Assessing the novel finding information framework mobile application in a medical education setting

INTRODUCTION: Recently, the faculty from the Department of Family Medicine in conjunction with the Vertical Integration Group at Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM) developed the Finding Information Framework or FIF to assist medical students in building skills utilizing Evidence Based Medicine (EBM). The FIF is an educational algorithm that guides students on how to ask a clinical question and then assists them in finding the most appropriate online resource. This past year, together with the Division of Graduate Medical Sciences and the Alumni Medical Library, the FIF tool was developed into an EBM mobile application (app) to help the students transition from their second to third year of medical school, where they transition from a more didactic to clinical curriculum. This current study aims to assess the aesthetics as well as functionalities of the FIF mobile app by surveying current medical students. METHODS: The author presented initial outlines of the survey to the research team following a review of relevant studies. From this, the final survey was created and submitted for Boston University (BU) Institutional Review Board Approval (IRB) for a study on human subjects. A recruitment email, requesting volunteers to participate in the survey study, was sent to the third and fourth year medical students. RESULTS: Data were categorized into four sections: (1) preliminary questions, (2) app-specific questions, (3) clinical questions, and (4) open-ended questions. Survey results were divided into two parts: part one was with a mixed population and part two was exclusively for third and fourth year medical students. Ease of use and aesthetic appeal generally received higher scores than potential future use of the app. Clinical question responses varied significantly. DISCUSSION: The survey assessing the FIF mobile app shed light into potential areas that the research team should address in further improvements to the app. These areas include easier log-in, preferably earlier in the app to assure easier access to databases, and the option to go directly to a specific known resource without requiring movement through the decision tree if desirable. A major limitation of the study was the small sample size. Further studies would help in further validating the results gained in this study

Quantifying the Impact of Dysmenorrhea Symptoms on Quality-of-Life and Access to Oral Contraceptives by Income

# Background Dysmenorrhea, or painful menstrual periods, is one of the most common gynecological complaints. Most reports of uterine contractions range between moderate to severe pain, and patients often elect to cope with their discomfort without assistance from a physician. In the process, women experiencing dysmenorrhea are more likely to report absenteeism from work and school. # Objectives This study measures the reported impact of dysmenorrhea on patients' lives and elucidates a relationship between income and access to oral contraceptives. # Methods Two hundred women completed a survey about their symptoms, level of pain, treatments, and the extent to which dysmenorrhea affected day-to-day obligations. Most questions were multiple-choice while others permitted several answer selections or were free response. The data was analyzed using JMP statistical software. # Results Eighty-four percent of respondents reported moderate to severe pain during menstruation. This discomfort has caused 65.5% of the cohort to miss work and 68% to avoid participating in social gatherings. Pain relief medications are most often used as treatment - 143 respondents took ibuprofen, 93 took acetaminophen, and 51 took naproxen. 29.5% of respondents are prescribed birth control for cramps and blood flow. Income (p = 0.049), age (p = 0.002), and education (p = 0.002) were significant predictors for oral contraceptive pill (OCP) use. The lowest income groups were found to use OCPs at less than half the rate as the highest income respondents. # Conclusion Dysmenorrhea affected most participants in the cohort with an impact that extends beyond professional obligations. Income was found to be positively correlated with increased OCP use, whereas education level was inversely correlated. Clinicians should consider how patients' backgrounds influence their access to OCP options. An improvement on this study's findings would be to establish a causal relationship between these demographic factors and access to OCPs

Design and Printing of a Low-Cost 3D-Printed Nasal Osteotomy Training Model: Development and Feasibility Study.

BACKGROUND: Nasal osteotomy is a commonly performed procedure during rhinoplasty for both functional and cosmetic reasons. Teaching and learning this procedure proves difficult due to the reliance on nuanced tactile feedback. For surgical simulation, trainees are traditionally limited to cadaveric bones, which can be costly and difficult to obtain. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to design and print a low-cost midface model for nasal osteotomy simulation. METHODS: A 3D reconstruction of the midface was modified using the free open-source design software Meshmixer (Autodesk Inc). The pyriform aperture was smoothed, and support rods were added to hold the fragments generated from the simulation in place. Several models with various infill densities were printed using a desktop 3D printer to determine which model best mimicked human facial bone. RESULTS: A midface simulation set was designed using a desktop 3D printer, polylactic acid filament, and easily accessible tools. A nasal osteotomy procedure was successfully simulated using the model. CONCLUSIONS: 3D printing is a low-cost, accessible technology that can be used to create simulation models. With growing restrictions on trainee duty hours, the simulation set can be used by programs to augment surgical training

Layperson knowledge of heart attacks in the state of Georgia, USA

A survey of 200 residents of the state of Georgia, United States was conducted to assess the knowledge of heart attacks. Results depict that Georgia residents have only a basic understanding of heart attack symptoms suggesting the need for medical professionals to spend more time educating their patients on their health in simple terms so that the patients can be knowledgeable on their personal health

Prevalence of stress amongst high school athletes (v2)

# Objective This study sought to 1) ascertain the severity of the stress experienced by high school athletes due to playing a sport, 2) understand how these athletes deal with their stress, and if these athletes desire help from someone and 3) determine whether athletes consider their stress a debilitating factor. # Methods 200 high school athletes between the ages of 16 and 17 were surveyed using an anonymous online survey platform to discover the relationship between stress and sports. The survey examined both male and female athletes from a variety of sports, different locations, and different ethnicities. # Results Approximately 91% of all the cohort experienced some level of stress due to sports. Interestingly, about a third claimed stress positively affected performance. Fear of failure and self-pressure were the most common causes of stress. About 27% who were experiencing moderate to extreme stress wanted, but did not receive, help from a medical professional. However, of all the participants who experienced some level of stress, only 18% believed that receiving help from a medical professional would not be beneficial for them. # Conclusion While it is easy to overlook and minimize the stress of a high school athlete, doing so may cause future problems such as anxiety and depression, both of which have been steadily increasing among that same population. It is important that, if needed, these athletes have access to medical professionals to adequately manage their stress

The prevalence of undiagnosed anxiety: A national survey

Background: Generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) is a chronic condition characterized by excessive, unrealistic worry and anxiety about multiple events or activities and leads to significant impairment in daily functioning and quality of life. Effective treatments for GAD exist, but the first step is identification of the disorder. The current study aims to document the frequency of GAD symptoms amongst the general US population. Methods: A web-based survey was conducted to assess the frequency of daily anxiety symptoms amongst adults residing in the United States. Questions from the GAD-7 were used to be able to quantify the burden of diagnosed and undiagnosed generalized anxiety disorder. JMP 16.0 for Mac OS was used to perform statistical analyses. Institutional Board Review gave the study an exempt determination (#2022–569). Results: The median GAD-7 score was 16 (IQR 12–19) with a range from to 7 to 28. GAD-7 scores stratified by diagnosed (median=14) vs. undiagnosed (median =18) demonstrated a significant difference (P<0.0001) with a robust goodness-of-fit coefficient (R2= 14.3%).Persons who were retired (p = 0.0262) or older (p = 0.0356) were significantly less likely to experience GAD symptoms. Conversely, sex, age, income and the use of depressants, stimulants or benzodiazepines were not significantly correlated with a GAD score of ≥15. Limitations: The present findings are based on cross-sectional survey data. Conclusions: This study suggests that more than 50% experience symptoms concerning for GAD, without a formal diagnosis. The relevance of this research is it underscores the importance of mental health outreach, and removal of stigma surrounding mental health

Access to Healthcare in Rural Communities: A Bibliometric Analysis

# Introduction Access to healthcare is defined by being able to receive regular checkups, specialist appointments, immunizations, procedures, and surgeries within a reasonable timeframe and without restrictive barriers. # Methods The Web of Science database was used to collect 4,745 articles published relating to the keywords “rural”, “access”, and “healthcare”. These articles then underwent bibliometric cataloging by country, journal, and keyword using VOSviewer 1.6.19. # Results Between the years 2015 and 2022, the United States emerged as the predominant publisher in the field. From 2015 to 2019, the United States accounted for 47 percent of the total articles published. However, in the subsequent years of 2020 to 2022, there was a slight decline of 3 percent in the volume of U.S. publications. Australia secured the second position in terms of publications within the aforementioned timeframe of 2015 to 2022. England had the third most publications during the time between 2015 to 2022. The prevalence of articles containing the keyword “disparity” ranged between 7 percent and 12 percent throughout this period. Plus One exhibited prominence by contributing 5.025381 percent of all publications pertaining to access to rural medicine during the years 2015 to 2019 thereby establishing itself as the leading publisher in this domain. However, in 2020, the International Journal of Environment suppressed Plus One by publishing the highest number of articles related to rural healthcare. Subsequently, the BMC Health Services Research claimed the leading position in the years 2021 to 2022. # Conclusion An exploration of who is contributing to the discussion of access to healthcare in rural communities shows that the field and number of publications is growing, and that a focus on disparities is emerging, creating an environment surrounding rural health focused on researching equitable care

State of nutrition amongst US college students: dataset of a national survey study

Abstract Objective This article presents the dataset titled “Nutrition habits amongst college students in the United States. [1]” The dataset contains the survey responses of 200 US college students aged 18–24 years regarding their knowledge, attitudes, and challenges with regard to nutrition. The recommended USDA (US daily allowance) is 200 calories, comprised of 2 cups fruits, 2.5 cups vegetables, 5.5 ounces of protein, 6 ounces of grains, and 3 cups of dairy [2]. Adhering to these nutritional guidelines however can be complicated by rising tuition prices, food insecurity, and inability to make one’s own food. Data description The data in the dataset attempt to estimate the incidence of these barriers. These data could be useful to understand the barriers to healthy eating amongst young adults, and design targeted solutions