Southern medical journal
-
Southern medical journal · Jan 2014
All-cancers mortality rates approaching diseases of the heart mortality rates as leading cause of death in Texas.
Diseases of the heart and malignant neoplasms (all-cancers) are the leading causes of death in the United States. The gap between the two has been closing in recent years. To assess the gap status in Texas and to establish a baseline to support evaluation efforts for the Cancer Prevention Research Institute of Texas, mortality data from 2006 to 2009 were analyzed. ⋯ Age-adjusted mortality rates among Texas residents from diseases of the heart are showing improvement as compared with the rates for all-cancers.
-
Southern medical journal · Jan 2014
Evaluation of a points-based scholarly activity policy in internal medicine.
The Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education requires that scholarly activity be carried out in residency programs without numerical guidelines for publication of papers by residents. Until now, publication-to-resident ratios (PTRR) have not been reported in internal medicine (IM) programs. This article describes the 5-year resident publication record of an IM program with a points-based scholarly activity policy. ⋯ A PTRR was seen in an IM program with a points-based scholarly activity policy. Further studies are needed to determine whether points-based policies encourage publication of scholarly papers among residents.
-
Southern medical journal · Dec 2013
Inpatient rehabilitation centers and concern for increasing volume of ischemic stroke patients requiring rehabilitation.
To determine whether prolonged length of stay (pLOS) in ischemic stroke is related to delays in discharge disposition arrangement. ⋯ For the majority of our patients, pLOS was caused by acquired medical complications and delayed disposition, most commonly inpatient rehabilitation. Further efforts are needed to prevent complications and further investigation is necessary to identify the factors that may contribute to delayed discharge to inpatient rehabilitation facilities, which may include delayed planning or heightened scrutiny of insurance companies regarding their beneficiaries.
-
Sexual abuse rates in the general female population range between 15% and 25%, and sexual abuse is known to have a long-term impact on a woman's health. The aim of this study was to report the prevalence of sexual abuse history in women presenting to clinicians for pelvic floor disorders (PFD) and to determine whether a history of sexual abuse is associated with a specific type of PFD. ⋯ A history of sexual abuse is common among women with PFDs, and these women were more likely to have chronic pelvic pain.