Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Covid: The Sound Of Silence, Saptarshi Biswas

HCA Healthcare Journal of Medicine

COVID brought its toll of deaths. Something the human race has not experienced in recent times. Something almost unimaginable in the modern world! But having joined a new hospital and moved to a sleepy old town, COVID gave me a sense of solitude I have not experienced for eons. There are times you wonder at the endless ocean in front of you and communicate with your inner soul.

Mental Health Problems Among Elementary School Students Mandated To E-Learning: A Covid-19 Rapid Review Caveat, Renée M. D'Amore, Angelina N. Halpern, Lauren R. Reed, Kevin M. Gorey

International Journal of School Social Work

Extended lockdowns during the COVID-19 pandemic mandated millions of students worldwide to e-learning and by default made many of their parents proxy homeschool teachers. Preliminary anecdotal, journalistic and qualitative evidence suggested that elementary school children and their parents were probably most vulnerable to this stressor and most likely to experience mental health problems because of it. We responded with a rapid review of 15 online surveys to estimate the magnitude of such risks and their predictors between 2020 and 2021. The pooled relative risk of mental health problems among school children and their parents was substantial (RR = 1.97). Moreover, …

Part Of The Team: Effecting Change And Sharing Power In Healthcare Settings, Jessica Stanier, Rachel Purtell, Dave Thomas, William Murray

Patient Experience Journal

In 2019, we, as a group of patients and researchers, were invited to rethink how the executive board received and responded to patient stories at a specific NHS hospital trust in the UK. Through an iterative series of meetings, we were able to co-identify common concerns and together develop a distinctive narrative framework for effecting change by sharing patient experiences. This narrative framework is designed to help patients position themselves as ‘part of their healthcare team,’ emphasising roles and responsibilities between patients and health practitioners to compare ideals with reality in patient experiences. While the project was promising, several factors …

Higher Education Students’ Perceptions Of Online Learning During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Abby O’Bryant

Butler Journal of Undergraduate Research

This article focuses on the impacts of online learning during the COVID-19 pandemic on students at the University of Hawai‘i at Hilo. Using survey data (n = 64) and semistructured interviews with currently enrolled students (n = 17), key impacts of online learning on the student body were analyzed. The respondents reported disengagement in lectures, negative impacts on their mental and physical health, negative thoughts about dropping out and transferring, apprehension about the quality of course content, and dissatisfaction with tuition. The paper utilizes qualitative data analysis to report the findings.

The Effect Of Covid-19 On Substance Use And Mental Health On A College Campus, Georgia L. Coffman

Butler Journal of Undergraduate Research

In this research, the author surveyed a university population to determine the impact that COVID-19 has had on substance use and mental health. Current research provides significant data indicating worsening mental health and substance use. This paper looks at how applicable those trends are to a small private university in Indianapolis, Indiana. The data included 261 respondents composed of students, faculty, and staff of the university. The results reveal that college students, faculty, and staff experienced statistically significant increases in feelings of unhappiness, depression, loneliness, hopelessness, agitation, and irritability during the pandemic compared to before the pandemic. Data analysis of …

Legislating Healthcare: A Legislative History Of Healthcare Equity And Access In The Mid-20th Century United States, Jazmin Alvarez

The Pegasus Review: UCF Undergraduate Research Journal

Historically, the United States has struggled to provide accessible healthcare to all Americans. Now, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the country must rebuild its healthcare system to account for the devastating loss of healthcare personnel and the impending physician shortage. This paper discusses four U.S. laws that were intended to increase accessibility and how their history can guide the nation to better healthcare.

Plan C, Dereck Daschke

Journal of Religion & Film

This is a film review of PLAN C (2023), directed by Tracy Droz Tragos.

Medicine's Roots: Through The Banyan Trees, Emily E. Klosterman

HCA Healthcare Journal of Medicine

I started residency before the COVID-19 pandemic, at a time when we were able to see our patient’s faces without masks, give reassuring smiles, and sit closely while discussing a difficult diagnosis. Little did I know that in 2019, the way we practice would change overnight, as an unprecedented virus took hold. We could no longer see our patients’ faces, reassuring smiles were hidden by masks, and close conversations were held at a distance. Our homes became our claustrophobic havens, and the hospitals were saturated with patients.

Driven by a deep-rooted need to assist others, we continued onward. As life …

Wellness Review 2022, Part 1, Martin Huecker, Brian A. Ferguson, Jacob Shreffler

Journal of Wellness

Introduction: This article represents the first of a two-part assessment of 2022 literature addressing wellness in healthcare professionals published from January 1, 2022 to June 30, 2022.

Methods: Three editors conducted a similar keyword search in Pubmed, also adding manually curated articles. Focusing chiefly on clinical trials and other prospective research, we settled on a final 25 significant papers focusing on wellness in medical professionals to include in this review.

Literature Review: Recent literature into HCW wellness continues to describe burnout factors and COVID-19 impact, but includes more resilience-targeting interventions and systematic reviews of trials seeking bolstering of well-being. Subsections …

3 Selections From "Upon The Body: Poems Of/To A Black Social Epi, Pt.Ii--Love//Resistance In The Time Of Covid", R. J. Petteway

Amplify: A Journal of Writing-as-Activism

The 3 poems included here are from a collection written between January and August 2020. The full collection—27 poems total—examines intersections of structural racism, racialized police violence, and COVID-19, drawing from generations of creative resistance produced and embodied by Black artists, activists, and scholars like Nina Simone, Langston Hughes, Paul Laurence Dunbar, Audre Lorde, Ida B. Wells, James Baldwin, and W.E.B. DuBois. The collection as a whole is crafted as counternarrative to public health’s ahistoric, apolitical, racist, and homophobic proclivities in times of crisis. The 3 poems here are from Part II, "LOVE//Resistance in the Time of COVID.” These selections …

J Mich Dent Assoc May 2022

The Journal of the Michigan Dental Association

Monthly, The Journal of the Michigan Dental Association brings news, information, and feature articles to our state's oral health community and the MDA's 6,200+ members. No publication reaches more Michigan dentists!

In this May 2022 issue, the reader will find the following original content:

• A feature on “Periodontal Disease and COVID-19"
• A cover feature introducing Dr. Vince Benivegna 2022-23 MDA President
• A 10-Minute EBD: “Charcoal Toothpastes Pose Risks with Few Benefits”
• A Professional Ethics article on “How Can Our Office be More Inclusive of Transgender Patients”
• News you need: an Editorial, a profile on Dr. Jessica Rikert, recipient of the …

Community: The True Driver Of Excellence In Human Experience, Jason A. Wolf

Patient Experience Journal

The idea that we are a community first, a community of people from a breadth of backgrounds and experiences, from all corners of our world, has been the foundation on which our work has been built, our efforts motivated, our research driven and our hope inspired. It is a tapestry of possibility, grounded in evidence and brought to life in practice that has made the journey to our 9^th volume so enriching. A community is fostered in realizations of people who want to be part of something together – an idea, a hope, a purpose or possibility – and …

Wellness Review 2021, Part 2, Brian A. Ferguson, Martin Huecker

Journal of Wellness

Introduction: This article presents Part 2 of the biannual JWellness Review of literature from 2021 (July – December). We emphasize new science and resilience initiatives published outside of JWellness that seek understanding of burnout and thriving among healthcare professionals (HCPs).

Methods: For the interval of July 1 to December 30, 2021, PubMed was queried for empirical and observational research studies, review articles, guideline summaries, letters, and editorials. Of 93 results, we reviewed methods and salient points to arrive at a final list of 48 articles for inclusion.

Literature in Review: Common themes that emerged included teamwork, EMR optimization, group decompression, …

Uncharted Territories: Covid-19 And Other 2020 Events That Changed Lives Forever, Justina Ogodo

Journal of Multicultural Affairs

The year 2020 rolled in with pomp and pageantry like any other year in human history. I assume that many like me had high hopes, possibly made new year resolutions. I looked forward to the new year with great expectations—planned trips, events, graduations, weddings, and even new writing goals and aspirations. But the year had its own plan, taking an unexpected turn. I am a science educator, wife, and mother of three black children; I walked into the uncharted territories of COVID-19 and other 2020 events that changed lives forever. I tell this story of my lived experience with a …

Corona, Syed Anjum Khan

HCA Healthcare Journal of Medicine

We all are witnessing unprecedented pain and suffering, enduring unsurpassed tribulations. As a doctor working in an intensive care unit each day, I carry the burden of my patients and their families, my coworkers, my own family and friends. I never think about myself, the burden on my soul.

Yet I believe there will be a better tomorrow. A new day, where COVID times will be remembered with tears in our eyes yet a comfort in our smile that it’s past.

Student Pharmacists’ Emotional Responses And Coping During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Hannah E. Johnson, Deaundre Bumpass, Aric Schadler, Jeffrey Cain

Journal of Wellness

Introduction: Health professions students, including student pharmacists, have been impacted by the coronavirus disease 19 (COVID-19 pandemic) as schools have transitioned to remote learning and cancelled milestone events. During times of crises, media consumption and hobby participation also impact well-being. The adverse emotional responses and coping strategies of student pharmacists amidst the COVID-19 pandemic have not been evaluated, nor have factors that may contribute to emotional responses. The purpose of this study is to determine Doctor of Pharmacy students’ emotional responses and coping precipitated by the COVID-19 pandemic, and the influence of media use, working status, and participation in hobbies. …

Covid-19 Experiences, Behaviors, Beliefs, And Well-Being Among Students And Employees At A University In Rural Appalachia: A Cross-Sectional Study, Lauren Wisnieski, Kimberly A. Carney, Jenny L. Thornley

Journal of Appalachian Health

Introduction: In response to the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, most universities experienced drastic operational changes with shifts to online learning, work-from-home policies, and social distancing measures. These changes have caused concern for social isolation and mental health.

Purpose: This cross-sectional study explores differences in COVID-19 experiences, behaviors, beliefs, and well-being among students and employees (faculty and staff) at a rural Appalachian university.

Methods: Data were collected with an online anonymous survey in September-October 2020 using convenience sampling. The survey measured multiple domains including COVID-19-related 1) beliefs, 2) symptoms and diagnoses, 3) exposure and preventive behavior, and 4) social, mental, and …

Wellness Review 2021, Part 1, Martin Huecker, Brian A. Ferguson, Jacob Shreffler

Journal of Wellness

Introduction: This article presents a curated selection of the wellness literature from January to June of 2021. JWellness editors offer a summary of recent publications within the wellness domain to seek an understanding of both burnout prevention and, more importantly, thriving in the medical profession.

Methods: For the interval of Jan 1 to June 30, 2021, a UofL librarian queried PubMed for empirical research studies, review articles, and editorials related to healthcare professional wellness. Excluding papers related to COVID-19 (due to extensive prior coverage) and editorials/commentaries, the editors narrowed to 43 articles (systematic reviews, meta-analyses, general reviews, and clinical trials) …

The Current, Scott K. Heysell

Journal of Wellness

No abstract provided.

Emergence Of Covid-19 And Patterns Of Early Transmission In An Appalachian Sub-Region, Abbey K. Mann, Timothy A. Joyner, Ingrid E. Luffman, Megan Quinn, William Tollefson, Ashley Frazier

Journal of Appalachian Health

Background: In mid-March 2020, very few cases of COVID-19 had been confirmed in the Central Blue Ridge Region, an area in Appalachia that includes 47 jurisdictions across northeast Tennessee, western North Carolina, and southwest Virginia. Authors described the emergence of cases and outbreaks in the region between March 18 and June 11, 2020.

Methods: Data were collected from the health department websites of Tennessee, North Carolina, and Virginia beginning in mid-March for an ongoing set of COVID-19 monitoring projects, including a newsletter for local healthcare providers and a Geographic Information Systems (GIS) dashboard. In Fall 2020, using these databases, authors …

Perioperative Anesthetics And Adjuvant Anxiolytics For Cataract Surgery Patients, Levi Franz, Jeremy J. Kudrna, Peter Hoesing, Mark Garry

Aesculapius Journal (Health Sciences & Medicine)

Cataract Surgery is one of the most common surgeries performed worldwide. It has high rates of success, and minimal adverse outcomes. In spite of the surgery’s effectiveness, patients frequently report perioperative anxiety. This anxiety is often treated with pharmacologic sedation; however, evidence suggests that this is unnecessary, and can lead to poorer patient outcomes. There is evidence that other adjuvant therapies exist which can decrease the need for higher levels of pharmacologic sedation; this paper explores some of these adjuvant therapies.

Exploring Covid-19 Case Fatality In Relation To The Prevalence Of Chronic Conditions And Health Behaviors In Appalachian Kentucky, W. Jay Christian

Journal of Appalachian Health

Background: Research has demonstrated that common chronic conditions, especially those related to cardiovascular health, are important risk factors for severe COVID-19 symptoms or hospitalization. Population prevalence rates of such conditions have not previously been examined in relation to COVID-19 case fatality rates in the Central Appalachian region.

Purpose: This study examined prevalence rates of selected chronic conditions and COVID-19 case fatality rates to determine whether the relationship between them is consistent across Appalachian and non-Appalachian regions of Kentucky.

Methods: Data from Kentucky’s Behavioral Risk Factor Survey (KyBRFS) were used to calculate prevalence rates of asthma, diabetes, influenza vaccination, hypertension, obesity, …

Pandemic And Õen Consumption In Japan: Deliberate Buying To Aid The Seller, Kosuke Mizukoshi, Yuichiro Hidaka

Markets, Globalization & Development Review

This dialogue contribution discusses whether it is possible to create favorable new social assistance under the market principles, based on the Ouen or Õen (aid) consumption in Japan. The meaning of consumption has changed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In Japan, aid consumption is increasing. This means helping local restaurants and producers by willfully and proactively buying and consuming their services and products. This is a favorable form of new social assistance and the result of strong marketing and market functions. The penetration of market forces may surpass pure altruistic behavior such as donations and gifts, by creating new market-linked …

Rethink Everything 2: Markets, Globalization, Development, Nikhilesh Dholakia, Deniz Atik

Markets, Globalization & Development Review

No abstract provided.

Poll Finds Rural Residents More Hesitant To Get Vaccinated, Tim Marema

Journal of Appalachian Health

Rural residents are more hesitant than their metropolitan counterparts to get a Covid-19 vaccination, even though rural areas have higher rates of infections and deaths from the coronavirus.

Impact Of The Covid-19 Shutdown On Mental Health In Appalachia By Working Status, Erin N. Haynes, Timothy J. Hilbert, Susan C. Westneat, Kate Leger, Katie Keynton, Heather M. Bush

Journal of Appalachian Health

Introduction: To slow the spread of COVID-19 in the United States, businesses shutdown in Spring 2020. Research has indicated the impact on frontline workers, yet little is known about the impact on those who were not working outside the home or switched to working remotely.

Purpose: The purpose of this report is to identify the financial and healthcare issues and mental health impact of the COVID-19 shutdown on Appalachians by worker categories.

Methods: An online survey was administered from May 8 – June 6, 2020 to a convenience sample of previous research participants and shared through social …

Heeding The Call Of Covid-19, David Wiebers, Valery Feigin

Animal Sentience

We are grateful to all of our commentators. They have provided a wide range of valuable perspectives and insights from many fields, revealing a broad interest in the subject matter. Nearly all the commentaries have helped to affirm, refine, expand, amplify, deepen, interpret, elaborate, or apply the messages in the target article. Some have offered critiques and suggestions that help us address certain issues in greater detail, including several points concerning industrialized farming and the wildlife trade. Overall, there is great awareness and strong consensus among commentators that any solution for preventing future pandemics and other related health crises must …

Still Learning: Covid Through The Eyes Of A Medical Student, Alexis Strahan

HCA Healthcare Journal of Medicine

As a first-year medical student when the COVID-19 pandemic found a foothold, I felt an overwhelming amount of emotions that accompanied the pandemic’s spread. Fear, although a reasonable choice, was not the first emotion that I experienced. In fact, it was a general feeling of paralysis. I had not six months prior taken an oath to commit my career and life to the service of the public’s health care needs, yet I could provide little more than the textbook knowledge of biochemistry or genetics from my first semester of learning. My hands felt unarmed and unskilled for the fight. What …

Covid-19 With Congruent Affect, Mitchell Thomas

HCA Healthcare Journal of Medicine

Music is a vehicle of capturing an individual’s experiences: a new beginning, a broken heart, complete joy, and even catharsis. Before deciding to embark on my path in medicine, music was my interest. Creating music is my therapeutic method of relieving stress, providing a productive outlet when coping with my stressors, and allowing me to focus on becoming a better student doctor. It has carried me through tough times and continues to do so. This instrumental song I wrote represents how I felt as a second-year medical student going through the COVID-19 pandemic; from being isolated in a state away …

Starting Residency With Covid-19, Seena Khosravi, Ashish Sinha

HCA Healthcare Journal of Medicine

Introduction

By Dr. Ashish Sinha, MD, PhD, DABA, MBA, FASA

As a Program Director of a just established anesthesia program, one faces enough challenges. A curve ball that I was not expecting was one of my residents to inform me on July 3rd that he was feeling feverish with chills, had myalgia and a headache. First response in my mind, that I didn’t verbalize was, ”Anosmia too?” I arranged COVID testing ASAP in a drive-by setting, which we could avail immediately. My resident had driven from New Orleans, LA to Riverside, CA, making a few stops along the way, (food, …