Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

The Effectiveness Of Disinfection Protocols In Osteopathic Family Medicine Offices, Riley Phyu, Harrison A Patrizio, Thomas Boyle, Todd Schachter

Rowan-Virtua School of Osteopathic Medicine Faculty Scholarship

CONTEXT: Healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) pose a substantial public health threat. Despite significant strides to curb HAIs in hospital environments, outpatient settings have not received the same degree of attention. Given their emphasis on holistic, patient-centered care, osteopathic family medicine offices are pivotal in both disease prevention and comprehensive patient treatment. The importance of simple yet effective disinfection protocols, such as thorough cleaning between patient appointments, cannot be overstated in these settings because they are integral to minimizing disease transmission.

OBJECTIVES: This study aims to assess the effectiveness of the current disinfection protocols in osteopathic family medicine offices.

METHODS: A cross-sectional …

Bisphenol-A And Phthalate Metabolism In Children With Neurodevelopmental Disorders, T Peter Stein, Margaret D Schluter, Robert A Steer, Xue Ming

Rowan-Virtua School of Osteopathic Medicine Faculty Scholarship

BACKGROUND: The etiology of autism spectrum (ASD) and Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity (ADHD) disorders are multifactorial. Epidemiological studies have shown associations with environmental pollutants, such as plasticizers. This study focused on two of these compounds, the Bisphenol-A (BPA) and Diethylhexyl Phthalate (DEHP). The major pathway for BPA and DEHP excretion is via glucuronidation. Glucuronidation makes insoluble substances more water-soluble allowing for their subsequent elimination in urine.

HYPOTHESIS: Detoxification of these two plasticizers is compromised in children with ASD and ADHD. Consequently, their tissues are more exposed to these two plasticizers.

METHODS: We measured the efficiency of glucuronidation in three groups of children, …

Development Of A Covid-19 Vulnerability Index (Cvi) For The Counties And Residents Of New Jersey, Usa., Remo Disalvatore, Sarah K Bauer, Jeong Eun Ahn, Kauser Jahan

Henry M. Rowan College of Engineering Faculty Scholarship

The coronavirus disease 2019, or COVID-19, has impacted countless aspects of everyday life since it was declared a global pandemic by the World Health Organization in March of 2020. From societal to economic impacts, COVID-19 and its variants will leave a lasting impact on our society and the world. During the height of the pandemic, it became increasingly evident that indices, such as the Center for Disease Control's (CDC) Social Vulnerability Index (SVI), were instrumental in predicting vulnerabilities within a community. The CDC's SVI provides important estimates on which communities will be more susceptible to 'hazard events' by compiling a …

Pandemic Response Officers: Integration Between Medical, Public Health, And Higher Education Systems To Expedite Prevention And Response., Anne C Jones, Genevive R Meredith, Donna Leong, Sabine Jamal, Rachel Buckwalter, John D Clarke, Marin Clarkberg, Allan Bishop, Frank Cantone, Claire Espey, Frank Kruppa, Mary George Opperman, Gary A Koretzky

Rowan-Virtua School of Osteopathic Medicine Faculty Scholarship

CONTEXT: Research and policy studies alike have enumerated population and community health benefits of system integration between medical, public health, and social entities. The emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic revealed the necessity of a well-trained and adequately staffed public health and medical workforce in order to process SARS-CoV-2 cases and prevent subsequent transmission. Higher education systems, in particular, represented defined populations of exposure and transmission. Opportunities existed for collaboration and task sharing between institutions of higher education and local public health departments to limit spread and impacts.

PROGRAM: This article describes the Pandemic Response Officer (PRO) program at Cornell University, …

The Effectiveness Of Disinfection Protocols In Medical School Osteopathic Manipulative Medicine Labs., Harrison A. Patrizio, Riley Phyu, Thomas Boyle, Todd Schachter

Rowan-Virtua School of Osteopathic Medicine Faculty Scholarship

CONTEXT: In light of the COVID-19 pandemic, healthcare-associated infections have taken center stage. Healthcare has adjusted workflows to accommodate for more robust disinfecting regiments to help protect the community. This has resulted in the need for medical institutions to reevaluate the current disinfection protocols down to the student level. The osteopathic manipulative medicine (OMM) laboratory provides an optimal avenue for assessing the effectiveness of medical students' ability to clean examination tables. With OMM laboratories having a high level of interaction, adequate disinfection is important for the health and safety of students and teaching faculties.

OBJECTIVES: This study will evaluate the …

The Effect Of Perceived Weight Status And Bmi Perception On Food Attitudes And Food Relationships, Sahil K. Patel, Ryan Gericke, Jaime Dougherty, Adarsh Gupta

Rowan-Virtua School of Osteopathic Medicine Faculty Scholarship

CONTEXT: Obesity has been a national epidemic throughout the United States due to the increasingly sedentary western lifestyle, paired with calorically dense abundant low-nutritional food options. Discussing weight necessitates the conversation of not only the numerical value (body mass index [BMI]) associated with obesity but also the perceived weight or how an individual categorizes their weight, irrespective of their calculated BMI classification. Perceived weight can influence food relationships, overall health, and lifestyle habits.

OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to identify differences in dietary habits, lifestyle habits, and food attitudes among three groups: those correctly identifying as "obese" with …

Physician Stress In The Era Of Covid-19 Vaccine Disparity: A Multi-Institutional Survey, Sarah Zahl, Debasis Mondal, David Tolentino, Jennifer A Fischer, Sherry Jimenez

Rowan-Virtua School of Osteopathic Medicine Faculty Scholarship

CONTEXT: Healthcare workers are at a high risk of infection during infectious disease outbreaks, such as the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite the availability of several vaccines against COVID-19, the absence of vaccination in patients and colleagues remains a continuous source of stress in healthcare workers. We conducted a survey of physician preceptors, both MDs and DOs, to explore the impact of differences in the patients' and colleagues' vaccination status on their well-being, stress, and burnout.

OBJECTIVES: The objective of this study is to determine whether exposure to unvaccinated patients and/or colleagues increases stress and burnout in physician preceptors by utilizing a …

Are They Still Determining? Analysis Of Associations Among Gender, Ethnicity, Socioeconomic Status, Neighborhood Factors And Covid-19 Vaccination, Bokyung Kim, Seoyeon Celine Hong, Sojung Kim

College of Communication & Creative Arts Faculty Scholarship

Introduction: This study explores associations among adult vaccination, ethnicity, gender, and socioeconomic variables such as educational attainment and income, as well as neighborhood factors. Methods: A telephone quota sample of New Jersey adults (N = 1,984) was used to text associations among proposed predictors of vaccination behaviors. Results: Our multivariate logistic regression analyses found that certain races/ethnicity, respondents' household income, and perceived safety of one's community were the strongest predictors of COVID-19 vaccination. The odds of COVID-19 vaccination were 52% lower for Black/African American respondents compared to white/Caucasian respondents (p = 0.001) and 44% lower for Hispanic/Latino respondents compared to …

Racial Differences In Perceived Risk And Sunscreen Usage, Rebecca Fliorent, Alicia Podwojniak, Lianne Adolphe, Katharine Milani

Rowan-Virtua School of Osteopathic Medicine Faculty Scholarship

Background Although White individuals have higher incidence of melanoma, clinical outcomes are worse among patients with skin of color. This disparity arises from delayed diagnoses and treatment that are largely due to clinical and sociodemographic factors. Investigating this discrepancy is crucial to decrease melanoma-related mortality rates in minority communities. A survey was used to investigate the presence of racial disparities in perceived sun exposure risks and behaviors. Methods A survey consisting of 16 questions was deployed via social media to assess skin health knowledge. Over 350 responses were recorded, and the extracted data were analyzed using statistical software. Results Of …