Health Policy and Management Research
Study validates a survey tool to assess patient-centered communication in cancer care settings
March 2, 2017 Dr. Bryce Reeve and colleagues at RTI found supporting evidence for the reliability of a survey instrument that assesses patient-centered communication in cancer care settings. Their findings were published Feb. 10 in Patient Education and Counseling.
Gillings School is top public health school at public university for NIH funding
February 16, 2017 The National Institutes of Health (NIH) has announced that the Gillings School was the top public health school at a public university in receiving NIH funding during fiscal year 2016. The School received 107 awards, for a total of $65,454,312 in funding.
NEJM ‘Perspective’ explores use of patient-reported outcomes in improving clinical care
February 2, 2017 Dr. Ethan Basch authored a ‘Perspective’ column published in the Jan. 12 New England Journal of Medicine. The article calls for digitized patient-reported outcomes to be more fully available to physicians as a means of improving patients’ care.
Experts recommend 7-8 hours of sleep for better brain health
January 31, 2017
A new report, issued on Jan. 10 by the Global Council on Brain Health, recommends ways to maintain brain health, including getting at least seven to eight hours of sleep each night. Dr. Peggye Dilworth-Anderson is a Council member.
JAMA editorial: Geography, income need to be part of effective cancer solutions
January 27, 2017
According to a new study, U.S. cancer mortality rates have decreased -- but not uniformly across geographic regions. Successful outcomes often remain dependent upon where patients live and on their economic conditions. Dr. Stephanie Wheeler is co-author of a JAMA editorial that elaborates upon the study.
Study finds diet as effective and less expensive than drugs in treating esophageal inflammation
Dr. Daniel Erim and colleagues found that a six-food elimination diet was as effective as topical corticosteroids -- and less expensive -- in treating eosinophilic esophagitis, a condition in which inflamed esophageal tissue leads to a person’s difficulty in swallowing solid foods. Erim is a doctoral student in health policy and management.
JAMA study: Palliative care improves patient quality of life and symptom burden
November 21, 2016 Palliative care was associated with statistically and clinically significant improvements in measures of patient quality of life and symptom burden, in a JAMA study led by Dr. Dio Kavalieratos, adjunct professor in health policy and management at the Gillings School.
Giving women HIV self-tests promotes male partner testing
Providing pregnant and postpartum women in sub-Saharan Africa with multiple HIV self-tests can make it more likely their male partners will be tested for HIV, found a study led by Dr. Harsha Thirumurthy of the health policy and management department.
Study raises concerns about timely follow-up to positive mammogram for the uninsured
Uninsured women under age 65 who received their mammogram at community screening clinics in North Carolina were less likely to get follow-up within a year of a positive mammogram, according to a study led by senior author Louise Henderson, PhD, adjunct assistant professor of epidemiology.
High up-front costs could delay access to life-saving blood cancer drugs for Medicare patients
A study led by Gillings School health policy and management researchers Aaron Winn and Stacie Dusetzina, PhD, found that cancer patients on Medicare’s Part D may face significant out-of-pocket costs before their insurance kicks in on the cost of expensive drug treatments.