Original Article

Summary of Selected Healthcare Encounters among a Selection of Patients with Myotonic Muscular Dystrophy

Objective: Research has not examined the use of health care by patients with myotonic muscular dystrophy (MMD), but it would provide insights into this population, which is prone to comorbidities and high service needs. This study is an analysis of this understudied subgroup, using a unique linked dataset to examine…

Posted in: Neurology16

Original Article

Predictors of Empathic Compassion: Do Spirituality, Religion, and Calling Matter?

Objective: To determine whether physician spirituality, religion, and sense of calling toward medicine are predictors of self-reported empathic compassion.Methods: We sampled 2000 practicing US physicians from all specialties and used self-reported measures of general and clinical empathic compassion taken from previous studies. Independent variables were single-item measures of calling, spirituality,…

Original Article

Availability of Hospital Resources and Specialty Services for Stroke Care in North Carolina

Objectives: Effective regionalization of acute stroke care requires assessment and coordination of limited hospital resources. We described the availability of stroke-specific hospital resources (neurology specialty physicians and neuro-intensive care unit [neuro-ICU] bed capacity) for North Carolina overall and by region and population density. We also assessed daily trends in hospital…

Posted in: Neurology16

Original Article

Everyday Leadership: A Combined Resident and Faculty Workshop

Objectives: Historically, physicians have always been viewed as leaders in the healthcare field. Whether they embrace this role, physicians often find themselves in a leadership role, from the clinical setting to an institutional setting. In most cases, this leadership role is taken on without prior training on even the most…

Invited Commentary

Commentary on “Dealing with Surrogate Conflict: A Student’s Perspective”

I would like to commend Drs Su and Fleming for their article “Dealing with Surrogate Conflict: A Student’s Perspective,” which addresses this important aspect of end-of-life decision making, with a particular emphasis on what medical students should understand about the process.1 After all, these challenges of clinical care and ethics…

Perspectives

Dealing With Surrogate Conflict: A Student’s Perspective

Surrogate decision making is a standard arrangement for patients who are unable or unfit to make independent healthcare decisions. Ideally, the surrogate–patient relationship would be current and meaningful, and the participants in it would have recently discussed the patient’s values, preferences, and treatment goals. For patients who have not recently…

Review Article

OPEN: Practical Considerations for the Academic Physician Moving to a New State

Moving from one state to another for a new position or opportunity is a common event for academic physicians. Although moving can be personally and professionally disruptive for everyone, it can be particularly challenging for academic physicians. From practical considerations such as applying for a new state medical license to…

Letter to the Editor

On “Healthcare Professionals and In-Flight Medical Emergencies: Resources, Responsibilities, Goals, and Legalities as a Good Samaritan”

To the Editor: We read with interest the article by de Caprariis et al that appeared inthe January 2019 issue of the Southern Medical Journal.1 The authors provide anauthoritative review of matters of importance to healthcare professionals who respond to in-flight emergencies, including expected resources on board US commercial carriers,…

Original Article

Holiday Discharges Are Associated with Higher 30-Day General Internal Medicine Hospital Readmissions at an Academic Medical Center

Objective: Academic medical centers face unique challenges in educating physician trainees in effective discharge practices to prevent readmissions. Meanwhile, residents must handle high workloads coupled with frequent rotations to different services. This study aimed to determine whether daily service census, service turnover, time of discharge, and day of discharge increase…

Author Response

Authors’ Response

To the Editor: Mr. Ho and Dr. Ware suggested advising an ill airline passenger regarding the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 19961 (HIPPA) protection of his or her health information “if circumstances permit” and/or with a surrogate “when feasible.” ” We agree with this recommendation; however, during an…

Original Article

Increasing Prevalence of Chronic Hepatitis C Virus Infection in a Southern Academic Obstetrical Clinic

Objectives: The opioid epidemic has resulted in rising rates of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection in women of childbearing age. With this changing epidemiology in mind, the Infectious Diseases Society of America/American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases guidelines were updated in 2018 to recommend screening all pregnant women…

Posted in: Gastroenterology42

Original Article

Canine-Assisted Therapy in Hospitalized Patients Awaiting Heart Transplantation

Objectives: Patients awaiting heart transplantation can be listed for prolonged periods of time and, as a result, the prevalence of anxiety and depression is high. Our study evaluates the feasibility of canine-assisted therapy (CAT) in this population.Methods: A prospective, multicenter study was performed on all status 1a patients admitted during…

Original Article

CME Article: Workplace Violence: Experiences of Internal Medicine Trainees at an Academic Medical Center

Objectives: Healthcare professionals are at higher risk for workplace violence (WPV) than workers in other sectors. This elevated risk exists despite the vast underreporting of WPV in the medical setting. The challenge of responding to this risk is compounded by limited empirical research on medical training environments. Understanding trainees’ experience…

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