Journal of women's health
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Journal of women's health · Mar 2007
Comparative StudyHospitalizations of pregnant HIV-infected women in the United States in the era of highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART).
Highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) has improved the outlook of HIV-infected patients, but it has several side effects, particularly when it is used during pregnancy. Prior to the advent of HAART, HIV-infected women were at increased risk for adverse pregnancy outcomes. This report describes hospital use among pregnant HIV-infected women in the United States in the HAART era and compares hospitalizations for select morbidities in pregnant HIV-infected vs. uninfected women. ⋯ In addition, HIV-infected pregnant women were more likely to be hospitalized for major puerperal sepsis, sexually transmitted infections, urinary tract infections, bacterial infections, liver disorders, and preterm labor/delivery than uninfected women, even after adjusting for sociodemographic factors and comorbid conditions. No significant differences were observed in the rates of preeclampsia and antepartum hemorrhage in the two groups. HIV-infected pregnant women in the United States in the era of HAART remain at higher risk for several morbidities and adverse obstetrical outcomes than uninfected women.
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Negotiation and its use in academic medicine have not been studied. Little is known about faculty experience with negotiation or its potential benefits for academe. Barriers to negotiation and how they can be addressed, especially for faculty without perceived skill in negotiation, are unknown. ⋯ Many medical faculty are insufficiently aware of, or skilled in, the negotiation process and find significant barriers to negotiate in academe. Medical centers need to improve the climate for negotiation in academic medicine to maximize the potential contributions of negotiation to the institution.
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Journal of women's health · Nov 2006
Women's experiences with emergency contraception in an internal medicine practice.
Emergency contraceptive pills (ECPs) are effective for preventing unintended pregnancy. Whether patients in primary care settings receive physician counseling regarding ECPs has not been evaluated. ⋯ Only a fraction of women seeing internists for their primary care are receiving counseling about ECPs, irrespective of receiving care from an obstetrician/gynecologist. As primary care physicians, internists should determine risk for unintended pregnancy, assess patients' knowledge and attitudes toward ECPs, and provide counseling about this effective therapy.
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Journal of women's health · Nov 2006
Quality of life and menopause in women with physical disabilities.
The goal of this cross-sectional study was to explore quality of life (QOL) in a sample of postmenopausal women with physical disabilities due to polio contracted in childhood. A structural equation model was used to confirm that menopause symptoms will have a minimal effect on QOL when disability-related variables are taken into account. ⋯ When the effects of postpolio sequelae and functional status are included in the structural equation model, only the psychological symptoms of menopause play a prominent role in explaining QOL in this sample. The clinical implications of these findings suggest that attention to psychological symptoms and an exclusive focus on the physical aspects of menopause to the exclusion of other midlife life stressors and influences on a woman's psychological well-being ignore the larger context of life in which they live. In particular, many women with disabilities may contend with additional or exacerbated stressors related to their disability.