Medical Humanities Commons^™

Ethical Considerations Of Percutaneous Endoscopic Gastrostomy Tube Placement In A Patient With Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease And Advanced Dementia, Toni Habib, Niamh Siobhán Mulrooney, Yisroel Grabie, Mohammad Maruf, Sophia Kasapira

HCA Healthcare Journal of Medicine

Background

Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD) is a rapidly progressive neurodegenerative condition that is not easily diagnosed and has no curative treatments available, essentially requiring palliative measures, including tube feeding. Nonetheless, data shows that the endoscope used for percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy (PEG) tube insertion can be a vector for CJD transmission.

Case Presentation

We discuss the case of an elderly patient diagnosed with CJD, requiring tube feeding. Multiple specialists were consulted, and they were unable to reach an agreement on the best approach. Eventually, the hospital ethics committee intervened, and the family agreed to comfort measures only. This case report sheds light …

A Review Of Racial Differences And Disparities In Ecg, Jianwei Zheng, Chizobam Ani, Islam Abudayyeh, Yunfan Zheng, Cyril Rakovski, Ehsan Yaghmaei, Omolola Ogunyemi

Mathematics, Physics, and Computer Science Faculty Articles and Research

The electrocardiogram (ECG) is a widely used, non-invasive tool for diagnosing a range of cardiovascular conditions, including arrhythmia and heart disease-related structural changes. Despite its critical role in clinical care, racial and ethnic differences in ECG readings are often underexplored or inadequately addressed in research. Variations in key ECG parameters, such as PR interval, QRS duration, QT interval, and T-wave morphology, have been noted across different racial groups. However, the limited research in this area has hindered the development of diagnostic criteria that account for these differences, potentially contributing to healthcare disparities, as ECG interpretation algorithms largely developed from major …

Podcasting Towards Togetherness: Utilizing Podcasts To Improve Departmental Camaraderie And Well-Being, Michael Petrauskis, Colleen Gutman, Rosemarie Fernandez

Journal of Wellness

Introduction: Physician burnout is on the rise, and this is of particular concern in emergency medicine. Burnout is associated with medical errors, adverse events, poor professionalism, and litigation. A sense of community can build engagement and mitigate workplace stressors on well-being. Emergency physicians may have trouble connecting due to the nature of shift-work and various practice settings. Communication technology, and particularly podcasting, has the potential to help overcome these barriers and positively impact relatedness and well-being.

Approach: We developed an inward-facing podcast, “The ER Break Room” within the Department of Emergency Medicine at the University of Florida. Through the …

Effect Of Routine Third Trimester Ultrasounds On Maternal Mental Health In Low-Risk Population In Utah, Claire Z. Zai, Priyanka R. Purohit, Emily M. Snyder, Bryson M. Mcadams, Daniela A. Betancourt-Martinez, Donna O. Van Beuge, Maria N. Easler, Makayla A. Muzinic, Carlos E. Angulo

Annual Research Symposium

Purpose: One in five pregnant women in the United States experience a maternal mental health condition. Within Utah from 2018-2022, during pregnancy, 22.7% of women experienced depression and 31.6% experienced anxiety, and 15.1% experienced postpartum depression. These data represent a prevalence higher than the national average. Third trimester ultrasound (TTUS) is not a standard of care performed in the United States currently. Previous TTUS research has mainly focused on the financial burden and birth outcomes rather than maternal mental health. Literature on first trimester ultrasound has demonstrated a notable impact on maternal mental health, but these outcomes within the third …

Anesthesia And Pain Management In Conflict-Affected Regions: Addressing Global Health Barriers To Access And Quality Of Care​, Naeel Uddin, Sierra Brown, Maria Easler, Ayanda Mkhize, Marwa Hamdam, Chandu Goli, Lauren Draper

Annual Research Symposium

This poster examines how to deliver safe, effective anesthesia and pain control in areas with limited resources and ongoing security threats. Focusing on portable technology, ketamine-based protocols, and telemedicine, we highlight ethical considerations, training needs, and global collaborations. Our findings outline a pathway to reduce suffering and improve surgical outcomes in vulnerable populations by addressing challenges unique to conflict settings.

Wellness Literature Review - 2024, Bidhu Sharma, Martin Huecker, Brian A. Ferguson

Journal of Wellness

Introduction: The Journal of Wellness has moved to a single calendar year editorial review of wellness literature. This annual review includes studies published in 2024.

Methods: Authors conducted a PubMed and Google Scholar keyword search, narrowing results to interventional studies / clinical trials in humans.

Literature in Review: We conducted a thematic review of a selection of relevant papers from the literature search. COVID-19 crisis has exacerbated the rate of burnout and impacted well-being of healthcare providers. Need for intervention in this area has arisen significantly since the pandemic. Post pandemic, working conditions have been normalized to some extent, however, …

Establishing A Student-Run Mobile Clinic In Appalachian Kentucky: A Community-Based Pilot Program To Address Health Inequities, Bradley A. Firchow, John C. Cornelius

Journal of Appalachian Health

The establishment of a student-run mobile clinic in Morehead, Kentucky, led by students from the University of Kentucky College of Medicine’s (UKCOM) Rural Physician Leadership Program (RPLP), aims to address health inequities in rural Appalachian communities. This pilot program is designed to serve vulnerable populations, including the unhoused, by delivering free, accessible healthcare services directly to underserved populations. This program serves as a model for expanding access to healthcare in rural regions while promoting a collaborative, community-based approach to addressing social determinants of health.

Rural Reflections Of Appalachia: A Qualitative Study Of Health Professional Students’ Experiences From A Rural Immersion Experience In West Virginia, Treah Haggerty Md Ms, Jessica Stidham Ma, Stephan Brooks Mph, Abigail Cowher Ba, Sandra Pope Msw, Patricia Dekeseredy Mscn Rn, Cara L. Sedney Md,Ma

Journal of Appalachian Health

Introduction: Conventional academic rotations lack in-depth exposure to rural community members, systems, and resources surrounding specific rural-focused health issues.

Purpose: This study aims to explore health professional students’ experiences within a community-based multidisciplinary rural immersion through their personal reflections.

Methods: Written reflective entries were extracted from the online classroom system from 2019–2021. Data analysis was guided by thematic analysis. An iterative process of qualitatively coding the interviews was conducted. Themes were reviewed and agreed upon by consensus and assessed for validity by two senior researchers.

Results: Sixty-two reflective essays were included from 11 unique professional programs. Resulting themes included (1) …

Life After, John C. Lyden

Journal of Religion & Film

This is a film review of Life After (2025), directed by Reid Davenport.

Unholy, William L. Blizek, Monica Blizek

Journal of Religion & Film

This is a review of the short film, Unholy (2025), directed by Daisy Friedman.

Medical Muse, Unm Health Sciences Center

Medical Muse

A literary journal devoted to the inquiries, experiences, and meditations of the University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center community.

This edition has wonderful contributions that underline why this journal exists. The idea of writing about our challenges, life experiences, and our missions in medicine create teaching and healing for the reader and the writer. I direct the reader to the essays entitled “3 Women” and “Pronouncement” as both pieces underline what the UNM Medical Muse is all about. Writing about one’s experiences as in “3 Women” as well as the lovely “how to” description of cultural competence in “Pronouncement” …

El Uso De Las Prácticas Curativas No Occidentales En Lugar De Y Dentro De La Cultura Biomédica, Lynda Gulledge

World Languages and Cultures Senior Capstones

This paper explores the difficulties that the Hispanic community faces when accessing healthcare in the United States, which emphasizes the use of biomedical culture. Topics such as cultural and linguistic barriers, past and present healthcare policies, and the use of non-Western medical practices are examined. Furthermore, this paper explores the history and use of curanderismo as an accessible and culturally appropriate form of healthcare. Lastly, the integration and acknowledgement of curanderismo in biomedical culture is explored and encouraged in order to create a more holistic healthcare experience for the Hispanic community.

An Accident On Mount Washington: Now I Understand What It's Like To Have Panic Attacks, Chuck Radis

Faculty Publications

This is the story of how Dr. Radis developed PTSD after a mountaineering accident and how it affected him in his personal life and as a physician as he continued to practice and see patients.

All About Euthanasia, Bhavna Bangalore

STEM for Success Showcase

The infographic details the practice of euthanasia. It explains euthanasia's history, legality, and process. The infographic also mentions way to support terminally ill patients that choose to undergo the procedure.

Vaccines And Publics: A Variety Of Engagement Experiences, David H. Lee

Publications and Research

This chapter is about some of the sites and scenes where members of the public are exposed to (and engage in) vaccination discourse. To preview, after a brief introduction, we begin with messaging models of communication, followed by the move from messaging to engagement. Next, case examples of public engagement with vaccines are introduced, from pandemic influenza preparedness in the U.S., to polio eradication initiatives in India, and then to COVID-19 public engagement events in England. Settings of public engagement are noted, including online, in churches and museums. Then, there’s a section about communication and public participation, seen as either …

Acute Hepatitis B Infection In A Patient With Confirmed Immunity On Long-Acting Cabotegravir/Rilpivirine, William K B Boateng, Neil Carlin, Etan Spira, Maria E Szabela, Kosisochukwu J Ezeh

Faculty and Staff Publications

Long-acting injectable formulation of cabotegravir/rilpivirine (CAB/RPV) is a promising novel maintenance therapy for HIV infection. However, coinfection with active hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection is a contraindication to initiating this therapy. Despite guidelines, patients with HBV immunity can still contract acute HBV infection. We report a case of a 30-year-old man with HIV who transitioned from antiretroviral therapy to CAB/RPV and had confirmed HBV immunity. The patient, though asymptomatic, showed significantly elevated liver function tests (LFTs) before his monthly CAB/RPV injection. He was hospitalized and diagnosed with acute HBV infection. His LFTs improved, and he was taken off CAB/RPV and …

“Nothing Is Going To Replace An In-Person Visit”: Canadian Long-Term Care Providers’ And Recipients’ Perspectives On When Telehealth For Physician Visits Is Not Appropriate, Tyler R Cole, Valorie A Crooks, Janice Sorensen, Sherin Jamal, Akber Mithani, Lillian Hung, Jeremy Snyder, Catherine Youngren

Faculty and Staff Publications

Background: Within long-term care (LTC) homes, telehealth use has been found to reduce unnecessary emergency department transfers, support the care needs of rural and underserved communities, and supplement in-person physician care. Despite these benefits, it is not well understood when telehealth is not an appropriate medium for providing physician care to residents with complex health needs. This knowledge gap must be addressed given the recent rise in telehealth use in LTC homes in many health systems following the COVID-19 pandemic, when virtual care use increased in many health care sectors to limit travel and in-person exposure risks, that is expected …

Whether To Offer Interventions At The End Of Life: What Physicians Consider And How Clinical Ethicists Can Help, Joelle Robertson-Preidler, Mikaela Kim, Sophia Fantus, Janet Malek

Faculty and Staff Publications

Background: Advances in life-prolonging technologies increasingly create dilemmas for physicians who must decide whether to offer various interventions to patients nearing the end of life. Clinical ethicists are often consulted to support physicians in making these complex decisions and can do so most effectively if they understand physicians' reasons for making recommendations in this context.

Methods: Semi-structured interviews were conducted with surgeons, nephrologists, intensivists, emergency physicians, and oncologists regarding the considerations they have used to make decisions about offering interventions for patients nearing the end of life. Interview transcripts were thematically analyzed.

Results: We identified six types of considerations physicians …

A Randomized Controlled Trial Of A Compassion-Centered Spiritual Health Intervention To Improve Hospital Inpatient Outcomes, Jennifer S Mascaro, Patricia K Palmer, Marcia J Ash, Marianne P Florian, Deanna M Kaplan, Roman Palitsky, Steven P Cole, Maureen Shelton, Charles L Raison, George H Grant

Faculty and Staff Publications

Background: Inpatient medical settings lack evidence-based spiritually integrated interventions to address patient care needs within a pluralistic religious landscape. To address this gap, CCSH™ (Compassion-Centered Spiritual Health) was developed to leverage the skillsets of healthcare chaplains to improve patient outcomes through spiritual consultation. Here, we report the results of a randomized, wait-list controlled, pre-registered (NCT03529812) study that evaluated the impact of CCSH on patient-reported depression and explored putative mediators of CCSH's effects.

Method: Chaplain residents were randomized to be trained in CCSH as part of their clinical pastoral education (CPE) residency in the fall (n = 8) or …

Resilience And Reality: Exploring The Lived Experiences Of People Living With Hiv In Texas During The Covid-19 Pandemic – A Qualitative Study., Ahmed F. Alanazi

Social Work Dissertations - Archive

This study investigated the lived experiences of individuals living with HIV (PLWH) in the Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW) area of Texas during the COVID-19 pandemic, using an Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) framework. The research examined the intersection of health, social dynamics, and psychological resilience among PLWH, who faced compounded vulnerabilities due to systemic inequities and the dual public health crises of HIV and COVID-19. Through semi-structured interviews with ten participants from diverse backgrounds, the study captured the profound impacts of disrupted healthcare systems, heightened stigma, and social isolation on this marginalized population. The findings reveal that the pandemic exacerbated existing inequities …