Southern medical journal
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Southern medical journal · Sep 2015
Primary Care Providers' Comfort Levels in Caring for Patients with Sickle Cell Disease.
The purpose of this study was to determine the comfort levels of primary care providers in caring for individuals with sickle cell disease (SCD) and determine factors that improved or lessened provider comfort. ⋯ The delivery of high-quality care to adults with SCD in primary care may be limited because of a lack of provider comfort in providing that care. Because provider reliance on knowledge gained from residency significantly affected the management of patients with SCD, it is essential that continuing medical education on SCD is readily available to ensure that providers are using current information and knowledge. In addition, as comfort increases with the number of patients with SCD in a provider's panel, it may be beneficial to identify a subset of primary care providers interested in SCD and refer patients to those providers.
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Southern medical journal · Sep 2015
Evaluating Violent Person Management Training for Medical Students in an Emergency Medicine Clerkship.
Violence is a significant problem facing healthcare workers in the United States, particularly in emergency departments (EDs). Education is key to providing a safe environment for workers to ensure their ability to recognize and respond to violent patients and visitors. We studied the effects of a video podcast-based violence education program aimed at improving medical students' knowledge and confidence in identifying and responding to violence. ⋯ An educational video podcast is an effective method to improve medical students' knowledge and confidence in responding to a potentially violent person or violent situation in the ED and may be useful in other healthcare settings.
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Southern medical journal · Sep 2015
Risk Factors for Unscheduled 30-day Readmission after Benign Hysterectomy.
Readmission rates after hysterectomy have been reported, but specific risk factors for readmission have not been fully delineated. We aimed to determine risk factors for and implications of 30-day unscheduled readmission after benign hysterectomy using data from the American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program. ⋯ Using a large national database, we identified several patient-related and procedural risk factors for unscheduled 30-day readmission after hysterectomy. Readmission was associated with significantly higher rates of complications, a return to the operating room, and a 30-fold increase in mortality. Our findings reinforce the importance of patient selection and optimization of comorbidities before hysterectomy. Future research should aim to further delineate differential risks of readmission by surgical route as well as modifiable risk factors for readmission.