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Foreign investors and businesspeople with exposure to China are becoming increasingly unnerved. And for good reason.
In March, Chinese authorities detained an employee of Japanese drug manufacturer Astellas Pharma JP:4503 ALPMY for alleged espionage violations. The Chinese seem confident in their case. Beijing’s ambassador to Japan said there was ample evidence of wrongdoing, and, despite the uproar, the Astellas employee remains detained.
That…
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Newswise — To compare the outcomes of patients receiving lungs transplanted after undergoing ex vivo lung perfusion (EVLP) versus those transplanted conventionally at the Toronto General Hospital, Aadil Ali, PhD, and coauthors looked at 14 years of data from the Toronto Lung Transplant Database.
Patients were separated based on whether they received lungs that underwent EVLP or whether they were transplanted conventionally (controls). They were matched 1:1 based on medical diagnosis, recipient status, recipient sex, recipient age, BMI, donor age, and calendar year. The group found no differences in the incidence of Primary Graft Dysfunction (PGD) Grade 3 at 72h, post-transplant mechanical ventilation, post-transplant hospital length of stay, intensive care unit (ICU) length of stay, allograft survival analysis, and CLAD-Free survival analysis.
Dr. Ali and his associates report that “EVLP has been successfully incorporated in our program for more than a decade and is an effective method to expand the organ donor pool without compromising post-transplant outcomes.”
Dr. Ali will present the results of this study Sunday, May 7, at the American Association for Thoracic Surgery (AATS) 103rd Annual Meeting in Los Angeles.
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Attribution to the American Association for Thoracic Surgery (AATS) 103rd Annual Meeting is requested in all coverage.
ABOUT AATS
The American Association for Thoracic Surgery (AATS) is an international organization that encourages, promotes, and stimulates the scientific investigation of cardiothoracic surgery. Founded in 1917 by a respected group of the earliest pioneers in the field, its original mission was to “foster the evolution of an interest in surgery of the Thorax.” Today, the AATS is the premier association for cardiothoracic surgeons in the world and works to continually enhance the ability of cardiothoracic surgeons to provide the highest quality of patient care. Its more than 1,500 members have a proven record of distinction within the specialty and have made significant contributions to the care and treatment of cardiothoracic disease. Visit aats.org to learn more.
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Newswise — In 2011, Makoto Suzuki, MD, and a team of associates from across Japan embarked on a long-term study of the safety and efficacy of sublobar resections for ground-glass opacity–dominant (GGO) peripheral lung cancer. When the group began the study, the optimal mode of surgery for GGO–dominant peripheral lung cancer defined with thoracic thin-section computed tomography was speculated as sublobar resection but not proven. At that time, the planned sample size was 330 with the expected 5-year relapse-free survival of 98% and a threshold of 95%.
Between May 2009 and April 2011, 333 patients were enrolled from 51 institutions in Japan (median age was 62 at registration) and followed until May 6, 2021. Among that group, sublobar resections were performed in 314 patients (258 wedge resections and 56 segmentectomies), conversion lobectomies were performed in 11 patients, and eight were ineligible.
At five years, the group concluded that sublobar resection with enough surgical margin offered sufficient local control and relapse-free survival for lung cancer clinically resectable N0 staged by thin-section computed tomography with 3 or fewer peripheral lesions 2.0 cm or less amenable to sublobar resection and with a consolidation tumor ratio of 0.25 or less.
At 10 years, the group can now report the reintervention-free survival of 98.6% and the overall survival of 98.5% for the 314 patients with sublobar resections. It concludes that the long-term results from their study suggest that sublobar resection for peripheral GGO-dominant lung cancer patients is a surgical procedure that can fully cure them of the disease. The indication of other treatment options should be further investigated.
Dr. Suzuki will present this study Sunday, May 7, at the American Association for Thoracic Surgery (AATS) 103rd Annual Meeting in Los Angeles.
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Attribution to the American Association for Thoracic Surgery (AATS) 103rd Annual Meeting is requested in all coverage.
ABOUT AATS
The American Association for Thoracic Surgery (AATS) is an international organization that encourages, promotes, and stimulates the scientific investigation of cardiothoracic surgery. Founded in 1917 by a respected group of the earliest pioneers in the field, its original mission was to “foster the evolution of an interest in surgery of the Thorax.” Today, the AATS is the premier association for cardiothoracic surgeons in the world and works to continually enhance the ability of cardiothoracic surgeons to provide the highest quality of patient care. Its more than 1,500 members have a proven record of distinction within the specialty and have made significant contributions to the care and treatment of cardiothoracic disease. Visit aats.org to learn more.
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Newswise — Although the On-X aortic valve and apixaban have been approved for use by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), they had not been approved to be used together. Between May 2020 and September 2022, the PROACT Xa randomized, multicenter, open-label trial compared the direct factor Xa inhibitor apixaban (Eliquis) with warfarin in patients with bileaflet carbon aortic valves.
A total of 863 patients from 60 sites who were at least 3 months out from aortic valve replacement (AVR) were randomized 1:1 to receive apixaban 5 mg twice daily or warfarin with a target INR of 2–3. Enrolled patients had a median age of 56 years; 24% were female. Among participants, 46% had AVR in the 12 months prior to randomization, 17% had AVR along with an aortic root graft, and 16% were reoperations on the aortic valve. Most patients (93%) received 81 mg of aspirin daily with the assigned anticoagulant.
The study was discontinued on Sept. 21, 2022, at the recommendation of the PROACT Xa Data and Safety Monitoring Board based on observed higher rate of thromboembolic events (valve thrombosis and thromboembolism) in patients randomized to apixaban than warfarin.
Lars Svensson, MD, of the Cleveland Clinic, will present the results of this study Saturday, May, 6, at the American Association for Thoracic Surgery (AATS) 103rd Annual Meeting in Los Angeles, detailing the events that led to the discontinuation.
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Attribution to the American Association for Thoracic Surgery (AATS) 103rd Annual Meeting is requested in all coverage.
ABOUT AATS
The American Association for Thoracic Surgery (AATS) is an international organization that encourages, promotes, and stimulates the scientific investigation of cardiothoracic surgery. Founded in 1917 by a respected group of the earliest pioneers in the field, its original mission was to “foster the evolution of an interest in surgery of the Thorax.” Today, the AATS is the premier association for cardiothoracic surgeons in the world and works to continually enhance the ability of cardiothoracic surgeons to provide the highest quality of patient care. Its more than 1,500 members have a proven record of distinction within the specialty and have made significant contributions to the care and treatment of cardiothoracic disease. Visit aats.org to learn more.
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Newswise — Lung transplantation is routinely performed at night because of the unpredictability of donor organ procurement. Late start-times for complex operations such as lung transplantation have been associated with adverse outcomes. There are numerous reasons that delaying transplantation to the morning is preferable: Rested teams perform better; the well-being of the entire team is affected by long after-hours work; and during the day, more help is available for any intraoperative complications.
But is it safe to wait? Can cross clamp and cold ischemia times be extended? How does delaying the surgery impact the outcomes?
Samuel T. Kim and colleagues at the University of California Los Angeles hypothesized that for donors with cross clamp times occurring after 1:30 a.m., the recipient operation could be delayed until morning with acceptable outcomes. Consented adult lung transplant recipients from March 2018 to May 2022 with donor cross-clamp times between 1:30 a.m. and 5:00 a.m. were prospectively enrolled in this study (34 patients; Night cohort); and their skin incision times were set at 6:30 a.m. A control group was identified and included recipients of donors with cross clamp times occurring at any other time of day (68 patients; Day cohort).
Dr. Kim and his team examined short- and medium-term outcomes, including early mortality, a composite of post-operative complications, lengths of stay (ICU and total), 1- and 3-yr survival,) and chronic lung allograft dysfunction at 3-years between the two groups. The results for each of these comparisons were statistically similar.
The group concluded that lung transplant recipients with donor cross clamp times scheduled after 1:30 a.m. can have their operations delayed safely until 6:30 a.m. with acceptable outcomes. And in experienced lung transplant centers, adoption of such a policy may lead to alternative workflow and improved team well-being.
Dr. Kim will present this study Saturday, May, 6, at the American Association for Thoracic Surgery (AATS) 103rd Annual Meeting in Los Angeles.
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Attribution to the American Association for Thoracic Surgery (AATS) 103rd Annual Meeting is requested in all coverage.
ABOUT AATS
The American Association for Thoracic Surgery (AATS) is an international organization that encourages, promotes, and stimulates the scientific investigation of cardiothoracic surgery. Founded in 1917 by a respected group of the earliest pioneers in the field, its original mission was to “foster the evolution of an interest in surgery of the Thorax.” Today, the AATS is the premier association for cardiothoracic surgeons in the world and works to continually enhance the ability of cardiothoracic surgeons to provide the highest quality of patient care. Its more than 1,500 members have a proven record of distinction within the specialty and have made significant contributions to the care and treatment of cardiothoracic disease. Visit aats.org to learn more.
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Newswise — The American Association for Thoracic Surgery (AATS) is committed to diversity, equity, and inclusion. A wealth of data has shown that diversity in the physician workforce improves patient care, safety, physician well-being, and innovation; and fair compensation is essential to culturing a diverse workforce.
To learn more about how race and ethnicity are related to compensation, diverse group of academic cardiothoracic surgeons led by Cherie P. Erkmen, MD, of Temple University, looked at the racial and ethnic representation among academic cardiothoracic surgeons. The group also analyzed salaries of cardiothoracic surgeons based on race/ethnicity.
Dr. Erkmen and her team looked at cross-sectional data collected by Association of American Medical Colleges Faculty Data for U.S. Medical Schools, which reported academic rank, race/ethnicity, and mean and median compensation. Their analysis reveals low diversity in the cardiothoracic workforce, especially at the advanced academic rank of professor. Black/African American cardiothoracic surgeons had lower salary than their colleagues, a difference that persisted at all academic ranks. Hispanic/LatinX and Asian cardiothoracic surgeons at lower academic ranks also experienced salary disparity, but equal or greater salaries compared with their colleagues when achieving the academic ranks of associate professor or professor. According to Dr. Erkmen, “These data demonstrate that the relationship between race/ethnicity and compensation is complex. Future studies are needed to understand mechanisms of salary disparity.” Dr. Erkmen concluded, “Our profession and our patients will benefit from a diverse workforce. Hopefully our work will someday lead to the development of best practices for equitable compensation that will support all cardiothoracic surgeons.”
Dr. Erkmen will present this study on Saturday, May 6, at the AATS 103rd Annual Meeting in Los Angeles.
Ethnicitya Overall Professors Salary comparison b
White 65% 78%
Asian 25.2% 15% 71-102%
Hispanic/Latino 4.0% 3% 86-130%
Black/African American 3.3% 2% 76-85%
a1.5% were multiple/other race and 0.4% were American Indian/Alaskan Indian.
bPercentage of the mean and median salary earned by White cardiothoracic surgeons.
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Attribution to the American Association for Thoracic Surgery (AATS) 103rd Annual Meeting is requested in all coverage.
ABOUT AATS
The American Association for Thoracic Surgery (AATS) is an international organization that encourages, promotes, and stimulates the scientific investigation of cardiothoracic surgery. Founded in 1917 by a respected group of the earliest pioneers in the field, its original mission was to “foster the evolution of an interest in surgery of the Thorax.” Today, the AATS is the premier association for cardiothoracic surgeons in the world and works to continually enhance the ability of cardiothoracic surgeons to provide the highest quality of patient care. Its more than 1,500 members have a proven record of distinction within the specialty and have made significant contributions to the care and treatment of cardiothoracic disease. Visit aats.org to learn more.
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Newswise — In Sörmland, Sweden, music therapy is offered as a method of treatment for people living with chronic pain. Currently, the effects of what is known as the FMT method are being investigated through a research project at Mälardalen University (MDU).
In the FMT method, (Functionally oriented Music Therapy), music experiences and movement are combined with the purpose of contributing to a person’s well-being and recuperation. During the treatment, a therapist assesses what basic functions the participant needs to develop, and with the help of musical instruments such as drums and cymbals in various formations, different movements in the body are stimulated. Today, the treatment is given through a healthcare agreement in Sörmland.
In a current research project which has been launched at MDU, researchers wish to investigate whether it is possible to find scientific evidence that the FMT method is effective in increasing well-being, improving quality of life, and if and in what way it can relieve suffering and pain in people who live with chronic pain.
“I believe it is essential to evaluate health-promoting alternative methods in the area of chronic pain, as many people in society suffer from this. This project aims to explore and evaluate an up until now unexplored treatment method for people living with long standing pain,” says Helena Lööf, Associate Professor and Senior Lecturer in Health Sciences at MDU.
The method contributed to recovery
The backdrop to the project is a pilot study which showed that the FMT method helped people affected by stroke and Parkinson’s disease to recover better.
“Pain is the most common reason for seeking primary care services. Therefore in this way, many people are affected and from a societal standpoint it is good to have a variety of support efforts. This is in line with person-centred healthcare.”
Scientific evaluation needed
“Through a care agreement with a FMT treatment centre in Eskilstuna, this method is already being used in primary care in Sörmland. But the method is not evidence-based, which is why a scientific evaluation is needed. We will evaluate the effects of FMT in people suffering from chronic pain in comparison with the standard care that is provided in local healthcare. We also wish to create a deeper understanding of the importance of music and movement in recovery.”
Today, FMT is used in habilitation, rehabilitation and psychiatric healthcare.
“If the results of the project are positive, that is, if evidence can be found that various aspects of health are affected or improved, these can be used as evidence-based support for health promotion purposes for people suffering with chronic pain.”
“And on the other hand, if the results show that FMT has no or only a minor effect, this is in itself an important contribution to new knowledge about treatment and recovery for these people. Our research team is looking forward to investigating this over the next few years,” says Helena Lööf.
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Newswise — [KAMPALA] Uganda’s anti-homosexuality bill, if signed into law, could lead to the withdrawal of foreign aid and threaten goals to end HIV/AIDS by 2030, advocates warn.
Uganda’s parliament passed the revised Anti-Homosexuality Act (AHA), which criminalises homosexual conduct, with minimal amendments this week (2 May).
The legislation was first passed at the end of March but revised in April after President Yoweri Museveni returned it to parliament for amendments.
“If it becomes law, it will increase stigma and discrimination against LGBTQ people and men who have sex with men, further limiting prevention and treatment services.” – Richard Lusimbo, director-general, Uganda Key Populations Consortium
The bill includes a punishment of life imprisonment for same-sex sexual conduct and up to ten years behind bars for attempted same-sex sexual acts. It also imposes the death penalty for “aggravated homosexuality” and criminalises the “promotion” of homosexuality, which many people fear will encourage homophobia.
UNAIDS had warned that passing the bill into law would jeopardise progress in the fight against HIV/AIDS and undermine fundamental human rights including the right to health and the right to life.
“Uganda’s new Anti-Homosexuality bill is an outrage,” said Winnie Byanyima, executive director of UNAIDS.
“Access to timely and quality health care is a human right – sexual orientation should not determine one’s rights.”
Anne Githuku-Shongwe, director of the UNAIDS support team for eastern and southern Africa, said Uganda had made “excellent progress” in tackling the AIDS pandemic. “This new bill, if passed into law, would undercut that progress,” she warned.
Human rights ‘disaster’
According to a study published in The Lancet, HIV prevalence is significantly higher among men who have sex with men (MSM) and in African countries with laws that criminalise same sex relationships.
“If it becomes law, it will increase stigma and discrimination against LGBTQ [lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer] people and men who have sex with men, further limiting prevention and treatment services,” said Richard Lusimbo, director-general of Uganda Key Populations Consortium, a human rights organisation.
Lusimbo explained that the bill, if passed into law, would be a disaster to the human rights of LGBTQ people, to public health and the fight against HIV/AIDS.
The US government has threatened to withdraw funding for Uganda through its President’s Emergency Plan For AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) if the law is passed.
“At this time, we are reviewing the possibility that the AHA, if signed, might prevent us from providing lifesaving prevention, care and treatment services equitably to all Ugandans receiving PEPFAR support,” said a US State Department spokesperson.
PEPFAR’s annual HIV/AIDS response investment in Uganda is about US$400 million.
Despite the pressure from the US and other governments, there is speculation that President Museveni will most likely sign the bill into law. However, the power of ascension of a bill does not lay primarily with the president.
The Ugandan parliament can also pass the bill into law if the president does not assent to or veto a bill after it is passed by parliament within 30 days or if the bill is returned to parliament twice.
In his speech on April 22, at conference themed ‘Protecting African culture and family values’, President Museveni thanked members of the Ugandan parliament for passing the bill.
“It is good that you rejected the pressure from the imperialists,” he said, reflecting his support for what has been described by activists and advocates as a draconian law.
The bill is setting the pace for other African nations as countries like Kenya, Tanzania, Ghana and others indicate readiness to introduce similar bills in solidarity with Uganda.
Charles Brown, executive director of Preventive Care International (PCI), a Ugandan non-governmental organisation that focuses on HIV, says the bill is harsh and not well thought through. He fears it will further entrench inaccessibility of health services for people in same sex relationships.
“Already, the landlady of one of my offices in western Uganda called me saying that she was told that our organisation promotes homosexuality and she is scared of being arrested,” Brown told SciDev.Net, fearing eviction.
“We hope that the president doesn’t sign it into law,” he added.
This piece was produced by SciDev.Net’s Sub-Saharan Africa English desk.
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Newswise — The first tip for physicians in a new paper authored by John Higgins, MD, is to have the mindset of a detective and dig deeper when something is not adding up with the care of a patient.
The article titled, “Ten Traits of Great Physicians,” was published recently in The American Journal of Medicine.
Higgins, professor of cardiovascular medicine in the Department of Internal Medicine with McGovern Medical School at UTHealth Houston, shares the story of a vision-impaired patient who was relying on his wife for proper heart medication dosages. As it turns out, her vision was deteriorating as well, leaving him to receive the wrong dose. After some “detective work,” Higgins and his team were able to identify the problem and reach a solution to offer the patient better care.
The paper is full of tips and stories gathered from experiences throughout his career in medicine that he said he hopes will enhance the ability to practice medicine and improve patient experiences while differentiate great doctors from good doctors.
“Although many good doctors are well trained in the basic and clinical sciences, many great doctors hold that other habits are equally, if not more crucial,” Higgins said.
Get Healthy and Relax The second tip in the paper is that in order to take care of other people, you have to also take care of yourself. This applies both physically and mentally for practicing physicians. Higgins not only encourages taking care of your body by completing physical exercise, but to also take time to “regroup, recharge, and recover, and don’t do things to the extreme.”
Be A Master Listener For his third tip, Higgins recommends devoting your full attention to a patient and not only focus on what they are saying, but how they are saying it, and any other nonverbal clues they may be giving. He mentions that if your attention is elsewhere, like typing on a computer while the patient is speaking, a physician may miss a nonverbal clue that could potentially lead to a change in care.
Find Your Passion Higgins’ recalls the moment that he fell in love with all things medical after suffering a minor injury when he was 9 years old. After accidentally running through a glass door, he was able to hear his heartbeat with a stethoscope for the first time as a distraction while his doctor sutured his knee.
“Meaningful work, especially that falls at the intersection of one’s values, passions, and strengths appear key for health care professionals to give their best,” Higgins said.
Treat the Whole Patient Quoting Sir William Osler for this tip, Higgins’ next piece of advice is that “A good physician treats the disease. The great physician treats the patient who has the disease.” Higgins then shares the story of Gillian Lynne, famous for choreographing Cats and Phantom of the Opera, and who had trouble focusing in school at a young age.
Eager to find out what may be ailing her daughter, who was underperforming, frequently late, and often fidgety, Lynne’s mother took her to see a doctor. However, after observing Lynne, the doctor and her mother left the room, but not before turning on some music, and observing Lynne dancing in the room. The doctor explained to Lynne’s mother that there was nothing wrong with her daughter, and instead encouraged the beginning of her career.
Have Empathy Higgins mentions that while empathy can be taught, oftentimes physicians are not good at practicing it, and that it can be difficult for a physician to put themselves in another person’s shoes, but by connecting verbally and nonverbally, speaking slowly, being curious, finding a common ground, listening actively, sharing, and always being supportive, one can affect a patient a great deal.
Three tips to having empathy that Higgins gives are asking yourself 1) “What would you think?” 2) “How would you feel?” and 3) “What would you like someone to do for you?”
Pay Attention to Detail While working in the emergency department one night, Higgins recalls a time when he was able to help an unresponsive patient simply by paying attention to details. While working on a separate patient, Higgins heard a call for help from another stall and was quickly able to assist because he and the team paid attention to details.
He points out three takeaways from the lesson which are 1) Attention to detail; 2) Always have a plan B in case a problem occurs; 3) Everything we do or say, or fail to do or say, has consequences; and 4) Not all patients behave or respond equally.
Develop Resistance Higgins quotes Charles Darwin for his eighth tip for being a great physician when the paper states that “It’s not the strongest of a species that survive, nor the most intelligent, but the ones most resilient and responsive to change.”
Higgins recalls the first time he encountered the death of a child while working in the emergency department and how hard it was for him emotionally. “Resilience is necessary to survive the frequent exposure to illness and death that doctors face,” he said. “You will need to take a step back and stay emotionally strong, knowing that you’ve done your best and need to move on to the next patient.”
Take Responsibility – The Buck Stops with You Higgins mentions that physicians will encounter critical moments where every moment counts. In those moments, he says you will need a “quick mind, extreme calmness, and most important of all, decisiveness.”
Higgins says that as a physician you will experience both a sense of accomplishment and fulfillment, as well as frustrations and disappointments, but that as John Rockefeller said, “the secret of success is to do the common things uncommonly well.”
Count Your Stars Higgins’ final tip is that you can’t spend your life chasing money, or you will miss out on “counting your stars.” His advice is that when you truly follow your passions, money and fame will be a by-product of your efforts, second to the lives you have improved and saved, and the thousands more you have yet to touch.
Higgins has already received positive feedback on the sentiments expressed in his paper from physicians worldwide and hopes his article will help future generations of medical students to become great doctors.
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The pandemic opened the floodgates to telehealth. Now, many patients and doctors are curbing their enthusiasm for virtual care.
Four out of five primary-care doctors who had video visits with patients during the pandemic would prefer to provide just a small portion of care or no care at all via telemedicine in the future, according to a survey designed and analyzed by researchers at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and published last month in Health Affairs, a peer-reviewed journal. And 60% of the doctors surveyed…
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Newswise — A collaboration between UC San Diego Health and 211 San Diego, a region-wide, non-profit referral service that connects anyone living in San Diego County to community, health, social and disaster services, will help to improve patient outcomes by addressing social determinants.
The region’s only academic medical center is the first hospital system in the county to participate in the pilot project, which will improve access to transportation resources for UC San Diego Health patients who have been discharged from the hospital and may have barriers getting to follow-up appointments.
The recently launched effort is made possible through the San Diego Community Information Exchange (CIE), which 211 San Diego spearheads and of which UC San Diego Health is a member.
The CIE works to improve how services, such as transportation, food, legal assistance, and more, are delivered in our region. The services are coordinated through an integrated technology platform that shares information electronically to network partners with the goal of improving the health and well-being of people across San Diego County.
The CIE is a growing network of 132 local partner organizations, working together to break down silos of care across health, social and educational sectors.
“The collaborative effort between UC San Diego Health, 211 San Diego/CIE and CIE partners, will allow us to identify the social needs of patients. Then, using innovative technology, we can seamlessly connect our patients to needed resources,” said Christopher Longhurst, MD, chief medical officer and chief digital officer at UC San Diego Health.
The process works by screening patients to ensure they have access to transportation resources to get to their follow-up appointments. If a patient is found in need of services, they can be connected to more than 410 services offered by the CIE network of providers.
“The overall goal is to provide proactive, patient-centered care and advance equity for patients in our health system,” said Donna Beifus, chief administrative officer for care management at UC San Diego Health.
The pilot project will allow for the sharing of challenges and best practices, inform policy decisions and contribute to the ongoing development of the CIE technology platform.
“211 San Diego’s mission is to connect people to resources and to partner with our community to transform how people access help,” said William York, president and chief executive officer of 211 San Diego.
“We are proud to work with UC San Diego Health to launch this project that is our mission in action. It uses the full strength of our cross-sector CIE network to remove access barriers and get people connected to critical health services.”
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Newswise — فيرمونت، ولاية مينيسوتا — إن يداك أعجوبة ميكانيكية، ذات بكرات على هيئة أوتار تنثني وتتمدد لفتح وإغلاق قبضة اليد، وفرد وثني الأصابع. وكل وتر مُغلَّف بغمد يثبته في مكانه.
قد يلتهب الوتر ويتورم في بعض الأحيان، مما يمنع انزلاقه بسلاسة أسفل هذا الغمد. وعند حدوث ذلك، قد يعلق الإصبع أو الإبهام في وضع منحني أو وضع مستقيم ويُطلق على هذه الحالة الإصبع الزنادي.
عادة ما يكون الأشخاص البالغون 45 عامًا أو أكثر، والمصابون بالسكري أو التهاب المفاصل الروماتويدي عُرضة للإصابة بالإصبع الزنادي. ونادرًا ما يُصاب به الأطفال. يلتهب غمد الوتر عادةً بسبب التحميل الزائد عليه أو التعرض لإصابة، لذلك قد يكون لدى الأشخاص الذي يؤدون حركات متكررة أو الذين يتطلب عملهم الإمساك بالأشياء الثقيلة أو رفعها قابلية للإصابة بهذه الحالة. وقد تحدث الحالة في أي وقت وهي أكثر شيوعًا مما يظنه الأشخاص.
إذا ظهرت عليك أعراضًا خفيفة، مثل كتلة صغيرة ومؤلمة في قاعدة الإصبع أو الإبهام على جانب راحة اليد، لكن لا يزال بإمكانك فرد أو ثني الإصبع دون أن يَعلق، فتناول أدوية مضادة للالتهاب المتاحة دون وصفة طبية، مثل الأيبوبروفين، كل يوم لمدة أسبوعين. إذا كان الإصبع أو الإبهام عالقًا، فيمكنك الضغط عليه برفق لجعله ينفرد أو ينثني.
إذا كان الإصبع أو الإبهام عالقًا، ولم يفلح الضغط في فرده أو ثنيه، وإذا كنت تشعر بطقطقة أو تصلب، سيكون المستوى الثاني من العلاج هو الحقن بالستيرويد لتهدئة الالتهاب والتورم. ويُجرى الحقن في العيادة ويكون موضعه راحة اليد. حيث يُرش سائل بارد لتخدير المنطقة.
قد يخفف الحقن من المشكلة، ولكن يُحتمل أن تعود الحالة مجددًا. وإذا حدث ذلك، قد يُعاد الحقن بعد مضي ثلاثة أشهر.
والعلاج غير الجراحي الآخر الأقل شيوعًا هو ارتداء جَبيرة. سترتدي الجَبيرة في الليل لإبقاء الإصبع أو الإبهام المصاب مفرودًا.
عندما لا تنجح الأدوية المتاحة دون وصفة طبية والحُقن الستيرويدية، فقد تحتاج إلى جراحة، وهي عبارة عن إجراء طبي سريع يتم في نفس اليوم. حيث يُعمل شق صغير في راحة اليد، عادة على طول ثنية الإصبع حتى يكون موضع الشق أقل وضوحًا. يُدخِل الجراح المسبار تحت الجلد لفك الالتصاق.
ويمكنك العودة إلى المنزل في نفس اليوم، ولكن سيكون استخدامك محدودًا لليد التي أجُريت عليها الجراحة لمدة 10 إلى 14 يومًا حتى تتماثل للشفاء. سيكون بإمكانك ارتداء ملابسك والقيادة والأكل وعمل بعض الأنشطة الخفيفة الأخرى، ولكن احرص على عدم حمل أي شيء يزن أكثر من 15 رطلًا (7 كغم).
ستعود إلى العيادة بعد حوالي 10 إلى 14 يومًا لإزالة الضمادات والغرز الجراحية. يمكن لأغلب الأشخاص العودة للعمل دون أي محاذير ونادرًا ما يحتاجون إلى الخضوع للعلاج الطبيعي بعدها.
الوعي هو خط الوقاية الأول. إذا لاحظت وجود كتلة صغيرة مؤلمة في قاعدة الإبهام أو الإصبع، أو طقطقة أو تصلب، فيجب استشارة اختصاصي عظام.
سارة سنايدر ممرضة ممارسة في قسم جراحة العظام في نظام مايو كلينك الصحي.
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نبذة عن مايو كلينك
مايو كلينك هي مؤسسة غير ربحية تلتزم بالابتكار في الممارسات السريرية والتعليم والبحث وتوفير التعاطف والخبرة لكل مَن يحتاج إلى الاستشفاء والرد على استفساراته. لمعرفة المزيد من أخبار مايو كلينك، تفضَّل بزيارة شبكة مايو كلينك الإخبارية.
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Mayo Clinic
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Newswise — University of West Florida Usha Kundu, MD College of Health School of Nursing students graduating this semester will be among the first who had practice stepping into real-life scenarios during their entire academic career.
In Fall 2021, UWF’s School of Nursing started the process of acquiring UbiSim with funding provided by a high-impact grant. The grant was used to purchase a subscription of the virtual reality platform with unlimited usage and covered the cost of five Oculus headsets.
“When we first received UbiSim, it was during the COVID-19 pandemic and it was very helpful because it was when our students weren’t in the hospital,” said Dr. Tina Barbour-Taylor, lecturer in UWF’s School of Nursing. “It provides them with an immersive environment.”
The platform allows students to focus on specific interests, like heart disease or kidney disease and during participation, students are inside a patient room virtually as if they were in a hospital room, with oxygen bags and IV pumps to monitor.
A systemic grant, following the initial high-impact practice grant, allowed the School of Nursing to acquire 41 additional headsets in Spring 2022. School of Nursing staff also partnered with the John C. Pace Library on campus so that students in the nursing program could check out the equipment to use on their own time.
“We’re bridging theory to practice and students really enjoy it because it makes it fun to learn,” Barbour-Taylor said. “It develops critical thinking and prioritization skills, and that’s the most important thing.”
With UbiSim, students can experience critical situations that they might not encounter during their clinicals at a hospital.
“This allows students to explore their weaknesses,” said Dr. Jill Van Der Like, director, Nursing Skills & Simulation Learning Center. “It opens up clinical opportunities and experiential learning experiences.”
Van Der Like says 30% of nurses are leaving within a year of their first job and she believes this competency-based learning opportunity can help students feel more confident in the workplace.
“If talking in public makes you nervous, you have to practice, you have to get good at it, just like nursing; you have to practice, because you have to deliver,” Van Der Like said.
Wyatt Adams, who will graduate in May and has accepted a nurse position at Baptist Hospital in Pensacola, said UbiSim has helped him put into practice what he learned in the classroom and has prepared him for situations he will encounter in the future.
“It’s unique because you can do what you can’t do in the hospital, which is make situations happen,” Adams said. “It really helped me in knowing when to ask questions. I’ve never been someone to ask too many questions and now I feel like I know when to ask for help. It helped with the teamwork aspect of nursing.”
The platform has also provided an opportunity for local high school students to see the innovative technology that UWF has to offer. So far, five high schools have visited the lab. Van Der Like says they are thankful the technology has opened new opportunities for the School of Nursing to connect with the community in such exciting and meaningful ways.
To learn more about the UWF School of Nursing, visit uwf.edu/nursing.
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University of West Florida
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Newswise — Montclair, NJ – (May 3, 2023) – Hackensack Meridian Mountainside Medical Center received an “A” Hospital Safety Grade from The Leapfrog Group, a national nonprofit upholding the standard of patient safety in hospitals and ambulatory surgery centers. This national distinction celebrates Mountainside Medical Center’s achievements in prioritizing patient safety by protecting patients from preventable harm and errors. The new grades reflect performance primarily during the height of the pandemic.
“The past few years have been a challenge, but at Mountainside Medical Center never wavered in our commitment to providing safe patient care,” said Tim O’Brien, chief executive officer at Mountainside Medical Center. “I am proud of the Mountainside team, who understand and work hard to implement patient-first practices.
The Leapfrog Group, an independent national watchdog organization, assigns an “A,” “B,” “C,” “D” or “F” grade to general hospitals across the country based on over 30 national performance measures reflecting errors, accidents, injuries and infections, as well as systems hospitals have in place to prevent harm.
“This new update of Hospital Safety Grades shows that, at the national level, we saw deterioration in patient safety with the pandemic,” said Leah Binder, president and CEO of The Leapfrog Group. “But this hospital received an ‘A’ despite those challenges. I congratulate all the leaders, staff, volunteers, and clinicians who together made that possible.”
The Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade is the only hospital ratings program based exclusively on hospital prevention of medical errors and harm to patients. The grading system is peer-reviewed, fully transparent and free to the public. Grades are updated twice annually, in the fall and spring.
About Hackensack Meridian Mountainside Medical Center
Newswise — Hackensack Meridian Mountainside Medical Center has been serving Montclair and its surrounding New Jersey communities since 1891. The hospital provides patients access to innovative and effective treatment in specialized centers within the hospital focused on radiology, women’s health, oncology, surgery, bariatrics, neurosciences, stroke, and cardiovascular services. Mountainside is designated as a Primary Stroke Center by The Joint Commission and The NJ State Department of Health and Senior Services and is one of only a few community hospitals licensed by the State to perform emergency cardiac angioplasty and emergency neuroendovascular procedures. To learn more about Hackensack Meridian Health Mountainside Medical Center visit www.mountainsidehosp.com.
About The Leapfrog Group
Founded in 2000 by large employers and other purchasers, The Leapfrog Group is a national nonprofit organization driving a movement for giant leaps for patient safety. The flagship Leapfrog Hospital Survey and new Leapfrog Ambulatory Surgery Center (ASC) Survey collect and transparently report hospital and ASC performance, empowering purchasers to find the highest-value care and giving consumers the lifesaving information they need to make informed decisions. The Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade, Leapfrog’s other main initiative, assigns letter grades to hospitals based on their record of patient safety, helping consumers protect themselves and their families from errors, injuries, accidents and infections. For more, follow us on Twitter and Facebook, and sign up for our newsletter.
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Hackensack Meridian Health (Mountainside Medical Center)
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Newswise — LOS ANGELES — For the first time, USC Verdugo Hills Hospital (USC-VHH) earned an “A” Hospital Safety Grade from The Leapfrog Group, an independent national watchdog organization, for achieving the highest national standards in patient safety. This achievement places USC-VHH among top tier hospitals in the nation for safety and quality.
“Our entire staff is dedicated to improving and upholding the highest standards of patient care,” said Mary Virgallito, MSN, RN, chief quality officer at USC-VHH. “This score reinforces our ongoing efforts to implement the most current, evidence-based practices for patient safety and outcomes.”
The Leapfrog Group assigns letter grades to general hospitals throughout the U.S. based on a hospital’s ability to prevent medical errors and harm to patients. Hospital Safety Grade results are based on more than 30 national performance measures and are updated each fall and spring.
“We are proud of the unwavering commitment of our staff in ensuring safety and quality care for our patients and will continue striving to ensure that this is the first ‘A’ grade of many,” said Armand Dorian, MD, MMM, CEO of USC-VHH.
USC-VHH recently employed several initiatives to improve quality and patient safety. The hospital has maintained rigorous infection prevention programs and has dedicated staff providing specialized 24-hour care for inpatients, intensive care and labor and delivery through its hospitalist, intensivist and laborist programs.
The Leapfrog Group grading system is peer-reviewed, fully transparent and free to the public. To see USC-VHH’s full grade details and access hospital safety tips for patients, visit hospitalsafetygrade.org.
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For more information about USC Verdugo Hills Hospital, please visit news.KeckMedicine.org.
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Keck Medicine of USC
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Newswise — Lawrenceville, NJ, USA—May 2, 2022—Value in Health, the official journal of ISPOR—The Professional Society for Health Economics and Outcomes Research (HEOR), published an editorial celebrating its 25th anniversary as the Society’s flagship HEOR journal. The article, “25 Years of Health Economics and Outcomes Research: An Exploration of Value in Health,” appears in the May 2023 issue of Value in Health.
In 1998, the inaugural Editor-in-Chief laid out a vision for Value in Health to serve as a forum where consensus can be built around development of guidelines for conducting and reporting research in the field. In their editorial, the current Editors-in-Chief, Michael F. Drummond, MCom, DPhil, University of York, York, England, UK, and C. Daniel Mullins, PhD, University of Maryland Baltimore, Baltimore, MD, USA, examine to what extent the content published in Value in Health has contributed to achieving this goal.
“We mark the 25th anniversary of the journal by examining the changes in the growth and composition of the literature and highlighting some of the key articles from the 25 top-cited items that the journal has published to date,” said Drummond and Mullins. The number of articles published has increased from 58 per year in the period from 1998-2010, to 196 per year in the period 2019-2022. In recent years, the most rapidly growing groups of papers have been those featuring methodological issues, health policy analyses, and systematic literature reviews. Another important change has been the publication of collections of papers in themed sections.
In addition, since 2011 the journal has published more than 60 ISPOR Reports. These are papers written by official ISPOR member groups and are predominantly Good Practices Reports discussing methodological issues in HEOR. Good Practices Reports have been published in all the major topic areas in the journal’s scope, and many of them are among the top 25 most cited items.
“When considering the top-cited items as a group, it does seem that a major focus of Value in Health has been on improving the conduct and reporting of HEOR studies and on developing good practice guidelines, consistent with the goal set by the founding editors of the journal,” said Drummond and Mullins. Based on its rich 25-year history, it may come as no surprise that Value in Health has emerged as one of the top-ranked journals in the HEOR field. Value in Health has been indexed in MEDLINE since 2001 when the original impact factor was 2.342. The journal’s most recent impact factor is 5.156, demonstrating the major impact Value in Health has had on the field of health economics and outcomes research.
“As the journal’s current Editors-in-Chief, we are committed to continuing to advance HEOR science and methods,” said Drummond and Mullins. “At the same time, we hope that the advancement in scientific rigor will also motivate even greater acceptance by payers, prescribers, and policy makers of those HEOR articles that apply best practices of HEOR methods to address real-world decision making by payers, prescribers, and policy makers. In turn, this will influence which evidence-based drugs and health technologies are accessed by patients and the public. As that occurs, both Value in Health and the field of HEOR will achieve the potential of improving global public health, extending life, and improving health-related quality of life.”
For more information about the 25 most cited articles in Value in Health, view the special collection here.
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ABOUT ISPOR
ISPOR, the professional society for health economics and outcomes research (HEOR), is an international, multistakeholder, nonprofit dedicated to advancing HEOR excellence to improve decision making for health globally. The Society is the leading source for scientific conferences, peer-reviewed and MEDLINE®-indexed publications, good practices guidance, education, collaboration, and tools/resources in the field.
Website | LinkedIn | Twitter (@ispororg) | YouTube | Facebook | Instagram
ABOUT VALUE IN HEALTH
Value in Health (ISSN 1098-3015) is an international, indexed journal that publishes original research and health policy articles that advance the field of health economics and outcomes research to help healthcare leaders make evidence-based decisions. The journal’s 2021 impact factor score is 5.156 and its 5-year impact factor score is 6.779. Value in Health is ranked 9th of 88 journals in health policy and services, 18th of 109 journals in healthcare sciences and services, and 50th of 381 journals in economics. Value in Health is a monthly publication that circulates to more than 10,000 readers around the world.
Website | Twitter (@isporjournals)
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ISPOR–The Professional Society for Health Economics and Outcomes Research
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BYLINE: Lisette Hilton
Newswise — Novel research by investigators at the Desai Sethi Urology Institute (DSUI) at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine was presented at one of the world’s most important urology meetings and simultaneously published in one of the highest impact journals in the specialty.
This reflects the quality of research at the DSUI, as this is the first time the Journal of Urology earmarked and simultaneously published American Urological Association (AUA) annual meeting presentations, according to Ranjith Ramasamy, M.D., director of reproductive urology at DSUI.
Two studies, one on a type of short-acting testosterone therapy and another looking at whether platelet-rich plasma (PRP) works to treat erectile dysfunction (ED), were presented during the April 28 to May 1 AUA 2023 meeting in Chicago and published online the day of each presentation in the Journal of Urology.
“These were randomized clinical trials, which offer the best evidence but also are the most challenging and arduous to conduct,” Dr. Ramasamy said. “They reflect the primary focus of the DSUI, which is to conduct investigator-initiated clinical trials.”
These studies also offer new information for clinicians and patients on common approaches used to treat common conditions, according to Thomas Masterson, M.D., assistant professor of urology.
Traditional treatments for erectile dysfunction focus on pathways that treat ED symptoms without reversing underlying ED causes. The most popular restorative therapies today are shockwave therapy, platelet-rich plasma and stem cell therapy. Restorative therapies have the potential to reverse the underlying pathology of ED.
“All three of these are not FDA approved for ED, and there is not a lot of good research on them,” said Dr. Masterson, who was the author of the study.
“While some small studies have shown potential benefits for platelet-rich plasma, popularly called the “P-shot,” larger and more rigorous clinical trials are needed to fully evaluate the efficacy and safety of platelet-rich plasma therapy for erectile dysfunction,” said Dr. Manuel Molina, a men’s health fellow and sub-investigator in the clinical trial.
DSUI investigators are the first to show using PRP was no better than using placebo to treat ED patients.
“This finding may prompt health care providers to reconsider the use of platelet-rich plasma therapy as a viable treatment option for erectile dysfunction until further research provides more conclusive evidence,” said Braian Ledesma, a student and study coordinator. Ledesma presented this finding as a late-breaking abstract at the AUA annual meeting.
Patients need to be informed consumers, according to Dr. Masterson.
“This study is the first negative study suggesting PRP, which can be very expensive, may not be any better than a placebo,” he said.
There are several forms of testosterone therapy, including those that are injected intramuscularly or subcutaneously, applied to the skin or taken orally as pills, as well as intranasal gel, which is applied on and absorbed into the nasal mucosa.
“Traditional forms of testosterone therapy are known to increase hematocrit, which is the percentage of red blood cells in your blood. That could lead to a risk of cardiovascular events, like heart attacks, blood clots or stroke,” said Marco-Jose Rivero, an author on the study and a Miami Andrology Research Scholar at DSUI. “Our objective for this trial was to evaluate and compare intramuscular testosterone therapy versus intranasal testosterone gel, with regards to whether or not they increase hematocrit.”
This is the first head-to-head study comparing the two, according to Dr. Ramasamy. Men were randomized to receive either intramuscular testosterone, which is administered every two weeks by injection, or the nasal gel, which is applied two to three times daily.
The researchers found that intramuscular testosterone does increase hematocrit levels, while intranasal testosterone gel does not. And intranasal testosterone gel may be a better option for patients with cardiovascular risk factors and others who want to avoid the potential side effect, according to Rivero.
“This finding is important because we do believe the increased red blood cell count or hematocrit is what puts people at risk of cardiovascular or thrombotic events,” said Russell Saltzman, the clinical trial coordinator.
Rivero, a medical student, said that his working on such an impactful randomized clinical trial has allowed him to gain research experience in a rigorous study design, while also further developing his ability to care for patients.
“I am grateful for the opportunity to share my findings with a national audience, through both a poster presentation at the AUA and a publication in the Journal of Urology,” Rivero said.
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University of Miami Health System, Miller School of Medicine
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Newswise — Each year, Connecticut Magazine recognizes some of the state’s best physicians, who provide exceptional care for patients, with its annual “Top Doctors” issue. This year’s list includes 82 physicians from Smilow Cancer Hospital and Yale Cancer Center, the only National Cancer Institute-designated comprehensive cancer center in the state.
“It is wonderful for many of us to be included on the 2023 list of top cancer doctors in Connecticut,” said Eric Winer, MD, director of Yale Cancer Center and physician-in-chief of Smilow. “This is a top honor, and we are grateful for the recognition and the support.”
The magazine partnered with Castle Connolly, a leading national health care research firm, to compile the annual list of the state’s top physicians. Castle Connolly’s extensive survey identified more than 1,600 Connecticut physicians, all nominated by their peers and vetted to meet the criteria to earn the designation of “Top Doctors.” In other words, these are the cancer experts who other doctors recommend. The complete “Top Doctors” list appears in the May 2023 issue of Connecticut Magazine.
Congratulations to this year’s “Top Doctors” affiliated with Smilow Cancer Hospital and Yale Cancer Center:
Top Doctors
Nita Ahuja — Surgery
Michael Alperovich — Surgery
Harry Aslanian — Gastroenterology
Masoud Azodi — Gynecologic Oncology
Joachim Baehring — Neurology
Elizabeth Berger — Breast Surgical Oncology
Jean Bolognia — Dermatology
Robert Bona — Hematology & Oncology
D. Barry Boyd — Medical Oncology
James Clune — Surgery
Michael Cohenuram — Thoracic Oncology
John Colberg — Urology
Frank Detterbeck — Thoracic Surgery
Kevin Du — Therapeutic Radiology
Andrew Duffy — Surgery
Beverly Drucker — Medical Oncology
Richard Edelson — Dermatology
Neal Fischbach — Medical Oncology
Francine Foss — Medical Oncology-Hematology-Oncology
Gary Frielaender —Pathology-Musculoskeletal Oncology
Scott Gettinger — Thoracic Oncology-Medical Oncology
Michael Girardi — Dermatology
Earl Glusac — Pathology-Dermatology
Rachel Greenup — Breast Surgical Oncology
Roy Herbst — Medical Oncology-Thoracic Oncology
Susan Higgins — Therapeutic Radiology-Breast Cancer Radiotherapy
Silvio Inzucchi —Endocrinology-Diabetes Medicine & Management
Gary Israel — Radiology-Biomedical Imaging
Dhanpat Jain — Pathology-Internal Medicine (Digestive Diseases)
Priya Jamidar — Gastroenterology-Hepatology
Michele Johnson — Radiology-Biomedical Imaging
Kimberly Johung — Therapeutic Radiology
Benjamin Judson — Surgery
Jennifer Kapo — Internal Medicine-Hospice & Palliative Care
Patrick Kenney — Urology
Sajid Khan — Surgical Oncology-Gastrointestinal Surgery
Sanjay Kulkarni — Surgery
Pamela Kunz — Medical Oncology
Jill Lacy — Medical Oncology
Johanna LaSala — Medical Oncology-Hematology & Oncology
Stephen Lattanzi — Medical Oncology
Alfred Lee — Hematology
Merlin Lee (M.Sung Lee) — Hematology-Oncology
David Lefell — Dermatology
Jonathan Leventhal — Dermatology
Walter Longo — Surgery
Maryam Lustberg — Breast Oncology
David Madoff — Radiology-Biomedical Imaging
Asher Marks — Pediatric Hematology & Oncology
Kelsey Martin — Hematology & Oncology
Bruce McGibbon —Therapeutic Radiology
Saral Mehra — Surgery
Ehud Mendel — Neurosurgery
Jon Morrow — Pathology
David Mulligan — Surgery
Justin Persico — Medical Oncology
Daniel Petrylak — Medical Oncology-Urology
Jeffrey Pollak — Radiology-Biomedical Imaging
Jennifer Possick — Thoracic Oncology
Lajos Pusztai — Medical Oncology, Breast Oncology
Elena Ratner — Gynecologic Oncology
Vikram Reddy — Colon and Rectal Surgery
David Rimm — Pathology-Medical Oncology
Kenneth Roberts — Therapeutic Radiology-Medical Oncology
Alessandro Santin — Gynecologic Oncology
Ronald Salem — Surgery
Niketa Shah — Hematology & Oncology
Sangini Sheth — Gynecologic Oncology
Dinish Singh — Urology
Kathleen Suozzi — Dermatology
Gordon Sze — Radiology-Biomedical Imaging
Mario Sznol — Medical Oncology
Lynn Tanoue — Pulmonology & Sleep Medicine
Kelsey Martin Thompson — Hematology
Hugh Taylor — Gynecologic Oncology
Juan Vasquez — Pediatric Hematology-Oncology
Jeffrey Weinreb — Radiology-Biomedical Imaging
Lynn Wilson — Therapeutic Radiology
Eric Winer — Medical Oncology
David Witt — Medical Oncology
George Yavorek — Colorectal Surgery
Nwanmegha Young — Clinical Surgery
*Alex Choi in the Palliative Care Program at Smilow Cancer Hospital was also named a 2023 Castle Connolly Rising Star
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Yale Cancer Center/Smilow Cancer Hospital
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BYLINE: Nicole Swenarton
Newswise — At least 3,700 out-of-state mental health providers utilized New Jersey’s COVID-19 Temporary Emergency Reciprocity Licensure program to provide mental health services to more than 30,000 New Jersey patients during the first year of the pandemic, according to a Rutgers study.
The study, published in The Journal of Medical Regulation, surveyed health care practitioners who received a temporary license in New Jersey to examine the impact of the temporary licensure program on access to mental health care.
“The New Jersey program enabled patients with already-established care to maintain care continuity and patients seeking new care to have increased access to mental health services,” said Ann Nguyen, an assistant research professor at the Center for State Health Policy at the Rutgers Institute for Health, Health Care Policy and Aging Research (IFH) and the lead author of the study.
When New Jersey became a COVID-19 hotspot in March 2020, the state enacted the program to allow out-of-state, licensed health care providers to obtain a temporary license to provide COVID-19 and non-COVID-19 care to New Jersey residents via telecommunication technologies or in-person. According to research on temporary licensure reciprocity, at least 45 states waived or modified existing rules to allow health care providers to work across state lines through temporary licensure programs during the pandemic.
One in five adults in the United States experience mental illness each year and 1,112,000 adults in New Jersey have a mental health condition, according to the National Alliance on Mental Illness. In February 2021, more than 42 percent of adults in New Jersey reported symptoms of anxiety or depression.
With increasing deaths attributed to drugs, alcohol and suicide and a shortage of mental health providers throughout the U.S., Rutgers researchers said increasing access to mental health services is crucial.
“Increased access to mental health services for even one individual, let alone over 30,000, has the potential to save lives,” Nguyen said.
Researchers found that mental health care practitioners included in the study conversed with patients in at least 13 languages and about 53 percent of practitioners served at least one patient from an underserved racial or ethnic minority group.
The study findings have implications for long-term licensure reciprocity mechanisms, such as interstate licensure compacts, designed to allow health care providers to have primary or home state licensure as well as either a multistate license or an option for expedited additional licenses, the researchers said.
“As states consider enacting laws to join interstate licensure compacts, policymakers should think through the ways in which more flexible and portable licensure can enhance access to the mental health workforce, especially for patients who are historically underserved, and mitigate the workforce supply crisis,” said Nguyen.
Coauthors of the study include Jolene Chou of the Center for State Health Policy; Elissa Kozlov, Danielle Llaneza and Molly Nowels of Rutgers of Rutgers School of Public Health; and Magda Schaler-Haynes of Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health.
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Rutgers University-New Brunswick
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