Southern medical journal
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Southern medical journal · Aug 2024
Prescription of Nicotine Replacement Therapy for Hospitalized Tobacco Users.
In hospitalized patients, cigarette smoking is linked to increased readmission rates, emergency department visits, and overall mortality. Smoking cessation reduces these risks, but many patients who smoke are unsuccessful in quitting. Nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) is an effective tool that assists patients who smoke with quitting. This study evaluates NRT prescriptions during and after hospitalization at a large health system for patients who smoke. ⋯ This study identified significantly low rates of NRT prescribed to smokers during hospitalization and at discharge. Although the management of chronic conditions is typically addressed in the outpatient setting, hospitalization may provide an opportunity for patients to initiate health behavior changes. The low rates of prescriptions for NRT present an opportunity to improve tobacco treatment during hospitalization and beyond.
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Human beings have a natural craving for sweets. The intensity of this craving varies with genetic and environmental factors; however, excessive use of table sugar has been associated with adverse health outcomes, including increased risk of obesity, diabetes mellitus, and cardiovascular disease. As such, the World Health Organization has called for restricting sugar consumption to less than 5% of total energy intake. ⋯ Nevertheless, the World Health Organization advises against the use of nonsugar sweeteners. The biological effects of natural sweeteners such as steviol, monk fruit extract, tagatose, allulose, and sweet proteins (eg, brazzien, miraculin, thaumatin) are not well studied. Eating less sugar is a prudent thing to do, but for people with diabetes mellitus and those at risk of diabetes mellitus, diversifying the type of the sweetener and limiting the quantity may be reasonable.
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Southern medical journal · Aug 2024
Comparative StudyComparison of the Usability and Reliability of Answers to Clinical Questions: AI-Generated ChatGPT versus a Human-Authored Resource.
Our aim was to compare the usability and reliability of answers to clinical questions posed of Chat-Generative Pre-Trained Transformer (ChatGPT) compared to those of a human-authored Web source (www.Pearls4Peers.com) in response to "real-world" clinical questions raised during the care of patients. ⋯ The quality of ChatGPT responses to real-world clinical questions varied widely, with nearly one-third or more answers considered inferior to a human-authored source in several aspects of usability and reliability. Caution is advised when using ChatGPT in clinical decision making.
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Southern medical journal · Aug 2024
Recent Trends and Challenges in Employment for Emergency Medicine Trainees: A Survey of Graduating Residents' Perspectives.
The landscape of the emergency medicine (EM) workforce has undergone significant changes recently, posing challenges for residents who are about to graduate from EM training programs. The objective of this study was to survey graduating residents' perceptions of the recent EM job market. ⋯ The findings highlight the increasing competitiveness and challenges residents face in securing their first job, the declining interest in pursuing fellowships as residents progress in their training, and the geographic preferences for job opportunities.
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Southern medical journal · Aug 2024
Contraception Initiation after Early Abortion in a Family Medicine Setting: A Retrospective Chart Review.
Early abortion increasingly is provided in the primary care setting, allowing improved access, continuity of care, and contraception, if desired. We aimed in this retrospective chart review to describe postabortion contraception provision in a family medicine office. ⋯ The primary care setting is uniquely equipped for providing early abortion and postabortion contraception. Although the providers offered all contraceptive options to eligible patients, continuity patients were more likely to receive more effective contraception in their primary care office.