More than two-thirds of US adults who screen positive for depression in the primary care setting do not receive treatment. These adults need evidence-based and scalable interventions. To determine the effectiveness of Moodivate, a self-directed digital intervention for mental health, in treating depression symptoms among patients in the primary care setting. This 3-group decentralized randomized clinical trial recruited participants from September 22, 2021, to December 27, 2023, and completed data collection on March 29, 2024. Adult patients with at least moderate symptoms of depression on the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (score ≥10) were enrolled from 22 primary care clinics in South Carolina. Participants received Moodivate (a digital behavioral activation intervention), Moodivate with health care provider access to information on patient use of the digital behavioral activation intervention in the electronic health record (EHR), or usual care for depression. The primary outcome was a change in depression symptoms on the Beck Depression Inventory-II (BDI-II) over 12 weeks. Secondary outcomes included a clinically significant improvement in depression symptoms on the BDI-II (10-point decrease in score), depression remission on the BDI-II (score ≤13), digital behavioral activation intervention engagement, and primary care provider (a physician or other health care professional who is responsible for a patient’s primary care) use of the EHR features. Among 649 participants, 495 (76%) were female and the mean (SD) age was 44.68 (15.22) years. Participants who received the digital behavioral activation intervention, with and without EHR integration, had significantly improved depression symptoms vs those who received usual care over 12 weeks (least squares mean change from baseline for Moodivate: −10.34; SE = 0.82; d = 0.98; Moodivate with EHR: −9.88; SE = 0.81; d = 0.93; usual care: −5.94; SE = −0.80; d = 0.54). Participants in the Moodivate groups had 2.5 to 3.0 times higher odds of having a clinically significant improvement in depression symptoms (Moodivate: OR, 2.98 [97.5% CI, 1.69-5.27]; P < .001; Moodivate with EHR: OR, 2.53 [97.5% CI, 1.45-4.41]; P < .001) and 2.3 to 2.6 times higher odds of experiencing depression remission (Moodivate: OR, 2.27 [97.5% CI, 1.16-4.44; P = .006; Moodivate with EHR: OR, 2.63 [97.5% CI, 1.38-5.04]; P < .001) than participants who received usual care. Participant engagement with Moodivate was high in the first month (68% to 100% weekly retention), and 33% of patients continued to use the digital behavioral activation intervention after 12 weeks. Fourteen percent of primary care providers who received access used the EHR functionality. This randomized clinical trial found that a digital behavioral activation intervention is effective for treating adults with at least moderate symptoms of depression in the primary care setting. ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT04463914

Rationale: The remote diagnosis of COPD is important because of high disease prevalence and problems with access to care. Utilization of home spirometry offers patients a more convenient and accessible avenue for timely diagnosis, but issues with quality have limited this application. This prospective, unblinded study compared home remote coached spirometry to in-laboratory spirometry in a cigarette smoking population within South Carolina to determine the incidence of COPD and accuracy of remote spirometric testing. Methods: After remote informed consent, individuals over the age of 40 who currently smoke cigarettes were mailed a Bluetooth-enabled spirometer (Vitalograph) which measured peak expiratory flow, FEV1, and FEV10 (used as a surrogate for FVC). A trained study coordinator used a telemedicine video link to collect data, coach, and observe spirometry sessions at home. The subjects completed and video recorded three forced expiratory maneuvers. Subjects were then invited to visit and complete spirometry performed by a certified respiratory therapist in the Pulmonary Function Laboratories of MUSC. There were no costs for the visit or testing. Best FEV1 and best FEV10 were used to establish presence or absence of obstruction using height obtained at in person visits. Statistical analysis of correlations between tests were performed in JMP (Cary, NC). Results: Among the 48 participants who performed spirometry at home and in lab, 14 already carried a diagnosis of COPD or asthma upon chart review. Among the 34 diagnosis naïve participants, obstruction was seen on home testing in 11 (32.4%). Characteristics of patients with obstruction were not different from those without obstruction in this small data set. A trend toward older age (56.5 ± 5.4 years) in obstructed participants vs an age of (52.1 ± 7.8 years) in non-obstructed participants was seen. Capture score and education level were not different between those with and without obstruction. Among diagnosis naïve participants, 11 (32.4%) individuals were found to have obstruction on spirometry at home but a normal FEV1/FVC in the laboratory. Participants with false positive home spirometry were demographically no different compared to those with synchronous spirometry. Home spirometry was 100% sensitive in identifying obstruction but only 50% specific. Conclusions: Use of pre-bronchodilator home spirometry identifies individuals with spirometric obstruction. Home spirometry could serve as a useful screening tool for patients with high suspicion for obstruction but who lack adequate resources for timely in-lab testing. Home testing should be followed by in laboratory testing to improve specificity in all subjects.

Background:Over 35 000 youth experience homelessness on any given night in the United States (US). Unhoused youth experience unique physical and mental health challenges and face barriers in every social determinant of health (SDoH), which may be amplified in the LGBTQ+ population.Objective:The objective of this study was to define characteristics of the unhoused youth population and their utilization of healthcare to inform programs to meet their needs.Methods:Secondary analysis of data from the College of Charleston's YOUth Count survey was conducted, focusing on health-related characteristics, challenges, healthcare utilization, and SDoH of youth aged 18 to 25 experiencing homelessness in Charleston, SC.Results:Almost three-quarters of respondents (74.6%) reported mental health challenges and 35% reported physical health challenges. A significantly higher proportion of those who engaged in survival sex were LGBTQ+ . More than half (68.4%) visited the emergency department (ED) and 29.3% were admitted to the hospital in the past 12 months. Housing status, safety, food insecurity, sexual orientation, prior foster care, and survival sex were all significantly associated with ED utilization. Housing status and survival sex were significantly associated with hospital admission.Conclusions:Addressing SDoH is essential to improving health outcomes and healthcare utilization among unhoused youth, particularly in the LGBTQ+ population.

Context:E-visits provide asynchronous care via the use of questionnaires. Evaluation of their use for chronic conditions is limited. A program initiated in 2020 scheduled e-visits for patients with select chronic conditions based on provider recommendations. Email or text reminders were sent to encourage completion of the e-visit. If effective, expanded use of e-visits could improve access to care and outcomes in chronic conditions followed in primary care settings.Objective:To identify patient characteristics associated with the completion of chronic care e-visits and describe the care provided.Study Design and Analysis:Retrospective chart review of patients scheduled for e-visits for HIV Pre-Exposure prophylaxis (PrEP), diabetes, anxiety or depression, or hypertension. Fisher Exact Tests were calculated to evaluate association between patient characteristics and e-visit completion.Setting:Academic medical center primary care practices.Population Studied:Adult patients invited to complete a chronic care e-visit from February 21, 2020 to April 18, 2022.Instrument:E-visit questionnaire and medical records.Outcome Measures:Rate of visit completion, description of care provided within e-visits.Results:A total of 144 e-visits were scheduled. Patients were mostly male (63.2%), Black or African American (61.1%), not Hispanic or Latinx (90.3%), and 41.6 (16.0 SD) years old on average. Types of visits included follow-up for anxiety/depression (2.1%), diabetes (4.2%), hypertension (34%), and PrEP (59.7%). Of those e-visits, 45.1% were completed. Patients with significantly higher completion rates were male (55.8% vs. 34.0% for females, p<.001), 18 to 45 years old (58.1% vs 22.0% for ≥46, p<.001), and scheduled for PrEP follow-up e-visits (59.3% vs ≤50% for others, p<.001). Race and ethnicity were not associated with completion of e-visits. Completed e-visits were reviewed (n=65), 9.2% resulted in medication changes, while the majority served to ensure adherence and led to the continuation of prescribed treatments.Conclusions:Although a reminder system was in place, less than half of chronic e-visits were completed, suggesting strategies to improve completion rates are needed. Most e-visits were used to confirm current treatment was appropriate, but did sometimes lead to medication changes. These findings suggest a role for chronic e-visits in primary care as convenient methods of ensuring compliance with and effectiveness of treatment.

Background Cigarette smoking remains the leading cause of preventable disease and death in the United States. Primary care offers an ideal setting to reach adults who smoke cigarettes and improve uptake of evidence-based cessation treatment. Although U.S. Preventive Services Task Force Guidelines recommend the 5As model (Ask, Advise, Assess, Assist, Arrange) in primary care, there are many barriers to its implementation. Automated, comprehensive, and proactive tools are needed to overcome barriers. Our team developed and preliminarily evaluated a proactive electronic visit (e-visit) delivered via the Electronic Health Record patient portal to facilitate evidence-based smoking cessation treatment uptake in primary care, with promising initial feasibility and efficacy. This paper describes the rationale, design, and protocol for an ongoing Hybrid Type I effectiveness-implementation trial that will simultaneously assess effectiveness of the e-visit intervention for smoking cessation as well as implementation potential across diverse primary care settings. Methods The primary aim of this remote five-year study is to examine the effectiveness of the e-visit intervention vs. treatment as usual (TAU) for smoking cessation via a clinic-randomized clinical trial. Adults who smoke cigarettes are recruited across 18 primary care clinics. Clinics are stratified based on their number of primary care providers and randomized 2:1 to either e-visit or TAU. An initial baseline e-visit gathers information about patient smoking history and motivation to quit, and a clinical decision support algorithm determines the best evidence-based cessation treatment to prescribe. E-visit recommendations are evaluated by a patient’s own provider, and a one-month follow-up e-visit assesses cessation progress. Main outcomes include: (1) cessation treatment utilization (medication, psychosocial cessation counseling), (2) reduction in cigarettes per day, and (3) biochemically verified 7-day point prevalence abstinence (PPA) at six-months. We hypothesize that patients randomized to the e-visit condition will have better cessation outcomes (vs. TAU). A secondary aim evaluates e-visit implementation potential at patient, provider, and organizational levels using a mixed-methods approach. Implementation outcomes include acceptability, adoption, fidelity, implementation cost, penetration, and sustainability. Discussion This asynchronous, proactive e-visit intervention could provide substantial benefits for patients, providers, and primary care practices and has potential to widely improve reach of evidence-based cessation treatment. Trial registration NCT05493254.

Introduction: The use of direct to patient (DTP) telemedicine for common acute conditions is widespread. It provides certain advantages over in-person visits, but has led to concerns about fragmentation of care. It is unknown whether use of DTP telemedicine decreases use of primary care services in a way that leads to missed preventive screenings and immunizations. Methods: Virtual urgent care (VUC) is a DTP telemedicine service to treat common acute conditions. All VUC encounters completed at an academic health system from July 2018 to December 2019 were evaluated and analyzed in 2020. Only patients established with primary care (at least one primary care visit in the same year as VUC encounter) were included. Specific preventive screenings (breast cancer, gonorrhea/chlamydia, and cervical cancer) and immunizations (tetanus and influenza) were characterized as up to date based on national guidelines. Chi-squares and multivariate logistic regressions were used to assess receipt of screenings and immunizations. Regressions included VUC and primary care utilization and demographic factors. Results: Patients evaluated (N = 1025) were mostly 25-50 years old (69.7%), women (81.8%), and white (74.9%). More than half (56.5%) had only used VUC once. In multivariate analyses, VUC utilization was not negatively associated with any of the preventive services evaluated, whereas primary care utilization was associated with receipt of both immunizations and gonorrhea/chlamydia screening. Conclusions: Higher VUC utilization is not negatively associated with receipt of preventive services, as long as a primary care relationship is established. VUC may provide a useful method of encouraging receipt of preventive services, especially for younger patients.

Background Most smokers with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) have not yet been diagnosed, a statistic that has remained unchanged for over two decades. A dual-focused telehealth intervention that promotes smoking cessation, while also facilitating COPD screening, could help address national priorities to improve the diagnosis, prevention, treatment, and management of COPD. The purpose of this study was to preliminarily evaluate an integrated asynchronous smoking cessation and COPD screening e-visit (electronic visit) that could be delivered proactively to adult smokers at risk for COPD, who are treated within primary care. Objective The aims of this study were (1) to examine e-visit feasibility and acceptability, particularly as compared to in-lab diagnostic pulmonary function testing (PFT), and (2) to examine the efficacy of smoking cessation e-visits relative to treatment as usual (TAU), all within primary care. Methods In a randomized clinical trial, 125 primary care patients who smoke were randomized 2:1 to receive either proactive e-visits or TAU. Participants randomized to the e-visit condition were screened for COPD symptoms via the COPD Assessment in Primary Care to Identify Undiagnosed Respiratory Disease and Exacerbation Risk (CAPTURE). Those with scores ≥2 were invited to complete both home spirometry and in-lab PFTs, in addition to two smoking cessation e-visits. Smoking cessation e-visits assessed smoking history and motivation to quit and included completion of an algorithm to determine the best Food and Drug Administration–approved cessation medication to prescribe. Primary outcomes included measures related to (1) e-visit acceptability, feasibility, and treatment metrics; (2) smoking cessation outcomes (cessation medication use, 24-hour quit attempts, smoking reduction ≥50%, self-reported abstinence, and biochemically confirmed abstinence); and (3) COPD screening outcomes. Results Of 85 participants assigned to the e-visits, 64 (75.3%) were invited to complete home spirometry and in-lab PFTs based on CAPTURE. Among those eligible for spirometry, 76.6% (49/64) completed home spirometry, and 35.9% (23/64) completed in-lab PFTs. At 1 month, all cessation outcomes favored the e-visit, with a significant effect for cessation medication use (odds ratio [OR]=3.22). At 3 months, all cessation outcomes except for 24-hour quit attempts favored the e-visit, with significant effects for cessation medication use (OR=3.96) and smoking reduction (OR=3.09). Conclusions A proactive, asynchronous e-visit for smoking cessation and COPD screening may offer a feasible, efficacious approach for broad interventions within primary care. Trial Registration ClinicalTrials.gov NCT04155073; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT04155073

Pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) is a daily regimen that reduces the risk of acquiring HIV by up to 97%. There is limited information on the use of telehealth to provide PrEP in a program aimed toward the primary prevention of HIV. This was a 6-month telePrEP feasibility study that assessed process measures, clinical outcomes and patient satisfaction. Descriptive statistics and Chi-square analysis were used to evaluate measures and outcomes from the start to the end of the study. Twenty patients enrolled, and 80% completed the study. Participants were cisgender males (100%) with an average age of 35.6 years, white (95%), and were college graduates or higher (55%). The majority (75%) had very high comfort with video calls before the program. Self-reported adherence to PrEP medication remained high throughout the program (60%-70%). Without this program 31.2% of participants were unlikely to have received PrEP. For obtaining PrEP 56.3% preferred telemedicine only, and 31.2% preferred a combination of telemedicine and in-person office visits. PrEP is an effective method of preventing HIV infection for those at high risk. Our program shows that telemedicine can be useful to expand access to medication for patients at high risk.

People experiencing homelessness (PEH) encounter barriers to health care, increasing their vulnerability to illness, hospitalization, and death. Telehealth can improve access to health care, but its use in PEH has been insufficiently evaluated. Needs assessment surveys completed by clients at an urban drop-in center for PEH (n = 63) showed mental (58.7%) and physical (52.4%) health challenges were common, as was emergency department (ED) use (75.9%, n = 54). Surveys collected after in-person and telehealth clinical visits showed patient satisfaction was >90% for both visit types (n = 125, 44.0% telehealth and 56.0% in person). Without access to telehealth visits, 29.1% of patients would have gone to the ED and 38.2% would not have gotten care. Providers (n = 93, 69.6% telehealth and 30.4% in person) were more likely to agree/strongly agree they made a positive impact on patients' health through telehealth (92.2%) than in person (71.4%) (p = 0.019). Telehealth is a feasible and potentially cost-effective method to increase access to health care and reduce health outcome disparities in PEH.

Background: Best practice guidelines for smoking cessation treatment through primary care advise the 5As model. However, compliance with these guidelines is poor, leaving many smokers untreated. The purpose of this study was to develop and preliminarily evaluate an asynchronous smoking cessation electronic visit (e-visit) that could be delivered proactively through the electronic health record (EHR) to adult smokers treated within primary care. The goal of the e-visit is to automate 5As delivery to ensure that all smokers receive evidence-based cessation treatment. As such, the aims of this study were twofold: (1) to examine acceptability, feasibility, and treatment metrics associated with e-visit utilization and (2) to preliminarily examine efficacy relative to treatment as usual (TAU) within primary care. Methods: Participants (n = 51) were recruited from primary care practices between November 2018 and October 2019 and randomized 2:1 to receive either the smoking cessation e-visit or TAU. Participants completed assessments of cessation outcomes 1-month and 3-months postenrollment and e-visit analytics data were gathered from the EHR. Results: Self-report feedback from e-visit participants indicated satisfaction with the intervention and interest in using e-visits again in the future. Nearly all e-visits resulted in prescription of a U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved smoking cessation medication. In general, smoking cessation outcomes favored the e-visit condition at both 1 (odds ratios [ORs]: 2.10-5.39) and 3 months (ORs: 1.31-4.67). Conclusions: These results preliminarily indicate the feasibility, acceptability, and efficacy of this smoking cessation e-visit within primary care. Future studies should focus on larger scale examination of effectiveness and implementation across settings. Theclinicaltrials.govregistration number for this trial is NCT04316260.

Provision of healthcare services through telehealth continues to increase. This rise is driven by the several factors, such as improved access, decreased cost, patient convenience and positive patient satisfaction. Direct-to-patient (DTP) care delivery is the most popular form of telehealth. However, barriers exist to its widespread use in practice, such as lack of reimbursement, concern that the convenience of these services may raise utilization to the point that spending increases without increasing quality of care, concern about quality of care provided and low uptake by underrepresented or at risk populations. DTP offers opportunities to improve population health and provide value-based care within integrated health systems, but requires thoughtful implementation strategies that address patient and provider barriers to its use.

Background: Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of death among breast cancer (BC) survivors. BC survivors are at increased risk of CVD due to a higher prevalence of risk factors. Current data are limited on the cardiovascular screening practices and lipid management in this population in primary care settings. Methods: A retrospective case control study was performed with 105 BC survivors and 210 matched controls (based on age and medical comorbidities of diabetes, hypertension, and hyperlipidemia). BC survivors were established with primary care practices within a large academic institution and had completed primary cancer treatment. Data on screening for CVD and lipid management were collected via a retrospective chart review. Results: The average BC survivor was 63 years old, with 9 years since diagnosis. Compared with matched controls, BC survivors had more cholesterol screening (88% vs 70%, P < .001) and active statin prescriptions (63% vs 40%, P < .05) if indicated by the Atherosclerotic Cardiovascular Disease Calculator. There were no differences in CVD screening in White and African American BC survivors. However, African American BC survivors were more likely to have hypertension (P < .01) and have a body mass index in the overweight and obese category (P < .001) than White BC survivors. Older BC survivors were more likely to receive cholesterol screening. Discussion: This study demonstrates that BC survivors who have an established primary care provider have improved cholesterol screening and statin therapy based on their risk of developing chronic diseases.

Asynchronous interactions between patients and providers through patient portals (called e-visits in this article) have the potential to increase access to care and reduce the time requirements for some office visits. We performed a retrospective chart review for nonemergent acute care of adults in the period December 2015-July 2017 at the Medical University of South Carolina. Most patients in the 1,565 e-visits were female (80.2 percent) and ages 18-44 (55.3 percent). Sinus problems (38.1 percent) were the most common complaint. There were some unresolved e-visits (6.4 percent), with patients ages sixty-five and older and those with diarrhea or skin problems having a higher likelihood of their e-visit being unresolved, compared to other groups. The majority (81.5 percent) of in-person follow-ups did not result in diagnosis changes. More than 90 percent of the 665 patients surveyed after an e-visit reported a positive experience. Most patients (92 percent) reported that the e-visit had replaced an in-person visit. Further evaluation of the factors associated with unresolved visits could guide the development of treatment algorithms that could improve the quality of care in, and the cost-effectiveness of, e-visits for acute common conditions.

Mobile technologies can be leveraged to meet the need for evidence-based psychological depression treatment via primary care. The purpose of the present study was to preliminarily examine the feasibility and efficacy of a self-help brief behavioral activation mobile application (app; "Moodivate") for depressive symptoms among adults treated via primary care. Participants (N = 52) were recruited from primary care practices between January and December 2017 and were randomized 2:2:1 to receive (a) Moodivate, (b) an active control cognitive-behavioral therapy-based mobile app ("MoodKit"), or (c) treatment as usual (TAU; no app). Participants completed assessments of depressive symptoms weekly for 8 weeks. App analytics data were captured to examine Moodivate feasibility (analytics unavailable for control app). Moodivate participants on average had 46.76 (SD = 30.10) app sessions throughout the trial duration, spent 3.50 (2.76) minutes using the app per session, and spent 120.76 (101.02) minutes using the app in total throughout the trial. Nearly 70% of Moodivate participants continued to use the app 1 month after trial enrollment and 50% at the end of the 8-week follow-up period. A generalized estimating equation model examining change in depressive symptoms over time by treatment condition indicated a significant interaction between time and treatment condition (χ2 = 42.21, df = 14, p < .001). As compared to TAU, participants in both app conditions evidenced significant decreases in depressive symptoms over time, and these treatment gains were sustained across the trial period. These results preliminarily indicate feasibility of Moodivate as well as efficacy of both Moodivate and MoodKit for the treatment of depression among adults recruited via primary care. Future studies should focus on larger-scale examinations of treatment efficacy and effectiveness across primary care settings.

This paper presents a study based on the participation of PGY2 and PGY3 family medicine residents in Balint seminars that occurred twice monthly for 24 months. Balint groups were cofacilitated by leader pairs experienced with the Balint method. Prior to residency graduation, 18 of 19 eligible resident physicians (94.5%) completed 30- to 60-min semistructured interviews conducted by a research assistant. Resident physicians were told that these individual interviews concerned ...how we teach communication in residency. The deidentified transcripts from these interviews formed the raw data that were coded for positive (n=9) and negative (n=3) valence themes by four faculty coders utilizing an iterative process based on grounded theory. The consensus positive themes included several elements that have previously been discussed in published literature concerning the nature of Balint groups (e.g., being the doctor that the patient needs, reflection, empathy, blind spots, bonding, venting, acceptance, perspective taking, and developing appreciation for individual experiences). The negative themes pointed to ways of possibly improving future Balint offerings in the residency setting (repetitive, uneasiness, uncertain impact). These findings appear to have consistency with seminal writings of both Michael and Enid Balint regarding the complex nature of intrapsychic and interpersonal skills required to effectively manage troubling doctor-patient relationships. The implications of findings for medical education (curriculum) development as well as future research efforts are discussed.

Depressive symptoms are highly prevalent and are associated with considerable functional impairment, significant public health costs, and heightened mortality risk. Individuals experiencing impairment due to depressive symptomatology are most likely to report their symptoms to a primary care provider. As such, national guidelines highlight the need to assess and effectively treat depression via primary care. Despite these guidelines, the dissemination of evidence-based psychotherapy via primary care is limited, likely due to both provider- and patient-level treatment barriers. Mobile health (mHealth) technologies are promising for addressing these barriers and for promoting uptake of evidence-based depression treatment. Among evidence-based psychotherapies for depression, brief Behavioral Activation Treatment for Depression (BATD) has shown great promise and is particularly amenable to mHealth delivery. Herein, we discuss the development of a BATD mobile application, Moodivate, that was developed in order to disseminate BATD via primary care. This paper focuses on description of (1) rationale for Moodivate treatment development, (2) Moodivate treatment components, (3) ongoing clinical trial evaluation of Moodivate, and (4) clinical considerations for incorporating Moodivate into clinical practice.

Depressive symptoms are highly prevalent and are associated with considerable functional impairment, significant public health costs, and heightened mortality risk. Individuals experiencing impairment due to depressive symptomatology are most likely to report their symptoms to a primary care provider. As such, national guidelines highlight the need to assess and effectively treat depression via primary care. Despite these guidelines, the dissemination of evidence-based psychotherapy via primary care is limited, likely due to both provider- and patient-level treatment barriers. Mobile health (mHealth) technologies are promising for addressing these barriers and for promoting uptake of evidence-based depression treatment. Among evidence-based psychotherapies for depression, brief Behavioral Activation Treatment for Depression (BATD) has shown great promise and is particularly amenable to mHealth delivery. Herein, we discuss the development of a BATD mobile application, Moodivate, that was developed in order to disseminate BATD via primary care. This paper focuses on description of (1) rationale for Moodivate treatment development, (2) Moodivate treatment components, (3) ongoing clinical trial evaluation of Moodivate, and (4) clinical considerations for incorporating Moodivate into clinical practice.

This study evaluates the impact of an interactive, tablet-based lifestyle behavior questionnaire prior to a patient's primary care visit on counseling for health behaviors and patient-provider relationships. Using a quasi-experimental design at 2 federally qualified health centers, adults aged 18 to 35 years were asked to complete a tablet-based assessment about nutrition, physical activity, weight, smoking status, and alcohol use to identify unhealthy behaviors and their desire to discuss them with their provider. In the intervention group, participants were more likely to trust their providers (83% vs 71%, P = .0427) and feel that their provider cared about their health (80% vs 68%, P = .0468). Overweight/obese individuals were more likely to discuss weight loss with their doctor (59% vs 33%, P = .0088). Integrating information technology into primary care to encourage providers to discuss lifestyle issues and promote a positive patient-provider relationship may help improve the health promotion in primary care practices.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES:The US Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) recommends screening adults for alcohol misuse, a challenge among young adults who may not have regular primary care. The pre-participation evaluation (PPE) provides an opportunity for screening, but traditional screening tools require extra time in an already busy visit. The objective of this study was to compare the 10-item Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT) with a single-question alcohol misuse screen in a population of college-aged athletes.METHODS:This cross-sectional study was performed during an athletic PPE clinic at a college in the Southeastern United States among athletes ages 18 years and older. Written AUDIT and single-question screen "How many times in the past year have you had X or more drinks in a day?" (five for men, four for women) asked orally were administered to each participant. Sensitivity, specificity, and positive and negative predictive values for the single-question screen were compared to AUDIT.RESULTS:A total of 225 athletes were screened; 60% were female; 29% screened positive by AUDIT; 59% positive by single-question instrument. Males were more likely to screen positive by both methods. Compared to the AUDIT, the brief single-question screen had 92% sensitivity for alcohol misuse and 55% specificity. The negative predictive value of the single-question screen was 95% compared to AUDIT.CONCLUSIONS:A single-question screen for alcohol misuse in college-aged athletes had a high sensitivity and negative predictive value compared to the more extensive AUDIT screen. Ease of administration of this screening tool is ideal for use within the pre-participation physical among college-aged athletes who may not seek regular medical care.