Hospital-based maternity care practitioners' perceptions of doulas.

Introduction: A birth doula provides continuous informational, physical, and emotional support during pregnancy, labor, and immediately postpartum. Existing data on the benefits of doulas, especially for low-resource, high-need patients, do not address how and why individual practitioners decide to recommend this model of care. This project aims to describe best practices of integrating doulas into hospital-based maternity care teams to facilitate access to this evidence-based service for improving maternal health outcomes.

A Reflective Case Study in Family Medicine Advance Care Planning Conversations.

Advance care planning conversations traditionally have been promoted using the Standard of Substituted Judgment and the Standard of Best Interests. In practice, both are often inadequate. Patients frequently avoid these conversations completely, making substituted judgment decisions nearly impossible.

Effects of Body Mass Index on Outcome Measures of the Patients with Penetrating Injuries; A Single Center Experience.

Objective: To determine if there was any decrease in measures of injury severity or outcome with obese patients (body mass index greater than or equal to 30 kg/m2) as compared to non-obese patients (body mass index less than 30 kg/m2).

Methods: We conducted a retrospective review of the trauma database maintained by Natividad Medical Center's Level 2-Trauma program. From July 1st, 2014 to July 1st, 2017 there were 371 cases of penetrating trauma in adults between the ages of 18-80 years old.

Family Medicine Ethics: An Integrative Approach.

The practice of modern medical ethics is largely acute, episodic, fragmented, problem-focused, and institution-centered. Family medicine, in contrast, is built upon a relationship-based model of care that is accessible, comprehensive, continuous, contextual, community-focused and patient-centered. "Doing ethics" in the day-to-day practice of family medicine is therefore different from doing ethics in many other fields of medicine, emphasizing different strengths and exemplifying different values.

Massive Blood Transfusions and Outcomes in Trauma Patients; An Intention to Treat Analysis.

Objective: To determine if there exists an upper limit for amount of blood transfused in trauma patients before it reaches a point of futility.

Methods: A prospective cohort study was conducted on 131 patients who received massive blood transfusion (MBT), defined as 10 U or higher of PRBCs received in the initial 24 hours. Data collected from a Level II trauma center registry were used to analyze reports of adult patients from July 2014 to 2017.

Hemorrhagic Cholecystitis after Warfarin Use for Deep Vein Thrombosis.

Hemorrhagic cholecystitis is an uncommon form of acute cholecystitis which can be rapidly fatal. It may be hard to detect as it frequently presents with symptoms found in other, more common diagnoses. We report the case of a 63 year old man recently started on anticoagulation for deep vein thrombosis who was found to have hemorrhagic cholecystitis.

Examining Lead Exposures in California through State-Issued Health Alerts for Food Contamination and an Exposure-Based Candy Testing Program.

In California, the annual number of children under age 6 y of age with blood lead levels (BLL) ≥10μg/dL is estimated at over 1,000 cases, and up to 10,000 cases when BLL between 4.5 and 9.5 μg/dL are included.

Ketamine augmentation for outpatients with treatment-resistant depression: Preliminary evidence for two-step intravenous dose escalation.

Objective: Preliminary evidence supports the safety and efficacy of subanesthetic ketamine as an experimental antidepressant, although its effects are often not sustained beyond one week. Studies are lacking that have examined the sustained effects of escalating ketamine doses as augmentation in outpatients with treatment-resistant depression. Therefore, the aims of this study were twofold: (1) to assess the safety and antidepressant efficacy of two-step, repeated-dose ketamine augmentation and (2) to assess the duration of ketamine's antidepressant efficacy as augmentation to ongoing antidepressant pharmacotherapy for 3 months after the final infusion.

Higher measured moisture in California homes with qualitative evidence of dampness.

Relationships between measured moisture and qualitative dampness indicators (mold odor, visible mold, visible water damage, or peeling paint) were evaluated using data collected from California homes in a prospective birth cohort study when the infants were 6 or 12 months of age (737 home visits). For repeated visits, agreement between observation of the presence/absence of each qualitative indicator at both visits was high (71-87%, P < 0.0001).

Assessing capacity in psychiatric patients with acute medical illness who refuse care.

Three cases are presented that demonstrate the difficulty of assessing medical decision-making capacity in patients with psychiatric illness who are refusing care. Health professionals often assess capacity differently in practice. Provided their patients have some understanding of their illness and have some plans for meeting basic needs, psychiatrists are often inclined to give patients the freedom to refuse care even if they do not exhibit a full understanding of the medical facts of their case and why they are refusing it.

Investigating the reliability of substance toxicity information found on the Internet in pediatric poisonings.

Objectives: The Internet may be the first source of information used by parents during a suspected poisoning of their children. Our primary aim was to assess the reliability of the Internet as a resource for information for parents to initially manage a suspected poisoning involving their child without outside consultation.

Methods: We distributed a self-administered survey to English-speaking parents to evaluate their Internet access behaviors so we could emulate their search strategies for a poisoning.

A new standard for incapacitated patient decision making: the clinical standard of surrogate empowerment.

Founded upon the primacy of the principle of respect for autonomy, three methods of surrogate decision making traditionally have been promoted to help the family and friends of incapacitated patients. Unfortunately, the standards of advance directives, substituted judgment, and best interests are often inadequate in practice. Studies report that few patients have formal, written advance directives; that patients often change their minds about treatment over time; that many patients are simply not ready or willing to plan ahead--in part, because some patients and families simply don't believe in autonomy; that those patients who do plan ahead often do not communicate their plans; and that while some patients want their directives followed strictly, many prefer that their surrogates use judgment in making decisions.

Advance care directives: realities and challenges in Central California.

Purpose: To discover where patients with advance directives (ADs) obtain them and to learn what patients' understanding is of how ADs function.

Methods: Adult patients with ADs admitted to the four acute-care hospitals in Monterey County, California, were asked to participate in a survey during the study period 1 July to 8 September 2009.

Results: Of 5,811 total admissions, 455 patients (7 percent) had an AD.

Common skin conditions during pregnancy.

Common skin conditions during pregnancy generally can be separated into three categories: hormone-related, preexisting, and pregnancy-specific. Normal hormone changes during pregnancy may cause benign skin conditions including striae gravidarum (stretch marks); hyperpigmentation (e.g.

Exercise prescription for the treatment of medical conditions.

As the US population ages, generalist physicians will be charged with keeping the elderly healthy and active in their later years. Exercise is recommended for the treatment of many chronic medical conditions found in the geriatric population; it is also recommended to prevent certain medical conditions such as diabetes and obesity. Physicians have already had an impact on the smoking habits within the United States.

Can the patient decide? Evaluating patient capacity in practice.

Physicians assess the decision-making capacity of their patients at every clinical encounter. Patients with an abrupt change in mental status, who refuse recommended treatment, who consent too hastily to treatment or who have a known risk factor for impaired decision-making should be evaluated more carefully. In addition to performing a mental status examination (along with a physical examination and laboratory evaluation, if needed), four specific abilities should be assessed: the ability to understand information about treatment; the ability to appreciate how that information applies to their situation; the ability to reason with that information; and the ability to make a choice and express it.