Health Information & Online Library
At Olmsted Medical Center, we believe good health starts with great care™. We also believe the best care is possible when patients are active partners in becoming and staying healthy.
To help you take an active role in your healthcare, we provide free 24-hour online access to clinically reviewed information on more than 4,000 health and medication topics. While this information is not intended to replace a consultation with your healthcare provider, it can help you find answers to your questions and learn more about medical topics of interest to you.
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Research
Current Projects
Asthma Apgar
Moving research into practice is a slow and often difficult task. For example, asthma is a common condition seen in family physicians offices especially in inner city and rural poverty areas. National evidence-based guidelines for asthma management were published in 1991 and updated in 1997 and 2002. Yet, in 2002, fewer than half of asthma patients appear to have care based on or consistent with those guidelines. Primary care physicians have identified several barriers to implementation of asthma guidelines including confusion regarding severity scoring that is the basis for treatment, monitoring and follow-up decisions. Read more.
Hepatitis C Diagnosis, Management, and Treatment by Family Physicians
Many people with hepatitis C receive all or most of their care from primary care physicians, yet little information exists about the knowledge, practice patterns, and beliefs of primary care physicians about hepatitis C. Read more.
Olmsted County Health Study
This study is a cross-sectional, population study of pain in Olmsted County. It will provide information that currently does not exist by linking a population survey with detailed medical record review and clinical test results. This linkage of information is unavailable in the existing medical literature and unique to the resources of the Rochester Epidemiology Project and Olmsted County. The study is split into 3 phases, with each phase informing the next. Read more.
Impact of 2002 Varicella Vaccine Shortage
A shortage of varicella vaccine necessitated temporary changes in the ACIP’s recommendations for varicella immunization, from age 12-18 months to age 18-24 months. The impact of the shortage is unknown: Will children who were due during the shortage be vaccinated at all? How long will it take to conduct “catch-up”? Will the shortage change physician beliefs about vaccination, for the better or for the worse? Read more.
TRIP for Postpartum Depression
Postpartum depression (PPD) is a common, serious condition affecting over 500,000 women annually in the United States. PPD is associated with significant morbidity and mortality, affecting new mothers, their infants and their families. Prenatal programs to predict or prevent PPD have been effective for some women but miss the majority (>70%) of women who will develop PPD. Consequently, at present, early postpartum detection and treatment are the most effective strategies for dealing with PPD. Read more.
Diagnosis and Evaluation of CHD in Men and Women Prior to First AMI
Coronary heart disease (CHD) is the leading cause of death in women in the United States. The recent proliferation of studies of women and heart disease suggest a gender bias regarding treatment and evaluation but have focused on women with diagnosed CHD often after the first myocardial infarction, ignoring the important pre-and peri-CHD diagnostic phase. Without consideration of CHD and its inclusion in the diagnostic evaluation, women may experience delays in the recognition and treatment of CHD and its risk factors which may further compound any gender bias occurring later in the course of disease. The recent vignette study that demonstrated a gender in primary care physicians” evaluation of chest pain further justifies the need for this work. Read more.