Southern medical journal
-
Atopic dermatitis (AD) is one of the most common chronic childhood conditions. Disparities in treatment and access to care can result in poor disease control and decreased quality of life. The aim of this study was to determine whether race and ethnicity affect treatment and healthcare utilization for pediatric atopic dermatitis in central Florida. ⋯ This study indicates that racial and ethnic disparities exist in healthcare utilization in pediatric AD. The underlying factors contributing to these disparities need to be further studied and addressed to reach health equity within pediatric AD.
-
Southern medical journal · Oct 2024
Exploring Bias in Health Care: Using Art to Facilitate a Narrative Medicine Approach among Third-Year Medical Students.
Teaching medical students about biases in health care poses challenges due to the complexity of modifying preexisting beliefs and the possibility of triggering strong emotional reactions. Narrative medicine fosters reflection and discussion among healthcare providers, and visual thinking strategies (VTS) enable providers to improve diagnostic ability through close and methodical examination of art. This study investigated the effectiveness of a session integrating narrative medicine and VTS to enhance third-year medical students' understanding of bias in health care. ⋯ Combining narrative medicine and VTS in a single session offers a promising approach for discussing bias in healthcare education. Through reflective experiences and art interpretation, students demonstrated an awareness of often interconnected strategies to identify and mitigate bias while caring for patients. Future next steps for this study involve exploring longitudinal impacts and integrating narrative medicine strategies throughout the medical school curriculum.
-
Southern medical journal · Oct 2024
Optimizing Dermatological Care Triage in a Safety-Net Hospital: Retrospective Analysis of Diagnoses and In-Person Referrals.
Teledermatology is a cost-effective and efficient approach to delivering care and is particularly beneficial for patients with limited access to specialized services. Considering the rapid expansion of telehealth, it is crucial to focus on optimization. The purpose of our study was to evaluate the triaging of dermatologic care in an electronic consultation (e-consultation) service in a safety-net hospital. ⋯ E-consultation services seem well suited for certain concerns, and underserved populations can be evaluated by teledermatology.
-
In response to worldwide shortages of N95 masks during the severe acute respiratory syndrome-coronavirus-2 pandemic, various strategies have been used. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommend several strategies, including simple isolation to reprocessing methods using vaporized hydrogen peroxide to guide reuse of masks up to five times. National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) quantitative fit testing was performed after five trials of donning and doffing in one cohort of new masks and two cohorts of repeatedly sterilized "duckbill"-type N95 masks. ⋯ These data show the variability of NIOSH fit testing results of both new and sterilized masks. The mask recycling program of our partner health systems thus discarded these types of masks due to the variable failure rate. Health systems should consider individual evaluation to inform their overall policies on mask reuse and recycling.