Southern medical journal
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Southern medical journal · Aug 2023
Predictors of Underlying Esophageal Motility Disorders in Patients Presenting with Esophageal Candidiasis.
Esophageal motility disorders (EMDs) are a known risk factor for esophageal candidiasis (EC), but this relation has not been described particularly well. We sought to evaluate the predictors of underlying EMDs in patients presenting with EC. ⋯ EMDs are present in approximately 10% of patients presenting with EC, with half being diagnosed only after presenting with EC. Similar to non-EC patients, patients with EC with dysphagia and the typical endoscopic findings of achalasia are more likely to have an EMD and warrant prompt manometric evaluation.
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Southern medical journal · Aug 2023
Survey of COVID-19 Vaccine Attitudes in Predominately Minority Pregnant Women.
Despite recommendations for coronavirus disease (COVID-19) vaccination during pregnancy, some pregnant women are concerned about COVID-19 vaccines and decline to be vaccinated. This study focuses on attitudes in a sample of mostly minority pregnant Hispanic and Black women that may influence vaccine hesitancy. ⋯ COVID-19 vaccine mRNA technology was a lesser understood topic than attitudes for knowing about other health topics. This finding suggests the need for physician intervention and that further education about COVID-19 vaccine mRNA technology may influence patient attitudes toward acceptance of the COVID-19 mRNA vaccine in pregnancy.
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Southern medical journal · Jul 2023
"I'm Not Good with Money" and Other Lies Residents Tell Themselves about Personal Finance.
Some physicians believe that they have difficulty managing their own personal finances, and many medical schools and residences do not have formal financial curricula embedded in education. Given that many medical students have >$200,000 in school loans, physicians are expected to navigate the complex financial world without guidance. ⋯ It is likely that an individual's comfort level managing finances stems from money beliefs, rather than actual ability given the requirements to graduate from medical school and the demands of an Internal Medicine residency.
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Southern medical journal · Jul 2023
Observational StudyASA Physical Status Determination by General Internists and Impact on Cardiac Risk Assessment.
Estimating cardiac risk is important for preoperative evaluation, and several risk calculators incorporate the American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) physical status score. The purpose of this study was to determine the concordance of ASA scores assigned by general internists and anesthesiologists and assess whether discrepancies affected cardiac risk estimation. ⋯ ASA scores assigned by general internists in this study were significantly lower than those assigned by anesthesiologists, and these discrepancies in the ASA score can lead to substantially different conclusions about cardiac risk.