Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Staying Current In Your Field Of Interest: Tips For Aspiring Students As Researchers, Dor D. Abelman

Health Studies Publications

Undergraduate students are becoming increasingly involved in research. They already posses the skills required to make meaningful contributions to their field of interest. Some important components of their success relates to a student's ability to stay up to date in the research of their field, and to learn practical skills pertaining to the publishing process. This article hopes to help with this through presenting easy-to-follow summary tables and short paragraphs on tips for success. Topics include staying up to date in a practical way, getting involved, reaching out for help, and publication. For students, by students, this report is relatable …

Impact Of Conflict On Medical Education: A Cross-Sectional Survey Of Students And Institutions In Iraq, Ashton Barnett-Vanes, Sondus Hassounah, Marwan Shawki, Omar Abdulkadir Ismail, Chi Fung, Tara Kedia, Salman Rawaf, Azeem Majeed

Dartmouth Scholarship

Objective: This study surveyed all Iraqi medical schools and a cross-section of Iraqi medical students regarding their institutional and student experiences of medical education amidst ongoing conflict. The objective was to better understand the current resources and challenges facing medical schools, and the impacts of conflict on the training landscape and student experience, to provide evidence for further research and policy development. Setting: Deans of all Iraqi medical schools registered in the World Directory of Medical Schools were invited to participate in a survey electronically. Medical students from three Iraqi medical schools were invited to participate in a survey electronically. …

The Future Of Global Health Education: Training For Equity In Global Health, Lisa V. Adams, Claire M. Wagner, Cameron T. Nutt, Agnes Binagwaho

Dartmouth Scholarship

Background:

Among academic institutions in the United States, interest in global health has grown substantially: by the number of students seeking global health opportunities at all stages of training, and by the increase in institutional partnerships and newly established centers, institutes, and initiatives to house global health programs at undergraduate, public health and medical schools. Witnessing this remarkable growth should compel health educators to question whether the training and guidance that we provide to students today is appropriate, and whether it will be applicable in the next decade and beyond. Given that “global health” did not exist as an academic …

Medicine Outside The Clinic: The Growing Need For Physicians In Sexual Education Policy, Zachary Sanford

Marshall Journal of Medicine

Sex and sexuality are both topics of immense social and personal importance, owing their openness or constraint in large part to the society in which they are discussed. In homogenous groups it may be possible to reach firm consensus on what is, or is not, appropriate to consider a sexual norm and use an overarching set of religious or spiritual morals to reaffirm this decision. However, in western society and specifically in the United States, a theme of integration and amalgamation of wildly different cultures has presented an interesting case study in searching for common ground on basic social issues. …

Assessment Of Texan Pharmacists' Attitudes, Behaviors, And Preferences Related To Continuing Pharmacy Education, Fadi M. Alkhateeb, Omar F. Attarabeen, Alameddine Sarah

Pharmacy Practice & Administration

Background: Whether the available Continuing Education (CE) programs meet pharmacists’ continuously increasing needs and preferences is open to question.

Objectives: to investigate pharmacists’ perceptions and attitudes concerning available CE programs, evaluate the pharmacists’ choices with regard to selecting among different CE programs, and investigate the factors that are associated with preference to utilize online CE programs.

Method: A 17-question survey was developed and mailed to a random sample of 600 Texan pharmacists. In addition to collecting basic demographic information, the survey investigated pharmacists’ choices with regard to delivery and content of CE programs, motivations to participation in CE programs, and …

Breastfeeding Intention Within A Rural Postpartum Population: Does Education Matter?, Brooke Hawkins

DNP Scholarly Projects

Purpose: The purpose of this scholarly project was to determine breastfeeding intention in a rural population after receiving education from a certified lactation consultant.

Review of the Literature: The benefits of breastfeeding for both mother and child are clearly stated in the literature. Despite the known benefits, rates of breastfeeding are decreased within rural populations. Previous research suggests education about breastfeeding benefits is beneficial in increasing these rates. In particular, previous studies focused on the contributing factors affecting a mother’s decision to breast or formula feed. However, few studies were found strictly evaluating breastfeeding intention after receiving formal …

New Journals For Publishing Medical Case Reports, Katherine G. Akers Phd

Library Scholarly Publications

Because they do not rank highly in the hierarchy of evidence and are not frequently cited, case reports describing the clinical circumstances of single patients are seldom published by medical journals. However, many clinicians argue that case reports have significant educational value, advance medical knowledge, and complement evidence-based medicine. Over the last several years, a vast number (~160) of new peer-reviewed journals have emerged that focus on publishing case reports. These journals are typically open access and have relatively high acceptance rates. However, approximately half of the publishers of case reports journals engage in questionable or "predatory" publishing practices. Authors …

Prostate Cancer: Screening, Current Guidelines And Patient Education, Timothy F. Flanagan

Family Medicine Clerkship Student Projects

Recent changes in prostate cancer screening guidelines may create an opportunity for patient education. By creating a succinct hand-out on prostate cancer screening, providers enable their patients to understand screening, and provide sites with opportunities for further learning.

E-Cigarettes: What Primary Care Providers Need To Know, Jennifer S. Albert

Family Medicine Clerkship Student Projects

E-cigarettes are gaining in popularity, yet our understanding of their health effects remains uncertain. Many people believe that they can aid in smoking cessation, however the evidence is inconclusive. The conflicting information in the public media has led some providers in Central Vermont to recommend e-cigarettes to their patients. This intervention aims to educate primary care providers about e-cigarettes by creating and distributing a fact sheet that can guide patient-provider interactions.

Pap Smear Compliance Study At Emmc, Bangor Maine, Do Gwak

Family Medicine Clerkship Student Projects

Many factors contribute to the accurate reporting of pap smear compliance in patients population. The factors identified during the study are system failure of EMR to track pap smear records and lack of communication among different clinics.

Evaluation Of Educational Intervention And Management Of Patients With Type Ii Diabetes Mellitus, Elissa Johnson

DNP Projects

Background: Diabetes is a costly disease with devastating consequences. Patients with poor glucose control whether due to inadequate medical care or limited self-care are most at risk for complications. Evidence supports the efficacy of multifaceted interventions in the treatment of type II diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Patient education, assessing behavioral and psychosocial elements, and focusing on lifestyle change (e.g. diet and exercise) are interventions shown to enhance self-efficacy and promote patient empowerment (Knight, Dornan, & Bundy, 2005).

Study Design: A retrospective chart review of 104 patients with established T2DM was conducted along with a qualitative interview with providers focused on management …

The Importance Of Collecting An Accurate Family Medical History, Danielle T. Leahy

Family Medicine Clerkship Student Projects

Family medical history has been recognized as an important non-modifiable risk factor for many chronic diseases including cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and even several types of cancer. However, a number of studies have shown that patients’ recall of their family history is often inaccurate and missing important information such as family members’ age at onset or diagnosis of a disease. Additionally, there is substantial variation regarding how often family physicians are actually obtaining FMH during visits. Patients’ understanding of the importance of obtaining an accurate FMH and even their perception of familial risk of common chronic diseases is also highly variable …

A Confidential Sms Texting Service For Lgbtq Youth Sexual And Reproductive Health, Matthew A. Shear

Family Medicine Clerkship Student Projects

Compared to heterosexual youth, lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender youth are at higher risk for depression, tobacco, alcohol and other drug use, suicide, and unhealthy sexual behaviors. The #1 priority set by Vermont's LGBTQ youth was access to queer-inclusive sex education during middle and high school. In collaboration with OutrightVT, an LGBTQ youth service organization based in Burlington, we worked to expand access to a 24 hour text-messaging based reproductive health hotline 724-888-7277 (SASS).

The number and frequency of text messages submitted to the hotline pre- and post-intervention were used measure the increase in access/awareness.

Childhood Obesity: A National Emergency, Elaine E. Wang

Family Medicine Clerkship Student Projects

Childhood obesity rates and the related public health costs are rising every year. Many projects have addressed family education on the importance of diet and exercise. However, though patients reportedly understand this concept, they are still have challenges implementing their knowledge. We seek to address this discrepancy with an educational brochure based on suggestions for parents from the American Academy of Pediatrics.

Improving Awareness Of Low Health Literacy And Strategies To Overcome It, Sherilyn Destefano

Family Medicine Clerkship Student Projects

This project outlines an intervention delivered at a family medicine residency program in Bangor, ME to increase residents' knowledge of the impact of low health literacy and supply them with communication techniques to help improve patient understanding. Over 36% of U.S. adults have basic or below basic health literacy skills and low health literacy has been shown to lead to poorer health outcomes, increased health disparities, and increased cost. Our presentation focused on communication techniques like Teach-Back, an evidence-based strategy that assesses patient understanding by asking patients to repeat back healthcare instructions in their own words, that has been shown …