Southern medical journal
-
Southern medical journal · Feb 2023
Retaining Faculty from Underrepresented Groups in Academic Medicine: Results from a Needs Assessment.
Academic medical centers can improve the quality of care and address health inequities by recruiting and retaining faculty from underrepresented in medicine (URiM) groups; however, the retention of URiM faculty is a barrier to reaching equity-related goals because URiM faculty are less likely to remain in academia and be promoted compared with their peers. As such, the objective of this study was to determine factors that influence the retention of URiM faculty at large academic centers. ⋯ This study underscored the importance of supportive leadership, URiM-specific faculty development programs, networking opportunities, and the recognition of achievements as factors that influence the retention of faculty at a large academic medical center. In addition, participants highlighted the need for strong mentor networks and emphasizing sponsorship.
-
Southern medical journal · Feb 2023
Differences in Cardiometabolic Biomarkers between Elementary School-Age Latinx Children with Obesity versus Healthy Weight.
Low-income Latinx youth are disproportionately affected by obesity, which results in an increased risk of cardiometabolic abnormalities. Biomarker tracking may be useful for the early identification of obesity comorbidities in young Latinx children. Hence, we aimed to compare cardiometabolic biomarkers between age- and sex-matched pairs of elementary school-aged Latinx children with obesity versus healthy weight. ⋯ The aforementioned biomarkers may be more sensitive to higher adiposity risk in this young Latinx population; however, elevated hepatic markers may indicate an ethnic/genetic predisposition to abnormal liver function. Research should be replicated in a larger group to confirm these findings.
-
Southern medical journal · Feb 2023
ReviewReducing Infection Rates with Enhanced Preoperative Diabetes Mellitus Diagnosis and Optimization Processes.
Hyperglycemia and increased preoperative hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) are associated with perioperative morbidity and death. For nonurgent operations, adequate glycemic control before surgery is recommended. Our surgical practice needed a process for preoperative diabetes mellitus (DM) diagnosis and glycemic optimization. ⋯ The implemented process benefited patients scheduled for nonurgent procedures by optimizing glucose control and lowering infection rates through earlier preoperative DM diagnosis, glycemic management, and standardized patient medication instruction.
-
Southern medical journal · Feb 2023
Retrospective Study of Psychiatric Hospitalizations in a West Texas Mental Health Treatment Facility during the COVID-19 Pandemic.
The association between the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic and adverse mental health outcomes has been well documented; however, little is known about its impact in rural areas of the United States. This study aims to characterize and compare inpatient psychiatric admissions in West Texas before and during the initial months of the COVID-19 pandemic. ⋯ Rural communities in West Texas experienced a decrease in psychiatric hospitalizations during the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, followed by an increase as lockdown restrictions began to lift; this warrants further investigation into healthcare service utilization during the pandemic.
-
Southern medical journal · Feb 2023
Retrospective Analysis of Hospitalized Patients with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus Treated with Glucagon-Like Peptide 1 Receptor Agonist Therapy.
The use and overall benefit of glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonist therapy for hospitalized patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM) with chronic kidney disease (CKD) has limited data regarding impact and safety. We studied the impact and safety of GLP-1 receptor agonist therapy in hospitalized DM patients with CKD. ⋯ The use of GLP-1 receptor agonist therapy had better outcomes in patients with GFR stages 3 to 5 as compared with GFR stages 1 and 2. There were minimal adverse events reported for both GFR groups. This study suggests that the off-label use of GLP-1 receptor agonists for hospitalized DM patients with CKD may be useful.