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Increasing interest in the role of spirituality in clinical care has begun to affect educational programs. This study evaluated the current status of training in spirituality and health care in family medicine residency programs.We surveyed 138 randomly selected US family medicine residencies regarding their spirituality and health care curriculum. A response rate of 73% (101/138) was obtained.Almost all (92%) of program directors said spirituality teaching was important, but only 31% of programs have a specific curriculum (average: 6 hours) to guide the spirituality and health care teaching of their residents. The most common factor correlated with having a spirituality curriculum and perceived effective education efforts (which occurred in 84% of programs with a structured curriculum) was the presence of faculty members with specific interest, expertise, or training in spirituality and health education.Residency programs with trained/expert faculty are more likely to have structured spirituality and health care teaching.

Evidence suggests that cardiovascular disease (CVD) is accelerated by the oxidation of low-density lipoprotein (LDL) in the presence of iron. This study examined whether adults with elevated iron, as measured by transferrin saturation (TS), and elevated LDL are at an increased risk for mortality.This is a cohort study of the adult US population using the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 1976-1980 (NHANES II) merged with the NHANES II Mortality Study in 1992. Multivariate Cox regression was performed to determine hazard ratios (HR) for CVD and all-cause mortality for high (55%) or low (55%) levels of TS and high (160 mg/dl) or low (160 mg/dl) levels of LDL.An elevated LDL alone did not significantly increase CVD mortality or all-cause mortality in the adjusted model. Individuals with elevated LDL and elevated TS had a statistically significant increase in both CVD mortality and all-cause mortality (HR=5.74 and 3.53, respectively) compared to the low LDL and low TS group.The results of this study indicate an increased risk associated with the combination of elevated LDL and elevated TS, which suggests that iron-mediated oxidation of LDL may be a significant factor in the progression of CVD.

The educational sponsor of a residency program (ie, community based versus university based, opposed versus unopposed) is one of the most influential factors in medical students' choice of a training program. This study examined the practice profiles of South Carolina family practice residency graduates to determine whether there were significant differences based on program sponsorship.A survey was mailed to the 1,335 graduates of South Carolina Area Health Education Consortium (SC AHEC)-affiliated residency programs. Data were summarized and analyzed using the Epi-Info statistical program. Significance was preset at the P.01 level.A total of 720 (56.0%) surveys were returned. Community-based program graduates were more likely to practice in the state, in a rural area, and closer to their residency site. University-based program graduates were more likely to practice in academic settings (18.9% versus 6.3%). Several minor differences in procedures performed were noted, with some procedures performed more commonly by physicians trained in university-based programs and others by physicians trained in community programs. No differences in salaries orpersonal or professional satisfaction between groups was found.The current study found some differences in location of practice but found few differences in procedures performed, salaries, or satisfaction based on sponsorship of residency.