Southern medical journal
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Southern medical journal · Oct 2024
Improving Hypertension and Diabetes Mellitus Control with a Dedicated Patient Navigator.
Hypertension and diabetes mellitus (DM) are the leading causes of cardiovascular, cerebrovascular, and chronic kidney diseases. They affect an estimated 47% and 11% of Americans, respectively. In this study, we assessed whether a dedicated patient navigator embedded within a patient-centered medical home (PCMH) using a structured panel management and patient outreach strategy could improve blood pressure and glycemic control in primary care patients with uncontrolled hypertension and DM. ⋯ This study demonstrated the benefit of a dedicated patient navigator embedded within a PCMH on improving BP and glycemic control in primary care patients with uncontrolled hypertension and DM. Glycemic control was achieved, with 30% of episodes reaching an HbA1c of <8% and BP control achieved for 40% of episodes with SBP <140 mm Hg at 12 months. There were no differences by the social determinants of race and poverty.
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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.
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Southern medical journal · Oct 2024
Validity of Endometrial Cavity Length on 3D Pelvic Ultrasound before Endometrial Ablation.
This study aimed to compare endometrial cavity length measurements obtained by preoperative three-dimensional (3D) reconstruction of coronal images on pelvic ultrasound with intraoperative endometrial cavity measurements obtained in advance of Minerva endometrial ablation. ⋯ Our findings suggest that preoperative coronal endometrial cavity length measurements by ultrasound are not a valid substitute for intraoperative measurements before Minerva ablation.
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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.