Journal of general internal medicine
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Narrative medicine (NM) emphasizes the vital role healthcare stories play in conveying patients' experiences and expanding health professionals' reflective capacity. Though predicated on inclusivity, social justice, and equality, NM programs do not tend to include communities with marginalized health narratives due to a paucity of trained facilitators. ⋯ We successfully recruited and engaged participants from minoritized communities to facilitate NM sessions. Future efforts should focus on objective assessments of skills, and more in-depth research using focus groups, observation, and key informant interviews.
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Extreme and inequitable heat exposures cause weather-related deaths. Associations between maximum daily temperature and individual-level healthcare utilization have been inadequately characterized. ⋯ Significant heat-related utilization occurred among individuals with heat-sensitive clinical conditions compared with those without. Demographic characteristics (e.g., older) and specific clinical conditions (e.g., liver failure) demonstrated higher utilization. In real-time, chronic disease management programs could proactively identify at-risk individuals for interventions which reduce heat-related morbidity and healthcare utilization.
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'Food is Medicine', a rapidly growing innovative intervention, has been shown to improve the management of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). However, due to the unique characteristics of Chinese dietary culture, it remains unclear whether such intervention measures can be implemented in China. ⋯ There are presently several potential barriers to future implementing 'Food is Medicine' to manage people living with T2DM. But there are also clear opportunities to develop a context-tailored 'Food is Medicine' intervention in China.
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Shared decision-making (SDM) is crucial in healthcare to facilitate effective communication between providers and patients, aiding in making optimal medical decisions. Communication skills training (CST) can improve physicians' ability in SDM. However, SDM CST for medical students in Taiwan is scarce, and research comparing online versus in-person CST outcomes is lacking. ⋯ This study has demonstrated that both online and face-to-face SDM CST effectively enhance the SDM decision-making proficiency and communication skills of medical students. The effectiveness of online CST is on par with face-to-face CST. It is recommended to use online CST when face-to-face classes are not feasible, especially during epidemics or budget constraints. Future research should explore the long-term impacts of these CST methods on students' skills, considering additional follow-up time points.
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Social determinants of health (SDOH) are associated with poor health outcomes among individuals with prevalent diseases. ⋯ In this study of community-dwelling US adults without major chronic diseases, social risks were more strongly associated with mortality than healthcare access. Our findings challenge the conventional healthcare-centric approach to preventative care, emphasizing the need for proactive public health interventions targeting SDOH.