Journal of general internal medicine
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Secure text messaging systems (STMS) offer HIPAA-compliant text messaging and mobile phone call functionalities that are more efficient than traditional paging. Although some studies associate improved provider satisfaction and healthcare delivery with STMS use, healthcare organizations continue to struggle with achieving widespread and sustained STMS adoption. ⋯ Clinicians are reluctant to adopt an STMS that does not offer a clear and trustworthy communication benefit to offset its potential burden and intrusiveness. Our findings can be incorporated into STMS implementation strategies that maximize active users by targeting and mitigating barriers to adoption.
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Hospitals expanded critical care capacity during the COVID-19 pandemic by treating COVID-19 patients with high-flow nasal cannula oxygen therapy (HFNC) in non-traditional settings, including general internal medicine (GIM) wards. The impact of this practice on intensive care unit (ICU) capacity is unknown. ⋯ With appropriate training and resources, treatment of COVID-19 patients with HFNC on GIM wards appears to be a feasible strategy to increase critical care capacity.
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Vaccination is a primary method of reducing the burden of influenza, yet uptake is neither optimal nor equitable. Single-tier, primary care-oriented health systems may have an advantage in the efficiency and equity of vaccination. ⋯ VA coverage is associated with higher and more equitable influenza vaccination rates. A single-tier health system that emphasizes primary care may improve the uptake and equity of vaccination for influenza, and possibly other pathogens, like SARS-CoV2.
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Increasing medical school faculty diversity is an urgent priority. National Institutes of Health (NIH) diversity supplements, which provide funding and career development opportunities to individuals underrepresented in research, are an important mechanism to increase faculty diversity. ⋯ Medical schools may be missing an opportunity to address the continuing shortage of individuals historically underrepresented in biomedical science and should consider additional mechanisms to enhance diversity supplement utilization.