The Southern Medical Journal is the official, peer-reviewed journal of the Southern Medical Association. It has a multidisciplinary and inter-professional focus that covers a broad range of topics relevant to physicians and other healthcare specialists.
SMJ // Browse the Southern Medical Journal
SMJ Article | Original Article
Could High Game Volume over a Shorter Season Increase Noncontact Knee Injury Risk among Kentucky High School Girls’ Basketball Players?
Objectives: A retrospective review of high school, college, and professional female basketball team game number and season duration comparisons was performed. The objective was to compare group differences with consideration of the possible relationship between game volume per season duration and noncontact anterior cruciate ligament injury risk from accumulated microtrauma....
SMJ Article | Original Article
Decreased Maternal Weight Gain in Pregnancy Is Seen with Buprenorphine Medication-Assisted Treatment
Objectives: Medication-assisted treatment (MAT) is associated with low maternal weight gain, and low maternal weight gain is associated with infant mortality. Many MAT patients also are smokers. This study investigates buprenorphine administration during pregnancy as a possible independent risk factor for low maternal weight gain. To our knowledge, this is...
SMJ Article | Perspectives
When a Pandemic Challenges the Art of Medicine
In The Doctor by Sir Luke Fildes (Fig.), light draws our focus to the patient and physician. The painting shows the compassion, concern, and tenderness found in their relationship. The physician’s countenance encapsulates the challenges of our profession. In the physician’s expression of concern, there is the contemplation of pathophysiology,...
SMJ Article | Review Article
Antibody-Drug Conjugates in the Management of Breast Cancer
Breast cancer remains a predominant contributor to global cancer-related morbidity and mortality among women, with its incidence steadily rising and presenting complex therapeutic challenges. Conventional treatment modalities, including chemotherapy, endocrine therapy, and molecularly targeted interventions, have demonstrated substantial clinical efficacy. The emergence of therapeutic resistance, systemic cytotoxicity, and metastatic progression...
SMJ Article | Perspectives
Advancement of a Vertically Integrated Training Program (VITP): Introspective Assessment and Expansion
MedConnect, originally known as the Vertically Integrated Trainee Program (VITP), was created in fall 2017 to connect premedical undergraduate students at the University of South Carolina with medical students at the University of South Carolina School of Medicine, both located in Columbia, for mentorship and guidance. Our organization was formed...
SMJ Article | Original Article
Distribution of the Georgia Pulmonology Workforce: A Rural-Urban Analysis
Objectives: Although healthcare disparities between rural and urban populations are documented, access to pulmonary subspecialty care in rural regions is not well characterized. This study aimed to quantify rural-urban disparities in access to pulmonology, pulmonary critical care medicine (PCCM), and sleep medicine physicians in Georgia. Methods: The Georgia Composite Medical...
SMJ Article | Original Article
Promoting Autonomy in Pediatric Trainees: Independent Rounding on a Pediatric Hospital Medicine Service
Objective: Trainee autonomy is a value emphasized by formal governing bodies within graduate medical education, yet prior data demonstrate that pediatric residents perceive less autonomy than attendings report providing. Independent rounding (IR) is one practice that has been demonstrated in qualitative studies to promote autonomy. The objective of our study...
SMJ Article | Original Article
Sexually Transmitted Infection Screening and Positivity in Pregnant Women Living in Areas with High Social Vulnerability Indices
Objectives: Pregnant women living in rural areas of the United States are not equitably served by healthcare systems and may be disproportionately affected by sexually transmitted infections (STIs). We examined the impact of location of pregnancy care on STI screening and positivity in a statewide health system. Methods: Pregnant women...
SMJ Article | Perspectives
An Exploration of Alcohol Withdrawal Protocols, with a Focus on the Use of Phenobarbital
Objective: Severe alcohol withdrawal (SAW) is a common cause of hospital admission in the United States. There has been increased interest in phenobarbital use for SAW treatment. We aimed to investigate variability in alcohol withdrawal management protocols at different hospitals within a geographic region, with a focus on phenobarbital use....
SMJ Article | Perspectives
Florida Pediatric Gun Safety: Policy Recommendations and Ways Forward
Children gaining access to unsafely secured firearms is a serious concern. Unintentional injury, including from firearms, is the leading cause of death in children. Firearms-related injuries are the second highest cause of child mortality in the United States, with more than 3100 cases reported in 2016.1 In 2021, two in...
SMJ Article | Original Article
Empowering the Community Health Worker Role in the Stroke Continuum of Care: Development of the Florida Stroke Registry CHW Stroke Training Program
Objectives: Community health workers (CHWs) help patients navigate community resources and support healthier lifestyles. Although stroke transitions of care require navigating complex clinical services and behavioral changes, there is no established formal training for CHWs in stroke care across Florida. We describe the impact of a comprehensive stroke training course...
Posted in: Neurology17
SMJ Article | Original Article
Helicobacter pylori Eradication Rates among Patients Undergoing Endoscopy Remain Stagnant Despite Evolving Clinical Practice Patterns
Objectives: Helicobacter pylori is the strongest risk factor for non-cardia gastric adenocarcinoma, the cancer with the greatest racial disparity in US cancer mortality. The 2017 American College of Gastroenterology guidelines recognized that local H pylori antibiotic resistance data are often unavailable in the United States, highlighted increasing clarithromycin resistance, and...
Posted in: Gastroenterology48
SMJ Article | Editorial
Training with Artificial Intelligence: Are There Hidden Costs in Clinical Reasoning and Medical Education?
Medical students around the world are now routinely using generative artificial intelligence (AI) tools (eg, Chat Generative Pre-Trained Transformer, Microsoft CoPilot, and OpenEvidence) as they interview patients, generate differential diagnoses, and formulate treatment plans.1 Although more experienced clinicians who trained without these tools often rely on memory and pattern recognition,...
SMJ Article | Original Article
Burnout and Resilience Domains across Gender and Race/Ethnicity in Health Care: Findings from the University of Utah Health System
Objectives: Burnout in the healthcare workforce is a growing concern in the United States, with varying levels reported across different demographic groups. This study aimed to explore burnout and resilience domains among healthcare workers, focusing on gender and race/ethnicity differences within the University of Utah Health System. Methods: A cross-sectional...
SMJ Article | Original Article
Certified Athletic Trainers Are Preferred Coordinators in Sports Medicine Clinics: A Patient Survey Study
Objectives: Certified athletic trainers (ATCs) are increasingly used in sports medicine clinics. Patient comfort for ATCs as clinical coordinators has yet to be determined. This study aims to determine patient comfort with ATCs as clinical coordinators compared with registered nurses (RNs). Methods: One hundred patients from a sports medicine clinic...
SMJ Article | Perspectives
Know Your Guidelines Series: The ACG and AGA Guideline on Management of Constipation
Constipation is a common condition seen in both the inpatient and outpatient settings that complicates discharges and affects patients’ quality of life. Chronic constipation is estimated to affect 14.6% to 25% of the world population, making it one of the most common causes for referral to a specialist.1
Posted in: Gastroenterology48
SMJ Article | Original Article
Combined Ambulatory and Inpatient Pediatric Clerkship Leads to Higher Shelf Scores and Improved Student Preparedness
Objective: Data are lacking on the effect of pediatric clerkship duration on National Board of Medical Examiners pediatric shelf examination scores. Our school has recently changed its clerkship structure, transitioning from separate ambulatory and inpatient clerkships with examination at the end of each clerkship to a combined 8-week ambulatory and...
SMJ Article | Original Article
Can Medical Students Learn the Pediatric Musculoskeletal Examination Independently?
Objective: The objective was to investigate whether medical students can learn a pediatric musculoskeletal examination independently by studying the pediatric Gait, Arms, Legs, and Spine (pGALS) assessment. Methods: Fourth-year medical students were surveyed in 2018 regarding confidence and experience with the pediatric musculoskeletal training. Students performed an initial scored musculoskeletal...
SMJ Article | Original Article
Associations of Source and Continuity of Private Health Insurance with Prevalence of Chronic Pain among US Adults
Objectives: Coverage by private insurance is associated with lower chronic pain prevalence, but the significance of different types of private coverage for the epidemiology of chronic pain is poorly understood. The primary outcome was pain prevalence. Among respondents with chronic pain, secondary outcomes included experiences of severe pain, high-impact pain,...
SMJ Article | Original Article
Heart Disease Mortality on the Mississippi River
Objectives: States bordering the lower Mississippi River have large Black populations totaling 1,996,897. In 2019, 7506 Blacks there died of heart disease. These four states have high heart disease death rates. This analysis examined geographic variation in heart disease to suggest populations to target for intervention and suggest hypotheses for...
Posted in: Cardiovascular Disease31
