Annals of family medicine
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Over the span of their career, physicians experience changes to their professional role and professional identity. The process of continual adaptation in their work setting incurs losses. ⋯ Grief in the workplace is unsanctioned, and may contribute to physicians' experience of burnout (emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, low sense of achievement). Acknowledging loss, validating grief, and being prescient in dealing with physician burnout is essential.
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Annals of family medicine · Jul 2017
Cultivating the Inner Life of a Physician Through Written Reflection.
All of us have an "inner life" that forms the core of who we are. It shapes and is shaped by our actions and experiences. ⋯ We suggest that written reflections, as part of medical residency curriculum, can allow residents to explore their inner lives. The depth and range of residents' explorations show the value of adding brief, protected time for residents to explore their hopes, joys, struggles, and feelings, and to develop meaning from their experiences with patients.
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Annals of family medicine · Mar 2017
Comparative StudySystematic Diabetes Screening Using Point-of-Care HbA1c Testing Facilitates Identification of Prediabetes.
This prospective longitudinal study compares diabetes screenings between standard practices vs systematically offered point-of-care (POC) hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) tests in patients aged 45 years or older. Systematically screened participants (n = 164) identified 63% (n = 104) with unknown hyperglycemia and 53% (n = 88) in prediabetes. ⋯ The association between screening outcome and screening method was statistically significant (P = 0.005) in favor of HbA1C HbA1c may be the most effective method to identify patients unknowingly living in hyperglycemia. Point-of-care tests further facilitate screening evaluation in a timely and feasible fashion.