Discussion forums

BACKGROUND: Physician-scientists are important drivers of research, in both knowledge acquisition and research translation. In Australia, many newly qualified physicians and advanced physician trainees enrol in PhD studies, with a view to training as physician-scientists. However, data on perceived challenges and ways to support them are limited. METHODS: This single-centre study surveyed trainee physician-scientists undertaking PhD studies within the Monash University Department of Medicine in 2020...

BACKGROUND: Individuals from minority groups have historically faced social injustices. Those from underrepresented groups have been less likely to access both healthcare services and higher education. Little is known about the experiences of underrepresented students during their undergraduate studies in osteopathy in the UK. The aim of this project was to explore awareness of cultural diversity and beliefs about patients from underrepresented groups in current osteopathic educational environments and evaluate students' preparedness to manage patients from diverse groups...

BACKGROUND: Collegial conversations are important for sustainable learning to last beyond a course. Research on collegial conversations and peer learning in the workplace during psychiatric residency courses remains sparse, however. In this study, the aim was to explore residents' opportunities for collegial conversations during and after national courses in psychiatry. METHODS: Residents in psychiatry completed an online survey including questions on opportunities for collegial conversations in their workplaces...

PURPOSE: To understand awareness of genetic and genomic testing, as well as decision-making, in women diagnosed with breast cancer. PARTICIPANTS & SETTING: 29 African American/Black and Latina/Hispanic women diagnosed with breast cancer. METHODOLOGIC APPROACH: A semistructured interview guide was used in focus groups conducted via videoconference. Transcripts were analyzed using thematic analysis. FINDINGS: Many of the women understood the concept of genetic testing to identify the BRCA1/BRCA2 variant, but none of them were aware of genomic testing and its implications for personalized medicine...

An adolescent's last moment of life is an emotionally and medically complex time. Children may grapple with understanding the things happening to them and with grief of a future lost; caregivers struggle to simultaneously balance deep sorrow, hope, and love; and healthcare providers fight to maintain sound medical and ethical decision making. Increased discussion regarding adolescent end-of-life care is needed so that clinicians may better understand how to engage in ethically based medical management during these events...

The interest in the potential therapeutic use of cannabis, especially cannabidiol (CBD), has increased significantly in recent years. On the Internet, users can find lots of articles devoted to its medical features such as reducing seizure activity in epilepsy. The aim of our work was to evaluate the information contained on the websites, including social media, in terms of the credibility and the reliability of current knowledge about the usage of products containing cannabidiol in epilepsy treatment. We used online available links found using the Newspointtool...

BACKGROUND: The Society of American Gastrointestinal and Endoscopic Surgeons (SAGES) has long recognized and championed increasing diversity within the surgical workplace. SAGES initiated the Fundamentals of Leadership Development (FLD) Curriculum to address these needs and to provide surgeon leaders with the necessary tools and skills to promote diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) in surgical practice. In 2019, the American College of Surgeons issued a request for anti-racism initiatives which lead to the partnering of the two societies...

Invasive fungal infections represent millions of deaths per year, but their pathophysiology remains insufficiently understood. Host-fungi interplay has been recently shown to include extracellular vesicles derived from fungi and host infected cells. In this forum article we discuss their emerging role in modulating the host immune response with particular emphasis on their regulatory involvement during Candida albicans infection.

In this Policy Forum piece, Robin Feldman discusses how current legislation contributes to informational deficits around drug patents for biologic drugs in the United States.

BACKGROUND: There is a paucity of literature describing experiences and journey of individuals with cocaine use disorder (CUD) and supporters who care for them. The aim of this study was to understand and document the journey of individuals with current CUD, those in CUD remission, and supporters. METHODS: The online bulletin board (OBB) is a qualitative tool where participants engage in an interactive discussion on a virtual forum. After completing a 15-minute screening questionnaire determining eligibility, individuals in CUD remission and supporters participated in an OBB for 60 minutes, split across 8 days over 2 weeks...

INTRODUCTION: The evolution of contraception has been crucial for public health and reproductive well-being. Over the past 60 years, combined oral contraceptives (COCs) have remained an important part of the contraceptive landscape worldwide; continued development has worked toward maintaining efficacy and improving safety. METHODS: Seven global experts convened to discuss the clinical relevance of the oestrogen in COCs, focusing on the impact of the new oestrogen, oestetrol (E4)...

BACKGROUND/AIM: The International Association of Dental Traumatology (IADT) is considered the foremost authority in Dental Traumatology. Fellowship status was introduced in 2015 and is considered an international standard of excellence. The Fellowship Committee of the IADT believed it was essential to survey members seeking information on the benefits of the IADT Fellowship and potential considerations for future development. This survey aimed to explore the perceptions of members of IADT surrounding the fellowship process in terms of interest, accessibility, equality, perceived prestige, and value to the membership...

(1) Background: Studies have shown that clinical experience has an impact on how students perceive geriatric care. The vulnerability of older people particularly allows students to reflect on and evaluate their learning. In this context, communication between tutors and students is important to guiding a contextualized view of the complexity of clinical situations. The principal objective was to explore the feelings, perceptions, and experiences of nursing students in geriatric care units during their practices...

Introduction With crowd-sourced knowledge, patients arrive at their healthcare visits ready to play an active role. This exploratory study seeks to understand common concerns among patients and loved ones on Reddit, an anonymous internet forum. Ultimately, recognizing common concerns can aid providers in directing their conversations with patients. Methods Reddit posts in the "hot" tab of each subreddit were retroactively screened from September 1, 2022. Posts written within a five-year period were included...

There is a pressing need to increase the availability of emotional support to healthcare professionals in training and those in early career, in particular junior doctors. Schwartz Rounds provide a space for staff and students to reflect on the emotional impact of their work. The Rounds are a multidisciplinary forum for all staff and students working in healthcare settings. The key premise is that supporting healthcare staff and students' wellbeing, providing a way for them to gain insight into their feelings and those that they work with, helps them to work compassionately with patients...

Psychological research has recently proposed alexinomia, characterised by an inhibited behaviour in saying names, as a distinct psychosocial phenomenon. Alexinomia is associated with anxiety and avoidance behaviours with regards to saying names and thus severely impacts every day social interactions and relationships. This study aimed to explore the prevalence of this newly established and poorly understood psychological phenomenon and to further determine its impact on everyday life. For this purpose, online advice and discussion forums were systematically searched for threads on and mentions of problems with saying names...

BACKGROUND: The ethical governance of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in health care and public health continues to be an urgent issue for attention in policy, research, and practice. In this paper we report on central themes related to challenges and strategies for promoting ethics in research involving AI in global health, arising from the Global Forum on Bioethics in Research (GFBR), held in Cape Town, South Africa in November 2022. METHODS: The GFBR is an annual meeting organized by the World Health Organization and supported by the Wellcome Trust, the US National Institutes of Health, the UK Medical Research Council (MRC) and the South African MRC...

Research on online pornography abstinence movements has predominantly focused on men's perspectives, often within the context of the broader manosphere. This focus has overshadowed the unique experiences and viewpoints of women in these movements. Our study aimed to fill this gap by exploring women-centric perspectives in pornography abstinence forums, particularly Porn Free Women (r/pornfreewomen). Using a mixed methods approach, this study examined the sexual scripts presented in women-dominated pornography abstinence communities...

BACKGROUND: Opioids are frequently prescribed for persistent non-cancer pain despite limited evidence of long-term effectiveness and risk of harm. Evidence-based interventions to address inappropriate opioid prescribing are lacking. AIM: To explore perspectives of people living with persistent pain to understand barriers and facilitators in reducing opioids in the context of a pharmacist-led primary care review, and identify review components and features for optimal delivery...

The Immunization Action Package aims to increase the vaccination rate for vaccine-preventable diseases to save lives. To achieve this, member countries of the Global Health Security Agenda (GHSA) must have the capacity to implement sustainable national immunization programs (NIPs) and to respond to emergency vaccination scenarios. This article focuses on 4 major areas of NIP capacity, including in emergency situations: infrastructure capacity, sustainable financing capacity, vaccine access and equity, and vaccination hesitancy...