Under-representation of minorities in clinical trials limits access to information relevant to all segments of the population. We assessed the enrollment of minority subjects with Parkinson's disease (PD) into clinical trials. We searched PubMed for published studies of PD trials conducted in the US over the past 20 years and found that only 41 reported racial/ethnic participation (17%). In those trials reporting race/ethnicity, 8% of subjects were non-white, compared to 20% of the non-white US population over age 60. Results of this study identified the need for better reporting of racial composition in clinical trials and for the enrollment of more minority participants in research studies.
This study investigated psychosocial factors thought to be associated with perceived stress over the course of infertility treatment. The research was based on secondary analysis of data from the Study of Marriage, Family, and Life Quality with a sample of 128 people who completed an infertility-related stress instrument at all three measurement intervals (1988, 1999, and 1990). Self-esteem and perceived health were associated with stress at the study baseline, importance of a biological family and extent of spousal support associated with stress at the 12-month follow-up, and factors pertaining to infertility treatment (number of treatments, relationship with physicians) associated with stress at the 24-month follow-up. Self-esteem was the only psychosocial factor associated with change in stress over the course of treatment. Social workers and health care professionals should be sensitive to the emotional experiences of couples during infertility treatment. Identifying factors explaining stress, or that may be targets for intervention, has significance for social workers in health care and other settings.
The convergence of a number of disparate factors has led to opportunities to help address the mental health needs of older adults in primary care (PC) or “integrated care” settings. Older adults are disproportionately high users of health care resources, and cost projections for coming decades have catastrophic implications. Elders shun mental health services, instead turning to their personal physicians when troubled. The PC system is clogged with patients without medical problems or whose medical conditions are exacerbated by psychosocial factors (estimated at 60% to 70%), resulting in overutilization of services and high costs. However, PC physicians detect and adequately treat or refer only 40% to 50% of patients with mental health problems. Early experience with brief and/or structured interventions in PC settings is promising and suggests opportunities for multidisciplinary team geriatric practice.
Research on mental health service utilization patterns has shown that older adults underutilize outpatient services, particularly in minority populations. Greater reliance on inpatient services may result when a mental health problem can no longer be ignored. The goal of this study was to compare the attitudes and beliefs of African American and Caucasian older adults about mental health care and preferred providers. A 47-item survey was administered to a convenience sample of 1,598 primarily African Americans, recruited at 40 sites, including the study sample of 726 people older than age 50. Results showed that respondents of both races preferred advice from their family doctor, clergy, or a family member. African Americans preferred services in their doctor's or clergy's office, whereas Caucasians preferred a professional service provider's office. Findings suggest that providers and policy makers consider the impact of age, culture, and ethnicity on mental health services provision.By the year 2010, it is projected that 15% of Americans will be age 65 or older, and this proportion will rise to approximately 20% by the first quarter of the 21st century. Frequently overlooked is that a growing share of the increase will consist of ethnic minority elders, projected to comprise 40% of the population older than age 65 by
Chemotherapy received within 6 months after diagnosis was associated with a 39% lower hazard of death within the time period for the study. These findings reflect chemotherapy use outside of the clinical trial setting and have important clinical and policy implications for the study of treatments in older women with advanced ER- breast cancer.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.