Southern medical journal
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Southern medical journal · Jan 2024
Fixed-Dose Phenobarbital Versus As-Needed Benzodiazepines for the Management of Alcohol Withdrawal in Acute Care General Internal Medicine.
The management of patients at risk of severe alcohol withdrawal is challenging because conventional treatment with as-needed benzodiazepines may be ineffective. We created a fixed-dose phenobarbital protocol and compared patient outcomes using this protocol with an as-needed benzodiazepine protocol. ⋯ Phenobarbital is as safe and effective as benzodiazepine-based protocols for the treatment of high-risk alcohol withdrawal, with lower rates of delirium.
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Southern medical journal · Jan 2024
Patient Self-Reported Allergies and Their Correlation with Thoracic Outlet Syndrome Outcomes.
Thoracic outlet syndrome (TOS) is an uncommon neurovascular disorder that presents as neck and upper extremity pain secondary to brachial plexus trunk or subclavian vasculature compression. The orthopedic literature has correlated patient-reported allergies to postoperative patient-reported outcome (PRO) scores for a variety of surgical procedures. We sought to evaluate patient-reported allergies and PROs following surgical decompression for TOS. ⋯ The increased frequency of patient-reported allergies is significantly associated with worse PRO scores for women undergoing TOS surgical decompression. Better understanding this association can help physicians counsel patients on expected outcomes.
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Southern medical journal · Jan 2024
Education in Female Sexual Function and Dysfunction among American Urogynecologic Society Members: An Unmet Need.
Sexual function is an important component of women's health that has not been traditionally emphasized during medical training, suggesting that further education is needed to provide comprehensive patient care. The purpose of this study was to describe education and interest in female sexual function among urogynecology providers. ⋯ Most of the respondents felt comfortable caring for patients with sexual function concerns, but reported that they would expand their practice with additional education. The majority reported having received ≤1 female sexual function/dysfunction lecture during their medical training. This highlights a critical need and desire for more female sexual function education among the urogynecologic provider population.
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Southern medical journal · Jan 2024
Patient Characteristics Associated with Telemedicine Use for Diabetes Mellitus Care: Experience of a University Health System.
The objective was to understand the characteristics of patients who used telemedicine for diabetes management to inform future implementation of telemedicine. ⋯ Race, sex, insurance, and prepandemic in-person visits were associated with telemedicine use for DM management in a large health system. Telemedicine use was not associated with delays in hemoglobin A1c testing, nephropathy, and retinopathy assessments. Understanding reasons for not using telemedicine is important to be able to deliver equitable DM care.