invasive mechanical ventilation among persons living with dementia (PLWD), no studies have examined trends in mechanical ventilation use among PLWD in Veterans Affairs (VA) facilities. In ... Full text Link to item Cite

Predictors of Readiness to Engage in Advance Care Planning Among Older Adults With Serious Illness: Baseline Findings From the EQUAL ACP Study.

Journal article J Am Geriatr Soc · April 2026 BACKGROUND: Advance care planning (ACP) supports seriously ill individuals in identifying and communicating their values and preferences for future care. However, disparities in ACP engagement persist, particularly among African American older adults. This ... Full text Link to item Cite

Quality of Care in Veterans Affairs Health Care System In-Person and National TeleOncology Service-Delivered Care.

Journal article JCO Oncol Pract · December 2025 PURPOSE: The Veterans Affairs Health Administration (VA) has experience using telehealth (TH) to deliver care to 10 million enrolled Veterans for many clinical care needs. The VA National TeleOncology Service (NTO) was established in 2020 to provide specia ... Full text Link to item Cite

Impact of Prognostic Notifications on Inpatient Advance Care Planning: A Cluster Randomized Trial.

Journal article J Pain Symptom Manage · December 2025 BACKGROUND: A poor prognosis is an important trigger for advance care planning (ACP) conversations, but clinicians often overestimate prognosis. OBJECTIVE: To determine whether ACP note documentation increases by notifying inpatient physicians that a patie ... Full text Link to item Cite

Development, Challenges, and Evolution of the Log2Lose Intervention for Weight Management: Randomized Controlled Digital Health Trial.

Journal article JMIR Form Res · November 17, 2025 BACKGROUND: Long-term adherence to weight loss behaviors is challenging, as most individuals who achieve significant weight loss regain 1-2 kg per year. Financial incentives can reinforce weight-loss initiation and maintenance behaviors, but optimal strate ... Full text Link to item Cite

Prevalence and Impact of Traumatic Life Events among Black and White Family Members of Intensive Care Unit Patients.

Journal article Ann Am Thorac Soc · November 2025 Rationale: Lifetime trauma is common and may affect interactions with the healthcare system. Objectives: To measure the prevalence of lifetime trauma and its association with family-clinician interpersonal outcomes in the intensive care unit (ICU). Methods ... Full text Open Access Link to item Cite

Study protocol for Log2Lose: A randomized controlled trial to evaluate financial incentives for dietary self-monitoring and interim weight loss in adults with obesity.

Journal article Contemp Clin Trials · September 2025 Although behavioral weight-loss programs are efficacious for achieving clinically significant weight loss, adherence to such programs is variable. Positive reinforcement through small financial incentives has shown promise for increasing adherence to behav ... Full text Link to item Cite

Engage: Protocol of a randomized controlled trial of a telehealth-delivered psychosocial intervention to decrease symptom interference in patients with advanced cancer.

Journal article Contemp Clin Trials · September 2025 BACKGROUND: Pain, fatigue, and distress are highly prevalent co-occurring symptoms in patients with stage IV cancer. Emerging evidence suggests these patients may benefit from Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), a Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT) ap ... Full text Link to item Cite

Psychological Resilience and Physical Function in Veterans With Chronic Kidney Disease: A Brief Report.

Journal article J Am Geriatr Soc · June 2025 BACKGROUND: Psychological resilience has been characterized as the ability to recover from stressful life events. Not well studied is whether self-reported measures of psychological resilience are associated with physical function recovery. Therefore, we e ... Full text Link to item Cite

Mobile App-Facilitated Collaborative Palliative Care Intervention for Critically Ill Older Adults: A Randomized Clinical Trial.

Journal article JAMA Intern Med · February 1, 2025 IMPORTANCE: Few person-centered, scalable models of collaborative intensive care unit (ICU) clinician-palliative care specialist care exist. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effect of a collaborative palliative care intervention compared to usual care among fami ... Full text Link to item Cite

Intervening on Metabolic Dysfunction-Associated Steatotic Liver Disease in Latino/a and Black Patients with Diabetes: A Feasibility Pilot.

Journal article Diabetes Ther · November 2024 INTRODUCTION: Patients with type 2 diabetes (T2D), particularly those from historically marginalized racial and ethnic groups, are at high risk of poor outcomes from metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD). Evidence-based managemen ... Full text Link to item Cite

Nurse-Supported Self-Directed Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia: A Randomized Clinical Trial.

Journal article JAMA Intern Med · November 1, 2024 IMPORTANCE: Cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia (CBTi) is the standard of care for treating insomnia disorder, but access is limited. Alternative approaches are needed to expand access to the standard of care. OBJECTIVE: To examine the effectiveness ... Full text Link to item Cite

Conducting Comparative Effectiveness, Multisite Palliative Care and Advance Care Planning Trials: Lessons Learned and Future Directions From PCORI-Funded Studies.

Journal article Med Care · October 1, 2024 The Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI) funded multiple large-scale comparative effectiveness clinical trials evaluating palliative care (PC) and advance care planning (ACP) healthcare delivery models. This article provides an overview of ... Full text Link to item Cite

Trajectories of Physical Resilience Among Older Veterans With Stage 4 CKD.

Journal article Am J Kidney Dis · August 2024 RATIONALE & OBJECTIVE: Although functional impairment is common among older adults with chronic kidney disease (CKD), functional reserve before an acute health event and physical resilience after the event have not been characterized in this population. Th ... Full text Link to item Cite

Validating a tool to measure spiritual beliefs, needs and resources in serious illness: The I-SPIRIT.

Journal article J Am Geriatr Soc · July 2024 BACKGROUND: Seriously ill patients rely on spiritual and existential beliefs to support coping and approach crucial treatment and healthcare decisions. Yet, we lack gold standard, validated approaches to gathering information on those spiritual beliefs. Th ... Full text Link to item Cite

Racial Disparities in Evidence-Based Management of Metabolic Dysfunction-Associated Steatotic Liver Disease in Patients With Type 2 Diabetes.

Journal article Endocr Pract · July 2024 OBJECTIVE: To assess frequency of evidence-based management (EBM) of metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) in patients with type 2 diabetes (T2D), and to examine for racial/ethnic disparities in the receipt of EBM. METHODS: We co ... Full text Link to item Cite

Mobile Mindfulness Intervention for Psychological Distress Among Intensive Care Unit Survivors: A Randomized Clinical Trial.

Journal article JAMA Intern Med · July 1, 2024 IMPORTANCE: Although psychological distress is common among survivors of critical illness, there are few tailored therapies. OBJECTIVE: To determine the optimal method for delivering a mindfulness intervention via a mobile app for critical illness survivor ... Full text Link to item Cite

Mobile App-Based Mindfulness Intervention for Addressing Psychological Distress Among Survivors of Hospitalization for COVID-19 Infection.

Journal article CHEST Crit Care · June 2024 BACKGROUND: Psychological distress symptoms are present and persistent among many patients who survive a critical illness like COVID-19. RESEARCH QUESTION: Could a self-directed mobile app-delivered mindfulness intervention be feasibly and rapidly implemen ... Full text Link to item Cite

Factors Associated With Hospital Admission in the Last Month: A Retrospective Single Center Analysis.

Journal article J Pain Symptom Manage · June 2024 CONTEXT: Driven by concerns about care quality, patient experience, and national metrics, health systems are increasingly focusing on identifying risk factors for patients who are hospitalized in the last month of life. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate patient facto ... Full text Link to item Cite

A guide to successful management of collaborative partnerships in quantitative research: An illustration of the science of team science.

Journal article Stat (Int Stat Inst) · June 2024 Data-intensive research continues to expand with the goal of improving healthcare delivery, clinical decision-making, and patient outcomes. Quantitative scientists, such as biostatisticians, epidemiologists, and informaticists, are tasked with turning data ... Full text Link to item Cite

Race differences in patient trust and distrust from audio-recorded cardiology encounters.

Journal article Patient Educ Couns · February 2024 OBJECTIVE: Many have reported racial disparities in self-reported trust in clinicians but have not directly assessed expressions of trust and distrust in physician-patient encounters. We created a codebook to examine racial differences in patient trust and ... Full text Link to item Cite

Mobile Application-Based Communication Facilitation Platform for Family Members of Critically Ill Patients: A Randomized Clinical Trial.

Journal article JAMA Netw Open · January 2, 2024 IMPORTANCE: Unmet and racially disparate palliative care needs are common in intensive care unit (ICU) settings. OBJECTIVE: To test the effect of a primary palliative care intervention vs usual care control both overall and by family member race. DESIGN, S ... Full text Link to item Cite

Design and pilot test of an implicit bias mitigation curriculum for clinicians.

Journal article Front Med (Lausanne) · 2024 INTRODUCTION: Clinician implicit racial bias (IB) may lead to lower quality care and adverse health outcomes for Black patients. Educational efforts to train clinicians to mitigate IB vary widely and have insufficient evidence of impact. We developed and p ... Full text Link to item Cite

Meaning-centered pain coping skills training for patients with metastatic cancer: Protocol for a randomized controlled efficacy trial.

Journal article Contemp Clin Trials · December 2023 BACKGROUND: Many patients with advanced cancer describe pain as a debilitating symptom that greatly interferes with daily activities and enjoyment of life. Psychosocial interventions can improve cancer-related pain but rarely address spiritual concerns (e. ... Full text Link to item Cite

Prescribing of evidence-based diabetes pharmacotherapy in patients with metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis.

Journal article BMJ Open Diabetes Res Care · November 29, 2023 INTRODUCTION: Metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis (MASH) is highly prevalent in type 2 diabetes (T2D). Pioglitazone and glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1RA) are medications used in T2D that can resolve MASH and should be conside ... Full text Link to item Cite

Mobile Mindfulness for Psychological Distress and Burnout among Frontline COVID-19 Nurses: A Pilot Randomized Trial.

Journal article Ann Am Thorac Soc · October 2023 Rationale: The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic exacerbated psychological distress and burnout in frontline healthcare workers. Interventions addressing psychological distress and burnout among these workers are lacking. Objectives: To determine the ... Full text Link to item Cite

Phenotypes of Symptom, Function, and Medication Burden in Older Adults with Nondialysis Advanced Kidney Disease.

Journal article Kidney360 · October 1, 2023 KEY POINTS: There are three distinct classes of symptoms, functional impairment, and medication burden among older adults with advanced kidney disease. One class with Complex Needs with pain and psychological symptoms, functional difficulties, and polyphar ... Full text Link to item Cite

Comparison of weight captured via electronic health record and cellular scales to the gold-standard clinical method.

Journal article Obes Sci Pract · August 2023 INTRODUCTION: Obtaining body weights remotely could improve feasibility of pragmatic trials. This investigation examined whether weights collected via cellular scale or electronic health record (EHR) correspond to gold standard in-person study weights. MET ... Full text Link to item Cite

An Innovation to Expand the Reach of Peer Support: A Feasibility and Acceptability Study.

Journal article Mil Med · July 22, 2023 INTRODUCTION: Peer support is a well-established part of veteran care and a cost-effective way to support individuals pursuing health behavior change. Common models of peer support, peer coaching, and mutual peer support have limitations that could be mini ... Full text Link to item Cite

Meaning-centered pain coping skills training for patients with metastatic cancer: Results of a randomized controlled pilot trial.

Journal article Psychooncology · July 2023 OBJECTIVE: For patients with advanced cancer, pain is a common and debilitating symptom that can negatively impact physical, emotional, and spiritual well-being. This trial examined the feasibility and initial effects of Meaning-Centered Pain Coping Skills ... Full text Link to item Cite

Feasibility of Mobile App-based Coping Skills Training for Cardiorespiratory Failure Survivors: The Blueprint Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial.

Journal article Ann Am Thorac Soc · June 2023 Rationale: Psychological distress symptoms are common among patients recently hospitalized with cardiorespiratory failure, yet there are few effective postdischarge therapies that are relevant to their experiences. Objectives: To determine the feasibility ... Full text Link to item Cite

Effect of a Coaching Intervention to Improve Cardiologist Communication: A Randomized Clinical Trial.

Journal article JAMA Intern Med · June 1, 2023 IMPORTANCE: Communication between cardiologists and patients can significantly affect patient comprehension, adherence, and satisfaction. To our knowledge, a coaching intervention to improve cardiologist communication has not been tested. OBJECTIVE: To eva ... Full text Open Access Link to item Cite

Provider-supported self-management cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia (Tele-Self CBTi): Protocol for a randomized controlled trial.

Journal article Contemp Clin Trials · February 2023 BACKGROUND: Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia (CBTi) is recommended as first-line treatment for insomnia, yet patient access to CBTi is limited. Self-help CBTi could increase patient access. Self-help CBTI with provider sup]port is more effective a ... Full text Open Access Link to item Cite

A Visual Tool to Help Develop a Statistical Analysis Plan for Randomized Trials in Palliative Care.

Journal article J Pain Symptom Manage · January 2023 Collaboration with a statistician about the design of a statistical analysis plan can be enhanced by illustrating how statisticians conceptualize their task. This conceptualization can be represented by a directed acyclic graph (DAG), which illustrates the ... Full text Link to item Cite

Trajectories of Palliative Care Needs in the ICU and Long-Term Psychological Distress Symptoms.

Journal article Crit Care Med · January 1, 2023 OBJECTIVES: While palliative care needs are assumed to improve during ICU care, few empiric data exist on need trajectories or their impact on long-term outcomes. We aimed to describe trajectories of palliative care needs during ICU care and to determine i ... Full text Link to item Cite

Glaucoma Knowledge and Disease Severity in a Veteran Population: The Medication Adherence in Glaucoma to Improve Care (MAGIC) Study.

Journal article Ophthalmol Glaucoma · 2023 PURPOSE: To assess the relationship between glaucoma knowledge and disease severity. DESIGN: Substudy of a randomized controlled trial at a single Veterans Affairs (VA) eye clinic. PARTICIPANTS: Veterans with medically treated open-angle glaucoma who self- ... Full text Link to item Cite

How Medication Adherence Affects Disease Management in Veterans with Glaucoma: Lessons Learned from a Clinical Trial.

Journal article Ophthalmic Res · 2023 INTRODUCTION: We conducted a secondary, real-world clinical assessment of a randomized controlled trial to determine how a glaucoma medication adherence intervention impacted the clinical outcomes of participants at 12 months post-randomization. Participan ... Full text Open Access Link to item Cite

Qualitative Analysis of Barriers and Facilitators to Glaucoma Medication Adherence in a Randomized Controlled Trial Intervention.

Journal article Ophthalmol Glaucoma · 2023 OBJECTIVE: In the Medication Adherence In Glaucoma To Improve Care trial, 200 veterans with medically-treated glaucoma were randomized to an intervention designed to improve glaucoma medication adherence or to usual care. In the 6 months after intervention ... Full text Link to item Cite

Reserve and resilience in CKD: concept introduction and baseline results from the Physical REsilience Prediction in Advanced REnal Disease (PREPARED) study.

Journal article BMC Nephrol · December 31, 2022 BACKGROUND: The purpose of this manuscript is to introduce reserve and resilience as novel concepts in chronic kidney disease (CKD) research and present baseline data from a unique prospective cohort study designed to characterize recovery from functional ... Full text Link to item Cite

Within-Trial Cost-Effectiveness of an Adherence-Enhancing Educational Intervention for Glaucoma.

Journal article Am J Ophthalmol · December 2022 PURPOSE: To assess the within-trial cost-effectiveness of a behavioral intervention to improve glaucoma medication adherence. DESIGN: Prospective cost-effectiveness analysis of randomized, controlled trial data. METHODS: The study setting was a Veterans Af ... Full text Open Access Link to item Cite

Examining the relationship between clinician communication and patient participatory behaviors in cardiology encounters.

Journal article Patient Educ Couns · December 2022 OBJECTIVES: Examine the association of coder ratings of cardiologist behaviors and global scores of cardiologist communication style with patient participation in clinic encounters. METHODS: We coded transcripts of clinic encounters for patient participato ... Full text Link to item Cite

Racial and Ethnic Differences in Communication Quality During Family-Centered Rounds.

Journal article Pediatrics · December 1, 2022 OBJECTIVES: To evaluate racial and ethnic differences in communication quality during family centered rounds. METHODS: We conducted an observational study of family-centered rounds on hospital day 1. All enrolled caregivers completed a survey following rou ... Full text Link to item Cite

Interpersonal Perception: Family- and Physician-reported Conflict in the Intensive Care Unit.

Journal article Ann Am Thorac Soc · November 2022 Full text Link to item Cite

Palliative care phenotypes among critically ill patients and family members: intensive care unit prospective cohort study.

Journal article BMJ Support Palliat Care · September 27, 2022 OBJECTIVE: Because the heterogeneity of patients in intensive care units (ICUs) and family members represents a challenge to palliative care delivery, we aimed to determine if distinct phenotypes of palliative care needs exist. METHODS: Prospective cohort ... Full text Link to item Cite

Characteristics Associated with Burnout among Cardiologists in an Academic Medical Setting: Baseline Survey Results from a Communication Coaching RCT.

Journal article Behav Sci (Basel) · September 27, 2022 OBJECTIVES: Clinician burnout poses risks not just to clinicians but also to patients and the health system. Cardiologists might be especially prone to burnout due to performing high-risk procedures, having to discuss serious news, and treating diseases th ... Full text Link to item Cite

The Effect of Bariatric Surgery on Long-term Depression Treatment in Patients With Obesity.

Journal article Ann Surg · August 1, 2022 OBJECTIVE: In a large multisite cohort of Veterans who underwent Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RYGB) or laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy (LSG), initiation of (ie, incident) and persistence of (ie, continuation of preoperative) depression treatment are compared ... Full text Link to item Cite

Unintended Consequences of COVID-19 Social Distancing Among Older Adults With Kidney Disease.

Journal article J Gerontol A Biol Sci Med Sci · April 1, 2022 BACKGROUND: While social distancing policies protect older adults with advanced chronic kidney disease (CKD) from exposure to COVID-19, reduced social interaction may also have unintended consequences. METHODS: To identify subgroups of patients at risk for ... Full text Link to item Cite

Caregiver Inclusivity and Empowerment During Family-Centered Rounds.

Journal article Hosp Pediatr · February 1, 2022 OBJECTIVE: Despite widespread adoption of family-centered rounds, few have investigated differences in the experience of family-centered rounds by family race and ethnicity. The purpose of this study was to explore racial and ethnic differences in caregive ... Full text Link to item Cite

Assessment of Clinical Palliative Care Trigger Status vs Actual Needs Among Critically Ill Patients and Their Family Members.

Journal article JAMA Netw Open · January 4, 2022 IMPORTANCE: Palliative care consultations in intensive care units (ICUs) are increasingly prompted by clinical characteristics associated with mortality or resource utilization. However, it is not known whether these triggers reflect actual palliative care ... Full text Link to item Cite

Improved Glaucoma Medication Adherence in a Randomized Controlled Trial.

Journal article Ophthalmol Glaucoma · 2022 PURPOSE: To test the effectiveness of an intervention designed to improve glaucoma medication adherence. DESIGN: Randomized, controlled trial at a Veterans Affairs (VA) eye clinic. PARTICIPANTS: Veterans with medically treated glaucoma who reported poor ad ... Full text Open Access Link to item Cite

Health Literacy and Success with Glaucoma Drop Administration.

Journal article Ophthalmol Glaucoma · 2022 PURPOSE: To assess the relationship between health literacy and successful glaucoma drop administration. DESIGN: Substudy of a single-site interventional randomized controlled trial. PARTICIPANTS: Veterans receiving care at the Durham Veterans Affairs Eye ... Full text Open Access Link to item Cite

Which patients benefit most from completing health risk assessments: comparing methods to identify heterogeneity of treatment effects

Journal article Health Services and Outcomes Research Methodology · December 1, 2021 Methods for identifying heterogeneity of treatment effects in randomized trials have seen recent advances, yet applying these methods to health services intervention trials has not been well investigated. Our objective was to compare two approaches—predict ... Full text Cite

Racial differences in patient perception of interactions with providers are associated with health outcomes in type II diabetes.

Journal article Patient Educ Couns · August 2021 OBJECTIVES: Examine the association of patient perceptions of care with hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c), medication adherence, and missed appointments in non-Hispanic Black (NHB) and White (NHW) patients with type 2 diabetes (T2DM). METHODS: We used linear and logi ... Full text Link to item Cite

Prevalence of insomnia disorder and sleep apnea in a sample of veterans at risk for cardiovascular disease.

Journal article J Clin Sleep Med · July 1, 2021 STUDY OBJECTIVES: The objectives of this study were to examine the proportion of study participants screening positive for insomnia disorder and/or sleep apnea in veterans engaged in routine health care and known to be at risk for cardiovascular disease an ... Full text Open Access Link to item Cite

Yoga Practice Predicts Improvements in Day-to-Day Pain in Women With Metastatic Breast Cancer.

Journal article J Pain Symptom Manage · June 2021 CONTEXT: Women with metastatic breast cancer (MBC) experience a significant symptom burden, including cancer pain. Yoga is a mind-body discipline that has shown promise for alleviating cancer pain, but few studies have included patients with metastatic dis ... Full text Link to item Cite

Randomized controlled trial of an education-based intervention to improve medication adherence: Design considerations in the medication adherence in glaucoma to improve care study.

Journal article Clin Trials · June 2021 BACKGROUND: Glaucoma treatment requires patients to follow daily, often times complex, eye drop regimens, but adherence is poor for many patients, putting them at risk for irreversible vision loss. A comprehensive approach is needed to address the challeng ... Full text Open Access Link to item Cite

Two-year weight trajectories following completion of a behavioral weight loss maintenance intervention.

Journal article Obes Sci Pract · June 2021 INTRODUCTION: Long-term effects of behavioral weight loss maintenance interventions need to be assessed in order to understand their durability of effects. This can be evaluated with the use of weights recorded in the electronic medical record. The goal of ... Full text Link to item Cite

Communication Coaching in Cardiology (CCC): A study protocol and methodological challenges and solutions of a randomized controlled trial in outpatient cardiology clinics.

Journal article Contemp Clin Trials · June 2021 Given the role of effective communication in improving patient adherence and satisfaction, high quality patient-clinician communication is critical. Building on previous communication interventions in oncology and pediatrics, we developed a tailored commun ... Full text Link to item Cite

Two Questions About the Design of Cluster Randomized Trials: A Tutorial.

Journal article J Pain Symptom Manage · April 2021 This is a short tutorial on two key questions that pertain to cluster randomized trials (CRTs): 1) Should I perform a CRT? and 2) If so, how do I derive the sample size? In summary, a CRT is the best option when you "must" (e.g., the intervention can only ... Full text Link to item Cite

Improving racial disparities in unmet palliative care needs among intensive care unit family members with a needs-targeted app intervention: The ICUconnect randomized clinical trial.

Journal article Contemp Clin Trials · April 2021 INTRODUCTION: The technologies used to treat the millions who receive care in intensive care unit (ICUs) each year have steadily advanced. However, the quality of ICU-based communication has remained suboptimal, particularly concerning for Black patients a ... Full text Link to item Cite

The Patient's Point of View: Characterizing Patient-Level Factors Associated with Perceptions of Health Care.

Journal article Health Equity · 2021 Purpose: We explored the association between perception of care, as measured by the Interpersonal Processes of Care (IPC) survey, and patient-level factors, including (1) Trust in physicians; (2) Perceived empathy; (3) Stereotype threat; (4) Perceived ever ... Full text Link to item Cite

Association of Provider Perspectives on Race and Racial Health Care Disparities with Patient Perceptions of Care and Health Outcomes.

Journal article Health Equity · 2021 Purpose: Research suggests that providers contribute to racial disparities in health outcomes. Identifying modifiable provider perspectives that are associated with decreased racial disparities will help in the design of effective educational interventions ... Full text Link to item Cite

Current measures of distress may not account for what's most important in existential care interventions: Results of the outlook trial.

Journal article Palliat Support Care · December 2020 OBJECTIVE: Compare the efficacy of two interventions addressing emotional and existential well-being in early life-limiting illness. METHOD: Primary trial analysis (n = 135) included patients with advanced cancer, congestive heart failure, or end-stage ren ... Full text Link to item Cite

Association of Bariatric Surgical Procedures With Changes in Unhealthy Alcohol Use Among US Veterans.

Journal article JAMA Netw Open · December 1, 2020 IMPORTANCE: Bariatric surgical procedures have been associated with increased risk of unhealthy alcohol use, but no previous research has evaluated the long-term alcohol-related risks after laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy (LSG), currently the most used bar ... Full text Link to item Cite

Can Electronic Health Records Validly Estimate the Effects of Health System Interventions Aimed at Controlling Body Weight?

Journal article Obesity (Silver Spring) · November 2020 OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to compare weight collected at clinics and recorded in the electronic health record (EHR) with primary study-collected trial weights to assess the validity of using EHR data in future pragmatic weight loss or weight gain prevent ... Full text Link to item Cite

Operationalizing needs-focused palliative care for older adults in intensive care units: Design of and rationale for the PCplanner randomized clinical trial.

Journal article Contemp Clin Trials · November 2020 INTRODUCTION: The number of older adults who receive life support in an intensive care unit (ICU), now 2 million per year, is increasing while survival remains unchanged. Because the quality of ICU-based palliative care is highly variable, we developed a m ... Full text Link to item Cite

Optimizing a self-directed mobile mindfulness intervention for improving cardiorespiratory failure survivors' psychological distress (LIFT2): Design and rationale of a randomized factorial experimental clinical trial.

Journal article Contemp Clin Trials · September 2020 INTRODUCTION: Although as many as 75% of the >2 million annual intensive care unit (ICU) survivors experience symptoms of psychological distress that persist for months to years, few therapies exist that target their symptoms and accommodate their unique n ... Full text Link to item Cite

A data-driven examination of which patients follow trial protocol.

Journal article Contemp Clin Trials Commun · September 2020 UNLABELLED: Protocol adherence in behavioral intervention clinical trials is critical to trial success. There is increasing interest in understanding which patients are more likely to adhere to trial protocols. The objective of this study was to demonstrat ... Full text Link to item Cite

Long-term opioid use after bariatric surgery.

Journal article Surg Obes Relat Dis · August 2020 BACKGROUND: Opioid analgesics are often prescribed to manage pain after bariatric surgery, which may develop into chronic prescription opioid use (CPOU) in opioid-naïve patients. Bariatric surgery may affect opioid use in those with or without presurgical ... Full text Link to item Cite

Cognitive Impairment among Veterans in Outpatient Vision Rehabilitation.

Journal article Optom Vis Sci · June 2020 SIGNIFICANCE: Outpatient vision rehabilitation improves function in veterans with vision impairment, but the prevalence of cognitive impairment and the degree to which it may affect rehabilitation outcomes in the Veterans Affairs system are unknown. PURPOS ... Full text Link to item Cite

Short-Term VA Health Care Expenditures Following a Health Risk Assessment and Coaching Trial.

Journal article J Gen Intern Med · May 2020 BACKGROUND: Short-term health care costs following completion of health risk assessments and coaching programs in the VA have not been assessed. OBJECTIVE: To compare VA health care expenditures among veterans who participated in a behavioral intervention ... Full text Link to item Cite

Early-phase study of a telephone-based intervention to reduce weight regain among bariatric surgery patients.

Journal article Health Psychol · May 2020 OBJECTIVE: This study describes early-phase development of a behavioral intervention to reduce weight regain following bariatric surgery. We utilized the Obesity-Related Behavioral Intervention Trials model to guide intervention development and evaluation. ... Full text Link to item Cite

Association Between Bariatric Surgery and Long-term Health Care Expenditures Among Veterans With Severe Obesity.

Journal article JAMA Surg · December 1, 2019 IMPORTANCE: Bariatric surgery has been associated with improvements in health in patients with severe obesity; however, it is unclear whether these health benefits translate into lower health care expenditures. OBJECTIVE: To examine 10-year health care exp ... Full text Link to item Cite

Feasibility of a mindful yoga program for women with metastatic breast cancer: results of a randomized pilot study.

Journal article Support Care Cancer · November 2019 PURPOSE: Patients with metastatic breast cancer (MBC) experience high levels of symptoms. Yoga interventions have shown promise for improving cancer symptoms but have rarely been tested in patients with advanced disease. This study examined the acceptabili ... Full text Link to item Cite

The Association of an Upper Extremity Functional Survey and Glaucoma Medication Administration Success.

Journal article Curr Eye Res · October 2019 Purpose/Aim: To determine if an upper extremity functional survey may identify which patients will have eye drop administration difficulty. Materials and Methods: Participants with glaucoma treated at a Veterans Affairs Eye Clinic who did not self-report 1 ... Full text Link to item Cite

Comparing internal and external validation in the discovery of qualitative treatment-subgroup effects using two small clinical trials.

Journal article Contemp Clin Trials Commun · September 2019 In a two-arm randomized trial where both arms receive active treatment (i.e., treatments A and B), often the primary goal is to determine which of the treatments, on average, is more effective. A supplementary objective is to understand possible heterogene ... Full text Link to item Cite

Reducing Disparities in the Quality of Palliative Care for Older African Americans through Improved Advance Care Planning: Study Design and Protocol.

Journal article J Palliat Med · September 2019 Advance care planning (ACP) improves end-of-life care for patients and their caregivers. However, only one-third of adults have participated in ACP and rates are substantially lower among African Americans than among whites. Importantly, ACP improves many ... Full text Link to item Cite

Enrollment and Retention of Men and Women in Health Services Research and Development Trials.

Journal article Womens Health Issues · June 25, 2019 INTRODUCTION: Sex- and gender-specific science is essential to inform patient-centered, evidence-based care. Developing such evidence requires adequate inclusion of both women and men in trials. We sought to describe study participation of women and men in ... Full text Link to item Cite

Health Coaching Has Differential Effects on Veterans with Limited Health Literacy and Numeracy: a Secondary Analysis of ACTIVATE.

Journal article J Gen Intern Med · April 2019 BACKGROUND: Health coaching is an effective behavior change strategy. Understanding if there is a differential impact of health coaching on patients with low health literacy has not been well investigated. OBJECTIVE: To determine whether a telephone coachi ... Full text Link to item Cite

Effects of a Personalized Web-Based Decision Aid for Surrogate Decision Makers of Patients With Prolonged Mechanical Ventilation: A Randomized Clinical Trial.

Journal article Ann Intern Med · March 5, 2019 BACKGROUND: Treatment decisions commonly have to be made in intensive care units (ICUs). These decisions are difficult for surrogate decision makers and often lead to decisional conflict, psychological distress, and treatments misaligned with patient prefe ... Full text Link to item Cite

Invisible partners in care: Snapshot of well-being among caregivers receiving comprehensive support from Veterans Affairs.

Journal article Health Sci Rep · March 2019 BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Since May 2011, over 23 000 caregivers of Veterans seriously injured on or after September 11, 2001 have enrolled in the Program of Comprehensive Assistance for Family Caregivers (PCAFC). PCAFC provides caregivers training, a stipend, ... Full text Open Access Link to item Cite

Comprehensive Support for Family Caregivers: Impact on Veteran Health Care Utilization and Costs.

Journal article Med Care Res Rev · February 2019 This study aimed to examine the early impact of the Program of Comprehensive Assistance for Family Caregivers (PCAFC) on Veteran health care utilization and costs. A pre-post cohort design including a nonequivalent control group was used to understand how ... Full text Link to item Cite

The role of group cohesion in a group-based behavioral weight loss intervention.

Journal article J Behav Med · February 2019 Behavioral weight loss interventions are often delivered in groups. Group cohesion may enhance program attendance and, thereby, weight loss. In this secondary analysis, our goals were to: (1a) assess whether group cohesion measured early in a behavioral we ... Full text Link to item Cite

Effects of mindfulness training programmes delivered by a self-directed mobile app and by telephone compared with an education programme for survivors of critical illness: a pilot randomised clinical trial.

Journal article Thorax · January 2019 BACKGROUND: Patients who are sick enough to be admitted to an intensive care unit (ICU) commonly experience symptoms of psychological distress after discharge, yet few effective therapies have been applied to meet their needs. METHODS: Pilot randomised cli ... Full text Link to item Cite

Geographic Variation in Obesity, Behavioral Treatment, and Bariatric Surgery for Veterans.

Journal article Obesity (Silver Spring) · January 2019 OBJECTIVE: This study aims to describe geographic variation in veterans' prevalence of obesity, participation in Veterans Health Administration's behavioral weight management program (MOVE!), and receipt of bariatric surgery in fiscal year (FY) 2016. METHO ... Full text Link to item Cite

Comprehensive Family Caregiver Support and Caregiver Well-Being: Preliminary Evidence From a Pre-post-survey Study With a Non-equivalent Control Group.

Journal article Front Public Health · 2019 Introduction: In May 2010, the Caregivers and Veterans Omnibus Health Services Act of 2010, was signed into law in the United States, establishing the Program of Comprehensive Assistance for Family Caregivers (PCAFC) provided through the VA Caregiver Suppo ... Full text Open Access Link to item Cite

Patient predictors of weight loss following a behavioral weight management intervention among US Veterans with severe obesity.

Journal article Eat Weight Disord · October 2018 PURPOSE: Identification of patient characteristics that are associated with behavioral weight loss success among bariatric surgery candidates could inform selection of optimal bariatric surgery candidates. We examined the associations between psychosocial ... Full text Link to item Cite

A Coaching by Telephone Intervention on Engaging Patients to Address Modifiable Cardiovascular Risk Factors: a Randomized Controlled Trial.

Journal article J Gen Intern Med · September 2018 BACKGROUND: A large proportion of deaths and chronic illnesses can be attributed to three modifiable risk factors: tobacco use, overweight/obesity, and physical inactivity. OBJECTIVE: To test whether telephone-based health coaching after completion of a co ... Full text Link to item Cite

Pilot randomized trial of a couple-based physical activity videoconference intervention for sedentary cancer survivors.

Journal article Health Psychol · September 2018 OBJECTIVE: Including partners in interventions to increase physical activity (PA) could promote better adherence and longer-term effects. In preparation for a future large-scale randomized controlled trial (RCT), this randomized pilot trial tested the acce ... Full text Link to item Cite

Modeling Semicontinuous Longitudinal Expenditures: A Practical Guide.

Journal article Health Serv Res · August 2018 OBJECTIVE: To compare different strategies for analyzing longitudinal expenditure data that have a point mass at $0. We provide guidance on parameter interpretation, research questions, and model selection. DATA SOURCES, STUDY DESIGN, AND DATA COLLECTION: ... Full text Link to item Cite

Telemedicine cardiovascular risk reduction in veterans: The CITIES trial.

Journal article Am Heart J · May 2018 BACKGROUND: Comprehensive programs addressing tailored patient self-management and pharmacotherapy may reduce barriers to cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk reduction. METHODS: This is a 2-arm (clinical pharmacist specialist-delivered, telehealth interventi ... Full text Open Access Link to item Cite

Effects of a Telephone- and Web-based Coping Skills Training Program Compared with an Education Program for Survivors of Critical Illness and Their Family Members. A Randomized Clinical Trial.

Journal article Am J Respir Crit Care Med · January 1, 2018 RATIONALE: Many survivors of critical illness and their family members experience significant psychological distress after patient discharge. OBJECTIVES: To compare the effects of a coping skills training (CST) program with an education program on patient ... Full text Link to item Cite

Comprehensive Support for Family Caregivers of Post-9/11 Veterans Increases Veteran Utilization of Long-term Services and Supports: A Propensity Score Analysis.

Journal article Inquiry · 2018 Family caregivers are an important component of the long-term services and supports (LTSS) system. However, caregiving may have negative consequences for caregiver physical and emotional health. Connecting caregivers to formal short-term home- and communit ... Full text Open Access Link to item Cite

Relationship between electronically measured medication adherence and vision-related quality of life in a cohort of patients with open-angle glaucoma.

Journal article BMJ Open Ophthalmol · 2018 OBJECTIVE: To investigate whether electronically measured medication adherence is associated with vision-related quality of life (VRQoL) in patients with open-angle glaucoma. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: This is a 3-year prospective cohort study of 79 subjects wi ... Full text Open Access Link to item Cite

Addressing Patient Emotional and Existential Needs During Serious Illness: Results of the Outlook Randomized Controlled Trial.

Journal article J Pain Symptom Manage · December 2017 CONTEXT: Few interventions exist to address patients' existential needs. OBJECTIVES: Determine whether an intervention to address seriously ill patients' existential concerns improves preparation, completion (elements of quality of life [QOL] at end of lif ... Full text Link to item Cite

Evaluation of a packaging approach to improve cholesterol medication adherence.

Journal article Am J Manag Care · September 1, 2017 OBJECTIVES: Elevated low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) is a major modifiable risk factor for cardiovascular disease, a leading cause of death in the United States. Our goal was to evaluate a simple, scalable, and affordable medication packaging m ... Open Access Link to item Cite

A randomized pilot trial of a videoconference couples communication intervention for advanced GI cancer.

Journal article Psychooncology · July 2017 OBJECTIVE: This study aims to test the feasibility and preliminary efficacy of a couple-based communication intervention for advanced GI cancer delivered via videoconference. METHODS: Thirty-two couples were randomly assigned to either couples communicatio ... Full text Link to item Cite

Impact of Gender on Satisfaction and Confidence in Cholesterol Control Among Veterans at Risk for Cardiovascular Disease.

Journal article J Womens Health (Larchmt) · July 2017 BACKGROUND: Compared with men, women have poorer lipid control. Although potential causes of this disparity have been explored, it is unknown whether patient-centered factors such as satisfaction and confidence contribute. We evaluated (1) whether satisfac ... Full text Open Access Link to item Cite

Maintenance of Weight Loss After Initiation of Nutrition Training: A Randomized Trial.

Journal article Ann Intern Med · April 4, 2017 BACKGROUND: Weight regain after successful weight loss interventions is common. OBJECTIVE: To establish the efficacy of a weight loss maintenance program compared with usual care in obese adults. DESIGN: 2-group, parallel, randomized trial stratified by in ... Full text Link to item Cite

A Coaching by Telephone Intervention for Veterans and Care Team Engagement (ACTIVATE): A study protocol for a Hybrid Type I effectiveness-implementation randomized controlled trial.

Journal article Contemp Clin Trials · April 2017 INTRODUCTION: A large proportion of deaths and many illnesses can be attributed to three modifiable risk factors: tobacco use, overweight/obesity, and physical inactivity. Health risk assessments (HRAs) are widely available online but have not been consist ... Full text Link to item Cite

Mindful Yoga for women with metastatic breast cancer: design of a randomized controlled trial.

Journal article BMC Complement Altern Med · March 13, 2017 BACKGROUND: Women with metastatic breast cancer (MBC) have average life expectancies of about 2 years, and report high levels of disease-related symptoms including pain, fatigue, sleep disturbance, psychological distress, and functional impairment. There i ... Full text Link to item Cite

Randomized trial of an uncertainty self-management telephone intervention for patients awaiting liver transplant.

Journal article Patient Educ Couns · March 2017 OBJECTIVE: We tested an uncertainty self-management telephone intervention (SMI) with patients awaiting liver transplant and their caregivers. METHODS: Participants were recruited from four transplant centers and completed questionnaires at baseline, 10, a ... Full text Link to item Cite

Diabetes Quality of Care Before and After Implementation of a Resident Clinic Practice Partnership System.

Journal article Am J Med Qual · 2017 Deficiencies in resident diabetes care quality may relate to continuity clinic design. This retrospective analysis compared diabetes care processes and outcomes within a traditional resident continuity clinic structure (2005) and after the implementation o ... Full text Link to item Cite

Characteristics and Health Care Preferences Associated with Cardiovascular Disease Risk among Women Veterans.

Journal article Womens Health Issues · 2017 BACKGROUND: Women veterans are at increased risk for cardiovascular disease (CVD), but little is known about comorbidities and healthcare preferences associated with CVD risk in this population. METHODS: We describe the prevalence of CVD-relevant health be ... Full text Link to item Cite

Recruitment and Retention for a Weight Loss Maintenance Trial Involving Weight Loss Prior to Randomization.

Journal article Obes Sci Pract · December 2016 OBJECTIVE: A weight loss maintenance trial involving weight loss prior to randomization is challenging to implement due to the potential for dropout and insufficient weight loss. We examined rates and correlates of non-initiation, dropout, and insufficient ... Full text Link to item Cite

Bariatric Surgery and Long-term Durability of Weight Loss.

Journal article JAMA Surg · November 1, 2016 IMPORTANCE: Bariatric surgery induces significant weight loss for severely obese patients, but there is limited evidence of the durability of weight loss compared with nonsurgical matches and across bariatric procedures. OBJECTIVES: To examine 10-year weig ... Full text Link to item Cite

The feasibility and acceptability of a chaplain-led intervention for caregivers of seriously ill patients: A Caregiver Outlook pilot study.

Journal article Palliat Support Care · October 2016 OBJECTIVE: When caring for a loved one with a life-limiting illness, a caregiver's own physical, emotional, and spiritual suffering can be profound. While many interventions focus on physical and emotional well-being, few caregiver interventions address ex ... Full text Link to item Cite

Comparative Effectiveness of an Internet-Based Smoking Cessation Intervention Versus Clinic-Based Specialty Care for Veterans.

Journal article J Subst Abuse Treat · October 2016 INTRODUCTION: The primary objective of this project was to examine the effectiveness of an Internet-based smoking cessation intervention combined with a tele-health medication clinic for nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) compared to referral to clinic-bas ... Full text Link to item Cite

Abstinence Reinforcement Therapy (ART) for rural veterans: Methodology for an mHealth smoking cessation intervention.

Journal article Contemp Clin Trials · September 2016 INTRODUCTION: Smoking is the most preventable cause of morbidity and mortality in U.S. veterans. Rural veterans in particular have elevated risk for smoking and smoking-related illness. However, these veterans underutilize smoking cessation treatment, whic ... Full text Link to item Cite

Internet Versus DVD Decision Aids for Hip and Knee Osteoarthritis.

Journal article Musculoskeletal Care · June 2016 INTRODUCTION: Decision aids (DAs) can improve multiple decision-making outcomes, but it is not known whether different formats of delivery differ in their effectiveness or acceptability. The present study compared the effectiveness and acceptability of int ... Full text Link to item Cite

Baseline Antihypertensive Drug Count and Patient Response to Hypertension Medication Management.

Journal article J Clin Hypertens (Greenwich) · April 2016 Telemedicine-based medication management improves hypertension control, but has been evaluated primarily in patients with low antihypertensive drug counts. Its impact on patients taking three or more antihypertensive agents is not well-established. To addr ... Full text Open Access Link to item Cite

Effects of enhanced caregiver training program on cancer caregiver's self-efficacy, preparedness, and psychological well-being.

Journal article Support Care Cancer · January 2016 PURPOSE: We examined the effects of an enhanced informal caregiver training (Enhanced-CT) protocol in cancer symptom and caregiver stress management to caregivers of hospitalized cancer patients. METHODS: We recruited adult patients in oncology units and t ... Full text Link to item Cite

Pilot Cases of Combined Cognitive Processing Therapy and Smoking Cessation for Smokers With Posttraumatic Stress Disorder.

Journal article Behav Ther · January 2016 Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and smoking are often comorbid, and both problems are in need of improved access to evidence-based treatment. The combined approach could address two high-priority problems and increase patient access to both treatments ... Full text Link to item Cite

A Collaborative Paradigm for Improving Management of Sleep Disorders in Primary Care: A Randomized Clinical Trial.

Journal article Sleep · January 1, 2016 OBJECTIVES: To test a collaborative care model for interfacing sleep specialists with primary care providers to enhance patients' sleep disorders management. METHODS: This study used a randomized, parallel group, clinical intervention trial design. A total ... Full text Link to item Cite

Quantifying Glaucoma Medication Adherence: The Relationship Between Self-Report, Electronic Monitoring, and Pharmacy Refill.

Journal article J Ocul Pharmacol Ther · 2016 PURPOSE: Glaucoma medications reduce the risk of progressive visual field loss, but adherence to these medications is often poor. A better understanding of the appropriate metrics for quantifying glaucoma medication adherence is needed. We describe and com ... Full text Link to item Cite

Associations between sleep difficulties and risk factors for cardiovascular disease in veterans and active duty military personnel of the Iraq and Afghanistan conflicts.

Journal article J Behav Med · June 2015 Recent evidence suggests that sleep disturbance may play an important role in the development of cardiovascular disease (CVD). Despite the prevalence of sleep complaints among service members of recent military conflicts, few studies have examined associat ... Full text Open Access Link to item Cite

Patient-reported medication adherence barriers among patients with cardiovascular risk factors.

Journal article J Manag Care Spec Pharm · June 2015 BACKGROUND: Many patients experience barriers that make it difficult to take cardiovascular disease (CVD)-related medications as prescribed. The Cardiovascular Intervention Improvement Telemedicine Study (CITIES) was a tailored behavioral pharmacist-admini ... Full text Open Access Link to item Cite

The relationship between pretreatment dietary composition and weight loss during a randomised trial of different diet approaches.

Journal article J Hum Nutr Diet · February 2015 BACKGROUND: Identifying pretreatment dietary habits that are associated with weight-loss intervention outcomes could help guide individuals' selection of weight-loss approach among competing options. A pretreatment factor that may influence weight-loss out ... Full text Link to item Cite

Association between bariatric surgery and long-term survival.

Journal article JAMA · January 6, 2015 IMPORTANCE: Accumulating evidence suggests that bariatric surgery improves survival among patients with severe obesity, but research among veterans has shown no evidence of benefit. OBJECTIVE: To examine long-term survival in a large multisite cohort of pa ... Full text Link to item Cite

Study design and protocol for a theory-based behavioral intervention focusing on maintenance of weight loss: the Maintenance After Initiation of Nutrition TrAINing (MAINTAIN) study.

Journal article Contemp Clin Trials · September 2014 BACKGROUND: Obesity is a significant public health problem. Although various lifestyle approaches are effective for inducing significant weight loss, few effective behavioral weight maintenance strategies have been identified. It has been proposed that beh ... Full text Link to item Cite

Helping Invested Families Improve Veterans' Experiences Study (HI-FIVES): study design and methodology.

Journal article Contemp Clin Trials · July 2014 Within the Veterans Health Administration (VHA), the largest integrated health care system in the US, approximately 8.5 million Veteran patients receive informal care. Despite a need for training, half of VHA caregivers report that they have not received t ... Full text Link to item Cite

Caregiver experience during advanced chronic illness and last year of life.

Journal article J Am Geriatr Soc · June 2014 OBJECTIVES: To compare the prevalence and predictors of caregiver esteem and burden during two different stages of care recipients' illnesses-advanced chronic illness and the last year of life. DESIGN: Longitudinal, observational cohort study. SETTING: Com ... Full text Link to item Cite

Do the benefits of participation in a hypertension self-management trial persist after patients resume usual care?

Journal article Circ Cardiovasc Qual Outcomes · March 2014 BACKGROUND: Hypertension self-management has been shown to improve systolic blood pressure (BP) control, but longer-term economic and clinical impacts are unknown. The purpose of this article is to examine clinical and economic outcomes 18 months after com ... Full text Open Access Link to item Cite

The Cardiovascular Intervention Improvement Telemedicine Study (CITIES): rationale for a tailored behavioral and educational pharmacist-administered intervention for achieving cardiovascular disease risk reduction.

Journal article Telemed J E Health · February 2014 BACKGROUND: Hypertension, hyperlipidemia, and diabetes are significant, but often preventable, contributors to cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk. Medication and behavioral nonadherence are significant barriers to successful hypertension, hyperlidemia, and ... Full text Open Access Link to item Cite

Heart matters: Gender and racial differences cardiovascular disease risk factor control among veterans.

Journal article Womens Health Issues · 2014 BACKGROUND: Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of mortality for U.S. women. Racial minorities are a particularly vulnerable population. The increasing female veteran population has an higher prevalence of certain cardiovascular risk factors ... Full text Open Access Link to item Cite

Two diets with different haemoglobin A1c and antiglycaemic medication effects despite similar weight loss in type 2 diabetes.

Journal article Diabetes Obes Metab · January 2014 We analysed participants with type 2 diabetes (n = 46) within a larger weight loss trial (n = 146) who were randomized to 48 weeks of a low-carbohydrate diet (LCD; n = 22) or a low-fat diet + orlistat (LFD + O; n = 24). At baseline, mean body mass index (B ... Full text Link to item Cite

Health services use of older veterans treated and released from veterans affairs medical center emergency departments.

Journal article J Am Geriatr Soc · September 2013 OBJECTIVES: To determine predictors of repeat health service use in older veterans treated and released from the emergency department (ED). DESIGN: Retrospective cohort study. SETTING: Veterans Affairs Medical Center (VAMC) EDs. PARTICIPANTS: Nationally re ... Full text Link to item Cite

Adverse impact of coercive treatments on psychiatric inpatients' satisfaction with care.

Journal article Community Ment Health J · August 2013 Consumers' satisfaction with inpatient mental health care is recognized as a key quality indicator that prospectively predicts functional and clinical outcomes. Coercive treatment experience is a frequently cited source of dissatisfaction with inpatient ca ... Full text Link to item Cite

The Cholesterol, Hypertension, And Glucose Education (CHANGE) study: results from a randomized controlled trial in African Americans with diabetes.

Journal article Am Heart J · July 2013 BACKGROUND: Cardiovascular disease (CVD) and diabetes account for one-third of the mortality difference between African American and white patients. We evaluated the effect of a CVD risk reduction intervention in African Americans with diabetes. METHODS: W ... Full text Open Access Link to item Cite

Demand for weight loss counseling after copayment elimination.

Journal article Preventing chronic disease · June 17, 2013 Overweight and obesity are public health issues in the United States, and veterans have a higher rate of overweight and obesity than the general population. Our objective was to examine whether copayment elimination increased use of a weight loss clinic by ... Cite

Admission to the intensive care unit and well-being in patients with advanced chronic illness.

Journal article Am J Crit Care · May 2013 PURPOSE: To describe the association of intensive care with trajectories of functional, emotional, social, and physical well-being in patients with 3 common advanced illnesses. METHODS: Cross-sectional cohort study of 42 patients admitted to the intensive ... Full text Link to item Cite

Benefits of participation in diabetes group visits after trial completion.

Journal article JAMA Intern Med · April 8, 2013 Full text Link to item Cite

Demand for weight loss counseling after copayment elimination.

Journal article Prev Chronic Dis · April 4, 2013 INTRODUCTION: Overweight and obesity are public health issues in the United States, and veterans have a higher rate of overweight and obesity than the general population. Our objective was to examine whether copayment elimination increased use of a weight ... Full text Link to item Cite

Telemedicine cardiovascular risk reduction in veterans.

Journal article Am Heart J · April 2013 BACKGROUND: Patients with co-occurrence of hypertension, hyperlipidemia, and diabetes have an increased risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) events. Comprehensive programs addressing both tailored patient self-management and pharmacotherapy are needed to a ... Full text Open Access Link to item Cite

Factors associated with non-adherence to three hypertension self-management behaviors: preliminary data for a new instrument.

Journal article J Gen Intern Med · January 2013 BACKGROUND: Clinicians have difficulty in identifying patients that are unlikely to adhere to hypertension self-management. Identifying non-adherence is essential to addressing suboptimal blood pressure control and high costs. OBJECTIVES: 1) To identify ri ... Full text Open Access Link to item Cite

Predictors of initial weight loss after gastric bypass surgery in twelve Veterans Affairs Medical Centers.

Journal article Obes Res Clin Pract · 2013 The objective of this study was to identify determinants of significant weight loss one year after gastric bypass surgery among United States veterans. Using data from the Veterans Affairs (VA) Surgical Quality Improvement Program, we identified 516 vetera ... Full text Link to item Cite

Demand for weight loss counseling after copayment elimination.

Journal article Preventing chronic disease · 2013 Overweight and obesity are public health issues in the United States, and veterans have a higher rate of overweight and obesity than the general population. Our objective was to examine whether copayment elimination increased use of a weight loss clinic by ... Full text Cite

Racial differences in the effect of a telephone-delivered hypertension disease management program.

Journal article J Gen Intern Med · December 2012 BACKGROUND: African Americans are significantly more likely than whites to have uncontrolled hypertension, contributing to significant disparities in cardiovascular disease and events. OBJECTIVE: The goal of this study was to examine whether there were dif ... Full text Open Access Link to item Cite

Burden and well-being among a diverse sample of cancer, congestive heart failure, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease caregivers.

Journal article J Pain Symptom Manage · September 2012 CONTEXT: Three important causes of death in the U.S. (cancer, congestive heart failure, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease) are preceded by long periods of declining health; often, family members provide most care for individuals who are living with ... Full text Link to item Cite

How price responsive is the demand for specialty care?

Journal article Health Econ · August 2012 Featured Publication OBJECTIVES: Outpatient visit co-payments have increased in recent years. We estimate the patient response to a price change for specialty care, based on a co-payment increase from $15 to $50 per visit for veterans with hypertension. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PA ... Full text Link to item Cite

Economic evaluation of telephone self-management interventions for blood pressure control.

Journal article Am Heart J · June 2012 BACKGROUND: Half of patients with hypertension have poor blood pressure (BP) control. Recent models for treating hypertension have integrated disease monitoring and telephone-based interventions delivered in patients' homes. This study evaluated the costs ... Full text Open Access Link to item Cite

Move over LOCF: principled methods for handling missing data in sleep disorder trials.

Journal article Sleep Med · February 2012 Featured Publication Missing data, e.g. patient attrition, are endemic in sleep disorder clinical trials. Common approaches for dealing with this situation include complete-case analysis (CCA) and last observation carried forward (LOCF). Although these methods are simple to im ... Full text Link to item Cite

Enhancing communication between oncologists and patients with a computer-based training program: a randomized trial.

Journal article Ann Intern Med · November 1, 2011 Featured Publication BACKGROUND: Quality cancer care requires addressing patients' emotions, which oncologists infrequently do. Multiday courses can teach oncologists skills to handle emotion; however, such workshops are long and costly. OBJECTIVE: To test whether a brief, com ... Full text Link to item Cite

Testing the reliability and validity of DSM-IV-TR and ICSD-2 insomnia diagnoses. Results of a multitrait-multimethod analysis.

Journal article Arch Gen Psychiatry · October 2011 CONTEXT: Distinctive diagnostic classification schemes for insomnia diagnoses are available, but the optimal insomnia nosology has yet to be determined. OBJECTIVES: To test the reliability and validity of insomnia diagnoses listed in the American Psychiatr ... Full text Link to item Cite

Treatment intensification in a hypertension telemanagement trial: clinical inertia or good clinical judgment?

Journal article Hypertension · October 2011 Clinical inertia represents a barrier to hypertension management. As part of a hypertension telemanagement trial designed to overcome clinical inertia, we evaluated study physician reactions to elevated home blood pressures. We studied 296 patients from th ... Full text Open Access Link to item Cite

Comparing three life-limiting diseases: does diagnosis matter or is sick, sick?

Journal article J Pain Symptom Manage · September 2011 CONTEXT: At advanced stages, cancer, congestive heart failure (CHF), and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) produce high rates of hospitalization, disability, and annual mortality. Despite similar prognoses, patients with cancer often are treated ... Full text Link to item Cite

Effect of patient and patient-oncologist relationship characteristics on communication about health-related quality of life.

Journal article Psychooncology · September 2011 OBJECTIVE: To test the effects of patient and patient-oncologist relationship factors on the time spent communicating about health-related quality of life (HRQOL) during outpatient clinic encounters between oncologists and their patients with advanced canc ... Full text Link to item Cite

Home blood pressure management and improved blood pressure control: results from a randomized controlled trial.

Journal article Arch Intern Med · July 11, 2011 BACKGROUND: To determine which of 3 interventions was most effective in improving blood pressure (BP) control, we performed a 4-arm randomized trial with 18-month follow-up at the primary care clinics at a Veterans Affairs Medical Center. METHODS: Eligible ... Full text Open Access Link to item Cite

Which domains of spirituality are associated with anxiety and depression in patients with advanced illness?

Journal article J Gen Intern Med · July 2011 BACKGROUND: Anxiety and depression are common in seriously ill patients and may be associated with spiritual concerns. Little research has examined how concerns in different domains of spirituality are related to anxiety and depression. OBJECTIVE: To exami ... Full text Link to item Cite

Measuring blood pressure for decision making and quality reporting: where and how many measures?

Journal article Ann Intern Med · June 21, 2011 Featured Publication BACKGROUND: The optimal setting and number of blood pressure (BP) measurements that should be used for clinical decision making and quality reporting are uncertain. OBJECTIVE: To compare strategies for home or clinic BP measurement and their effect on clas ... Full text Open Access Link to item Cite

Longitudinal adherence to fecal occult blood testing impacts colorectal cancer screening quality.

Journal article Am J Gastroenterol · June 2011 OBJECTIVES: Existing cross-sectional quality measures for colorectal cancer (CRC) screening do not assess longitudinal adherence and thus may overestimate the quality of care. Our goal was to evaluate the adherence to repeated yearly fecal occult blood tes ... Full text Link to item Cite

Emergency department visits in Veterans Affairs medical facilities.

Journal article Am J Manag Care · June 1, 2011 OBJECTIVE: To identify the frequency of, and risk factors for, repeat emergency department (ED) visits and hospitalizations following a treat-andrelease ED visit in patients from Veterans Affairs Medical Centers (VAMCs). STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective cohort ... Link to item Cite

Emergency department visits in veterans affairs medical facilities

Journal article American Journal of Managed Care · June 1, 2011 Objective: To identify the frequency of, and risk factors for, repeat emergency department (ED) visits and hospitalizations following a treat-and-release ED visit in patients from Veterans Affairs Medical Centers (VAMCs). Study Design: Retrospective cohort ... Cite

Racial differences in two self-management hypertension interventions.

Journal article Am J Med · May 2011 BACKGROUND: Only one half of Americans have their blood pressure controlled, and there are significant racial differences in blood pressure control. The goal of this study was to examine the effectiveness of 2 patient-directed interventions designed to imp ... Full text Open Access Link to item Cite

The effectiveness of personalized coronary heart disease and stroke risk communication.

Journal article Am Heart J · April 2011 BACKGROUND: Current guidelines recommend global risk assessment to guide vascular risk factor management; however, most provider-patient communication focuses on individual risk factors in isolation. We sought to evaluate the impact of personalized coronar ... Full text Open Access Link to item Cite

Is military sexual trauma associated with trading sex among women veterans seeking outpatient mental health care?

Journal article J Trauma Dissociation · 2011 A robust association between sexual trauma and trading sex has been documented in civilian samples but has not been examined in veterans. Women veterans experience high rates of sexual victimization across the lifespan, including during military service (m ... Full text Link to item Cite

How do non-physician clinicians respond to advanced cancer patients' negative expressions of emotions?

Journal article Support Care Cancer · January 2011 PURPOSE: Patients with advanced cancer often experience negative emotion; clinicians' empathic responses can alleviate patient distress. Much is known about how physicians respond to patient emotion; less is known about non-physician clinicians. Given that ... Full text Link to item Cite

Do patient attributes predict oncologist empathic responses and patient perceptions of empathy?

Journal article Support Care Cancer · November 2010 PURPOSE: Most patients with advanced cancer experience negative emotion. When patients express emotions, oncologists rarely respond empathically. Oncologists may respond more empathically to some patients, and patients may perceive different levels of empa ... Full text Link to item Cite

Obesity and receipt of clinical preventive services in veterans.

Journal article Obesity (Silver Spring) · September 2010 Featured Publication Although obese individuals utilize health care at higher rates than their normal weight counterparts, they may be less likely to receive certain preventive services. We conducted a retrospective cohort study of veterans with visits to 136 national Veterans ... Full text Link to item Cite

Economic analysis of a tailored behavioral intervention to improve blood pressure control for primary care patients.

Journal article Am Heart J · August 2010 BACKGROUND: Few telemedicine programs have undergone cost analyses, impeding their implementation into practice. We report on the economic analysis of a nurse-administered intervention designed to improve blood pressure control among hypertensive veterans. ... Full text Open Access Link to item Cite

The implementation of a translational study involving a primary care based behavioral program to improve blood pressure control: The HTN-IMPROVE study protocol (01295).

Journal article Implement Sci · July 16, 2010 BACKGROUND: Despite the impact of hypertension and widely accepted target values for blood pressure (BP), interventions to improve BP control have had limited success. OBJECTIVES: We describe the design of a 'translational' study that examines the implemen ... Full text Open Access Link to item Cite

How oncologists and their patients with advanced cancer communicate about health-related quality of life.

Journal article Psychooncology · May 2010 OBJECTIVE: To describe the content and frequency of communication about health-related quality of life (HRQOL) during outpatient encounters between oncologists and their patients with advanced cancer. METHODS: We coded for HRQOL talk in a subset of audio-r ... Full text Link to item Cite

Economic evaluation of home blood pressure monitoring with or without telephonic behavioral self-management in patients with hypertension.

Journal article Am J Hypertens · February 2010 BACKGROUND: The Take Control of Your Blood Pressure trial evaluated the effect of a multicomponent telephonic behavioral lifestyle intervention, patient self-monitoring, and both interventions combined compared with usual care on reducing systolic blood pr ... Full text Link to item Cite

Comparing oncologist, nurse, and physician assistant attitudes toward discussions of negative emotions with patients.

Journal article J Physician Assist Educ · 2010 PURPOSE: Although research shows that empathic communication improves patient outcomes, physicians often fail to respond empathically to patients. Nurses and physician assistants (PAs) may be able to help fill the need for empathic communication. Our study ... Full text Link to item Cite

VALIDITY AND RELIABILITY OF THE DSM-IV-TR AND ICSD-2 INSOMNIA NOSOLOGIES AMONG CAUCASIANS AND AFRICAN-AMERICANS

Journal article SLEEP · January 1, 2010 Link to item Cite

UTILITY, VALIDITY, AND METHODOLOGICAL FACTORS INFLUENCING ASSIGNMENT OF DSM-IV-TR INSOMNIA DIAGNOSES: CONSIDERATIONS FOR DSM-V

Journal article SLEEP · January 1, 2010 Link to item Cite

Two self-management interventions to improve hypertension control: a randomized trial.

Journal article Ann Intern Med · November 17, 2009 Featured Publication BACKGROUND: Fewer than 40% of persons with hypertension in the United States have adequate blood pressure (BP) control. OBJECTIVE: To compare 2 self-management interventions for improving BP control among hypertensive patients. DESIGN: A 2 x 2 randomized t ... Full text Link to item Cite

Expectations and outcomes of prolonged mechanical ventilation.

Journal article Crit Care Med · November 2009 OBJECTIVE: To compare prolonged mechanical ventilation decision-makers' expectations for long-term patient outcomes with prospectively observed outcomes and to characterize important elements of the surrogate-physician interaction surrounding prolonged mec ... Full text Link to item Cite

Use of and reactions to a tailored CD-ROM designed to enhance oncologist-patient communication: the SCOPE trial intervention.

Journal article Patient Educ Couns · October 2009 OBJECTIVE: Assess use of and reactions to an interactive, tailored CD-ROM to enhance oncologist-patient communication. METHODS: Participating oncologists (n=48) agreed to have patient interactions audio recorded, be randomly assigned to receive/not receive ... Full text Link to item Cite

The Cholesterol, Hypertension, and Glucose Education (CHANGE) study for African Americans with diabetes: study design and methodology.

Journal article Am Heart J · September 2009 BACKGROUND: Cardiovascular disease (CVD) and diabetes account for over one third of the mortality difference between African Americans and white patients. The increased CVD risk in African Americans is due in large part to the clustering of multiple CVD ri ... Full text Link to item Cite

Negative emotions in cancer care: do oncologists' responses depend on severity and type of emotion?

Journal article Patient Educ Couns · July 2009 OBJECTIVE: To examine how type and severity of patients' negative emotions influence oncologists' responses and subsequent conversations. METHODS: We analyzed 264 audio-recorded conversations between advanced cancer patients and their oncologists. Conversa ... Full text Link to item Cite

The effect of a hypertension self-management intervention on diabetes and cholesterol control.

Journal article Am J Med · July 2009 BACKGROUND: Most patient chronic disease self-management interventions target single-disease outcomes. We evaluated the effect of a tailored hypertension self-management intervention on the unintended targets of glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c) and low-dens ... Full text Link to item Cite

PCV58 TRIAL-BASED ECONOMIC EVALUATION ALONGSIDE THE TCYB (TAKE CONTROL OF YOUR BLOOD PRESSURE) TRIAL

Journal article Value in Health · May 2009 Full text Cite

Cognitive behavioral therapy for patients with primary insomnia or insomnia associated predominantly with mixed psychiatric disorders: a randomized clinical trial.

Journal article Sleep · April 2009 Featured Publication OBJECTIVE: This study was conducted to evaluate the efficacy of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) against a sleep hygiene education control therapy in patients with primary or comorbid insomnia. DESIGN AND SETTING: Randomized, parallel-group, clinical tri ... Full text Link to item Cite

Patient education and provider decision support to control blood pressure in primary care: a cluster randomized trial.

Journal article Am Heart J · March 2009 BACKGROUND: Less than one third of the 65 million Americans with hypertension have adequate blood pressure (BP) control. This study examined the effectiveness of 2 interventions for improving patient BP control. METHODS: This was a 2-level (primary care pr ... Full text Link to item Cite

Feasibility of blood pressure telemonitoring in patients with poor blood pressure control.

Journal article J Telemed Telecare · 2009 We examined the feasibility of using home blood pressure (BP) telemonitoring devices for managing patients with poor BP control. We enrolled 591 subjects with a diagnosis of hypertension. Patients were randomized to usual care (n = 147) or to the intervent ... Full text Link to item Cite

COMPARATIVE VALIDITY OF THE DSM-IV-TR AND ICSD-2 INSOMNIA NOSOLOGIES: HOW MANY WAYS SHOULD WE SLICE THE INSOMNIA PIE?

Journal article SLEEP · January 1, 2009 Link to item Cite

RELIABILITY AND VALIDITY OF THE DUKE STRUCTURED INTERVIEW FOR SLEEP DISORDERS FOR INSOMNIA SCREENING

Journal article SLEEP · January 1, 2009 Link to item Cite

Potentially Ineffective Care (PIC) and Prolonged Mechanical Ventilation (PMV)

Journal article AMERICAN JOURNAL OF RESPIRATORY AND CRITICAL CARE MEDICINE · January 1, 2009 Link to item Cite

Strategies for analyzing multilevel cluster-randomized studies with binary outcomes collected at varying intervals of time.

Journal article Stat Med · December 20, 2008 Featured Publication Frequently, studies are conducted in a real clinic setting. When the outcome of interest is collected longitudinally over a specified period of time, this design can lead to unequally spaced intervals and varying numbers of assessments. In our study, these ... Full text Link to item Cite

Do preparation and life completion discussions improve functioning and quality of life in seriously ill patients? Pilot randomized control trial.

Journal article J Palliat Med · November 2008 BACKGROUND: Significant palliative care intervention has focused on physical pain and symptom control; yet less empirical evidence supports efforts to address the psychosocial and spiritual dimensions of experience. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the impact of an ... Full text Link to item Cite

Literacy and blood pressure--do healthcare systems influence this relationship? A cross-sectional study.

Journal article BMC Health Serv Res · October 23, 2008 BACKGROUND: Limited literacy is common among patients with chronic conditions and is associated with poor health outcomes. We sought to determine the association between literacy and blood pressure in primary care patients with hypertension and to determin ... Full text Link to item Cite

Patient-oncologist communication in advanced cancer: predictors of patient perception of prognosis.

Journal article Support Care Cancer · September 2008 GOALS OF WORK: Advanced cancer patients' perceptions of prognosis, which are often overly optimistic compared to oncologist estimates, influence treatment preferences. The predictors of patients' perceptions and the effect of oncologist communication on pa ... Full text Link to item Cite

"What concerns me is..." Expression of emotion by advanced cancer patients during outpatient visits.

Journal article Support Care Cancer · July 2008 OBJECTIVE: Cancer patients have high levels of distress, yet oncologists often do not recognize patients' concerns. We sought to describe how patients with advanced cancer verbally express negative emotion to their oncologists. MATERIALS AND METHODS: As pa ... Full text Link to item Cite

Racial differences in blood pressure control: potential explanatory factors.

Journal article J Gen Intern Med · May 2008 OBJECTIVE: The objective of the study was to identify potential explanatory factors for racial differences in blood pressure (BP) control. DESIGN: The design of the study was a cross-sectional study PATIENTS/PARTICIPANTS: The study included 608 patients wi ... Full text Link to item Cite

Perceived and actual stroke risk among men with hypertension.

Journal article J Clin Hypertens (Greenwich) · April 2008 The purposes of this study were to determine whether there is a significant correlation between the perceived and actual stroke risk among hypertensive patients and to identify patient characteristics associated with inaccurate estimation of stroke risk. T ... Full text Link to item Cite

Take Control of Your Blood Pressure (TCYB) study: a multifactorial tailored behavioral and educational intervention for achieving blood pressure control.

Journal article Patient Educ Couns · March 2008 OBJECTIVE: Evaluating a randomized controlled trial involving a tailored behavioral intervention conducted to improve blood pressure control. METHODS: Adults with hypertension from two outpatient primary care clinics were randomly allocated to receive a nu ... Full text Link to item Cite

Identifying depressed older adults in primary care: a secondary analysis of a multisite randomized controlled trial.

Journal article Prim Care Companion J Clin Psychiatry · 2008 OBJECTIVE: To determine whether a subset of depressive symptoms could be identified to facilitate diagnosis of depression in older adults in primary care. METHOD: Secondary analysis was conducted on 898 participants aged 60 years or older with major depres ... Full text Link to item Cite

Oncologist communication about emotion during visits with patients with advanced cancer.

Journal article J Clin Oncol · December 20, 2007 INTRODUCTION: Cancer care involves addressing patient emotion. When patients express negative emotions, empathic opportunities emerge. When oncologists respond with a continuer statement, which is one that offers empathy and allows patients to continue exp ... Full text Link to item Cite

Acid-base analysis of individuals following two weight loss diets.

Journal article Eur J Clin Nutr · December 2007 OBJECTIVE: To examine the effects of low-carbohydrate, ketogenic (LCKD) and low-fat (LFD) diets on acid-base status. DESIGN: Prospective analysis of volunteers from two clinical trials. PARTICIPANTS: Subset of 39 volunteers from a randomized trial comparin ... Full text Link to item Cite

Five-year trajectories of social networks and social support in older adults with major depression.

Journal article Int Psychogeriatr · December 2007 BACKGROUND: Research with nondepressed adults suggests that social networks and social support are stable over the life course until very late age. This may not hold true for older adults with depression. We examined baseline status and trajectories of soc ... Full text Link to item Cite

Hypertension Intervention Nurse Telemedicine Study (HINTS): testing a multifactorial tailored behavioral/educational and a medication management intervention for blood pressure control.

Journal article Am Heart J · June 2007 BACKGROUND: Only 31% of Americans with hypertension have their blood pressure (BP) under effective control. We describe a study that tests 3 different interventions in a randomized controlled trial using home BP telemedicine monitoring. METHODS: A sample o ... Full text Link to item Cite

Previous involuntary commitment is associated with current perceptions of coercion in voluntarily hospitalized patients

Journal article International Journal of Forensic Mental Health · January 1, 2007 Involuntary psychiatric treatment is sometimes necessary and beneficial, but may also exert negative effects. The impact of involuntary commitment on subsequent mental health treatment experience is poorly understood. We examined whether history of involun ... Full text Cite

Differences in one-year health outcomes and resource utilization by definition of prolonged mechanical ventilation: a prospective cohort study.

Journal article Crit Care · 2007 INTRODUCTION: The outcomes of patients ventilated for longer than average are unclear, in part because of the lack of an accepted definition of prolonged mechanical ventilation (PMV). To better understand the implications of PMV provision, we compared one- ... Full text Link to item Cite

The Take Control of Your Blood pressure (TCYB) study: study design and methodology.

Journal article Contemp Clin Trials · January 2007 BACKGROUND: Among the 65 million Americans with hypertension, only approximately 31% have their blood pressure under control (<140/90 mm/Hg). Despite the damaging impact of hypertension and the availability of evidence-based target values for blood pressur ... Full text Link to item Cite

Identifying, recruiting, and retaining seriously-ill patients and their caregivers in longitudinal research.

Journal article Palliat Med · December 2006 BACKGROUND: In order to improve the state of science in palliative care, we must increase our ability to document the real-time experience of patients and families as they traverse the end of life. Yet, frequently, prospective measurement is impeded by dif ... Full text Link to item Cite

Studying communication in oncologist-patient encounters: the SCOPE Trial.

Journal article Palliat Med · December 2006 STUDY OBJECTIVE: Most oncologists have not received adequate training in physician-patient communication, and existing effective courses tend to be time and resource intensive. We are developing and testing a tailored CD-ROM educational intervention that i ... Full text Link to item Cite

A multidimensional integrative medicine intervention to improve cardiovascular risk.

Journal article J Gen Intern Med · July 2006 BACKGROUND: Integrative medicine is an individualized, patient-centered approach to health, combining a whole-person model with evidence-based medicine. Interventions based in integrative medicine theory have not been tested as cardiovascular risk-reductio ... Full text Link to item Cite

Effect of a low-carbohydrate, ketogenic diet program compared to a low-fat diet on fasting lipoprotein subclasses.

Journal article Int J Cardiol · June 16, 2006 BACKGROUND: Low-carbohydrate, ketogenic diets (LCKD) are effective for weight loss, but concerns remain regarding cardiovascular risk. The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of an LCKD program on serum lipoprotein subclasses. METHODS: This w ... Full text Link to item Cite

Pilot study of pain and coping among patients with osteoarthritis: a daily diary analysis.

Journal article J Clin Rheumatol · June 2006 BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Few studies have examined patterns of pain and coping among patients with osteoarthritis (OA). This pilot study used a daily diary approach to examine pain and coping strategy use among white and nonwhite veterans with OA. METHOD ... Full text Link to item Cite

Racial differences in blood pressure control: potential explanatory factors.

Journal article Am J Med · January 2006 PURPOSE: Poor blood pressure control remains a common problem that contributes to significant cardiovascular morbidity and mortality, particularly among African Americans. We explored antihypertensive medication adherence and other factors that may explain ... Full text Link to item Cite

Symptomatic remission in patients with bipolar mania: results from a double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of risperidone monotherapy.

Journal article J Clin Psychiatry · August 2005 BACKGROUND: The purpose of this analysis was to assess rates of symptomatic remission in patients with bipolar mania receiving risperidone in a double-blind, parallel-group, multicenter, placebo-controlled trial conducted in India. METHOD: Two hundred nine ... Full text Link to item Cite

How well do clinic-based blood pressure measurements agree with the mercury standard?

Journal article J Gen Intern Med · July 2005 BACKGROUND: Obtaining accurate blood pressure (BP) readings is a challenge faced by health professionals. Clinical trials implement strict protocols, whereas clinical practices and studies that assess quality of care utilize a less rigorous protocol for BP ... Full text Link to item Cite

Variations in coronary procedure utilization depending on body mass index.

Journal article Arch Intern Med · June 27, 2005 Featured Publication BACKGROUND: Increased body mass index (BMI) (calculated as weight in kilograms divided by the square of height in meters) is a risk factor for coronary heart disease and is associated with lower preventive services utilization. The relationship between BMI ... Full text Link to item Cite

Improving blood pressure control by tailored feedback to patients and clinicians.

Journal article Am Heart J · May 2005 Full text Link to item Cite

Nurse administered telephone intervention for blood pressure control: a patient-tailored multifactorial intervention.

Journal article Patient Educ Couns · April 2005 OBJECTIVES: A randomized controlled trial involving a nurse administered patient-tailored intervention is being conducted to improve blood pressure (BP) control. METHODS: Veterans with hypertension from an outpatient primary care clinic completed a baselin ... Full text Link to item Cite

The veterans' study to improve the control of hypertension (V-STITCH): design and methodology.

Journal article Contemp Clin Trials · April 2005 BACKGROUND: Among the 60 million Americans with hypertension, only approximately 31% have their blood pressure (BP) under control (<140/90 mm Hg). Despite the damaging impact of hypertension and the availability of evidence-based target values for BP, inte ... Full text Link to item Cite

Improving depression outcomes in older adults with comorbid medical illness.

Journal article Gen Hosp Psychiatry · 2005 BACKGROUND: Depression is common in older adults and often coexists with multiple chronic diseases, which may complicate its diagnosis and treatment. OBJECTIVE: To determine whether or not the presence of multiple comorbid medical illnesses affects patient ... Full text Link to item Cite

Utility of hemoglobin A1c in predicting diabetes risk.

Journal article J Gen Intern Med · December 2004 Featured Publication BACKGROUND: There is controversy surrounding the issue of whether, and how, to screen adults for type 2 diabetes. Our objective was to measure the incidence of new diabetes among outpatients enrolled in a health care system, and to determine whether hemogl ... Full text Link to item Cite

Enrollment in clinical trials according to patients race: experience from the VA Cooperative Studies Program (1975-2000).

Journal article Control Clin Trials · August 2004 BACKGROUND: Racial distribution of clinical trial participants is important because results from these studies serve to define evidence-based practice. This report summarizes the experience of the VA Cooperative Studies Program (CSP) in enrolling white, bl ... Full text Link to item Cite

A low-carbohydrate, ketogenic diet versus a low-fat diet to treat obesity and hyperlipidemia: a randomized, controlled trial.

Journal article Ann Intern Med · May 18, 2004 Featured Publication BACKGROUND: Low-carbohydrate diets remain popular despite a paucity of scientific evidence on their effectiveness. OBJECTIVE: To compare the effects of a low-carbohydrate, ketogenic diet program with those of a low-fat, low-cholesterol, reduced-calorie die ... Full text Link to item Cite

A pilot study of inexpensive sleep-assessment devices.

Journal article Behav Sleep Med · 2004 Polysomnography (PSG), the gold standard sleep-assessment methodology, is impractical for many applications. Although alternative assessment methodologies are available, it is not clear which most correlates with PSG measures. This study compared sleep log ... Full text Link to item Cite

The association of psychosocial factors and depression with hypertension among older adults.

Journal article Int J Geriatr Psychiatry · December 2003 OBJECTIVE: To examine the relationship between depression and hypertension in an elderly population and how psychosocial variables influence this relationship. METHODS: The study included 293 subjects, who met DSM-IV criteria for unipolar depression, and 1 ... Full text Link to item Cite

Clinical identifiers of complicated Staphylococcus aureus bacteremia.

Journal article Arch Intern Med · September 22, 2003 Featured Publication BACKGROUND: Complications of Staphylococcus aureus bacteremia (SAB) are often difficult to identify. The ability to accurately predict the likelihood of these complications would impact patient management. This investigation sought to define readily availa ... Full text Link to item Cite

Healthcare access and utilization by patients infected with human immunodeficiency virus: does gender matter?

Journal article J Womens Health (Larchmt) · May 2003 OBJECTIVE: To examine access to and utilization of primary healthcare services with respect to gender. Greater family and child-rearing responsibilities are possible barriers to healthcare access and utilization for women with HIV infection. METHODS: This ... Full text Link to item Cite

Quality of care for patients diagnosed with diabetes at screening.

Journal article Diabetes Care · February 2003 OBJECTIVE: Screening for diabetes has the potential to be an effective intervention, especially if patients have intensive treatment of their newly diagnosed diabetes and comorbid hypertension. We wished to determine the process and quality of diabetes car ... Full text Link to item Cite

Relationship between obesity and health-related quality of life in men.

Journal article Obes Res · October 2002 OBJECTIVE: Few studies examining the relationship between obesity and health-related quality of life (HRQOL) have used a medical outpatient population or demonstrated a relationship in men. Furthermore, most studies have not adequately considered comorbid ... Full text Link to item Cite

Impact of diabetes screening on quality of life.

Journal article Diabetes Care · June 2002 OBJECTIVE: Diagnosis of a chronic illness can have a negative impact on patients' perception of their well-being ("labeling" effect). We sought to determine the effects of a new diagnosis of diabetes, discovered by systematic screening, on patients' health ... Full text Link to item Cite

Screening for diabetes in an outpatient clinic population.

Journal article J Gen Intern Med · January 2002 BACKGROUND: Opportunistic disease screening is the routine, asymptomatic disease screening of patients at the time of a physician encounter for other reasons. While the prevalence of unrecognized diabetes in community populations is well known, the prevale ... Full text Link to item Cite

A two-part random-effects model for semicontinuous longitudinal data

Journal article Journal of the American Statistical Association · June 1, 2001 A semicontinuous variable has a portion of responses equal to a single value (typically 0) and a continuous, often skewed, distribution among the remaining values. In cross-sectional analyses, variables of this type may be described by a pair of regression ... Full text Cite

Social support and quality of life in patients with coronary artery disease.

Journal article Qual Life Res · 2000 The relationship between perceived social support and domain-specific health-related quality of life (HRQOL) was examined in a sample of cardiac catheterization patients after considering age, gender, race, education, and coronary artery disease (CAD) seve ... Full text Link to item Cite

Multiple imputation for multivariate missing-data problems: A data analyst's perspective

Journal article Multivariate Behavioral Research · January 1, 1998 Analyses of multivariate data are frequently hampered by missing values. Until recently, the only missing-data methods available to most data analysts have been relatively ad hoc practices such as listwise deletion. Recent dramatic advances in theoretical ... Full text Cite