J Natl Med Assoc
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Sickle cell anemia (SCA) is a chronic illness that requires frequent health care visits for preventative management. Adherence to national guidelines such as the National Heart Lung and Blood Institute (NHLBI) Expert Panel Report on the Evidence-Based Management of Sickle Cell Disease can be challenging to both the clinician and the patient. Utilizing effective communication strategies with patients and their families can improve clinician/patient relationships, as well as adherence to national guidelines. Aims of this overview are to review challenges faced in outpatient subspecialty medicine and describe evidence-based techniques for more effective communication for patients with sickle cell anemia.
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To determine whether the homeless population experiences disparities in care and communication during inpatient hospitalizations in a safety-net hospital. ⋯ In an urban safety-net hospital, disparities in communications regarding medications between hospital staff and patients were found based on housing status.
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Student-run free clinics (SRFCs) primarily service the uninsured and are a unique way for medical students to gain hands-on exposure to ophthalmology. The free clinic model takes many different forms- some with episodic and longitudinal models-- and this is mirrored in corresponding eye services. ⋯ There are a small number of SRFCs that have ophthalmology services, and they share common features in terms of participants, staffing, and, barriers to sustainability. Ophthalmology services at SRFCs offer a unique venue for medical students to gain exposure to an under-represented field in medical school curricula. The growth of this critical venue for medical student training could be enhanced by recruitment strategies aimed at ophthalmology faculty with a strong interest in service and teaching.
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Protests and the call to action in the aftermath of the deaths of Black citizens at the hands of police officers have reawakened the consciousness of American society on policing and the need for reforms. Racism in policing has a long history dating back to slave patrols following the Civil War. Criminal anti Black police behavior violates the police oath to "protect and defend" all individuals. ⋯ The forum panel concluded that reimagining policing especially at the community level will require multiple strategies that must include recruitment of a diverse group of police officers who can better represent their communities and society. As important, is better screening, testing and vetting of applicants to the police academy to route out those individuals who may demonstrate the potential for adverse behaviors antithetical to the police oath to protect and defend all people regardless of race and/or ethnicity.
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This review aims to provide primary medical and dental healthcare professionals with the current state of information on the oral manifestations of HIV infection in the era of antiretroviral therapy (ART) advancements. ⋯ Screening, diagnosing, and treating patients with HIV/Acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) has improved drastically since the isolation and characterization of HIV. Oral manifestations have been acknowledged to correlate with treatment responses and disease progression. Healthcare providers should be familiar with HIV-related oral manifestations and comfortable in managing and referring patients with HIV/AIDS, they are also key stakeholders in facilitating the elimination of the stigma associated with the infection.