The Alliance for Academic Internal Medicine (AAIM) supports the need for a uniform subspecialty fellowship training and advanced residency training start date. At present, training programs and their ...sponsoring institutions vary widely in the timing of institutional orientation and fellowship/advanced residency training start dates. Some institutions conduct orientation programs before the scheduled completion of the initial training program, which leads to conflicts for the resident between current and future obligations. AAIM believes that requiring residents to report for fellowship before completion of residency training is disruptive to medical education, creates unnecessary stress for the residents, and risks, violating federal labor laws and Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services graduate medical education funding rules. Adoption of Jul 1, 2015 as the earliest start date for all training and orientation activities can be endorsed internally by AAIM institutions and would resolve these conflicts. Here, Barrett et al examine AAIM adoption of a uniform subspecialty fellowship and other advanced training.
Introduction Diet-related disease is disproportionately concentrated in low-income communities where fruit and vegetable consumption is far below guidelines. To address financial barriers, Double Up ...Food Bucks (DUFB)—a statewide healthy food incentive—matches Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) funds spent at farmers markets. However, incentive use is limited. This study examined the impact of a brief waiting room–based intervention about DUFB on program utilization and produce consumption. Study design Longitudinal, repeated measures, quasi-experimental trial. Setting/participants SNAP-enrolled adults at a health center in a low-income, racially and ethnically diverse area of Southeast Michigan. Intervention Participants received a brief explanation of DUFB, written program materials, a map highlighting market locations and hours, and an initial $10 market voucher. DUFB use and produce consumption were measured through four surveys over 5 months (August 2014–January 2015). Main outcome measures Outcome measures included DUFB use and fruit and vegetable consumption (analyses conducted in 2015–2016). Results A total of 302 eligible adults were identified, and 177 (59%) enrolled. One hundred twenty-seven (72%) completed all surveys. At baseline, 57% of participants reported shopping at a farmers market within the last year; 18% had previously used DUFB. By the end of the DUFB season, participants were significantly more likely to report DUFB use than at baseline (AOR=19.2, 95% CI=10.3, 35.5, p <0.001), with 69% of participants reporting use of DUFB at least once, and 34% reporting use of DUFB three or more times. Adjusted fruit and vegetable consumption increased from baseline by 0.65 servings/day (95% CI=0.37, 0.93, p <0.001) at 3 months, and remained 0.62 servings/day (95% CI=0.32, 0.92, p <0.001) higher than baseline 2 months post-DUFB season. Conclusions A brief clinic-based intervention was associated with a nearly fourfold increase in uptake of a SNAP incentive program, as well as clinically and statistically significant increases in produce consumption. Results suggested sustained behavior change even once the financial incentive was no longer available. Providing information about healthy food incentives is a low-cost, easily implemented intervention that may increase produce consumption among low-income patients.
Objective The purpose of this study was to determine the efficacy of 3 nonhormonal therapies for the improvement of menopause-related quality of life in women with vasomotor symptoms. Study Design We ...conducted a 12-week 3 × 2 randomized, controlled, factorial design trial. Peri- and postmenopausal women, 40-62 years old, were assigned randomly to yoga (n = 107), exercise (n = 106), or usual activity (n = 142) and also assigned randomly to a double-blind comparison of omega-3 (n = 177) or placebo (n = 178) capsules. We performed the following interventions: (1) weekly 90-minute yoga classes with daily at-home practice, (2) individualized facility-based aerobic exercise training 3 times/week, and (3) 0.615 g omega-3 supplement, 3 times/day. The outcomes were assessed with the following scores: Menopausal Quality of Life Questionnaire (MENQOL) total and domain (vasomotor symptoms, psychosocial, physical and sexual). Results Among 355 randomly assigned women who average age was 54.7 years, 338 women (95%) completed 12-week assessments. Mean baseline vasomotor symptoms frequency was 7.6/day, and the mean baseline total MENQOL score was 3.8 (range, 1–8 from better to worse) with no between-group differences. For yoga compared to usual activity, baseline to 12-week improvements were seen for MENQOL total –0.3 (95% confidence interval, –0.6 to 0; P = .02), vasomotor symptom domain ( P = .02), and sexuality domain ( P = .03) scores. For women who underwent exercise and omega-3 therapy compared with control subjects, improvements in baseline to 12-week total MENQOL scores were not observed. Exercise showed benefit in the MENQOL physical domain score at 12 weeks ( P = .02). Conclusion All women become menopausal, and many of them seek medical advice on ways to improve quality of life; little evidence-based information exists. We found that, among healthy sedentary menopausal women, yoga appears to improve menopausal quality of life; the clinical significance of our finding is uncertain because of the modest effect.
Medical schools in sub-Saharan Africa Mullan, Fitzhugh, Prof; Frehywot, Seble, MD; Omaswa, Francis, FRCS ...
The Lancet (British edition),
2011, Letnik:
377, Številka:
9771
Journal Article
Recenzirano
Odprti dostop
Small numbers of graduates from few medical schools, and emigration of graduates to other countries, contribute to low physician presence in sub-Saharan Africa. The Sub-Saharan African Medical School ...Study examined the challenges, innovations, and emerging trends in medical education in the region. We identified 168 medical schools; of the 146 surveyed, 105 (72%) responded. Findings from the study showed that countries are prioritising medical education scale-up as part of health-system strengthening, and we identified many innovations in premedical preparation, team-based education, and creative use of scarce research support. The study also drew attention to ubiquitous faculty shortages in basic and clinical sciences, weak physical infrastructure, and little use of external accreditation. Patterns recorded include the growth of private medical schools, community-based education, and international partnerships, and the benefit of research for faculty development. Ten recommendations provide guidance for efforts to strengthen medical education in sub-Saharan Africa.
Abstract School cafeterias can play an important role in providing healthy meals. Although schools participating in the National School Lunch Program are required to meet minimum program standards, ...advocates recommend that innovations be sought to enhance menu dietary quality. This study evaluated the Chef Initiative, a 2-year pilot study in two Boston middle schools, designed to increase the availability and consumption of healthier school foods. Between 2007 and 2009, a professional chef trained cafeteria staff to prepare healthier school lunches (ie, more whole grains, fresh/frozen fruits and vegetables, and less sugar, salt, saturated fats, and trans fats). Meal nutrient compositions were monitored from 2007 to 2009, and a plate waste study conducted in the spring of 2009 compared food selection and consumption patterns among students at Chef Initiative schools, with students receiving standard school lunches at two matched control schools. Paired t tests and descriptive statistics were used to examine differences in menus and mixed-model analysis of variance was used to analyze differences in students' food selection and consumption between Chef Initiative and control schools. Overall, the Chef Initiative schools provided healthier lunches and the percent of foods consumed at Chef Initiative and control schools were similar (61.6% vs 57.3%; P =0.63). Of the areas targeted, there was greater whole-grain selection and vegetable consumption; 51% more students selected whole grains ( P =0.02) and students consumed 0.36 more vegetable servings/day ( P =0.01) at Chef Initiative schools. The potential of chefs collaborating with cafeteria staff to improve the availability, selection, and consumption of healthier meals is promising.
Background Information that enhances expectations about drug effectiveness improves the response to placebos for pain. Although asthma symptoms often improve with placebo, it is not known whether the ...response to placebo or active treatment can be augmented by increasing expectation of benefit. Objective The study objective was to determine whether response to placebo or a leukotriene antagonist (montelukast) can be augmented by messages that increase expectation of benefit. Methods A randomized 20-center controlled trial enrolled 601 asthmatic patients with poor symptom control who were assigned to one of 5 study groups. Participants were randomly assigned to one of 4 treatment groups in a factorial design (ie, placebo with enhanced messages, placebo with neutral messages, montelukast with enhanced messages, or montelukast with neutral messages) or to usual care. Assignment to study drug was double masked, assignment to message content was single masked, and usual care was not masked. The enhanced message aimed to increase expectation of benefit from the drug. The primary outcome was mean change in daily peak flow over 4 weeks. Secondary outcomes included lung function and asthma symptom control. Results Peak flow and other lung function measures were not improved in participants assigned to the enhanced message groups versus the neutral messages groups for either montelukast or placebo; no differences were noted between the neutral placebo and usual care groups. Placebo-treated participants had improved asthma control with the enhanced message but not montelukast-treated participants; the neutral placebo group did have improved asthma control compared with the usual care group after adjusting for baseline difference. Headaches were more common in participants provided messages that mentioned headache as a montelukast side effect. Conclusions Optimistic drug presentation augments the placebo effect for patient-reported outcomes (asthma control) but not lung function. However, the effect of montelukast was not enhanced by optimistic messages regarding treatment effectiveness.
Abstract Objective We examined correlates of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), including military sexual trauma (MST), in Iraq and Afghanistan veterans. We also compared mental health ...comorbidities by gender among veterans with PTSD, with and without MST. Methods Retrospective data analyses were conducted using Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) administrative data from 213,803 Iraq and Afghanistan veterans and the subset diagnosed with PTSD from April 1, 2002, to October 1, 2008. We used descriptive statistics and multivariate logistic regression compared by gender to investigate independent correlates and mental health comorbidities associated with PTSD, with and without MST. Results Among women with PTSD, 31% screened positive for MST; 1% of men with PTSD screened positive for MST. Among those with PTSD, veterans with MST had more comorbid mental health diagnoses than those without MST. Women with PTSD and MST were more likely to receive comorbid depression, anxiety, and eating disorder diagnoses, and men were more likely to receive comorbid substance use disorder diagnoses. Conclusions MST is associated with an increased prevalence of mental health disorders comorbid with PTSD. Better understanding comorbidity patterns will allow for targeted evaluation and treatment of returning veterans with MST.
Abstract Background An increasing number of women serve in the military and are exposed to trauma during service that can lead to mental health problems. Understanding how these mental health ...problems affect reproductive and physical health outcomes will inform interventions to improve care for women veterans. Methods We analyzed national Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) data from women Iraq and Afghanistan veterans who were new users of VA healthcare from October 7, 2001, through December 31, 2010 ( n = 71,504). We used ICD-9 codes to categorize veterans into five groups by mental health diagnoses (MH Dx): Those with no MH Dx, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression, comorbid PTSD and depression, and a MH Dx other than PTSD and depression. We determined the association between mental health category and reproductive and other physical health outcomes defined by ICD-9 codes. Categories included sexually transmitted infections, other infections (e.g., urinary tract infections), pain-related conditions (e.g., dysmenorrhea and dsypareunia), and other conditions (e.g., polycystic ovarian syndrome, infertility, sexual dysfunction). Models were adjusted for sociodemographic and military service factors. Results There were 31,481 patients (44%) who received at least one mental health diagnosis. Women veterans with any mental health diagnosis had significantly higher prevalences of nearly all categories of reproductive and physical disease diagnoses ( p < .0001 for adjusted prevalences). There was a trend of increasing prevalence of disease outcomes in women with PTSD, depression, and comorbid PTSD and depression ( p for trend <.0001 for all outcomes). Conclusions Iraq and Afghanistan women veterans with mental health diagnoses had significantly greater prevalences of several important reproductive and physical health diagnoses. These results provide support for VA initiatives to address mental and physical health concerns and improve comprehensive care for women veterans.
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