Revista médica de Chile
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Revista médica de Chile · Nov 2024
[Diversity and Institution: Scopes for Health Sciences Education].
With the growing access to higher education, the university population has become increasingly heterogeneous. This situation has forced educational institutions to rethink their work. Health schools, specifically, must not only ensure the acquisition of technical-professional competencies, but also promote comprehensive training in students in this area. ⋯ Institutions must guarantee access, full participation, and meaningful learning for all their students. To this end, a culture that values diversity and translates into institutional policies.
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Revista médica de Chile · Nov 2024
[Social Determinants of Combined Use of Alcohol and Non-prescription Drugs in Older Adults: A Population-based Study in Chile].
Alcohol consumption by older adults has been called the "silent epidemic." An aging population and high levels of alcohol consumption increase the future challenge for epidemiology and public health. In addition, the misuse of prescription drugs is a growing public health problem associated with increased hospitalizations and health complications in older adults. ⋯ The combination of alcohol and medicine without medical prescription is a potential public health problem, especially among older adults. This study represents a national effort to understand this phenomenon, identifying the most vulnerable groups with the highest prevalence of consumption to which public prevention policies should give special attention.
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Revista médica de Chile · Nov 2024
[Duties of the Physician in Relation to the Use of Alternative and Complementary Medicines by Their Patients].
In the prevailing medical pluralism of contemporary society, alternative and complementary medicine occupy a relevant place, comprising a heterogeneous group of practices with different values depending on tradition and social acceptance. Their scarce regulation and growing use, facilitated by promotion through social networks and distrust of the dominant biomedical model, have generated interest among medical organizations and health authorities in their use and consequences. Appreciations vary from outright rejection to interest in its adoption by public health systems as part of their services. ⋯ The use of CAM by patients cannot be ignored in the therapeutic encounter. Physicians must be prepared to discuss their possible benefits and risks with their patients and to make recommendations in accordance with the principles of medical professionalism: the good of the patient must take precedence over other interests, taking into account the scarce scientific evidence of their efficacy and safety, the imperfect regulation to which they are subject and the lack of pharmacovigilance on their effects. The patient's autonomy over his or her health care, considerations regarding the use of scarce health care resources, and the due compassion and empathy owed to the patient as a suffering being cannot be ignored.