Comparison of Multinational Medical School Students Experiences in the Face of the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Qualitative Analysis

Background:  In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, countries, and governments around the world have implemented different measures and guidelines for the containment and mitigation of the COVID-19 virus. In addition to implemented policies and initiatives, social media and personal beliefs have affected medical students’ social, emotional, financial, and academic stability and success both domestically and internationally.  Methods:  This qualitative study, recruited students enrolled in the Global Seminar for Health and Environment elective course in their respective medical schools to complete a weekly, non-graded journaling assignment for 6 weeks. To measure outcomes, open-ended questions within the assignment asked students across four different countries (United States, El Salvador, Dominican Republic, and Honduras) questions regarding the COVID-19 pandemic including personal beliefs and knowledge, policies and initiatives within their country, global policies and initiatives, and social media presentations. Thematic analysis was then completed using the QCoder package in R Studio.  Results:  A total of 142 assignment submissions were collected and analyzed. International medical students reported more restrictions in their country, a larger mental health impact, and more individuals in their country showing a lack of regard for policies and initiatives.  United States medical students were more likely to express a decrease in academic opportunities and academic performance. Conclusion:  The COVID-19 pandemic continues to affect medical students globally. The pandemic has changed the medical school experience for both international and United States medical students and affected them not only academically but mentally, and socially

Global wealth disparities drive adherence to COVID-safe pathways in head and neck cancer surgery

Peer reviewe

Auburn

Auburn campu

Psychosocial Components Of Concussion Reporting Among Adolescent Athletes

Introduction: Addressing the current trends of underreporting concussion-related symptoms by adolescent athletes is a critical aspect of improving adolescent athlete health and longevity. The literature is replete with papers on educational interventions regarding concussion symptomatology, however, there is a relative lack of research on interventions that target the behaviors of the athlete. The goal of this study was to identify specific reasons why adolescent athletes may conceal concussions from medical personnel. Methods: A qualitative phenomenological approach was employed using focus group discussions to identify common themes as barriers to concussion reporting. Topics such as injury history, knowledge of concussion symptomology, personal influences, and other psychosocial factors such as peer influences and masculinity were discussed. Data were coded individually by a research team member followed by a member check process to ensure the validity of the themes obtained. Results: Nineteen high school varsity athletes participated in the focus groups. Four common themes were derived from the responses given by the participants: symptomatology awareness, external influences, selfpride, and current concussion educational program flaws. These themes were supported by participants as reasons why concussion symptoms may be withheld from medical personnel. Conclusion: Applying the osteopathic tenet of a person being a unit of mind, body, and spirit, concussion education should aim to target the multiple behavioral aspects of each person rather than just concussion symptomatology education. Findings from this study provide evidence to support the development of a reliable and effective concussion intervention program that leads to an increase in reporting among adolescent athletes

The Impact of an Educational Program on Medical Students’ Knowledge and Awareness of Elder Abuse

Objective: Approximately 1 in 6 adults 60 and older have experienced a form of abuse in the past year. Many cases remain under-reported due to lack of knowledge and awareness. This study created an educational program on elder abuse for medical students to determine if participation would increase knowledge and awareness of elder abuse. Methods: This study used a pre and post survey methodology to evaluate students’ knowledge and awareness of elder abuse before and after participating in this educational program. Sixty first and second year osteopathic medical students at the Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine, Carolinas Campus participated in this study. Students were emailed a pre-survey to evaluate their pre-existing knowledge and awareness. The survey was, previously created by the Student Training on Preventing Domestic Violence (STOP-DV) team using validated measures. Participants then attended educational events about various forms of elder abuse and recognizing its associated signs, and afterward completed the post-survey. The results were compared using t-tests to determine if there was a significant difference. Results: First and second year students differed significantly in pre-survey results of knowledge but not post-survey results. The results showed a significant difference in overall mean knowledge ( P -value < .001) and awareness scores ( P -value < .001) in all students. Conclusion: These results suggest education on elder abuse can enable future physicians to better recognize, understand, and support older adults regarding elder maltreatment

A 6600 year earthquake history in the region of the 2004 Sumatra-Andaman subduction zone earthquake

In order to investigate the possibility of a long-term paleoseismic history from offshore sedimentary records in Sumatra, we collected 144 deep-sea sedi-ment cores in the trench and in lower slope piggyback basins of the Sumatra accretionary prism. We used multibeam bathymetry and seismic reflection data to develop an understanding of catchment basins, turbidity current pathways, and depositional styles, as well as to precisely locate our gravity cores, piston cores, Kasten cores, and multicores. We use detailed physical property data, including computed tomographic X-ray, gamma density, magnetic susceptibility, grain-size analysis, faunal analysis, and smear slides, to evaluate the turbidite stratigraphy and sedimentology at each site. We use radiocarbon age control for piggyback basin sites above the carbonate compensation depth, and use Pb-210 and Cs-137 to evaluate the timing of the most recent sedimentary deposits. Using well-log correlation methods and radiometric age control, we test for potential correlations between isolated sites in piggyback basins and the trench. We find evidence for very young surface turbidites along the northern Sumatra margin, most likely emplaced within the past few decades at the seafloor in both the 2004 and 2005 earthquake rupture zones, with no overlying hemipelagic sediment. Based on the young soupy deposits, lack of oxidation, and Pb-210 and C-14 age determinations, we interpret the uppermost turbidite in 21 cores within the 2004 rupture area to have been deposited within a few years of collection in 2007, and most likely as a result of the 2004 moment magnitude (M-w) similar to 9.2 earthquake. The likely 2004 turbidite has a distinctive stacked structure of three major fining-upward sequences observed at several basin and trench sites, similar to the pattern of moment release in the 2004 earthquake. We observe rapid die out of the 2004 and 2005 deposits with distance from the slip zones, from local sources of sediment supply, and in the segment boundary between the slip zones. Many individual turbidites show strong similarities between isolated sites, as well as having similar emplacement times. Based upon radiocarbon age control and lithostratigraphic correlations between isolated basin and trench core sites, we interpret that 43 turbidites can be linked spatially over a distance of similar to 230 km within the southern portion of the 2004 rupture zone. Sampling at deep-water sites isolated from terrestrial and shallow-water sediment sources, as well as potential storm or tsunami wave triggers, limits potential mechanisms for initiating turbidity currents to plate boundary, crustal, or slab earthquakes. Other potential triggers, such as tectonic oversteepening, random self-failures, gas hydrate destabilization, are unlikely to be correlative between any two isolated sites. The most probable explanation for the similarity of timing, turbidite sequences, and individual turbidite structure in isolated basin and trench stratigraphic sequences is a seismogenic origin. The mean emplacement time for turbidites (likely triggered by Great earthquakes, magni-tude > similar to 8) in the 2004 rupture region for the past 6.6 +/- 0.14 k.y. is 160 yr for 43 turbidites. The ages of 8 of the 10 uppermost turbidite deposits, spanning the past similar to 1500 yr, are largely consistent with the terrestrial paleoseismic and/or tsunami records in Thailand, Sumatra, India, and the Anda-man Islands, suggesting either coincidence or a common origin. The mean interseismic time from the turbidite record for this same period is 170 yr, comparable to the similar to 210 yr recurrence for regional tsunami. The turbidite record, at 180 yr (6 events), compares reasonably well to the average for all events on northern Simeulue of 220 yr, and is identical to the tsunami interval of 180 yr for the same time period (6 events). Of the 43 correlated turbidites in the 2004 earthquake region, 13 are well correlated in our cores along strike lengths of 150 km or greater, and satisfy criteria for robustness; 24 turbidites correlated along a shorter strike distance may represent other plate boundary earthquakes of shorter spatial extent and may include turbidite beds sourced from crustal and slab earthquakes