To examine the impact of simulated medical consultations using standardized patients (SPs) on the empathy levels of fourth- and sixth-year students at the Unicamp medical school in Brazil.
Throughout ...2011 and 2012, the authors conducted this study with two classes of fourth-year (n = 124) and two classes of sixth-year (n = 123) medical students. Students completed the medical student version of the Jefferson Scale of Physician Empathy before and after simulated medical consultations with SPs, followed by an in-depth debriefing dealing with the feelings of the patient about the disease, such as fear, guilt, anger, and abandonment; the feelings of the doctor towards the patient; and other topics as they arose.
The simulation activity increased the empathy scores of the fourth-year students (from 115.8 to 121.1, P < .001, effect size = 0.61) and of the sixth-year students (from 117.1 to 123.5, P < .001, effect size = 0.64).
Although the study results were obtained via self-report-a limitation-they suggest that the effective simulation of medical consultations with SPs may improve medical students' empathy levels. One unexpected result was that this activity, during the debriefing, became a forum for debating topics such as the doctor-patient relationship, the hidden curriculum, negative role models, and emotionally significant experiences of students in medical school. This kind of activity in itself may influence young doctors to become more empathetic and compassionate with their patients and foster a more meaningful way of practicing medicine.
Congenital syphilis (CS) is a major and avoidable cause of neonatal death worldwide. In this study, we aimed to estimate excess all-cause mortality in children under 5 years with CS compared to those ...without CS.
In this population-based cohort study, we used linked, routinely collected data from Brazil from January 2011 to December 2017. Cox survival models were adjusted for maternal region of residence, maternal age, education, material status, self-declared race and newborn sex, and year of birth and stratified according to maternal treatment status, non-treponemal titers and presence of signs and symptoms at birth. Over 7 years, a total of 20 057 013 live-born children followed up (through linkage) to 5 years of age, 93 525 were registered with CS, and 2 476 died. The all-cause mortality rate in the CS group was 7·84/1 000 person-years compared with 2·92/1 000 person-years in children without CS, crude hazard ratio (HR) = 2·41 (95% CI 2·31 to 2·50). In the fully adjusted model, the highest under-five mortality risk was observed among children with CS from untreated mothers HR = 2·82 (95% CI 2·63 to 3·02), infants with non-treponemal titer higher than 1:64 HR = 8·87 (95% CI 7·70 to 10·22), and children with signs and symptoms at birth HR = 7·10 (95% CI 6·60 to 7·63). Among children registered with CS, CS was recorded as the underlying cause of death in 33% (495/1 496) of neonatal, 11% (85/770) of postneonatal, and 2·9% (6/210) of children 1 year of age. The main limitations of this study were the use of a secondary database without additional clinical information and the potential misclassification of exposure status.
This study showed an increased mortality risk among children with CS that goes beyond the first year of life. It also reinforces the importance of maternal treatment that infant non-treponemal titers and the presence of signs and symptoms of CS at birth are strongly associated with subsequent mortality.
Observational study.
Caesarean delivery on maternal request (CDMR) is an increasing delivery option among women. As such, we aimed to understand the reasons that led pregnant women to request a caesarean delivery.
A ...phenomenological study was conducted with semi-structured interviews, in a convenience sample, for women who had undergone a CDMR between March and June 2023, in a public reference university hospital in Campinas, Brazil. The interviews were recorded, transcribed and subjected to thematic analysis, supported by Nvivo®, and Reshape®.
We interviewed eighteen women between 21 and 43 years of age. The reasons for C-section as their choice were: 1) fear of labour pain, 2) fear for safety due to maternal or fetal risks, 3) traumatic previous birth experiences of the patient, family or friends 4) sense of control, and 5) lack of knowledge about the risks and benefits of C-section.
The perception of C-section as the painless and safest way to give birth, the movement of giving voice and respecting the autonomy of pregnant women, as well as the national regulation, contribute to the increased rates of surgical abdominal delivery under request. Cultural change concerning childbirth and better counseling could support a more adequate informed decision-making about delivery mode.
Objective
The aim of this paper is to provide an overview of the major quality assurance strategies, accreditation and licensure, in health professions education. It explores the nature of these ...regulatory processes using Brazil and the United States as examples because these large systems are at different ends of the developmental continuum. For each, it describes the tensions that arise, offers a critical synthesis of the evidence and maps out future directions.
Results
Given wide variability among operating medical schools in curricular design, length of study, resources and facilities for clinical training and supervision, the nature of regulatory bodies varies considerably. Nonetheless, they share tensions related purpose and process including quality assurance versus quality improvement, outcomes versus process and continuous versus episodic evaluations and assessments. Clear evidence of effectiveness, especially for accreditation, is scarce and difficult to obtain, particularly as it relates to health outcomes.
Conclusions
Regulatory processes need to be built around clear definitions of the goals for each stage of professional development, the current movement towards competency‐based education and the variable durations of medical education. These changes must motivate revisions in the content and process of programmes for accreditation and licensure, complimentary efforts towards quality of care, and stimulate a significant research effort.
The authors use Brazil and the US as case studies to provide an overview of procedures and tensions related to accreditation, licensure and certification for quality assurance in health profession education.
Antiretroviral therapy (ART) use in pregnancy presents unquestionable benefits in preventing mother-to-child transmission (MTCT) of HIV although it is associated with maternal adverse effects. The ...aim of this study was to evaluate the adverse effects of antiretroviral therapy in pregnant women infected with HIV.
Cohort study of pregnant women infected with HIV followed at the CAISM/UNICAMP Obstetric Clinic from 2000 to 2015. The following maternal adverse effects were observed: anemia, thrombocytopenia, allergy, liver function test abnormalities, dyslipidemia and diabetes. Data collected from patients' files was added to a specific database. Descriptive analysis was shown in terms of absolute (n) and relative (%) frequencies and mean, median and standard deviation calculations. Chi-square or Fisher exact test (n < 5) and relative risk (RR) with its respective p values were used for categorical variables and Student t-test (parametric data) or Mann-Whitney (non-parametric data) for the quantitative ones. A 95% confidence interval (CI) and a significant level of 0.05 were used. A multivariate Cox Logistic Regression was also done. Data analysis was conducted using SAS version 9.4.
Data from 793 pregnancies were included. MTCT rate was 2.3%, with 0.8% in the last 5 years. Maternal adverse effects were: dyslipidemia (82%), anemia (56%), liver function test abnormalities (54.5%), including hyperbilirubinemia (11.6%), fasting glycemia alteration (19.2%), thrombocytopenia (14.1%), and allergic reaction (2.7%). The majority of adverse effects deemed related to ART in this study were mild according to DAIDS scale. In the multivariate analysis, co-infections and starting ART during pregnancy were risk factors for maternal anemia, while CD4 count higher than 200 cells/mm
was protective. Nevirapine, nelfinavir and atazanavir regimens increased the risk for liver function tests abnormalities. Lopinavir use during pregnancy increased the risk for fasting glycemia alteration.
The evolution of the national guidelines of antiretroviral therapy for pregnant women improved adherence to the treatment and resulted in a significant reduction of MTCT. Despite the high frequency of maternal adverse effects, they are mostly of low severity. Newer ART medications with improved efficacy and significantly more favorable tolerability profiles should reduce the incidence of ART-related adverse effects.
This article aims to present concepts and clinical practices recommended to approach people with active sex life. These concepts are an integral part of the recommendations of the Clinical Protocol ...and Therapeutic Guidelines for Comprehensive Care for People with Sexually Transmitted Infections (STI), published by the Ministry of Health of Brazil in 2020. The article proposes a comprehensive approach to sexuality for health promotion. It presents significant aspects of the communication process that must develop, without prejudice and judgment, focusing on sexual and reproductive health. It also highlights relevant points about the exercise of sexuality at specific stages of life, recommending assessment of risks and vulnerabilities and screening for STI and condom use. In this way, it is possible to contribute to exercise their sexuality fully, responsibly, and safely. Sexual health is the physical, emotional, mental, and social wellbeing associated with the exercise of sexuality, with sexual and reproductive rights considered fundamental.
Abstract
Objective
The aim of the current review is to present a systematic evaluation of reported human placental findings in cases of zika virus (ZIKV) infection.
Data sources
We reviewed the ...EMBASE, PUBMED, and SCIELO databases until June 2019, without language restrictions.
Selection of studies
The search terms
placenta
AND
zika virus
were used. The inclusion criteria of the studies were studies that reported placental findings in humans. Experimental studies, reviews, notes or editorials were excluded. A total of 436 studies were retrieved; after duplicate exclusion, 243 articles had their titles screened, and 128 had their abstract read; of those, 32 were included in the final analysis (18 case reports, 10 case series, and 4 cohorts)
Data collection
We collected data concerning the author, year of publication, study design, number of participants, number of placental samples, onset of symptoms, perinatal outcomes, and main findings on histological analysis.
Data synthesis
The placental pathologic findings were described as mild and nonspecific, similar to those of other placental infections, including chronic placentitis, chronic villitis, increased Hofbauer cells, irregular fibrin deposits, increased mononuclear cells in the villus stroma, villous immaturity, edema, hypervascularization, stromal fibrosis, calcification, and focal necrosis of syncytiotrophoblasts.
Conclusion
Zika infection presents unspecific placental findings, similar to other infections in the toxoplasmosis, other agents, rubella, cytomegalovirus, and herpes (TORCH)group. Characterizing and standardizing placental findings after zika virus infection is key to understanding the mechanisms of congenital diseases.
The detection of Zika virus (ZIKV) in immunoprivileged anatomical sites, potential sites for viral persistence, may guide the confirmation of undefined cases of ZIKV infection and also bring to light ...unknown pathways of viral transmission. Thus, this study aimed to characterize ZIKV infection in stratified, standardized placental samples in women with exanthematic febrile manifestations during pregnancy and compare findings to the standard investigation protocol of official health agencies. To this end, a case series of placental findings within a prospective cohort study was conducted over a period of 24 months. Serum/urine were obtained at the time of clinical case identification. Placental sampling was performed following standard investigation protocol (samples of 1.0 cm sent to a reference laboratory) and in a systematic way at various regions, such as chorionic plate, chorionic villi, basal plate, amniotic membrane, and umbilical cord, for subsequent ZIKV identification and quantification. Clinical information was obtained and histological preparation with hematoxylin-eosin staining for morphological evaluation was performed. This case series included 17 placentas systematically collected. Of these, 14 were positive by qRT-PCR for ZIKV, 5 in the umbilical cord, 7 in the amniotic membrane, 7 in the chorionic plate, 13 in the chorionic villi, and 7 in the basal plate, whereas none were reported by the reference laboratory. The most common morphological and anatomopathological findings were increased stromal cellularity, villitis, calcification, maternal vascular malperfusion, placental hypoplasia, and maternal-fetal hemorrhage (intervillous thrombi). Seven women presented positive testing for ZIKV in serological and/or molecular tests during gestation in urine. While viral quantification in urine ranged from 10
to 10
FFU eq/ml, that in different placental regions ranged from 10
to 10
FFU eq/g. Thus, ZIKV can infect different regions of the placenta and umbilical cord of pregnant women, showing that the systematic collection and adequate storage of the placenta is fundamental for the detection of ZIKV in this organ. The detection of ZIKV in the placenta after several months of initial symptoms suggests that this tissue may be a site for viral persistence during pregnancy.
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