W Indian Med J
-
The study examined the prevalence of stress, burnout, and coping, and the relationship between these variables among emergency physicians at a teaching hospital in Kingston, Jamaica. ⋯ Emergency physicians at the hospital scored high on stress and components of burnout. Interventions aimed at reducing the occupational contributors to stress and improving levels of coping will reduce the risk of burnout and enhance psychological well-being among emergency physicians.
-
Tumours of the superior sulcus of the lung, commonly referred to as Pancoast tumours, present with characteristic clinical symptoms and signs. An interesting case of a patient who presented with such a tumour is presented. The pathophysiology, clinical features and approach to management are reviewed.
-
Spontaneous pneumothorax is a well-recognized entity with a classical presentation of acute onset chest pain and shortness of breath. It may be complicated by the development of a tension pneumothorax or a haemopneumothorax. We report an interesting case of a spontaneous tension haemopneumothorax which presented atypically and was diagnosed on computed tomography (CT) scan of the chest. The clinical and pathophysiological characteristics and treatment of this unusual entity is discussed.
-
The aim of this survey was to establish the pain management approaches to acute painful crisis (APC) in sickle cell patients at two healthcare facilities and to compare with available guidelines. ⋯ The findings of the survey indicate that the management of APC at the two centres is substantially different. Further study is required to investigate patient satisfaction, centre preference and analgesic therapy efficacy.
-
The second Jamaica Health and Lifestyle Survey completed in 2007-2008 provided evidence that the prevalence of hypertension has increased significantly since 2000-2001. With more of the population living with hypertension, greater will be the need to ensure the best quality of life. ⋯ However, in the same survey, it was also found that blood pressure was poorly controlled in 69.7% of the self-reported compliant subjects. Together, these points suggest that simply providing access to drugs is inadequate and a more holistic approach will be required to reduce blood pressure at the population level.