scholarly journals Willingness of Adults in the United States to Receive HIV Testing in Dental Care Settings: Cross-Sectional Web-Based Study (Preprint)

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Matthew T Rosso ◽  
Akshay Sharma

BACKGROUND The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that 1.1 million people in the United States are living with HIV and 1 in 8 are estimated to be unaware of their serostatus. Little is known about whether individuals would consider being tested for HIV in nontraditional health care settings such as a dentist’s office. Studies in selected US cities have indicated high acceptability of receiving an HIV test among people attending dental clinics. However, we are not aware of studies that have assessed willingness to receive HIV testing in dental care settings at a national level. OBJECTIVE Using a web-based sample of adult residents of the United States, we sought to assess the self-reported willingness to receive any type of HIV testing (ie, oral fluid rapid testing, finger-stick blood rapid testing, or venipuncture blood testing) in a dental care setting and evaluate independent associations of willingness with the extent to which dental care providers were perceived as knowledgeable about HIV and how comfortable participants felt discussing HIV with their dental care providers. METHODS Participants were recruited using banner advertisements featured on social networking platforms (Facebook and Instagram) from December 2018 to February 2019. Demographic and behavioral data including information on sexual behaviors in the past 6 months, HIV testing history, and dental/health care–seeking history were collected using an anonymous web-based survey. Willingness to receive any type of HIV testing in a dental care setting was assessed on 4-point scale from very willing to very unwilling. Factors independently associated with participants’ willingness were identified using a multivariable logistic regression model. RESULTS Of the 421 participants in our study aged 18 to 73 years, 271 (64.4%) reported having oral sex, 197 (46.8%) reported having vaginal sex, and 136 (32.3%) reported having anal sex in the past 6 months. Approximately one-third had never been tested for HIV (137/421, 32.5%), and the same proportion had not been tested in the past year (137/421, 32.5%). Most participants had dental insurance coverage (356/421, 84.6%), and more than three-fourths reported being very or somewhat willing (326/421, 77.4%) to receive any type of HIV testing in a dental care setting. Higher levels of willingness were associated with being 18 to 24 years versus ≥35 years (aOR 3.22, 95% CI 1.48-6.98), 25 to 34 years versus ≥35 years (aOR 5.26, 95% CI 2.52-10.98), believing that one’s dental care provider is knowledgeable about HIV (aOR 2.04, 95% CI 1.06-3.92), and feeling comfortable discussing HIV with one’s dental care provider (aOR 9.84, 95% CI 3.99-24.27). CONCLUSIONS Our data indicate high acceptability of receiving HIV testing in a dental care setting, especially among those who report having a positive patient-provider relationship. Future research should focus on assessing dental care providers’ attitudes, self-efficacy, and beliefs about whether HIV testing fits into the scope of dentistry.

10.2196/17677 ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 6 (3) ◽  
pp. e17677
Author(s):  
Matthew T Rosso ◽  
Akshay Sharma

Background The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that 1.1 million people in the United States are living with HIV and 1 in 8 are estimated to be unaware of their serostatus. Little is known about whether individuals would consider being tested for HIV in nontraditional health care settings such as a dentist’s office. Studies in selected US cities have indicated high acceptability of receiving an HIV test among people attending dental clinics. However, we are not aware of studies that have assessed willingness to receive HIV testing in dental care settings at a national level. Objective Using a web-based sample of adult residents of the United States, we sought to assess the self-reported willingness to receive any type of HIV testing (ie, oral fluid rapid testing, finger-stick blood rapid testing, or venipuncture blood testing) in a dental care setting and evaluate independent associations of willingness with the extent to which dental care providers were perceived as knowledgeable about HIV and how comfortable participants felt discussing HIV with their dental care providers. Methods Participants were recruited using banner advertisements featured on social networking platforms (Facebook and Instagram) from December 2018 to February 2019. Demographic and behavioral data including information on sexual behaviors in the past 6 months, HIV testing history, and dental/health care–seeking history were collected using an anonymous web-based survey. Willingness to receive any type of HIV testing in a dental care setting was assessed on 4-point scale from very willing to very unwilling. Factors independently associated with participants’ willingness were identified using a multivariable logistic regression model. Results Of the 421 participants in our study aged 18 to 73 years, 271 (64.4%) reported having oral sex, 197 (46.8%) reported having vaginal sex, and 136 (32.3%) reported having anal sex in the past 6 months. Approximately one-third had never been tested for HIV (137/421, 32.5%), and the same proportion had not been tested in the past year (137/421, 32.5%). Most participants had dental insurance coverage (356/421, 84.6%), and more than three-fourths reported being very or somewhat willing (326/421, 77.4%) to receive any type of HIV testing in a dental care setting. Higher levels of willingness were associated with being 18 to 24 years versus ≥35 years (aOR 3.22, 95% CI 1.48-6.98), 25 to 34 years versus ≥35 years (aOR 5.26, 95% CI 2.52-10.98), believing that one’s dental care provider is knowledgeable about HIV (aOR 2.04, 95% CI 1.06-3.92), and feeling comfortable discussing HIV with one’s dental care provider (aOR 9.84, 95% CI 3.99-24.27). Conclusions Our data indicate high acceptability of receiving HIV testing in a dental care setting, especially among those who report having a positive patient-provider relationship. Future research should focus on assessing dental care providers’ attitudes, self-efficacy, and beliefs about whether HIV testing fits into the scope of dentistry.


Author(s):  
Rowland W Pettit ◽  
Jordan Kaplan ◽  
Matthew M Delancy ◽  
Edward Reece ◽  
Sebastian Winocour ◽  
...  

Abstract Background The Open Payments Program, as designated by the Physician Payments Sunshine Act is the single largest repository of industry payments made to licensed physicians within the United States. Though sizeable in its dataset, the database and user interface are limited in their ability to permit expansive data interpretation and summarization. Objectives We sought to comprehensively compare industry payments made to plastic surgeons with payments made to all surgeons and all physicians to elucidate industry relationships since implementation. Methods The Open Payments Database was queried between 2014 and 2019, and inclusion criteria were applied. These data were evaluated in aggregate and for yearly totals, payment type, and geographic distribution. Results 61,000,728 unique payments totaling $11,815,248,549 were identified over the six-year study period. 9,089 plastic surgeons, 121,151 surgeons, and 796,260 total physicians received these payments. Plastic surgeons annually received significantly less payment than all surgeons (p=0.0005). However, plastic surgeons did not receive significantly more payment than all physicians (p = 0.0840). Cash and cash equivalents proved to be the most common form of payment; Stock and stock options were least commonly transferred. Plastic surgeons in Tennessee received the most in payments between 2014-2019 (mean $ 76,420.75). California had the greatest number of plastic surgeons to receive payments (1,452 surgeons). Conclusions Plastic surgeons received more in industry payments than the average of all physicians but received less than all surgeons. The most common payment was cash transactions. Over the past six years, geographic trends in industry payments have remained stable.


2009 ◽  
Vol 106 (2) ◽  
pp. 207-220
Author(s):  
C. Michael Hawn

Throughout history the church has often been slow to recognize developments in the sciences and reorder its thinking about God's creation accordingly. The church in the northern world is now facing the reality that Christians in the southern hemisphere outnumber them two to one. The seeds of the gospel planted during the great mission movements of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries have taken hold and Christianity is flourishing in many places in the south. Are Christians in the northern hemisphere ready to receive the gifts of worshiping communities through song and prayer from their southern sisters and brothers? Given the patterns of immigration to the United States, this is not an academic proposal but a reality of the twenty-first century. Congregations in the current century will need a global perspective in local communities. We dare not be as slow to respond to this reality as the church has been to scientific discoveries in the past. This article offers strategies for reciprocal mission mindedness in our worship.


2018 ◽  
pp. 387-391
Author(s):  
S. Nassir Ghaemi

The practice of psychopharmacology is influenced by cultural factors, including a tendency in the United States for patients and doctors to want to receive pills for symptoms. This therapeutic activism dates back centuries, and it has influenced aggressive treatments in the past such as bleeding the patient. The proponents of DSM-III sought to make psychiatry more empirical, and much of this drive came from the need to diagnose entities that could be treated with the newly emerging psychotropic drugs. In retrospect, it could be concluded that what happened was that the DSM-III–oriented practitioners implemented an American pragmatic attitude to psychiatry that has tended toward both polynosology and polypharmacy. The spirit of pragmatism still lives in the world of contemporary psychiatry. A debate still exists culturally between caution and liberality in the use of medication, for psychological states in particular.


2018 ◽  
Vol 36 (4) ◽  
pp. 273-281 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jennifer Gabbard ◽  
Allison Jordan ◽  
Julie Mitchell ◽  
Mark Corbett ◽  
Patrick White ◽  
...  

The current opioid crisis in the United States is a major problem facing health-care providers, even at the end of life. Opioids continue to be the mainstay treatment for pain at the end of life, with the prevalence of pain reported in up to 80% of patients and tends to increase as one gets closer toward the end of life. In the past year, 20.2 million Americans had a substance use disorder (SUD) and SUDs are disabling disorders that largely go untreated. In addition, the coexistence of both a mental health and SUD is very common with the use of opioids often as a means of chemical coping. Most hospice programs do not have standardized SUD policies/guidelines in place despite the increasing concerns about substance abuse within the United States. The goal of this article is to review the literature on this topic and offer strategies on how to manage pain in patients who have active SUD or who are at risk for developing SUD in those dying on hospice.


Author(s):  
Donald A. Young ◽  
Wayne I. Roe ◽  
Michael J. Strauss

This article examines technology in primary care and its implications for technology assessment. Following an overview of the primary care setting and the importance of medical technology to primary care providers, the article identifies the new decisionmakers in medicine who both direct and respond to technological change in primary care, focusing, in particular, on their needs for information on primary care technologies. Furthermore, new methodologic issues for technology assessors are posed and examined. Finally, the authors offer conclusions about the need for changes in technology assessment and speculate about its future in primary care.


2021 ◽  
pp. 003335492110458
Author(s):  
Mengxi Zhang ◽  
Ashok Gurung ◽  
Philip Anglewicz ◽  
Parangkush Subedi ◽  
Colleen Payton ◽  
...  

Objective Little is known about COVID-19 vaccination intentions among refugee communities in the United States. The objective of this study was to measure COVID-19 vaccination intentions among a sample of refugees in the United States and the reasons for their vaccine acceptance or hesitancy. Methods From December 2020 through January 2021, we emailed or text messaged anonymous online surveys to 12 bilingual leaders in the Afghan, Bhutanese, Somali, South Sudanese, and Burmese refugee communities in the United States. We asked community leaders to complete the survey and share the link with community members who met the inclusion criteria (arrived in the United States as refugees, were aged ≥18, and currently lived in the United States). We compared the characteristics of respondents who intended to receive the COVID-19 vaccine with those of respondents who did not intend to receive the vaccine or were unsure. We then conducted crude and adjusted logistic regression analysis to measure the association between employment as an essential worker and COVID-19 vaccine acceptance. Results Of 435 respondents, 306 (70.3%) indicated that they planned to receive a COVID-19 vaccine. Being an essential worker (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] = 2.37; 95% CI, 1.44-3.90) and male sex (aOR = 1.87; 95% CI, 1.12-3.12) were significantly associated with higher odds of intending to receive a COVID-19 vaccine. Among respondents who intended to receive a COVID-19 vaccine, wanting to protect themselves (68.6%), family members (65.0%), and other people (54.3%) were the main reasons. Conclusion Many refugees who responded to the survey, especially those who worked in essential industries, intended to receive a COVID-19 vaccine. Community organizations, health care providers, and public health agencies should work together to ensure that vaccine registration and vaccination sites are accessible to refugees.


1980 ◽  
Vol 1 (7) ◽  
pp. 1-9
Author(s):  
George J. Annas

On July 1,1980, at four major medical institutions across the United States, the National Cancer Institute began testing Laetrile on cancer patients on whom all other therapy has failed. The study calls for 200 patients to receive the drug, along with a natural food diet. Results should be known in two years, and should demonstrate once and for all whether or not Laetrile has any cancer inhibiting effects. The study was undertaken primarily because of the large amount of publicity proponents of Laetrile have generated over the past five years, rather than any independent evidence that Laetrile may be an effective anticancer agent. Its commencement, however, provides a useful opportunity to review the legal status of Laetrile, and to suggest a possible approach to the controversy it has caused.


2021 ◽  
Vol 4 ◽  
pp. 174
Author(s):  
Abraham D. Flaxman ◽  
Daniel J. Henning ◽  
Herbert C. Duber

Background: Healthcare workers are at the forefront of the COVID-19 pandemic and it is essential to monitor the relative incidence rate of this group, as compared to workers in other occupations. This study aimed to produce estimates of the relative incidence ratio between healthcare workers and workers in non-healthcare occupations. Methods: Analysis of cross-sectional data from a daily, web-based survey of 1,822,662 Facebook users from September 8, 2020 to October 20, 2020. Participants were Facebook users in the United States aged 18 and above who were tested for COVID-19 because of an employer or school requirement in the past 14 days. The exposure variable was a self-reported history of working in healthcare in the past four weeks and the main outcome was a self-reported positive test for COVID-19. Results: On October 20, 2020, in the United States, there was a relative COVID-19 incidence ratio of 0.73 (95% UI 0.68 to 0.80) between healthcare workers and workers in non-healthcare occupations. Conclusions: In fall of 2020, in the United States, healthcare workers likely had a lower COVID-19 incidence rate than workers in non-healthcare occupations.


2002 ◽  
Vol 11 (4) ◽  
pp. 37-40 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mary Lou Moore

Although preterm birth has been a major focus of study for the past two decades by health care providers in several disciplines, it remains more prevalent in the United States than in many developed countries and continues to be a prime reason for infant death (mortality) and illness (morbidity). In the past 10 years, preterm rates have risen in the United States from 10.6% in 1990 to 11.6% in 2000. Low birthweight rates have increased from 7.0% in 1990 to 7.6% in 2000. This column reviews recent studies addressing preterm and low birthweight births, including changing demographics, the role of assisted reproductive technology, smoking, domestic violence, the experience of women, and treatment strategies.


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