Citations

We studied family members’ care experiences during the palliative care phase as predictors of family members’ health and family functioning during the palliative care phase and three months following the death of the patient. Eighty family members of advanced cancer patients participated in the study at time one (T1) (palliative care phase) and 64 family members completed the data collection protocol at time two (T2) (three months bereavement). Data were also obtained from 36 of the patients within one month of their deaths. Fulfillment theory accounted for 31% of the variance in family care satisfaction and Discrepancy theory accounted for 72% of the variance in family care satisfaction. Discrepancy theory predicted family functioning in the bereavement period (r=-0.33, p<0.05). Patients’ quality of life scores were moderately correlated with family members’ health during the palliative care phase (r=-0.38, p<0.05). Family members’ scores on the health index (symptom of stress scale) were significantly lower (p<0.05) than normative scores reported in a study using a healthy population. The strongest predictor of family members’ health scores in the bereavement period was their health score at T1 (r=0.71, p<0.01). As well, family functioning at T1 was strongly correlated with family functioning at T2.

AbstractIncreasing rates of chronic wound infections caused by antibiotic‐resistant bacteria are a crisis in healthcare settings. Biofilms formed by bacterial communities in these wounds create a complex environment, enabling bacteria to persist, even with antibiotic treatment. Wound infections caused by methicillin‐resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) are major causes of morbidity in clinical practice. There is a need for new therapeutic interventions not based on antibiotics. Hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) is a known antibacterial/antibiofilm agent, continuous delivery of which has been challenging. A conductive electrochemical scaffold (e‐scaffold) is developed, which is composed of carbon fabric that electrochemically reduces dissolved oxygen into H2O2 when polarized at −0.6 VAg/AgCl, as a novel antibiofilm wound dressing material. In this study, the in vitro antibiofilm activity of the e‐scaffold against MRSA is investigated. The developed e‐scaffold efficiently eradicates MRSA biofilms, based on bacterial quantitation and ATP measurements. Moreover, imaging hinted at the possibility of cell‐membrane damage as a mechanism of action. These results suggest that an H2O2‐generating e‐scaffold may be a novel platform for eliminating MRSA biofilms without using antibiotics and may be useful to treat chronic MRSA wound infections.

AbstractIntralabyrinthine schwannomas (ILS) are rare tumors that frequently cause sensorineural hearing loss. The development and increased use of magnetic resonance imaging in recent years have facilitated the diagnosis of these tumors that present with otherwise nondiscriminant symptoms such as tinnitus, vertigo, and hearing loss. The following is a review of the presentation, pathophysiology, imaging, and treatment with a focused discussion on auditory rehabilitation options of ILS.

Many hospitalists incorporate point‐of‐care ultrasound (POCUS) into their daily practice to answer specific diagnostic questions or to guide performance of invasive bedside procedures. However, standards for hospitalists in POCUS training and assessment are not yet established. Most internal medicine residency training programs, the major pipeline for incoming hospitalists, have only recently begun to incorporate POCUS in their curricula. The purpose of this document is to inform a broad audience on what POCUS is and how hospitalists are using it. This document is intended to provide guidance for the hospitalists who use POCUS and administrators who oversee its use. We discuss POCUS 1) applications, 2) training, 3) assessments, and 4) program management. Practicing hospitalists must continue to collaborate with their local credentialing bodies to outline requirements for POCUS use. Hospitalists should be integrally involved in decision‐making processes surrounding POCUS program management.