Journal of the American College of Surgeons
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Comparative Study Observational Study
Shared Decision-Making in General Surgery: A Prospective Comparison of Telemedicine vs In-Person Visits.
The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has accelerated a shift toward virtual telemedicine appointments with surgeons. While this form of healthcare delivery has potential benefits for both patients and surgeons, the quality of these interactions remains largely unstudied. We hypothesize that telemedicine visits are associated with lower quality of shared decision-making. ⋯ In this large, prospective study, there does not appear to be a difference in quality of shared decision making in patients undergoing in-person vs telemedicine appointments.
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Delayed bowel function (DBF) following intra-abdominal surgery is a common problem that contributes to postoperative complications and prolonged length of stay. Use of a handheld gastric point-of-care ultrasound (GPOCUS) can identify a full vs empty stomach in the postoperative period. We hypothesized that the findings of a full stomach identified on a postoperative day 1 (POD1) GPOCUS exam would predict an increased risk of delayed bowel function. ⋯ GPOCUS performed on POD1 can predict DBF, length of stay, likelihood of emesis, and NGT placement. Use of handheld devices for GPOCUS showed promise for the identification of patients at high risk for DBF and could provide an opportunity for pre-emptive intervention.
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To overcome persistent gender disparities in academic surgery, it is critical to examine the earliest phase of surgical training. This national study sought to assess whether gender disparities also existed among surgical interns, as a proxy for medical school research experience in both quantity and quality. ⋯ Gender disparities existed in the quality of research experience in the earliest phase of surgical training. These timely results call for additional interventions by the stakeholders of graduate medical education.