Teaching During the COVID-19 Pandemic: The Experience of the Faculty of Medicine at the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology.

Background: The coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) pandemic forced drastic changes in all layers of life. Social distancing and lockdown drove the educational system to uncharted territories at an accelerated pace, leaving educators little time to adjust.

Objectives: To describe changes in teaching during the first phase of the COVID-19 pandemic.

A Simulator for Measuring Forces During Surgical Knots.

In this study new metrics were developed for assessing the performance of surgical knots. By adding sensors to a knot tying simulator we were able to measure the forces used while performing this basic and essential skill. Data were collected for both superficial tying and deep tying of square knots using the one hand and two hands techniques.

Rapid HIV Screening in an Urban Jail: How Testing at Exit With Linkage to Community Care Can Address Perceived Barriers.

Despite recommendations from the CDC, only 36 % of jails offer routine HIV screening to inmates. Our purpose was to explore the feasibility of rapid HIV testing at release from an urban jail, and to identify potential barriers to this process. This project was incorporated into an established partnership between the jail, local academic medical center, and local public health department.

Comparison of Opt-In Versus Opt-Out Testing for Sexually Transmitted Infections Among Inmates in a County Jail.

A majority of jails in the United States rely on an opt-in (voluntary) rather than opt-out (universal) approach to testing for sexually transmitted infections (STIs). This study compares an opt-out approach at intake to opt-in testing during incarceration and estimates the prevalence of common STIs among jail inmates. Data derive from a universal intake pilot testing program (n = 298) and an established, student-led voluntary testing program (n = 1,963), respectively.

Knowledge, attitudes, and practices for cervical cancer screening among the Bhutanese refugee community in Omaha, Nebraska.

Cervical cancer is the second most common cause of cancer mortality among women with the vast majority of patients in developing countries. Bhutanese refugees in the United States are from South Central Asia, the 4th leading region of the world for cervical cancer incidence. Over the past few years, Bhutanese refugees have increased significantly in Nebraska.

Voluntary STD testing and treatment program at a metropolitan correctional facility: evaluation of test acceptability and associated risk factors.

Few studies have addressed challenges of diagnosis and treatment of sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) within correctional facilities. Initiatives that screen all inmates can be cost-prohibitive, while symptom-based screening undoubtedly fails to recognize significant numbers of asymptomatically infected persons. This study discusses a voluntary STD screening and treatment program developed at the Douglas County (Nebraska) Department of Corrections where student volunteers interviewed, screened, and educated 456 inmates.

Commentary: educating the present and future health care workforce to provide care to populations.

The crisis of the rising cost of health care in the United States is stimulating major changes in the way care is being delivered. New models such as patient-centered medical homes and accountable care organizations are being developed with the expectation that health care professionals will address and improve the health of populations. Electronic health records and interprofessional teams will be critical to achieving the goal of better health.

An anatomy of conflicts in primary care encounters: a multi-method study.

Background: Medical consultations are replete with conflicts, particularly in the current era of explicit and implicit rationing practices in health care organizations. Although such conflicts may challenge the doctor-patient relationship, little is known about them or their consequences.

Aims: To systematically describe the nature of doctor-patient conflicts in medical encounters and the strategies physicians use when faced with conflicts.

From professional silos to interprofessional education: campuswide focus on quality of care.

Objectives: The Institute of Medicine called for the integration of interprofessional education (IPE) into health professions curricula, in order to improve health care quality. In response, we developed, implemented, and evaluated a campus wide IPE program, shifting from traditional educational silos to greater collaboration.

Methods: Students (155) and faculty (30) from 6 academic programs (nursing, medicine, public health, allied health, dentistry, and pharmacy) engaged with a university hospital partner to deliver this program.

Teaching complementary medicine at an academic oncology department.

Background: The increased use of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) by patients with cancer is a significant phenomenon in cancer care and suggests the need for increased knowledge by clinicians of these therapies.

Methods: Aiming at bridging the gap in knowledge of the philosophy and practice of major CAM modalities in cancer care, an elective course was offered to physicians and nurses in a large academic center.

Results: The course also aimed at providing the tools necessary to establish open and trusting clinician-patient dialogue regarding CAM.

Promoting lifestyle self-awareness among the medical team by the use of an integrated teaching approach: a primary care experience.

Objectives: Healthy lifestyle is recommended in clinical guidelines for the prevention and treatment of chronic diseases such as cardiovascular disease and diabetes. Research previously identified a gap between lifestyle recommendations and their implementation in clinical practice. In this paper, we describe a pilot educational program aimed to promote providers' awareness of their own lifestyles, and to explore whether increased personal awareness enhances providers' willingness to engage in lifestyle-change discussion with patients.

Electronic medical record use and physician-patient communication: an observational study of Israeli primary care encounters.

Objectives: Within the context of medical care there is no greater reflection of the information revolution than the electronic medical record (EMR). Current estimates suggest that EMR use by Israeli physicians is now so high as to represent an almost fully immersed environment. This study examines the relationships between the extent of electronic medical record use and physician-patient communication within the context of Israeli primary care.

Specific delivery of corroles to cells via noncovalent conjugates with viral proteins.

Purpose: Corroles are amphiphilic macrocycles that can bind and transport metal ions, and thus may be toxic to cells. We predicted that anionic corroles would poorly enter cells due to the negatively charged cell membrane, but could be ideal tumor-targeted drugs if appropriate carriers enabled delivery into tumor cells. In this work, we test the hypothesis that recombinant cell penetrating proteins of the adenovirus (Ad) capsid form noncovalent conjugates with corroles to facilitate target-specific delivery and cell death.

Approaching complementary and alternative medicine use in patients with cancer: questions and challenges.

Complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) is becoming a significant factor in the arena of cancer care. There is an increasing body of research along with widespread popularity and use by patients with cancer. This article reviews current knowledge about the worldwide use of CAM in the treatment of cancer and patients' motives and reasoning for this use.