OCEAN (wOmen’s Career choicEs About oNcology) Study: Motivations to pursue or not pursue academic oncology.

2021 ◽  
Vol 39 (15_suppl) ◽  
pp. 11040-11040
Author(s):  
Grace Blitzer ◽  
Emily Merfeld ◽  
Aleksandra Kuczmarska-Haas ◽  
Susan Pitt ◽  
Fumiko Chino ◽  
...  

11040 Background: Although women outnumber men in US medical school enrollment, women constitute < 50% of faculty in academic oncology. This study aimed to determine factors affecting women oncologists’ decisions to pursue academic versus non-academic oncology in Hematology/Oncology (HO), Pediatric Oncology (PO), Radiation Oncology (RO), and Surgical Oncology (SO), and to characterize the challenges women oncologists face. Methods: A survey was designed to collect cross-sectional data on factors affecting career choices among US women oncologists. The survey was distributed via email and social media. Data were collected anonymously and analyzed using t-tests for continuous variables and Chi-squared tests for categorical variables. Results: Six hundred sixty-seven women oncologists responded: 245 (45.3%) specialized in HO, 173 (25.9%) RO, 88 (13.2%) PO, 56 (8.4%) SO, and 48 (7.2%) other. Four-hundred twenty-two (63.2%) women identified as an academic oncologist (AO); 245 (36.8%) women identified as a non-academic oncologist (non-AO). Approximately ¼ of women oncologists reported their partner (156, 23.5%) or family (176, 26.4%) extremely or moderately impacted their decision whether to pursue academic practice. There was no difference in the timing of childbearing between AO and non-AO. AO perceived the biggest sacrifice of pursuing academics to be time with loved ones (181, 42.9%). Non-AO perceived the biggest sacrifice for AO to be pressure for academic promotion (102, 41.6%), which was the third most common response (44, 18.0%) among AO. Thirty-three (7.9%) AO and 5 (2.0%) non-AO reported feeling that they rarely or never have a sense of belonging in their work environment (p < 0.01). AO and non-AO had significantly different perceptions on how their gender impacted their ability to obtain a chosen job (p < 0.01), with 100 (23.8%) AO and 52 (21.2%) non-AO reporting a negative or somewhat negative impact, and 116 (27.6%) AO and 101 (41.2%) non-AO reporting a positive or somewhat positive impact. More than half of women surveyed (230 AO, 54.6%; 123 non-AO, 50.6%; p = 0.61) felt that they were somewhat or much less likely to be promoted compared to male colleagues. The majority of women reported they would choose the same career path again (71% of AO, 69% of non-AO); however, 92 (21.9%) of AO responded that they were likely or very likely to pursue a career outside academics in the next 5 years. Conclusions: While partners/family have a substantial impact on 1 in 4 women oncologists, this does not differ between AO and non-AO. Significantly more non-AO find their gender to have positively impacted their ability to obtain their chosen job. In contrast, a meaningful number of AO report a poor sense of belonging and perceived discrimination in obtaining jobs and being promoted; 1 in 5 are considering leaving academia. Academic oncology remains at high risk for continued gender inequality if the culture is not addressed.

PLoS ONE ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (8) ◽  
pp. e0256031
Author(s):  
Eman Alefishat ◽  
Rana Abu Farha ◽  
Mohammed Zawiah

Purpose The credibility and the reliability of Internet webpages to seek medication-related information is questionable. The main objective of the current study was to evaluate perception and experience of pharmacists with the use of Internet-based medication information by their patients. Methods This is a cross-sectional descriptive study that was conducted to evaluate perception and experience of pharmacists with the use of Internet-based medication information by their patients. During the study period, 200 pharmacists were approached to participate in the study using a paper-based survey to assess their perceptions and current experience with the use of Internet-based medication information by their patients. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics (mean/standard deviation for continuous variables, and frequency/percentages for qualitative variables). Also, simple linear regression was utilized to screen factors affecting pharmacists’ perception scores of the use of Internet-based medication information. Results Among 161 recruited pharmacists, the majority (n = 129, 80.1%) reported receiving inquiries from patients about Internet-based medication information within the last year. Among them, only 22.6% (n = 29) of pharmacists believed that Internet-based medication information is somewhat or very accurate. Unfortunately, only 24.2% (n = 31) of them stated that they always had enough time for their patient to discuss their Internet-based medication information. Regarding pharmacists’ perception of the use of Internet-based medication information by their patients, more than half of the pharmacists (>50%) believe that Internet-based medication information could increase the patient’s role in taking responsibility. On the other hand, 54.7% (n = 88) of the pharmacists believed that Internet-based medication information would contribute to rising the healthcare cost by obtaining unnecessary medications by patients. Finally, pharmacists’ educational level was found to significantly affect their perception scores toward patient use of Internet-based medication information where those with higher educational level showed lower perception score (r = -0.200, P-value = 0.011). Conclusion Although pharmacists felt that usage of Internet-based data by patients is beneficial, they also have believed that it has a negative impact in terms of rising the healthcare cost, and it promotes unnecessary fear or concern about medications. We suggest that pharmacists be trained on principles of critical appraisal to become professional in retrieval information on the Internet that might improve their delivery of healthcare information and their recommendations to patients.


CJEM ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 22 (S1) ◽  
pp. S92-S92
Author(s):  
D. Junqueira ◽  
K. Zhou ◽  
S. Couperthwaite ◽  
J. Meyer ◽  
B. Rowe

Introduction: Despite being legal in Canada, the vaporized liquid of vaping systems contains several chemicals presenting unknown risks to lung health and little is known about their use in patients visiting the emergency department (ED). This study explores associations between exposure to inhaled products and respiratory presentations in the ED. Methods: A cross-sectional lung health survey among patients presenting to a Canadian ED was conducted, exploring the association between inhaled toxic exposures (e.g., vaping, cannabis and cigarette smoking) and visits related to respiratory symptoms. Eligible participants were ambulatory (CTAS 2 to 5), stable, adults (≥ 17 years) visiting the ED from July to November, 2019. Results are described as frequencies and percentages (categorical variables) and medians with interquartile range (IQR, continuous variables). Univariate and multivariate logistic regression models report associations as odds ratios (OR) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs). The Health Research Ethics Board approved the study. Results: From 1433 eligible patients, 1024 (71%) completed the survey. The median age was 43.5 (IQR: 29, 60), and 51% were female. Overall, 177 (17%) reported ≥1 respiratory symptoms and 83 (8%) reported using any vaping products. In a univariate regression analysis, exposure to vaping was positively associated with ED visits related to respiratory symptoms (OR 2.11, 95% CI: 1.26 to 3.54). In the multivariate model, vaping and a previous diagnosis of ≥1 respiratory conditions showed positive association with respiratory-related ED visits (OR 1.86, 95% CI: 1.03 to 3.33; and OR 2.13, 95% CI: 1.50 to 3.02, respectively). There was evidence of an additive effect of the combined exposure to cigarettes and vaping and respiratory-related ED visits (OR 3.22, 95% CI: 1.61 to 6.43). Smoking cannabis and cigarettes alone were not associated with increased risk of respiratory-related visits. Conclusion: Using vaping products increased the occurrence of respiratory-related ED visits, particularly in people with pre-existing lung conditions. A dose-response relationship exists where the risk is highest in patients inhaling a combination of toxins. Contrary to previous assumptions, the use of vaping products has a negative impact on lung health.


Author(s):  
Ella Nissan ◽  
Abdulla Watad ◽  
Arnon D. Cohen ◽  
Kassem Sharif ◽  
Johnatan Nissan ◽  
...  

Polymyositis (PM) and dermatomyositis (DM) are autoimmune-mediated multisystemic myopathies, characterized mainly by proximal muscle weakness. A connection between epilepsy and PM/DM has not been reported previously. Our study aim is to evaluate this association. A case–control study was conducted, enrolling a total of 12,278 patients with 2085 cases (17.0%) and 10,193 subjects in the control group (83.0%). Student’s t-test was used to evaluate continuous variables, while the chi-square test was applied for the distribution of categorical variables. Log-rank test, Kaplan–Meier curves and multivariate Cox proportional hazards method were performed for the analysis regarding survival. Of the studied 2085 cases, 1475 subjects (70.7%) were diagnosed with DM, and 610 patients (29.3%) with PM. Participants enrolled as cases had a significantly higher rate of epilepsy (n = 48 [2.3%]) as compared to controls (n = 141 [1.4%], p < 0.0005). Using multivariable logistic regression analysis, PM was found only to be significantly associated with epilepsy (OR 2.2 [95%CI 1.36 to 3.55], p = 0.0014), whereas a non-significant positive trend was noted in DM (OR 1.51 [95%CI 0.99 to 2.30], p = 0.0547). Our data suggest that PM is associated with a higher rate of epilepsy compared to controls. Physicians should be aware of this comorbidity in patients with immune-mediated myopathies.


Healthcare ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (8) ◽  
pp. 939
Author(s):  
Ana Fresan ◽  
Alma Delia Genis-Mendoza ◽  
María Lilia López-Narváez ◽  
Tania Guadalupe Gómez-Peralta ◽  
Daniela Georgina Aguilar-Velázquez ◽  
...  

Background/Aim: Obesity in adolescents is increasing; as such, the aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of obesity in Mexican adolescents and examine its possible association with hours of sleep. Methods: A school-based cross-sectional study was carried out. This study included 863 adolescents aged between 11 and 16 years. The prevalence of obesity was estimated using the body mass index (BMI). The duration of sleep (and other information) was assessed by a self-reported questionnaire. The Cochran–Mantel–Hansel test for categorical variables and a general linear model for continuous variables were used to evaluate the interaction effect of BMI and sex with respect to sleeping and assessed activity conditions. Results: It was found that 47.6% of the adolescents were overweight/obese. Men were more frequently overweight/obese than women (52.6% vs. 41.8%, p = 0.002). Moreover, overweight/obese adolescents were younger and spent fewer daily hours watching television (p < 0.05). Men practiced sports more hours per week than women (p = 0.04). However, women spent more daily time on the internet (p = 0.05), and overweight/obese adolescent women slept fewer hours than overweight/obese men and adolescents with normal weight (p = 0.008). Conclusions: The development of strategies for the prevention of overweight/obesity and the improvement of sleep duration should include a gender perspective to improve health habits in Mexican adolescents.


2021 ◽  
Vol 80 (Suppl 1) ◽  
pp. 734.1-734
Author(s):  
S. Maguire ◽  
F. B. O’shea

Background:Previous research in axial spondyloarthropathy(axSpA) has shown this population to have a high prevalence of depression. This co-morbidity has been previously shown to impact disease activity in patients with rheumatic disease.Objectives:The purpose of this study was to screen for early signs of depression using two validated tools, the Patient Health Questionaire-9 (PHQ-9) and the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale for depression (HADs-D) in patients with known axSpA.Methods:AxSpA patients attending the Rheumatology department in St James’ Hospital between February and October 2020 were invited to take a self-administered survey which included the PHQ-9 and the HADs-D. Scores from the HADs-D yielded a numerical result which was then categorised as normal, borderline or abnormal. PHQ-9 numerical results were categorised as normal, mild, moderate, moderate/severe or severe. Patients with a known diagnosis of depression were excluded. In addition to baseline demographics, patient reported outcomes from the clinic visit were also recorded.Data analysis was performed using IBM SPSS version 26. Continuous variables were recorded as means, categorical variables as frequencies with percentages. A one-way analysis of variance analysis (ANOVA) was used to determine significance of variation in outcomes between patient outcomes as determined by the HADs-D and PHQ-9. A p-value of <0.05 was deemed significant. Consent was obtained prior to participation. Approval was received from the St James’/Tallaght Hospital Joint Ethics Committee.Results:In total 71 axSpA patients took part in the survey. The population was 70.4%(50) males and 29.5%(21) female, with an average age 47.9 years and mean disease duration 19.7 years (mean outcomes: BASDAI 4.08, BASFI 3.62, BASMI 3.54, ASQoL 6.79). Overall, 7 (9.9%) participants recorded abnormal HADs-D scores, while 17 (23.9%) recorded moderate to severe PHQ-9 scores indicative of underlying depression. AxSpA females had higher mean HADs-D scores (7.5 vs 4.8, p=0.01) than males, with abnormal scores in 19%(4) of females and 6% (3) of males. No significant differences were found in PHQ-9 scores between genders.Analysis revealed significantly worse BASDAI (6.27 vs 3.42, p<0.01) and AQoL scores (12.57 vs 5.26, p<0.01) in axSpA patients with abnormal compared to normal HADs-D scores. No significant differences were noted in BASFI, BASMI or baseline demographics. A similar pattern was noted on analysis of PHQ-9 scores, with significantly worse BASDAI (7.9 vs 2.55, p<0.01), BASFI (8.05 vs 2.33, p<0.01) and ASQoL (19.5 vs 2.62, p<0.01) noted in those scoring as severe compared to normal. No significant differences were detected in BASMI scores or baseline demographics.Conclusion:A high percentage of axSpA patients recorded high HADs-D and PHQ-9 scores concerning for undiagnosed depression. These patients were noted to have significantly worse disease activity and quality of life as compared to patients with normal scores. Clinicians treating axSpA should consider screening for depression in this population.Disclosure of Interests:Sinead Maguire Speakers bureau: Speaker fee from Jassen, Grant/research support from: Recipient of the Gilead Inflammation Fellowship Grant, Finbar Barry O’Shea: None declared


Author(s):  
Kalaiselvy Arikrishnan ◽  
Gokul Sarveswaran ◽  
Yuvaraj Krishnamoorthy ◽  
Manikandanesan Sakthivel ◽  
Marie Gilbert Majella ◽  
...  

AbstractObjectivesTo determine the prevalence of Second Hand Smoking (SHS) and assess the factors related to exposure, knowledge and response to SHS among adolescents in rural Puducherry, South India.MethodsA community based cross-sectional study was conducted among adolescents during March and April 2018. Two out of four villages were selected randomly and all the adolescents were contacted through household visit and questionnaire was administered. Semi structured questionnaire contained three sections: sociodemographic details, environmental assessment and third section contained knowledge about SHS, COTPA and response towards being exposed to SHS, as well as exposure history. Continuous variables like age were summarized as mean (SD). Categorical variables such as awareness, attitude and practise towards SHS were summarized as proportions with 95% confidence interval.ResultsTotal number of adolescents interviewed was 789. The mean age of the study participants were 14.1 (2.4) years and majority, 440 (55.8%) were boys and 684 (86.7%) belonged to nuclear family. More than one fourth, 210 (26.6%) belonged to middle class of socio-economic status. Environmental assessment of household showed more than half, 456 (57.8%) were staying in pucca house and majority 642 (81.4%) had adequate cross ventilation. It was found that about 70.1% had adequate knowledge about SHS and its harmful effects. Prevalence of exposure to SHS was 49%. Majority (40.5%) told that they will scold or advice the family member to stop smoking if they are exposed to SHS in the living place. However, almost 80% of adolescents mentioned that they will no’t react if they see someone smoking in a public place.ConclusionsCurrent study found that almost half of the adolescents were exposed to SHS. Even though, almost three fourth had adequate knowledge, attitude towards preventing SHS in public place was found to be poor. Hence, adolescents need to be motivated enough to address the problem in the public place through motivational counselling in adolescent clinics by health care workers.


2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (4) ◽  
pp. 296-300
Author(s):  
Ameet Jesrani ◽  
Pari Gul ◽  
Nida Khan ◽  
Seema Nayab ◽  
Fahmida Naheed

Objective: To assess different pathological breast lesions in ultra sound in a subgroup of population. Study design and setting: It was a cross sectional study conducted at Bolan Medical Complex Hospital Quetta, Pakistan from June 2018 to January 2019. Methodology: Total 103 patients with breast swelling, pain and discharge were targeted. Gray scale and Doppler Ultrasound of breast followed by FNAC/biopsy of breast lesion was performed. Data presented as mean ± standard deviation for continuous variables and frequency with percentages for categorical variables. Results: Out of 48 clinically palpable lumps US detected all of 48 lumps and additionally 12 clinically non palpable masses were detected on US examination. Thus, overall sensitivity of ultrasound in detecting breast lumps was 100%. Fibroadenoma of the breast was diagnosed accurately in 80.3% of women. Ultrasound reliably differentiated cystic from solid breast masses (100%). The sensitivity of ultrasound for detecting breast carcinoma was 63.4% with a positive predictive value of 87.5%, a negative predictive value of 99.5% and accuracy of 58.33%. US findings most suggestive of benign lesions were oval or round shape in 88.3%, well defined margin in 84%, absent lobulation in 86.04% and wider than taller ratio in 90.69% of the cases.US findings of most predictive for malignancy were of irregular shape in 81.8%, ill-defined margin in 90.9% and length to height ratio in 63.6% of cases. Conclusion: Ultrasound is simple, cheap, safe and relatively accessible imaging modality for evaluation of breast pathologies. Due to its high sensitivity in diagnosing benign breast lesions particularly cystic lesions and fibroadenoma unnecessary interventions can be avoided


2018 ◽  
Vol 6 (4) ◽  
pp. 305-310
Author(s):  
Vijay M Patil ◽  
Mridul Malhotra ◽  
Raees Tonse ◽  
Jayita Deodhar ◽  
Arun Chandrasekharan ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Unaddressed high distress leads to noncompliance with treatment, negatively affects quality of life, and may also have a negative impact on the prognosis of cancer patients. Patients with brain tumors have higher levels of distress than the general population and hence we hypothesize that even routine visits during adjuvant treatment or follow-up are likely to be stressful. This analysis was performed to identify the incidence of distress and factors affecting it. Methods This was an audit of 84 consecutive patients seen in an adult neuro-medical oncology outpatient department who were either receiving adjuvant chemotherapy or were on follow-up. Distress screening with the National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) distress thermometer was performed. Patients in whom distress was scored as 4 or above were considered as having high distress. Descriptive statistics and logistic regression analysis were performed to identify factors affecting distress. Results The median age of the cohort was 40 years (interquartile range, 28.3 to 50 years). Actionable distress defined as a distress score of 4 or more was seen in 52 patients (61.9%, 95% CI 51.2% to 71.5%). Presence of physical deficit (odds ratio [OR] = 3.412, P = .020) and treatment under the private category (OR = 5.273, P = .003) had higher odds of having high distress. Conclusion A high proportion of brain tumor patients either on adjuvant chemotherapy or on follow-up have high distress levels that need to be addressed even during follow-up.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Arithi Mutembei ◽  
Festus K. Mutai ◽  
Damaris Mwololo ◽  
John Muriuki ◽  
Mark Obonyo ◽  
...  

AbstractIntroductionLeptospirosis is a neglected bacterial zoonotic infection caused by spirochetes of Leptospira genus. Humans get infected through direct or indirect contact with urine of infected animals or environment. It accounts for more than 300,000 severe cases annually worldwide with case fatality rates of over 30%. Costs of diagnosis and treatment for human and animals, disruption of international trade of animals and products, reduced productivity and reproductivity in animals constitute economic importance. In Kenya, leptospirosis burden is significant but under-diagnosis and under-reporting affects the awareness of the disease. This study aimed to determine and compare the sero-prevalence and factors associated with Leptospira spp. in the two counties.MethodsWe conducted a cross-sectional study that involved apparently healthy people of at least 5 years of age in randomly selected households in Garissa and Tana River Counties. Blood samples were collected and tested for Leptospira spp antibodies using IgM ELISA. Standardized structured questionnaires were administered to collect socio-demographic and exposure information. We calculated frequencies and proportions for categorical variables and odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence interval (CI) to evaluate association between sero-positivity and exposure factors. We used Wilcoxon test to evaluate statistical difference in sero-positivity for continuous variables and calculated test statistic (H) and p-value.ResultsA total of 952 subjects were recruited into the study – these included 482 persons from Garissa and 470 from Tana River. The overall sero-prevalence was 26% [(244/952); (CI: 23% to 29%)]. Garissa County had significantly higher Leptospira spp. seroprevalence (31%, n = 147; CI: 27% to 35%) compared to Tana River County (21 %, n = 97; CI: 17% to 25%). Being a female (OR=1.6, CI: 1.2-2.2) and engaging in pastoralism (OR=2.7, CI: 1.8-3.9) were significantly associated with higher odds of Leptospira spp. seropositivity compared to being a male or working in irrigated areas. The mean altitude of residence of sero-positive patients was 73m ± 21 SD (standard deviation) above sea level and that for sero-negative was 80m ± 22 SD (H=35, p-value = 0.00).ConclusionThis study determined the seroprevalence and risk factors for Leptospira spp. exposure in Garissa and Tana River Counties, Kenya. Females in pastoral communities experience high burden of the disease. Enhanced surveillance in humans and animals and further research is required to understand the complex and multifactorial drivers of leptospirosis transmission in the two Counties.


Author(s):  
NV Roopesh Gopal ◽  
SV Sathish Kumar ◽  
Kiran S Bhat

Introduction: An intimate relationship is an interpersonal relationship that involves physical or emotional intimacy. Those who are in such a relationship may experience violence from partners which may affect their day-to-day quality of life and thus cause a burden on the family. Aim: To assess the relationship between Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) with Quality of life and to provide early interventions. Materials and Methods: Hospital-based, cross-sectional study was conducted at the Department of Psychiatry, Kodagu Institute of Medical Sciences (KoIMS) teaching hospital Madikeri, Karnataka. The subjects were recruited by purposive sampling method. A total of 5810 consecutive subjects who visited the psychiatry OPD from March 2017 to June 2019 were assessed and among them, 82 subjects both men and women in the age group of 18 to 60 years were recruited. All of them reported IPV on the Hurt, Insulted, Threatened, and Screamed (HITS) scale and were further assessed for Quality of life using the World Health Organisation Quality of Life BREF (WHOQOL-BREF) scale. Descriptive statistics were used for continuous variables. A Nonparametric Chi-square test was applied for categorical variables and Mann-Whitney U scores were used for quality of life variables. The correlation was done using Pearson’s correlation. Results: Mean age was 36.04 in years (SD±11.28) having a mean of 7.5 years of schooling (SD±4.5). The majority belonged to the rural background and lower socioeconomic status. Out of 82 subjects, 21 subjects reported IPV score less than 10 (25.60%) and among the rest of the 61 (74.39%) subjects, 80.32% were females and 19.67% were males who had IPV scores of more than 10. The study subjects reported poor and very poor scores in their overall quality of life and very dissatisfied and dissatisfied in their health domain. IPV also correlated with reduced quality of life, which was statistically significant. Conclusion: People that experience IPV has an overall reduced quality of life. Routine clinical assessment needs to be done to provide early interventions.


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