Family medicine
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Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) duty hour regulations have significantly changed residency education. Initial research focused heavily on resident experiences, while changes in faculty roles and effects on patient care and resident education have received less attention. This survey examines faculty perceptions of the effect of duty hour changes in academic family medicine. ⋯ Consistent with research from other specialties, many faculty members perceive that their work roles have increased in certain areas. Resident performance and patient care are not seen to be improved as a result of duty hours. Further research into the unexpected findings involving labor and delivery responsibilities is needed.
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This study analyzed our family medicine department's after-hours telephone medicine systems at an academic health center from a patient safety perspective. The research questions were (1) What are the threats to patient safety associated with after-hours telephone medicine and (2) What kinds of errors are made during after-hours telephone medicine? ⋯ Situations that threaten patient safety occur frequently in telephone medicine. Although this study is too small to draw strong conclusions, it suggests that there are risks to patient safety associated with after-hours telephone medicine.
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The act of overt plagiarism by graduates of accredited residency programs represents a failure in personal integrity. It also indicates a lack of professionalism, one of the six Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) competencies for graduate medical education. A recent experience at one geriatric fellowship indicates that the problem of plagiarism may be more prevalent than previously recognized. ⋯ The aim in documenting this plagiarism is to raise awareness among medical educators about the availability of online sources of content and ease of electronic plagiarism. Some students and residents may not recognize copying other resources verbatim as plagiarism. Residency programs should evaluate their own need for education about plagiarism and include this in the training of the competency of professionalism.
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Hispanics in the United States are disproportionately affected by diabetes. We examined the quality of care for Hispanic and non-Hispanic white adults with diabetes to investigate potential disparities in health care. ⋯ Disparities in quality of care for diabetes exist between Hispanics and non-Hispanic whites. Multifaceted strategies that incorporate culturally appropriate care and continuity of patient care may help to eliminate these disparities.