Search

Since the mid-1840s a diverse fossil vertebrate assemblage, referred to as the Chinchilla Local Fauna, has been collected from the Pliocene deposits of the Chinchilla Sand on the western Darling Downs of South-East Queensland. In large part because of this long history and the numerous collectors who have worked fossil deposits in the area, much ambiguity regarding site and locality names and their specific coordinates exists. Here, we review the vertebrate fossil collection records in the Queensland Museum Fossil, Donor, Collector and Locality Registers, correspondence, and field notes in an effort to pinpoint the location of each named locality and site and develop a digital map which highlights the historical collecting sites at one significant locality in the Chinchilla area. To ensure that a systematic framework for all future collecting from the main collecting area (Chinchilla Rifle Range) is maintained, we recommend the use of consistent nomenclature for sites so that spatial information of the highest possible quality is captured into the future. We recommend future collections include detailed recordings of stratigraphic contexts as well as GPS coordinates.

Introduction: Although there is an increasing need for geriatricians, fewer physicians are entering the field. Family medicine residents find geriatrics, especially nursing home care, unsatisfying. Life stories of older adult patients may help providers cope with the challenges of nursing home care and increase provider satisfaction by offering a way to connect with patients. Methods: We conducted a qualitative study on life stories’ effects on attitudes towards nursing home care. Fourteen patient stories were created. Seven Boston University family medicine residents and one nurse practitioner participated in a semistructured interview both before and at least 2 months after learning about their patients’ stories. Data were analyzed using qualitative techniques from grounded theory. Results: Participants found nursing home care challenging, particularly for patients who were nonverbal due to advanced dementia, because they had difficulties forming meaningful relationships or discussing medical decisions with their patients. Life stories increased empathy, deepened relationships with patients, and led participants to feel more satisfied in their role as providers. The stories were considered useful for end-of-life discussions. Conclusion: Life stories incorporated into physician practice may help health care providers feel more connected to their patients and ultimately more satisfied in the care of nursing home patients.

Women with intellectual disability (ID) have similar rates of breast cancer as the general public, but higher breast cancer mortality and lower rates of regular screening mammography. Screening rates are lowest among women who live with their families. Though women with ID often make decisions in partnership with their relatives, we lack research related to family member perspectives on mammography. We conducted a qualitative study of family members of women with ID, with an interview guide focused on health care decision making and experiences, and breast cancer screening barriers, facilitators, and beliefs as related to their loved ones. Sixteen family members underwent semistructured interviews. Important themes included mammography as a reference point for other social and cultural concerns, such as their loved one's sexuality or what it means to be an adult woman; fear of having to make hard decisions were cancer to be diagnosed acting as a barrier to screening; a focus on quality of life; and desire for quality health care for their loved one, though quality care did not always equate to regular cancer screening. Adults with ID are valued members of their families, and their relatives are invested in their well-being. However, families fear the potentially complicated decisions associated with a cancer diagnosis and may choose to forgo screening due to misinformation and a focus on quality of life. Effective interventions to address disparities in mammography should focus on adults with ID and their families together, and incorporate the family context.

Though it is widely recognized that people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) face significant health disparities, the comprehensive data sets needed for population-level health surveillance of people with IDD are lacking. This paucity of data makes it difficult to track and accurately describe health differences, improvements, and changes in access. Many states maintain administrative health databases that, to date, have not been widely used for research purposes. In order to evaluate the feasibility of using administrative databases for research purposes, the authors attempted to validate Massachusetts' administrative health database by comparing it to a large safety net hospital system's patient data regarding cancer screening, and to the state's service enrollment tables. The authors found variable representativeness overall; the sub-population of adults who live in 24-hr supported residences were better represented than adults who live independently or with family members. They also found a fairly low false negative rate for cancer screening data as compared with the “gold standard” of hospital records. Despite some limitations, these results suggest that state-level administrative databases may represent an exciting new avenue for health research. These results should lend context to efforts to study cancer and health screening variables using administrative databases. The present study methods may also have utility to researchers in other states for critically evaluating other state IDD service databases. This type of evaluation can assist researchers in contextualizing their data, and in tailoring their research questions to the abilities and limitations of this kind of database.

Introduction Despite the prevalence of intimate partner violence (IPV), there is a paucity of research exploring the role that physicians might play in intervening with IPV perpetrators. Methods A qualitative study explored interactions between family medicine physicians and male perpetrators of IPV. Fifteen physicians were purposefully sampled from 1 hospital system. The physicians were individually interviewed using a semistructured interview guide, and interview transcripts were analyzed using techniques from grounded theory. Results Three main themes relating to physicians' experiences were identified: (1) how physicians learned of or identified IPV perpetration by men (usually disclosure by the victim, but perpetrators also disclosed it); (2) how physicians assessed for comorbidities or responded to IPV perpetration by men; and (3) facilitators of and barriers to physician identification of and response to IPV perpetration by men. Facilitators identified include having a trusting relationship with the perpetrator and support services, whereas barriers consisted of strong negative emotions and a lack of training. Conclusions Family medicine physicians in this sample reported feeling underprepared to serve patients whom they know are perpetrators of IPV, particularly if they are also providing care to the victim. Additional research is needed to develop interventions and effective trainings.

Primary care physicians who care for adults with intellectual disability often lack experience with the population, and patients with intellectual disability express dissatisfaction with their care. Establishing a secure primary care relationship is particularly important for adults with intellectual disability, who experience health disparities and may rely on their physician to direct/coordinate their care. The authors conducted semistructured interviews with 22 family physicians with the goal of identifying educational needs of family physicians who care for people with intellectual disability. Interviews were transcribed and coded using tools from grounded theory. Several themes related to educational needs were identified. Physician participants identified themes of “operating without a map,” discomfort with patients with intellectual disability, and a need for more exposure to/experience with people with intellectual disability as important content areas. The authors also identified physician frustration and lack of confidence, compounded by anxiety related to difficult behaviors and a lack of context or frame of reference for patients with intellectual disability. Primary care physicians request some modification of their educational experience to better equip them to care for patients with intellectual disability. Their request for experiential, not theoretical, learning fits well under the umbrella of cultural competence (a required competency in U.S. medical education).

Background: Women with intellectual disabilities have the same rate of breast cancer as other women but are less likely to undergo screening mammography. Characteristics associated with mammography for women with intellectual disabilities in the United States are unknown. Methods: This study was based on a secondary data analysis of the Massachusetts Department of Developmental Services database, comparing women who had a mammogram within 2 years with women who had not on variables related to the ecological model. Bivariate analyses, logistic regression, and assessment of interactions were performed. Results: The study sample’s (n 2907) mean age was 54.7 years; 58% lived in 24-hour residential settings, 52% received nursing health coordination, and more than 25% had clinical examination needs (eg, sedation). Residential setting, health coordination, and recent influenza vaccination were all associated with mammography. Having a guardian, higher level of activities of daily living needs, and examination needs (requiring sedation or limited wait time for examinations) were associated with lower rates. Interactions between health coordination and examination needs confirmed the potential of the nurse to ameliorate barriers to mammography. Conclusion: Several system-level variables were significantly associated with mammography and, in some cases, seemed to ameliorate intrapersonal/behavioral barriers to mammography. Community agencies caring for intellectually disabled women have potential to impact mammography rates by using health coordination. (J Am Board Fam Med 2011;24:693–703.)

PURPOSE Women with intellectual disabilities (or mental retardation) are living longer, receiving primary care in the community, and have equal rates of breast cancer compared with women in the general population, but they have lower rates of mammography. Although several public campaigns have successfully raised the mammography rate for racial and ethnic minority women, they have not penetrated the community of women with intellectual disabilities. No research to date has explored potential barriers to mammography for these women by involving the women themselves as participants. METHODS We undertook a qualitative study to explore the perceptions and understanding of mammography for women with intellectual disabilities and some of the potential reasons they would or would not have the test. Twenty-seven intellectually disabled women were recruited through a variety of community groups and interviewed using a semistructured interview guide. Data were analyzed using qualitative techniques from grounded theory. RESULTS Participants in this study described being poorly prepared for mammography: they did not understand its purpose and were not prepared for the logistics of the experience. The latter was more upsetting to participants and contributed to their negative perceptions of mammography. Participants reported feeling unprepared and singled out for being unprepared, despite their desire to have at least 1 mammogram, as do other women their age. CONCLUSIONS Women with intellectual disabilities perceive mammography differently than do women who do not have intellectual disabilities, and their perception is informed by inadequate knowledge, anxiety, and inadequate preparation. These themes should be considered when planning cancer prevention interventions with this population and when counseling individual women in the clinical setting.

Women with intellectual disabilities (ID) need thoughtful, well-coordinated care from primary care physicians. They are particularly susceptible to experiencing disparities in care because of varied participation in shared decision making. This review of the current literature comments on the quantity and quality of existing studies regarding several key women's health issues: menstrual disorders, cervical and breast cancer screening, contraception, and osteoporosis. A review of the current thinking regarding ethical and legal issues in medical decision making for these women is also provided. We found that there are several high-quality studies recommending early and frequent screening for osteoporosis, which is more common in women with ID. Smaller and fewer studies comment specifically on techniques for accomplishing the gynecological examination in women with ID, although the cervical cancer screening recommendation should be individualized for these patients. Consensus data on the management of menstrual problems and contraception in women with ID is provided. There are some data on breast cancer incidence but few articles on methods to improve screening rates in women with ID.

Background Medical education increasingly relies on small-group learning. Small group learning provides more active learning, better retention, higher satisfaction, and facilitates development of problem-solving and team-working abilities. However, less is known about student experience and preference for different small groups teaching models. We evaluated group educational dynamics and group learning process in medical school clerkship small group case-based settings, with a faculty member present versus absent. Methods Students completed surveys after cases when the faculty was present (“in”) or absent (“out”) for the bulk of the discussion. 228 paired surveys (114 pairs) were available for paired analysis, assessing group dynamics, group learning process, student preference, and participation through self-report and self-rating of group behaviors tied to learning and discussion quality. Results Ratings of group dynamics and group learning process were significantly higher with the faculty absent vs. present (p range

Background: Certain health characteristics place adults with intellectual disability at increased risk for osteoporosis. However, little data exist to describe how comorbid disease or medications affect screening patterns for these patients. Methods: We evaluated the relationship between bone density screening and the presence of risk factors using a secondary cross-sectional analysis of 5520 adults aged 19 years and older with the diagnosis of intellectual disability. Results: Of the sample, 22.9% received one or more bone density screenings (34.4% women, 13.3% men). Low screening rates in men prohibited the construction of a valid sex-specific multivariate model of the association between bone density screening and risk factors for osteoporosis. In women, when controlling for age the following factors were significantly associated with ever having bone density screening: use of antiepileptic medication (odds ratio [OR], 1.5) and vitamin D (OR, 3.4); recent receipt of a flu vaccine (OR, 1.4); and living in a 24-hour supported residential setting (OR, 1.3). A diagnosis of Down syndrome (OR, 0.72) was associated with decreased likelihood of screening. Conclusions: Many known risk factors for osteoporosis affected the likelihood of an adult with intellectual disability receiving screening, yet overall screening rates for adults with intellectual disabilities were lower than screening rates in the general population. Results suggest a need for increased provider awareness about bone density screenings in high-risk adults with intellectual disability, especially men, as well as men and women with Down syndrome. (J Am Board Fam Med 2014;27:104‐114.)

Background People with intellectual disabilities (ID) receive primary care in community-based practices and are encouraged to participate in the physician–patient relationship. However, the nature of this participation is not known. Methods Qualitative data were analysed to obtain perspectives from patients and providers regarding clinic visits. Patient participants were recruited from community organisations, while physician participants were recruited from emails and phone calls to local and regional practices and a national and regional list serve. Analysis methods derived from grounded theory were used. Results Twenty-seven women with ID and 22 family physicians were interviewed. Themes important to both groups included time, how the support worker should be used in the encounter and the nature of the physician–patient relationship. Patients expressed frustration at how little time they spent with their physician, and wished that physicians would speak directly to them instead of to their support worker. Physicians felt that patients with ID took too much time, and said that they preferred communicating with the support worker. The interviews also revealed unconscious biases about people with ID. Conclusions Patient participation is encouraged for people with ID, but is limited because of both physician and patient factors. Greater awareness of these factors may improve care for patients with ID.

There is a national shortage of primary care physicians; many medical school departments of family medicine are searching for new ways to attract and retain students who may be interested in primary care. In 2004, our department began a "pipeline" program targeted at entering first-year students that incorporates curricular, extracurricular, summer, and career-planning elements.The program was evaluated and data collected on the numbers of students who were regular attenders of events, who expressed intent to apply in family medicine at the end of third year, and who ultimately matched in family medicine. Qualitative measures of program success were also noted (comments from students outside the department and the influence of the family medicine interest group).Data are preliminary but suggest that the Family Medicine Student Track (FaMeS) has increased the numbers of students matching in family medicine from Boston University (BU) during a period when the national average was decreasing. The odds of a BU student matching in family medicine were nearly double (1.94) the odds compared with before the program. The family medicine interest group substantively increased its presence at the medical school and won a national Program of Excellence award.The FaMeS program appears to be associated with a significant increase of numbers of students matching in family medicine during a time period when the national average decreased. The program is young, and results may be most generalizable to schools, like BU, with a strong specialist presence.

Prayer for health (PFH) is common; in 2002, 35% of US adults prayed for their health. We examined the relationship of PFH and primary care visits, with a special focus on African American women, using data from the 2002 National Health Interview Survey (NHIS).We used chi-square analyses to compare the demographic (age group, gender, race, region, marital status, educational level, ethnicity) and health-related covariates (alcohol use, smoking status, and selected medical conditions) between individuals who did and did not pray for their health in the past year. Univariate associations between PFH and visit to primary care provider (PCP), with Mantel-Haenszel adjustment for confounding, were determined. Multivariate regression was used to determine independent factors associated with PFH and PCP visit, with SUDAAN to adjust for the clustered survey design.Subjects who prayed were more likely to be female, older than 58, Black, Southern, separated, divorced or widowed, and nondrinkers. Subjects who prayed were also more likely to have seen a PCP within the past year. Black women who prayed were also more likely to see a PCP.These findings suggest that people who pray for their health do so in addition to, not instead of, seeking primary care. This finding is maintained but with a smaller effect size, in Black women.

Writing workshops and narrative experiences for medical trainees can be a useful way to approach certain issues in their education. This article describes a brief writing exercise that can be used for physicians in training to help them recognize issues of countertransference in the doctor-patient relationship. While these issues are generally covered as part of residents’ behavioral science curriculum, this exercise allows trainees to use a creative method in order to uncover them. To date, this exercise has been used in two residency programs with residents informally expressing improved understanding of their own experience with patients.