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This article provides a practical perspective of the issues, challenges and the opportunities involved in establishing a Latino Health Research Center in an academic institution. This article will use as an illustration the experiences related to the establishment of a Center on Latino Medical Treatment Effectiveness Program at a large public academic institution in Chicago. Some of the sociopolitical processes of establishing the Center's structure, and the recruitment and training of a multi-disciplinary core research staff are summarized, while simultaneously pursuing an ambitious research and training agenda. The article ends by suggesting a series of strategies in meeting the multiple and, at times, conflicting demands of the academic institution, the funding sources and the community, as well as the lessons learned.

Outcomes research studies the impact of the health and medical interventions on the health status and quality of life of the population. This paper discusses some of the issues and challenges involved in conducting health and medical outcomes research on the Latino population in the U. S., and also provides some solutions or strategies to overcome some of the most common problems in studying this population.

Unlabelled: Non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM) is a major health problem among Latinos, yet the quality of diabetes treatment among them has not been fully examined., Goals: A pilot study was conducted with adult diabetic patients for the purposes of describing their diabetes-related knowledge and behaviors and evaluating whether these patients were receiving effective outpatient care., Methods: Demographic data, health knowledge, and behavioral information was collected using face-to-face interviews with 101 patients diagnosed for at least 1 year at three primary care clinics. The medical record of each interviewee was abstracted for evidence that medical follow-up was being conducted with the recommended frequency., Results: Most respondents spoke only or mostly Spanish, yet 14% of these patients reported that they had received instruction about diabetes in English alone. A majority of patients exhibited a basic understanding of their disease, and more than half reported positive health behaviors within the past year. Nonetheless, 54% of Puerto Rican Americans and 26% of Mexican-Americans had been admitted to the hospital or had used the emergency room for diabetes-related conditions. Recommended medical procedures were infrequently documented in clinic records., Conclusions: Diabetes education was available in Spanish, and patients appeared to have a basic knowledge of the disease process. However, recommended clinical follow-up was not uniformly provided. The large number of diabetes-related hospitalizations may be related to sub-optimal management among at least some of these patients.

This study explores provider adherence to national guidelines in treating Latino and African-American asthmatics. We hypothesized that there would be more variations in asthma treatment existing for minorities as a result of variation in physician's adherent to the guidelines. A 96-item survey was administered to 138 Latino and African-American asthmatics attending a hospital emergency department. Data were obtained on demography, severity, access, patient satisfaction, and patient's assessment of physician asthma management. Results were analyzed by ethnicity, gender, practice site of regular provider, and severity. Variation in physician practice was found in these variables. Asthma treatment received by Latino and African-American respondents was deficient compared to guidelines. Regression analyses showed that Latinos fared more poorly on the number of prednisone bursts taken, use of written crisis plans and dispensation of peak flow meters controlling for gender, practice site and severity. African-Americans expressed less dissatisfaction in obtaining services, while both groups expressed high degrees of satisfaction with their providers.