SMJ // May 2012, Volume 105 - Issue 5

Original Article

Pediatricians’, Obstetricians’, Gynecologists’, and Family Medicine Physicians’ Experiences with and Attitudes about Breast-Feeding

Objectives: Investigate physicians’ breast-feeding experiences and attitudes using a survey based on two behavioral theories: theory of reasoned action (TRA) and the health belief model (HBM). Methods: There were 73 participants included in the investigation. These participants were resident and faculty physicians from pediatrics, obstetrics/gynecology, and family medicine at a…

Invited Commentary

Commentary on “Pediatricians’, Obstetricians’, Gynecologists’, and Family Medicine Physicians’ Experiences with and Attitudes about Breast-Feeding”

In this issue, Anchondo et al present their study of physicians’ experiences with and attitudes about breast-feeding.1 The study was conducted in a US–Mexico border hospital in which breast-feeding rates are particularly low, making this an ideal target institution for intervention. Most strategies for such intervention focus on patients and…

Original Article

Carbohydrate Challenge Tests: Do You Need to Measure Methane?

Objective: Breath tests that measure hydrogen (H2) have been judged reliable for the detection of lactose maldigestion (LM) and fructose malabsorption (FM). Recently, methane (CH4) testing has been advocated and measurement of CH4 in addition to H2 has been shown to increase the diagnostic accuracy for LM. Purpose: This study…

Original Article

Peer Assessment of Professional Performance by Hospitalist Physicians

Background: The clinical collaborations among hospitalist physicians create opportunities for peer evaluation. We conducted this study to generate validity evidence for a scale that allows for peer assessment of professional performance. Methods: All of the hospitalist physicians working for >1 year at our hospital were asked to assess each of…

Original Article

Epidemiology of Infant Death Among Black and White Non-Hispanic Populations in Hampton Roads, Virginia

Objective: To evaluate the presence of racial disparities in infant mortality rates and assess risk factors for infant death among black and white populations in Hampton Roads, Virginia. Methods: A retrospective study with secondary analyses of linked birth/death certificate data was conducted using a sample of 201,610 live-born infants and…

Original Article

Diversity of Patients’ Beliefs about the Soul after Death and Their Importance in End-of-Life Care

Background: Because beliefs about the soul after death affect the dying experience, patients and survivors may want to discuss those beliefs with their healthcare provider; however, almost no medical research describes such beliefs, leaving healthcare professionals ill prepared to respond. This exploratory study begins the descriptive process. Methods: Assuming that…

Invited Commentary

Where Is the Soul after Death? Do We Need to Ask?

Caring for patients’ spiritual needs is an explicit goal of the young and growing specialty of palliative medicine. Although emerging literature describes the spiritual concerns of patients and how they prefer these be addressed,1 clinicians attempting to do so face a number of obstacles. These obstacles include inexperience, lack of…

Original Article

Prospective Evaluation of Surgical Outcomes of Robot-Assisted Sacrocolpopexy and Sacrocervicopexy for the Management of Apical Pelvic Support Defects

Objective: To evaluate outcomes of robot-assisted sacrocolpopexy (RSCP) and sacrocervicopexy (RCSP). Methods: We conducted a prospective study of women undergoing RSCP or RCSP between June 2008 and January 2010. Results: A total of 85 cases (48 RSCP and 37 supracervical hysterectomy with concomitant RCSP) were performed: 33% (28/85) for stage…

Original Article

Life Satisfaction and Obstetric Outcomes in the United States

Objective: To examine the relation between life satisfaction and obstetric outcomes in the United States. Methods: Based on the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System life satisfaction results (2005–2008), the 50 states and Washington, DC were categorized into higher, middle, and lower life satisfaction groups. We obtained data from the Centers…

Review

Lemierre Syndrome

Lemierre’s syndrome is an uncommon complication of pharyngitis in the United States and caused most commonly by the bacterium Fusobacterium necrophorum. The syndrome is characterized by a history of recent pharyngitis followed by ipsilateral internal jugular vein thrombosis and metastatic pulmonary abscesses and is a disease for which patients will…

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