Southern medical journal
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Southern medical journal · Apr 2024
Matching Against Men: 5 Years of Residency Match Data Show Disparities Still Exist.
Despite progress toward equal representation by sex in medical practice, women remain underrepresented in many specialties. This study sought to examine the current state of gender equality among recently graduated doctors in multiple specialties. ⋯ In this study, we found that men matched into more highly competitive specialties, whereas women matched into more competitive residency program locations. Further research is needed to determine why women matched into specific specialties at lower rates than their male peers and seek to understand how sex affects the narrative of specialty choice.
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Southern medical journal · Apr 2024
Improving Communication with Family Members during a Global Pandemic: Effect on Patient Experience.
Communication with patients and their families/caregivers to facilitate informed decision making is an integral part of patient/family-centered care. Due to the high coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) infection rates and limited personal protective equipment, healthcare systems were forced to restrict patient visitors, limit patient-provider interactions, and implement other changes in treatment protocols that disturbed traditional communications and risked eroding patient/family-centered care and adversely affected patient satisfaction. This article focuses on changes in patient experience in two dedicated COVID-19 units of an academic medical center located in the US South as a result of the enhanced communication process implemented specifically during the COVID-19 pandemic. ⋯ Our findings suggest that communication is a critical factor in patient satisfaction, demonstrating the efficacy of a swift and innovative initiative to improve communication with family/caregivers, which may have been linked to better patient experiences. Developing communication strategies is crucial for enhancing patient satisfaction.
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Southern medical journal · Apr 2024
Eccentric Hamstring Strength Imbalance among Football and Soccer Athletes.
Hamstring strain injuries (HSI) are common among football and soccer athletes. Eccentric strength imbalance is considered a contributing factor for HSI. There is, however, a paucity of data on hamstring imbalances of soccer and American football athletes as they age and advance in skill level. High school athletes will display greater interlimb discrepancies compared with collegiate and professional athletes. In addition, soccer athletes will exhibit greater hamstring asymmetry than American football athletes. ⋯ High school soccer athletes exhibit greater hamstring imbalances than football athletes. Higher levels of play in soccer, for both male and female athletes, correlate with less hamstring asymmetry.
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Southern medical journal · Apr 2024
Utilization of Mental Health Services Within 1 Year of Delivery among Different Language Groups.
Cultural differences can affect postpartum mental health disorders and the utilization of mental health services. We compared women speaking English, Spanish, Russian, and Urdu/Bengali/Punjabi from postpartum through 1 year after delivery. ⋯ Russian language was associated with lower utilization of mental health services postpartum. These findings can help clinicians determine among postpartum women who will be affected with mental health concerns and who will seek treatment for mental health concerns.