Student correlates with interprofessional attitudes within undergraduate medical education.

Background: Interprofessional education (IPE) is defined as students from two or more professions learning together to collaborate and advance health outcomes and is a required component of osteopathic medical education. Factors that influence osteopathic medical students' (OMS) interprofessional attitudes are currently unknown. This study sought to examine differences in interprofessional attitudes after completing an IPE didactic curriculum and identify specific student or curricular factors correlated with higher interprofessional attitudes.

Pilot Study Assessing the Baseline Physical Activity and Knowledge of Heart Health of Elementary School-Aged Children in Rural South Carolina and the Impact of an Interactive Educational Program.

Purpose: This study asked whether, if provided with education on heart-healthy habits, elementary school children in Abbeville, Greenwood, and Saluda counties in South Carolina would retain and desire to implement healthy nutrition and increased exercise. We hypothesized that teaching children about heart-healthy habits would increase their activity levels and improve their desire to be active.

Methods: This was a longitudinal survey study.

A Process Evaluation of a Mobile App for Medical Students Aimed at Increasing Resilience and Decreasing Stigma in Mental Health.

Objective: The purpose of this pilot study was to conduct a process evaluation of a mental health and wellness mobile health (mHealth) application for medical students designed to increase resilience and decrease mental health stigma.

Methods: The customized application, MindfulMEDS, was developed with peer-focused interactive modules specific to medical students within an existing system called Sharpen. The Sharpen system contains an extensive library of didactic and experiential mental health and wellness content built specifically to promote evidence-based protective factors for resilience.

Community Health Benefits Through a Student-Run Nonprofit Pediatric Wellness Clinic.

Purpose Community screening programs have been in effect since they were utilized in the 19th century at county fairs. A free pediatric health screening program was created by an osteopathic medical school in South Carolina in collaboration with a pediatric dental outreach organization to engage the local underserved community and train community-minded medical professionals. This study sought to demonstrate the efficacy and need for a student-run monthly pediatric health screening program in an underserved pediatric demographic.

Identifying components of recovery capital that support substance use disorder treatment completion.

Purpose: Individuals who do not complete substance use disorder treatment (SUDT) have similar outcomes to the untreated. Recovery capital (RC) is the collection of one's resources that contribute to the initiation and maintenance of sobriety. The aim of this paper was to identify individual measures of RC that are associated with SUDT completion.

The Effectiveness of a Mobile Health Clinic Delivering Mandatory and Elective Middle School Immunizations: A Descriptive Analysis.

Introduction: Mobile health clinics serve a unique role in which they can offer affordable and adaptable care to the population they serve. The Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine (VCOM) mobile clinics began in 2020 as a partnership with the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control (SCDHEC) to address the low vaccination rates that resulted from the COVID-19 pandemic.

Methods:  This study is a descriptive analysis that examines the number of vaccinations of tetanus, diphtheria, and pertussis (Tdap) and human papillomavirus (HPV) at different locations of administration including pediatrician offices, the novel VCOM mobile vaccination clinic, and the Spartanburg Health Department.

An Evaluation of Knowledge and Comfort in Discussing the Human Papillomavirus (HPV) Vaccine Among a Sample of Physicians Practicing in South Carolina.

Objective To determine knowledge and comfort in discussing the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine among a sample of physicians practicing in South Carolina. Methods This descriptive cross-sectional study utilized a 33-question survey assessing knowledge of HPV, the HPV vaccine, and comfort in discussing associated topics with patients among a sample of physicians across the state of South Carolina. Descriptive and correlational analyses were performed.

A RE-AIM Analysis of a Mental Health App for Undergraduate and Medical Students during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Retrospective Cross-Sectional Study.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to use the RE-AIM framework to evaluate the implementation of a mental health app designed for undergraduate and medical students during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Participants: Medical ( = 270) and undergraduate students ( = 1386) from five universities in the Appalachian region in the United States participated in this study.

Methods: Universities from the United States were recruited to deploy the Sharpen app for medical and undergraduate students.

The relationship between required physician letters of recommendation and decreasing diversity in osteopathic medical school admissions.

Context: Some racial and ethnic groups are underrepresented in the medical field because they face unique barriers to admission to medical school. One admission requirement that can present a barrier for applicants is the physician letter of recommendation (PLOR). Undergraduate students report confusion with the application process and lack of mentorship to be two of their biggest challenges to becoming a doctor.

Reduction of Catheter-Associated Urinary Tract Infections: A Multidisciplinary Approach to Driving Change.

Despite the many advancements in infection prevention, catheter-associated urinary tract infections (CAUTI) continue to be problematic for many hospitals. The large urban teaching hospital featured in this article developed a team that consisted of a registered nurse quality Lean coach, bedside nurses from each inpatient nursing unit, physicians, an infection prevention specialist nurse, an education specialist nurse, and members of the quality department to study this matter. The team focused on understanding current practice related to the use and duration of indwelling urinary catheters.

An Assessment of Mental Health Outcomes During the COVID-19 Pandemic.

In late 2019, the first case of COVID-19 was reported in Wuhan, China. Soon after, cases began to spread globally. This study aimed to examine the psychological impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the adult population in the United States.

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.

Implementing a clinical-educator curriculum to enrich internal medicine residents' teaching capacity.

Introduction: Physicians-in-training (residents) are typically the primary educators for medical students during clinical clerkships. However, residents are not formally trained to teach or to assess their teaching. The aim of this study was to assess the implementation of a clinical educator rotation aimed at developing residents' competencies related to clinical teaching.

The Other 45: Improving Patients' Chronic Disease Self-Management and Medical Students' Communication Skills.

Context: To improve chronic disease self-management among an underserved population and to improve the skills of second-year osteopathic medical students, an educational curriculum, The Other 45, was developed. In addition to a typical 15-minute office visit, this program allows second-year students to provide chronic disease education to patients for 45 minutes in an effort to improve patient disease self-management and associated health outcomes.

Objective: To determine whether patients who participate in The Other 45 report improvements in their ability to manage their chronic disease(s) and their health outcomes and whether second-year osteopathic medical students report changes in patient-centered care, clinical confidence, and medical/teaching knowledge.

Ambient air toxics and asthma prevalence among a representative sample of US kindergarten-age children.

Background: Criteria pollutants have been associated with exacerbation of children's asthma, but the role of air toxics in relation to asthma is less clear. Our objective was to evaluate whether exposure to outdoor air toxics in early childhood increased asthma risk or severity.

Methods: Air toxics exposure was estimated using the 2002 National Air toxics Assessment (NATA) and linked to longitudinal data (n=6950) from a representative sample of US children born in 2001 and followed through kindergarten-age in the Early Child Longitudinal Study-Birth Cohort (ECLS-B).