7 research outputs found
Oesophageal ulcer due to a herbal remedy
No full textHerbal-induced oesophageal lesions are rare. We report the case of an 85-year-old male who presented with cough and odynophagia. An upper endoscopy showed white deposit under the proximal oesophageal sphincter. Biopsy of the lesion revealed an oesophageal ulcer with adherent plant material and ruled-out candidiasis. At this point, the patient divulged self-preparation of an herbal remedy consisting of Aloe Vera pulp, whisky, honey, ginger and turmeric. Aloe Vera, ginger and turmeric are commonly used to sooth some gastroenterological symptoms in Complementary and Alternative Medicine. Incorrect extraction of Aloe Vera pulp and adding honey to it transformed the recipe into a sticky paste that may have injured the oesophageal mucosa. Follow-up showed that the cough and odynophagia subsided after discontinuing this herbal remedy. © The Author(s) 2018. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the British Geriatrics Society. All rights reserved
Detainment and health: The case of the Lebanese hostages of war
No full textThe purpose of the current research was to compare former detainees of Khiam prison
to a comparison group regarding depression, anxiety, presence of chronic diseases, smoking, and
alcohol drinking. The sample consisted of 118 ex-detainees and 90 community controls. The Beck
Depression Inventory, the Hamilton Anxiety Scale, the Clinician-Administered Post-Traumatic Stress
Disorder Scale, and the Harvard Trauma Questionnaire were used. The ex-detainees suffered from an
increased level of depression, high anxiety scores, increased chronic diseases, smoked more, and
consumed more alcohol than their comparison group. Regression analyses showed that detainment
independently predicted depression and anxiety
Grading reflective essays: The reliability of a newly developed tool- GRE-9
No full textBackground: The main objective of this study is the development of a short reliable easy-to-use assessment tool in the aim of providing feedback to the reflective writings of medical students and residents. Methods: This study took place in a major tertiary academic medical center in Beirut, Lebanon. Seventy-seven reflective essays written by 18 residents in the department of Family Medicine at the American University of Beirut Medical Center (AUBMC) were graded by 3 raters using the newly developed scale to assess the scale reliability. Following a comprehensive search and analysis of the literature, and based on their experience in reflective grading, the authors developed a concise 9-item scale to grade reflective essays through repeated cycles of development and analysis as well as the determination of the inter-rater reliability (IRR) using intra-class correlation coefficients (ICC) and Krippendorff's Alpha. Results: The inter-rater reliability of the new scale ranges from moderate to substantial with ICC of 0.78, 95% CI 0.64-0.86, p < 0.01 and Krippendorff's Alpha was 0.49. Conclusions: The newly developed scale, GRE-9, is a short, concise, easy-to-use reliable grading tool for reflective essays that has demonstrated moderate to substantial inter-rater reliability. This will enable raters to objectively grade reflective essays and provide informed feedback to residents and students. © 2020 The Author(s)
Impact of a Multifaceted Intervention Among Primary Care Physicians on Sickness Certification
No full textIntroduction:Sickness absence remains a major challenge globally. Primary care physicians often find it challenging to deny patients' requests for sick leaves, making the gatekeeping role uneasy among doctors.Methods:Twenty-one PCPs participated in this non-randomized intervention study. The educational intervention consisted of an interactive presentation, a 20-minute video screening, and 3 text message reminders. The average number for sickness certificates (SCs), sickness absence rate per patient, and causes for sickness absence spells were measured one year before and one year after the intervention.Results:The average number of SC one year before and after the intervention was 0.44 and 0.47, respectively. The sickness absence rate was 0.63% one year before and 0.75% one year after the intervention with no statistical significance. The mean number of sickness absence days did not significantly change. Causes for sickness absence spells significantly increased for diarrhea and back pain but decreased for upper respiratory infections with no statistical significance.Discussion:Implementation of a multifaceted intervention to train PCPs on the process of sickness certification did not affect the sickness absence rate. Further research is needed to assess the knowledge and understanding of physicians' sickness certification process and the underlying factors that govern it to better develop tailored and effective interventions. © 2022 Lippincott Williams and Wilkins. All rights reserved
Development of an assessment tool to measure communication skills among family medicine residents in the context of electronic medical record use
No full textBackground: The introduction of the electronic medical record (EMR) has led to new communication skills that need to be taught and assessed. There is scarce literature on validated instruments measuring electronic-specific communication skills. The aim is to develop an assessment checklist that assesses the general and EMR-specific communication skills and evaluates their content validity and reliability. Methods: Using the SEGUE theoretical framework for communication skills, the assessment checklist items were developed by the Communication Skills Working Group (CSWG) at the family medicine department using a literature review about the positive and negative aspects of EMR use on physician-patient communication. A group of faculty members rated real resident-patient encounters on two occasions, three weeks apart. Patients were asked to fill out the Communication Assessment Tool (CAT) at the end of the encounter. Results: A total of 8 residents agreed to participate in the research, with 21 clinical encounters recorded. The average total score was 65.2 ± 6.9 and 48.1 ± 9.5 for the developed scale and the CAT scale, respectively. The scale reliability was good, with a Cronbach alpha of 0.694. The test-retest reliability was 0.873, p < 0.0001. For the total score on the developed checklist, the intraclass correlation coefficient between raters (ICC) was 0.429 [0.030,0.665], p-value of 0.019. The level of agreement between any two raters on the cumulative score of the 5 subsections ranged from 0.506 (interpersonal skills) to 0.969 (end encounter). Conclusion: This checklist is a reliable and valid instrument that combines basic and EMR-related communication skills. © 2023, The Author(s)
Psychological Distress among Syrian Refugee Women and a Control Group in an Urban Settlement in Beirut- a Pilot Study
No full textThe Syrian conflict has created approximately five million refugees. Of these, more than one million have settled in Lebanon. This project aimed to determine the prevalence of psychological distress (PD) amongst Syrian refugee mothers compared to a control group of local mothers living in the same informal urban settlement in Beirut. A convenient sample was selected from a primary care center. The General Health Questionnaire-12 items (GHQ-12) was administered to determine PD amongst women who were pregnant within 2 years of the study. Data was analyzed using SPSS. Sixty women were enrolled; 35 were Syrian refugees. All women had PD. The mean GHQ-12 scores were 7.5 and 7.2 for the control and Syrian refugee mothers, respectively. When asked about stressors, 91.7% of the women stated poverty. Syrian refugee women had similar PD as women who were not displaced and did not experience direct war related hostilities. © 2020, Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature
