Southern medical journal
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Southern medical journal · Mar 2023
Meds to Beds at Hospital Discharge Improves Medication Adherence and Readmission Rates in Select Populations.
Medication nonadherence caused by difficulty obtaining and paying for medicines can increase hospital readmissions. This project implemented Medications to Beds ("Meds to Beds," M2B), a multidisciplinary predischarge medication delivery program, at a large urban academic hospital that provided subsidized medications for uninsured and underinsured patients to reduce readmissions. ⋯ Providing medicine to patients predischarge tends to lower readmission rates for populations with no comorbidities or with a high burden of disease. This effect is amplified when prescription costs are subsidized.
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Southern medical journal · Mar 2023
Marijuana Use in Middle and High School Students: Insights from the 2020 National Youth Tobacco Survey.
The use of marijuana by middle and high school students could have important consequences, including physical harm, poor decision making, increased use of tobacco products, and involvement in the legal system. Determining the level of use by students provides the initial information needed to understand the extent of the problem and possible approaches to reducing student use. ⋯ The 2020 National Youth Tobacco Survey indicates that approximately 18.4% of middle school and high school students have used marijuana. Parents, educators, public health officials, and policymakers need to understand that there is a relatively high use of marijuana among students and that education programs should focus on its use with or without other tobacco products.
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Southern medical journal · Mar 2023
Pivoting during a Pandemic: Reimagining Intern Orientation EPA-Based OSCE.
Objective structured clinical examinations (OSCEs) provide reliable and standardized means for assessing the performance of specific clinical skills. Our previous experience with entrustable professional activity-based multidisciplinary OSCEs suggests that this exercise offers just-in-time baseline information regarding critical intern skills. The coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic forced medical education programs to reimagine such educational experiences. For the safety of all of the participants, the Internal Medicine and Family Medicine residency programs pivoted from an in-person OSCE to a hybrid model (combination of in-person and virtual encounters) while maintaining the goals of the OSCEs administered in previous years. Here, we describe an innovative hybrid approach to redesigning and implementing the existing OSCE model while maximizing risk mitigation. ⋯ A hybrid OSCE to assess interns' baseline skills during orientation using Zoom technology could be delivered successfully and safely during the pandemic without compromising the program's goals or satisfaction.
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Southern medical journal · Mar 2023
Investigating the Relation between Electronic Cigarette Use and Sleep Duration in Kentucky Using the BRFSS, 2016-2017.
Like traditional cigarettes, electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) contain nicotine, which is known to negatively influence sleep quality. Few studies, however, have examined the relation between e-cigarettes and sleep quality using population-based survey data because of the relatively recent appearance of these products on the market. This study investigated the relation between e-cigarette and cigarette use and sleep duration in Kentucky, a state with high rates of nicotine dependence and related chronic diseases. ⋯ Survey respondents who used e-cigarettes were more likely to report short sleep duration, but only if they currently or formerly smoked traditional cigarettes. Those who used both products, regardless of whether current or former, were more likely to report short sleep duration than those who had used just one of these tobacco products.