Southern medical journal
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Southern medical journal · May 2022
ReviewA Narrative Review of Medical Interpretation Services and their Effect on the Quality of Health Care.
Half of the foreign-born population in the United States speaks English "less than very well." The extant literature suggests that low-English-proficient (LEP) patients experience poorer healthcare outcomes than do language-concordant patients. It remains unclear which methods of interpreter services are best for communicating effectively and achieving positive health outcomes for LEP patients. This review examines interpretation methods to compare their effectiveness and frequency of use and identifies the remaining gaps in our knowledge. ⋯ Even with this knowledge, use of interpreter services is unacceptably low and gaps remain. Further research is needed to isolate and examine different methods of interpretation and measure objective health outcomes. In addition, education is needed for interpreters and healthcare providers to ensure the most effective communicative strategies for LEP patients.
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Southern medical journal · May 2022
The Doctors in the House: Examining Physician Legislators in the US Congress from 2011 to 2020.
Legislation dictating federal healthcare policy is drafted largely by members of the US Senate and House of Representatives. As such, their personal and professional backgrounds play important roles in setting the national healthcare agenda. We examine the professional and legislative records of the 28 federal physician legislators with voting privileges between 2011 and 2020. ⋯ To engage in meaningful healthcare policy advocacy, professional organizations must support and encourage leadership training for physicians, increase the geographic and professional diversity of physician legislators, prioritize the election of physicians from both political parties, and inculcate deep and lasting professional relationships to physicians in Congress.
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Southern medical journal · May 2022
Sex Education and Sexual Risk Behavior among Adolescents and Youth in the Deep South: Implications for Youth HIV Prevention.
Adolescents and young adults represent the largest group of new human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infections in the United States, especially in the South. We wanted to determine whether abstinence only until marriage (AOUM) sex education programs were effective in reducing HIV vulnerability among youth in Mississippi. ⋯ AOUM sex education programs are ineffective in reducing HIV vulnerability among youth in Mississippi. There is an urgent need to implement comprehensive sex education if we are to reduce the numbers of new HIV infections among youth and achieve our goals of ending the HIV epidemic by 2030.
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Southern medical journal · May 2022
Relationship between Sociodemographic Factors, Perceived COVID-19 Risk, and Engagement with Health Protective Behaviors.
This study describes the relationship between sociodemographic factors, chronic conditions, coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) fears and stressors, and the perception of risk from COVID-19 and the use of health protective behaviors among Arkansans during the COVID-19 pandemic. ⋯ In future pandemic planning, there will be a need to create messaging and interventions to increase health protective behaviors directed at young adults, men, and those with lower education levels. Providers will need to address fears related to COVID-19 and help their patients to manage those fears and anxieties.
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Southern medical journal · May 2022
Facilitating the Advance Care Planning Conversation with Patients: An Interactive Virtual 1.5-Hour Session.
The Liaison Committee on Medical Education requires that the curriculum of medical schools includes end-of-life care. Most medical students feel reluctant to discuss end-of-life issues with their patients, but would like to learn more. ⋯ The brief didactic presented here on facilitating advance directives conversations constitutes an easily implemented and well-received session for medical students. Students reported high levels of confidence and comfort around having advance directive conversations after participating in this didactic session.