How Medical Students’ Compassionate Values Influence Help-Seeking Barriers

Theory: Despite high rates of psychiatric illnesses, medical students and medical professionals often avoid psychological help. Stigma may prevent medical students from seeking psychological help when experiencing distress, which may hinder their job performance and mental health. Compassionate values—preferred principles that guide attitudes and behaviors to focus on the wellness of others—may be a relevant predictor of medical students’ perceptions of psychological help. The present study examined the association between medical students’ compassionate values, help-seeking stigma, and help-seeking attitudes in a convenience sample of medical students. Hypotheses: Rating compassionate values as more important than self-interested values will be associated with less stigma, which in turn will be associated with more positive help-seeking attitudes. Method: There were 220 medical students in their 2nd year of medical training who were recruited in-class and through e-mail between January and March of 2017 at Des Moines University. Students were provided an anonymous online link to a survey composed of validated measures assessing values, psychological distress, and stigma and attitudes related to psychological help. Results: The survey response rate was 41%, leaving a final sample of 91. For every 1 SD increase in the relative importance of compassionate values over self-interested values, help-seeking stigma decreased 0.40 SDs, and help-seeking attitudes increased 0.23 SDs. Conclusions: Prioritizing compassionate values more strongly than self-interested values is associated with medical students’ perceiving psychological help-seeking more positively.     

Effects of Kinesio Taping on postural balance in patients with low back pain,a randomized controlled trial

Purpose: to identify postural balance changes in subjects with low back pain after the application of Kinesio Taping, which is then compared to a no treatment control group, using baropodometric evaluation. Methods: This randomized controlled trial was carried out on 50 individuals (both sexes) with chronic low back pain. They were then randomized into two groups: an experimental group - EG (treated with Kinesio Taping in the lumbar region) and a control group - CG (no intervention). Both groups underwent a baropodometric evaluation (mean plantar pressure, peak plantar pressure, plantar surface, mass distribution on right foot and left foot, mass distribution on forefoot and rear foot and base width) at four different moments: pre-intervention, 10 minutes, 48 hours, and 10 days after the intervention on the EG. The level of statistical significance was established at 5%. Results: Significant changes were observed in the EG compared to the CG. In the EG, peak pressure reduced on both right and left foot after Kinesio Taping application; the right base width was reduced, and the mass distribution between the forefoot and the rear foot normalized towards the ideal 50% distribution. These changes happened 48 hours after the Kinesio Taping application, with effects lasting up to 10 days. Conclusion: The use of Kinesio Taping in the lumbar region of subjects with chronic low back pain improved postural balance. This is proved by changes in peak plantar pressure, plantar surface, and mass distribution 48 h after Kinesio Taping application, with effects lasting up to 10 days.     

Neanderthal exploitation of marine mammals in Gibraltar

Two coastal sites in Gibraltar, Vanguard and Gorham's Caves, located at Governor's Beach on the eastern side of the Rock, are especially relevant to the study of Neanderthals. Vanguard Cave provides evidence of marine food supply (mollusks, seal, dolphin, and fish). Further evidence of marine mammal remains was also found in the occupation levels at Gorham's Cave associated with Upper Paleolithic and Mousterian technologies [Finlayson C, et al. (2006) Nature 443:850–853]. The stratigraphic sequence of Gibraltar sites allows us to compare behaviors and subsistence strategies of Neanderthals during the Middle Paleolithic observed at Vanguard and Gorham's Cave sites. This evidence suggests that such use of marine resources was not a rare behavior and represents focused visits to the coast and estuaries.     

Schedule for 1995 annual sgim meeting

PURPOSE: To evaluate the acceptance rate and motivation for acceptance of hepatitis B virus (HBV) vaccine among pre-clinical medical and physician assistant (PA) students in comparison with similar data obtained from resident and staff physicians. METHODS: A cross-sectional survey of all second-year medical and PA students (n=170) at the University of Iowa College of Medicine was conducted in Spring 1992, requesting demographic data, preventive health measure use, and reasons for HBV vaccine acceptance. Responses were compared with data obtained from resident and staff physicians during a concurrent hospital-wide survey. Rates of vaccine acceptance and use of other preventive health measures were compared across the physician groups. Factor analysis was performed to examine reasons for vaccine acceptance among the students. RESULTS: The questionnaire was completed by 162 of the 170 students (95%). Nearly all (99%) of the eligible students had received at least one dose of the HBV vaccine. Vaccine acceptance rates were significantly higher among the students than among either the resident or the staff physicians (p=0.003, p<0.0001, respectively). Influenza vaccine acceptance and seat belt use were significantly higher among the resident and staff physicians than they were among the students. The students attributed their high HBV vaccine acceptance rate to the recommendations of authority figures. Threat of illness and issues of vaccine safety and efficacy were relatively unimportant among the students, though the residents and staff physicians reported threat of illness to be an important motivator for vaccination. CONCLUSIONS: Excellent HBV vaccine acceptance rates may be achieved among preclinical medical and PA students. Recommendations of authority figures are important motivators for HBV vaccine acceptance among students. Presented in part at the annual meeting of the Society for Hospital Epidemiology of America, New Orleans, LA, March 20–22, 1994. Dr. Doebbeling is the recipient of a Special Emphasis Research Career Award (SERCA), grant number 1 KO1 OH00131-01, from the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH). The contents of this article are solely the responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official views of NIOSH.     

Changes in Medical Students’ Attitudes Towards End-of-Life Decisions Across Different Years of Medical Training

BACKGROUND  Decisions to forgo life-sustaining medical treatments in terminally ill patients are challenging, but ones that all doctors must face. Few studies have evaluated the impact of medical training on medical students’ attitudes towards end-of-life decisions and none have compared them with an age-matched group of non-medical students. OBJECTIVE  To assess the effect of medical education on medical students’ attitudes towards end-of-life decisions in acutely ill patients. DESIGN  Cross-sectional study. PARTICIPANTS  Four hundred and two students at The Chinese University of Hong Kong. MEASUREMENTS  Completion of a questionnaire focused on end-of-life decisions. MAIN RESULTS  The number of students who felt that cardiopulmonary resuscitation must always be provided was higher in non-medical students (76/90 (84%)) and medical students with less training (67/84 (80%) in year 1 vs. 18/67 (27%) in year 5) (p < 0.001). Discontinuing life-support therapy was more accepted among senior medical students compared to junior medical and non-medical students (27/66 (41%) in year 5 vs. 18/83 (22%) in year 1 and 20/90 (22%) in non-medical students) (p = 0.003). An unexpectedly large proportion of non-medical students (57/89 (64%)) and year 1 medical students (42/84 (50%)) found it acceptable to administer fatal doses of drugs to patients with limited prognosis. Euthanasia was less accepted with more years of training (p < 0.001). When making decisions regarding limitation of life-support therapy, students chose to involve patients (98%), doctors (92%) and families (73%) but few chose to involve nurses (38%). CONCLUSIONS  Medical students’ attitudes towards end-of-life decisions changed during medical training and differed significantly from those of non-medical students.     

Helicobacter pylori infection occurs via close contact with infected individuals in early childhood

BACKGROUND: The manner in which Helicobacter pylori is transmitted is of fundamental importance when considering strategies for its control, yet, to date, the exact mode of transmission remains uncertain. METHODS: The seroprevalence of H. pylori in a relatively isolated rural town in Japan (A-town) was examined to analyse the H. pylori infection route. The immunoglobulin G antibodies against H. pylori in 1684 subjects who had received public health examinations in A-town were determined with an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. The seroprevalence was compared in five areas according to the water source. The possibility and frequency of intrafamilial infection was analysed by comparing the seroprevalence among family members residing in the same home. RESULTS: The seroprevalence of H. pylori did not differ significantly between the five areas examined. Seropositivity was significantly more common in the children whose mothers were seropositive (45.0%, 27/60) than in the children whose mothers were seronegative (10.0%, 2/20; odds ratio (OR) = 7.36, P = 0.0036, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.57-34.59). Seropositivity was significantly more common in the children whose older siblings were seropositive (55.0%, 22/40) than in the children whose older siblings were seronegative (23.5%, 20/85; OR = 3.97, P = 0.00051, 95% CI = 1.79-8.84). There was no significant relationship in seroprevalence between children and fathers, grandchildren and grandfathers, grandchildren and grandmothers, or within couples. Seropositivity was significantly more common in the adolescents who had attended a nursery school (44.4%, 20/45) than in the adolescents who had not attended a nursery school (25.6%, 109/426) (OR = 2.33, P = 0.0070, 95% CI = 1.24-4.36). CONCLUSIONS: The acquisition of H. pylori infection occurs by close contact with infected individuals in early childhood, especially via contact with infected mothers and other infected children.