An Easily Assembled,Low-Cost Model for Lateral Canthotomy Education

BackgroundLateral canthotomy is a vision-saving procedure. However, the low incidence of orbital compartment syndrome and the expense of simulators to practice this procedure can lead to low confidence and delays in the performance of the procedure by emergency physicians.DiscussionWe used a simple, inexpensive, easily assembled eye model for lateral canthotomy education at a residency program and a national conference obtaining feedback from simulation participants. Residents rated procedure laboratories that included the lateral canthotomy model as 4.9 to 5 (on a 5-point Likert scale, with 5 being the best score). National conference participants rated the model a 9 as a useful training model for practitioners on a 10-point Likert scale.ConclusionThis simple task trainer is practical, inexpensive, quickly assembled, and useful as a tool for practicing emergency medicine providers.     

Remote telephone clinics in oral medicine: reflections on the place of virtual clinics in a specialty that relies so heavily on visual assessment. A note of caution

During the COVID-19 pandemic, NHS services had to convert face-to-face consultations to remote consultations to facilitate the ongoing provision of healthcare. Many specialties including Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery and Rheumatology have found such virtual clinics effective and appreciated by both patients and clinicians. In Oral Medicine, whilst responses to virtual clinics have been positive, we have recognised that they are not sufficient. In this reflective piece, we describe our experiences and our approach to their use in the management of Oral Medicine and Behçet’s disease patients, which has developed iteratively during the lockdown period. We also consider the role of virtual clinics in Oral Medicine in the post-COVID-19 era.     

Uncertainty management for individuals with Lynch Syndrome: Identifying and responding to healthcare barriers

ObjectiveExamine the uncertainty management process of individuals with Lynch syndrome (LS).Methods19 phone interviews were conducted with individuals with LS. The interview guide included questions on family communication, risk perceptions, and uncertainty management. Data were analyzed using the constant comparison method to code for emergent themes.ResultsQualitative analysis found individuals with LS tried to manage their uncertainty through preventive care, but were often confounded by healthcare barriers. Healthcare barriers included cost and insurance issues, absence of coordinated care, insufficient provider knowledge, and lack of patient-centered communication. Participants reported increased uncertainty and anxiety due to these barriers and used alternative uncertainty management strategies such as advocating for themselves with providers, seeking information online, and communicating with family for emotional support.ConclusionHealthcare barriers identified in this study exacerbated uncertainty and anxiety for individuals with LS and challenged their ability to engage in preventive care. In response, participants used alternative uncertainty management strategies to reduce their uncertainty, which may have unintended negative consequences.Practice implicationsFindings support the need for providers to partner with specialists in genetics and/or LS to better care for individuals with LS. Findings highlight opportunities for interventions in healthcare to better support individuals with LS.     

Digital Promotion of Energy Drinks to Young Adults Is More Strongly Linked to Consumption Than Other Media

Objective

To examine whether digital marketing strategies are more strongly associated with energy drink use than other marketing and whether Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) constructs mediated the effects of digital marketing on energy drink use.

Validation of a Facial Image Scale to assess child dental anxiety

Summary. Objective. To examine the validity of a scale that uses faces as an indicator of children’s dental anxiety. Setting. Department of Child Dental Health waiting room, Newcastle Dental Hospital. Subjects and methods. 100 children (aged 3–18 years) completed the Facial Image Scale (FIS) and the Venham Picture Test (VPT) in the dental hospital waiting room. Results. A strong correlation (0·7) was found between the two scales, indicating good validity for the FIS. Findings also showed that a small, but significant, number of children are anxious in the dental context. Conclusion. The findings suggest that the FIS is a valid means of assessing child dental anxiety status in a clinical context.