Southern medical journal
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Southern medical journal · Aug 2020
Exploring Knowledge, Beliefs, and Attitudes about Teen Pregnancy among Latino Parents in Arkansas.
Arkansas has the highest incidence of teen pregnancy in 15- to 19-year-olds in the United States, and Latinas remain one of the cultural groups that are most at risk of becoming adolescent mothers. Teen mothers and their children are more likely to face poor socioeconomic conditions and negative health sequelae that perpetuate the cycle of poverty. Tailored interventions meant for families, communities, and/or churches should address both abstinence and other types of contraception to educate young people how to stay healthy, prevent unwanted pregnancy, and empower them to make informed decisions. To develop effective educational interventions, it is essential to understand the current knowledge, beliefs, and attitudes toward teen pregnancy among Latino parents in Arkansas. ⋯ Our findings indicate that based on attitudes toward sexual health, interventions should be tailored to certain groups based on children's sex and age and to parents who had children as teens themselves. Educational materials should emphasize the strengths of Latino culture, such as family values and desire for children to attain a college degree and economic stability before bearing children.
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Southern medical journal · Aug 2020
Association of Renal Clearance with Cerebral White Matter Vascular Disease in Hospitalized Veterans With and Without Delirium.
To assess the relation between renal function and delirium and to assess and compare the relation between cerebral white matter lesion (WML) and renal function as estimated by three formulas for the estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) in older adult hospitalized veterans with and without delirium. ⋯ The association between stages 2 through 5 of chronic kidney disease and WLM support the role of kidney function as a potential risk factor for WML in older adult military veterans. The Cockcroft-Gault formula is an important renal index of suspected WML and renal stages 2 through 5, superior to the MDRD-6 and MDRD-4, respectively, in association with WML in older adult military veterans.
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Southern medical journal · Aug 2020
Responding to COVID-19: Perspectives on Curricular Changes in a Rural Medical School.
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) rapidly led to global human devastation, including multiple deaths, sicknesses, and financial reverberations across many individuals and communities. As COVID-19 gained its foothold in the United States, medical school administrators, faculty, and students had to undergo rapid change to mitigate the disease spread, putting all parties in dubious situations. ⋯ Medical schools with students practicing in rural, remote regions with a dearth of healthcare resources have even more complicated decisions to make in these unprecedented times. We provide an overview of rapid decision-making processes that can be used by curriculum leaders and medical school administrators to continue to meet accreditation requirements while attempting to keep medical students safe and prepared for graduation in response to the COVID-19 health crisis.
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Southern medical journal · Aug 2020
Patient and Hospital Characteristics of Newborns with Neonatal Withdrawal Syndrome.
We sought to evaluate hospital resource usage patterns and determine risk factors for neonatal withdrawal syndrome (NWS) in the United States. ⋯ Since 2000, the number of infants treated for NWS in the US neonatal intensive care units has increased fivefold, accounting for an estimated $1.5 billion in annual hospital expenditures. The high hospital resource usage among NWS neonates raises the possibility that care for expectant mothers who use opiates and their newborns may be able to be delivered in a more efficient and effective manner. Because the majority of the study population was covered by Medicaid programs, state policy makers should be mindful of the impact the opioid crises continue to have on expectant mothers and their infants.