Journal of general internal medicine
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"Sacred moments" are brief periods of time in which people experience a deep interconnectedness that may possess spiritual qualities and emotions. This concept has been shown to have a positive impact on individuals' overall well-being and stress in mental health settings. The concept of sacred moments has not been studied in acute care hospital settings. ⋯ Among our participants, sacred moments were extremely common with the vast majority reporting to have experienced at least one in their lifetime. These moments were described as profound and important and shared many common elements. Our findings can be used to help recognize, understand, and promote sacred moments between hospitalized patients and healthcare workers.
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Multicenter Study
EMERGE: Evaluating the value of Measuring Random Plasma Glucose Values for Managing Hyperglycemia in the Inpatient Setting.
A diagnosis of diabetes is considered when a patient has hyperglycemia with a random plasma glucose ≥200 mg/dL. However, in the inpatient setting, hyperglycemia is frequently non-specific, especially among patients who are acutely unwell. As a result, patients with transient hyperglycemia may be incorrectly labeled as having diabetes, leading to unnecessary treatment, and potential harm. ⋯ Hyperglycemia in hospital is common but does not necessarily indicate a patient has diabetes. Furthermore, it can lead to treatment with diabetes medications with potential harm. Our findings highlight that clinicians should be cautious when responding to elevated random plasma glucose tests in the inpatient setting.
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Access to healthcare continues to be a top priority and prominent challenge in rural communities, with 20% of the total U. S. population living in rural areas while only 10% of physicians practice in rural areas. In response to physician shortages, a variety of programs and incentives have been implemented to recruit and retain physicians in rural areas; however, less is known about the types and structures of incentives that are offered in rural areas and how that compares to physician shortages. ⋯ Identified incentive programs were aggregated for comparison and translated into a map that depicts high, medium, and low levels of geographically designated Health Professional Shortage Areas (HPSAs) and the number of incentives offered by state. Surveying current literature regarding different types of incentivization strategies while comparing to primary care HPSAs provides general insights on the potential influence of incentive programs on shortages, allows easy visual review, and may provide greater awareness of available support for potential recruits. Providing a broad overview of the incentives offered in rural areas will help illuminate whether diverse and appealing incentives are offered in the most vulnerable areas and guide future efforts to address these issues.