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PURPOSE Medical student mistreatment is pervasive, yet whether all physicians have a shared understanding of the problem is unclear. The authors presented professionally designed trigger videos to physicians from six different specialties to determine if they perceive mistreatment and its severity similarly. METHOD From October 2016 to August 2018, resident and attending physicians from 10 U.S. medical schools viewed five trigger videos showing behaviors that could be perceived as mistreatment. They completed a survey exploring their perceptions. The authors compared perceptions of mistreatment across specialties and, for each scenario, evaluated the relationship between specialty and perception of mistreatment. RESULTS Six-hundred and fifty resident and attending physicians participated. There were statistically significant differences in perception of mistreatment across specialties for three of the five scenarios: aggressive questioning (range 74.1%-91.2%), negative feedback (range 25.4%-63.7%), and assignment of inappropriate tasks (range 5.5%-25.5%) (P ≤ .001, for all). After adjusting for gender, race, professional role, and prior mistreatment, physicians in surgery viewed three scenarios (aggressive questioning, negative feedback, inappropriate tasks) as less likely to represent mistreatment compared to internal medicine physicians. Physicians from obstetrics and gynecology and from "other" specialties perceived less mistreatment in two scenarios (aggressive questioning, negative feedback) while family physicians perceived more mistreatment in one scenario (negative feedback) compared to internal medicine physicians. The mean severity of perceived mistreatment on a 1 to 7 scale (7 most serious) also varied statistically significantly across the specialties for three scenarios: aggressive questioning (range 4.4-5.4, P < .001), ethnic insensitivity (range 5.1-6.1, P = .001), and sexual harassment (range 5.5-6.3, P = .004). CONCLUSIONS Specialty was associated with differences in the perception of mistreatment and in the rating of its severity. Further investigation is needed to understand why these perceptions of mistreatment vary among specialties and how to address these differences.

To describe the association between unmet rehabilitation needs and life satisfaction 5 years after traumatic brain injury (TBI).Prospective observational cohort.Five Veterans Affairs (VA) Polytrauma Rehabilitation Centers.VA TBI Model Systems participants (N=301); 95% male; 77% white; average age, 39±14y).Not applicable.Satisfaction With Life Scale (SWLS).Average SWLS score was 22±8. Univariable analyses demonstrated several statistically significant predictors of life satisfaction, including employment status, participation, psychiatric symptom severity, past year mental health treatment, and total number of unmet rehabilitation needs (all P.05). Multivariable analyses revealed that depression and participation were each associated with life satisfaction. An ad hoc mediation model suggested that unmet rehabilitation needs total was indirectly related to life satisfaction. Total unmet rehabilitation needs ranged from 0-21 (mean, 2.0±3.4). Correlational analyses showed that 14 of the 21 unmet rehabilitation needs were associated with life satisfaction.Findings support the need for rehabilitation engagement in later stages of TBI recovery. Ongoing assessment of and intervention for unmet rehabilitation needs in the chronic phase of recovery have the potential to mitigate decline in life satisfaction.

BACKGROUND: The incidence of esophageal cancer (EC) is increasing in the USA. Neoadjuvant therapy for locally advanced cancers followed by surgical resection is the standard of care. The most common post-esophagectomy cardiac complication is atrial fibrillation (AF). New-onset postoperative AF can require a prolonged hospital stay and may confer an overall poorer prognosis. In this study, we seek to identify clinical factors associated with postoperative AF. METHODS: Query of an IRB approved database of 1,039 esophagectomies at our institution revealed 677 patients with EC from 1999 to 2017 who underwent esophagectomy after neoadjuvant treatment. Age, treatment location (primary vs. other), gender, neoadjuvant radiation type [2D vs. 3D vs. intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT)], radiation dose, surgery type (transthoracic vs. transhiatal vs. three field), smoking history, coronary artery disease (CAD), chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), operative time, blood transfusions, fluid management, and length of stay (LOS) were analyzed in relationship to the development of AF. Statistical analysis was performed with SPSS 24. RESULTS: The mean age of the entire cohort was 64.3 (range, 28–86 years), with a Caucasian and male preponderance (White: 94.5%; male: 83.6%). Of the 677 patients, 14.9% (n=101) developed postoperative AF. Increasing age (P

OBJECTIVE: To determine if perception of mistreatment and severity in each of the professional videotaped vignettes was similar between participants of differing professional status (Ob/Gyn attending physicians, resident physicians, and medical students), previous mistreatment status, ethnic minority status, and gender. METHODS: Three video vignettes were filmed portraying possible medical student mistreatment during an obstetrics and gynecology clerkship. Prior to watching the videos, all participants were asked to complete a questionnaire related to their prior experience with mistreatment as a medical student along with other demographic details. After viewing each video, participants were asked to rate the video as representing mistreatment (yes/no) and, if yes, the severity of medical student mistreatment. RESULTS: Eight attending physicians, ten resident physicians, and ten medical students participated in this study. Professional status, previous mistreatment status, ethnic minority status, and gender did not affect how participants perceived mistreatment or the severity of the video vignettes. Fifty percent (14/28) of participants reported previous mistreatment as a medical student, all of which occurred during their third year of medical school. CONCLUSION: Medical students, resident physicians, and attending physicians generally agreed which video vignettes represented medical student mistreatment and the level of severity of the event.

Introduction: Medical students face significant mental health challenges as they matriculate through medical training. Research has emphasized the need for more interventions that promote physician trainee well-being and resilience during the early stages of training. Recent interventions have shown to be effective in promoting mental health and well-being; however, no interventions have examined the impact that daily gratitude practice, which is linked to increased well-being, may have on dispositional gratitude levels among medical students. Methods: In Spring 2019, medical students at the University of South Florida were invited to participate in a gratitude program. Participants logged three good things that happened to them each day, for a period of 30 days. Their dispositional gratitude levels were assessed using the short-form Gratitude Resentment and Application Test (GRAT) before and after the 30-day intervention. Participant demographics and changes in GRAT scores from baseline to follow-up were examined. Results: Forty-six medical students volunteered to participate in a short-term, gratitude-focused wellness program. Overall levels of dispositional gratitude increased significantly among medical students (p

PURPOSE: Clinical performance evaluations play a critical role in determining medical school clerkship grades. This study aimed to provide clarification from clerkship directors in internal medicine on what constitutes an effective and informative narrative description of student performance. METHODS: In September 2016, the Clerkship Directors in Internal Medicine (CDIM) electronically administered its annual, voluntary, and confidential cross-sectional survey of its US membership. One section of the survey asked six questions regarding the helpful components of an effective narrative evaluation. Respondents were asked to rate the effectiveness of elements contained within narrative evaluations of students. RESULTS: Ninety-five CDIM members responded to the survey with an overall response rate of 74.2%. Descriptions of skills and behaviors were felt to be the most important, followed by a description of the overall synthetic or global assessment level of the student. Descriptions of personality and attitude were the next highest rated feature followed by adjectives describing performance. Length was felt to be the least important component. In free-text comments, several respondents indicated that direct observation of performance and specific examples of skills and behaviors are also desirable. CONCLUSIONS: Narrative evaluations of students that explicitly comment on skills, behaviors, and an overarching performance level of the learner are strongly preferred by clerkship directors. Direct observation of clinical performance and giving specific examples of such behaviors give evaluations even more importance. Faculty development on evaluation and assessment should include instruction on these narrative assessment characteristics.

Objective(s) To determine the association of pharmacist medication counseling with medication adherence, 30-day hospital readmission, and mortality. Methods The initial search identified 21,590 citations. After applying the inclusion and exclusion criteria, 62 randomized controlled trials (RCTs) (49 for the meta-analysis) were included in the final analysis. Data were pooled using a random-effects model. Results The participants in most of the studies were older patients with chronic diseases who, therefore, were taking many drugs. The overall methodologic quality of evidence ranged from low to very low. Pharmacist medication counseling versus no such counseling was associated with a statistically significant 30% increase in relative risk (RR) for medication adherence, a 24% RR reduction in 30-day hospital readmission (number needed to treat = 4.2), and a 30% RR reduction in emergency department visits. RR reductions for primary care visits and mortality were not statistically significant. Conclusion The evidence supports pharmacist medication counseling to increase medication adherence and to reduce 30-day hospital readmissions and emergency department visits. However, higher-quality RCT studies are needed to confirm or refute these findings.

Procedural standardization in endoscopic ultrasound-guided liver biopsy (EUS-LB) is necessary to obtain core biopsy specimens for accurate diagnosis. The objective of this study was to directly compare the diagnostic yield of 2 EUS-LB fine-needle biopsy (FNB) systems in vivo.In this prospective, single-center study, 108 adult patients undergoing EUS-LB over a 1-year period were included. Each EUS-LB consisted of an EGD, followed by EUS-guided biopsy of the left lobe of the liver sequentially using 2 different 19-gauge needles: the fork-tip (SharkCore) and Franseen (Acquire) FNB systems. Specimens were then reviewed by a GI histopathologist to determine diagnostic adequacy as well as the number of complete portal tracts, specimen length, and degree of fragmentation.In 79.4% of cases, the fork-tip FNB system yielded a final diagnosis compared with 97.2% of the Franseen FNB specimens (P .001). The mean number of complete portal tracts in the fork-tip FNB samples was 7.07 compared with 9.59 in the Franseen FNB samples (P .001). The mean specimen length was 13.86 mm for the fork-tip FNB and 15.81 mm for the Franseen FNB (P = .004). Cores were intact in 47.6% of the fork-tip FNB samples and in 75.2% of the Franseen FNB samples (P = .004).In EUS-LB, we found that the 19-gauge Franseen FNB system resulted in a statistically significant increase in diagnostic adequacy compared with biopsy using the fork-tip FNB system.

Objectives The aim of this study was to evaluate how often the European Medicines Agency (EMA) has authorized drugs based on nonrandomized studies and whether there is an association between treatment effects and EMA preference for further testing in randomized clinical trials (RCTs). Study Design and Setting We reviewed all initial marketing authorizations in the EMA database on human medicines between 1995 and 2015 and included authorizations granted without randomized data. We extracted data on treatment effects and EMA preference for further testing in RCTs. Results Of 723 drugs, 51 were authorized based on nonrandomized data. These 51 drugs were licensed for 71 indications. In the 51 drug-indication pairs with no preference for further RCT testing, effect estimates were large [odds ratio (OR): 12.0 (95% confidence interval {CI}: 8.1–17.9)] compared to effect estimates in the 20 drug-indication pairs for which future RCTs were preferred [OR: 4.3 (95% CI 2.8–6.6)], with a significant difference between effects (P = 0.0005). Conclusion Nonrandomized data were used for 7% of EMA drug approvals. Larger effect sizes were associated with greater likelihood of approval based on nonrandomized data alone. We did not find a clear treatment effect threshold for drug approval without RCT evidence.

The size of estimated treatment effects on the basis of which the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved drugs and devices with data from nonrandomized clinical trials (non-RCTs) remains unknown.To determine how often the FDA has authorized novel interventions based on non-RCTs and to assess whether there is an association of the magnitude of treatment effects with FDA requirements for additional testing in randomized clinical trials (RCTs).Overall, 606 drug applications for the Breakthrough Therapy designation from its inception in January 2012 were downloaded from the FDA website in January 2017 and August 2018, and 71 medical device applications for the Humanitarian Device Exemption from its inception in June 1996 were downloaded in August 2017.Approved applications based on non-RCTs were included; RCTs, studies with insufficient information, duplicates, and safety data were excluded.Data were extracted by 2 independent investigators. A statistical association of the magnitude of estimated effect (expressed as an odds ratio) with FDA requests for RCTs was assessed. The data were also meta-analyzed to evaluate the differences in odds ratios between applications that required further testing and those that did not. The results are reported according to Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses (PRISMA) guidelines.Disease, laboratory, and patient-related outcomes, including disease response or patient survival, were considered.Among 677 drug and medical device applications, 68 (10.0%) were approved by the FDA based on non-RCTs. Estimates of effects were larger when no further RCTs were required (mean natural logarithm of the odds ratios, 2.18 vs 1.12; odds ratios, 8.85 vs 3.06; P = .03). The meta-analysis results confirmed these findings: estimated effects were approximately 2.5-fold higher for treatments or devices that were approved based on non-RCTs than for treatments or devices for which further testing in RCTs was required (6.30 [95% CI, 4.38-9.06] vs 2.46 [95% CI, 1.70-3.56]; P .001). Overall, 9 of 677 total applications (1.3%) that were approved on the basis of non-RCTs had relative risks of 10 or greater and 12 (1.7%) had relative risks of 5 or greater. No clear threshold above which the FDA approved interventions based on the magnitude of estimated effect alone was detected.In this study, estimated magnitudes of effect were larger among studies for which the FDA did not require RCTs compared with studies for which it did. There was no clear threshold of treatment effect above which no RCTs were requested.

The incidence of esophageal cancer is increasing in the United States. Although neoadjuvant therapy (NAT) for locally advanced cancers followed by surgical resection is the standard of care, there are no clearly defined guidelines for patients aged ≥79 y.Query of an institutional review board-approved database of 1031 esophagectomies at our institution revealed 35 patients aged ≥79 y from 1999 to 2017 who underwent esophagectomy. Age, gender, tumor location, histology, clinical stage, Charlson Comorbidity Index (CCI), NAT administration, pathologic response rate to NAT, surgery type, negative margin resection status, postoperative complications, postoperative death, length of stay, 30- and 90-d mortality, and disease status parameters were analyzed in association with clinical outcome.The median age of the octogenarian cohort was 82.1 y with a male preponderance (91.4%). American Joint Committee on Cancer clinical staging was stage I for 20% of patients, stage II for 27% of patients, and stage III for 50% of patients, which was not statistically significant compared with the younger cohort (P = 0.576). Within the octogenarian group, 54% received NAT compared with 67% in the younger group (P = 0.098). There was no difference in postoperative complications (P = 0.424), postoperative death (P = 0.312), and recurrence rate (P = 0.434) between the groups. However, CCI was significantly different between the octogenarian and nonoctogenarian cohort (P = 0.008), and octogenarians had shorter overall survival (18 versus 62 mo, P0.001). None of the other parameters assessed were associated with clinical outcomes.Curative surgery is viable and safe for octogenarians with esophageal cancer. Long-term survival was significantly shorter in the octogenarian group, suggesting the need for better clinical selection criteria for esophagectomy after chemoradiation and that identification of complete responders for nonoperative management is warranted.

Human T cell lymphotropic virus type 1 (HTLV1)-associated adult T cell leukemia/lymphoma (ATLL) is an aggressive malignant disorder. Intensive conventional chemotherapy regimens and autologous hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) have failed to improve outcomes in ATLL. Allogeneic HCT (allo-HCT) is commonly offered as front-line consolidation despite lack of randomized controlled trials. We performed a comprehensive search of the medical literature using PubMed/Medline, EMBASE, and Cochrane reviews on September 10, 2018. We extracted data on clinical outcomes related to benefits (complete response [CR], overall survival [OS], and progression-free survival [PFS]) and harms (relapse and nonrelapse mortality [NRM]), independently by 2 authors. Our search strategy identified a total of 801 references. Nineteen studies (n = 2446 patients) were included in the systematic review; however, only 18 studies (n = 1767 patients) were included in the meta-analysis. Reduced intensity conditioning regimens were more commonly prescribed (52%). Bone marrow (50%) and peripheral blood (40%) were more frequently used as stem cell source. The pooled post-allografting CR, OS, and PFS rates were 73% (95% confidence interval [CI], 57% to 87%), 40% (95% CI, 33% to 46%), and 37% (95% CI, 27% to 48%), respectively. Pooled relapse and NRM rates were 36% (95% CI, 28% to 43%) and 29% (95% CI, 21% to 37%), respectively. The heterogeneity among the included studies was generally high. These results support the use of allo-HCT as an effective treatment for patients with ATLL, yielding pooled OS rates of 40%, but relapse still occurs in over one-third of cases. Future studies should evaluate strategies to help reduce relapse in patients with ATLL undergoing allo-HCT.

Objective To assess the efficacy of active treatment targeted at underlying disease (TTD)/potentially curative treatments versus palliative care (PC) in improving overall survival (OS) in terminally ill patients. Design We performed a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials (RCT). Methodological quality of included RCTs was assessed using the Cochrane risk of bias tool. Data sources Medline and Cochrane databases were searched, with no language restriction, from inception to 19 October 2016. Eligibility criteria for selecting studies Any RCT assessing the efficacy of any active TTD versus PC in adult patients with terminal illness with a prognosis of