A long and bumpy road.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
Adrenal Gland Neoplasms↗
Biomedical subjects
Christopher Owens
Publications and source records attributed to Christopher Owens.
Bouveret meets Boerhaave.
Rarely, biliary-enteric fistula can result in duodenal obstruction or Bouveret's syndrome. Boerhaave's syndrome is a distal esophageal rupture in the setting of severe emesis. This case is the first reported successful management of these clinical scenarios occurring simultaneously and highlights important features in presentation, diagnosis, and surgical treatment.
Aged, 80 and over↗
Revisiting pharmacists' refusals to dispense emergency contraception.
Pharmacists' refusals to fill prescriptions for emergency contraceptives for reasons of conscience have contributed to a national debate regarding the permissibility of such actions. Some in the medical community assert that pharmacists ought not to refuse to dispense emergency contraceptives on this basis. Three lines of argument have become prominent in defense of that position: 1) the professional status of pharmacists does not allow for refusal to dispense legitimately written prescriptions, 2) the medical facts regarding the mechanism of action of emergency contraception are often misunderstood, misrepresented, or both, and 3) refusals by pharmacists to fill legitimate prescriptions undermine patient care. In this commentary, these arguments are rejected as missing the central point of the issue, which is that pharmacists are autonomous, moral agents who are accountable for their choices and entitled-within limits-to decide in which activities they will participate. Pharmacists' professionalism is defended, their responsibilities in the provision of drug therapy are set forth in the context of pharmaceutical care, and these lead to the conclusion that pharmacists' refusals may be ethically justified. There are important limits on how pharmacists may respond when they are being asked to participate in actions they find morally objectionable. Notably, they must ensure that these prescriptions are filled by someone else in a timely manner and must refrain from any abusive or demeaning treatment of patients, as summed up in our Principle of Conscientious Refusal to Dispense.
Contraceptives, Postcoital↗
Physicians' emotional intelligence and patient satisfaction.
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: This study investigated the relationship between patient satisfaction and physicians' scores on a test of emotional intelligence. METHODS: Faculty and resident physicians at a southern medical school completed the Bar-On Emotional Quotient Inventory (EQi). Patient subjects were recruited at the conclusion of an office visit and completed a patient satisfaction survey. Spearman rank order correlations and t tests were used to examine the relationship between global, composite, and subscale scores on the EQi and patient satisfaction. Race, gender, and resident/faculty status were compared via t tests. RESULTS: When patient satisfaction scores were used to dichotomize physicians into two groups, those with 100% satisfied patients and those with less than 100% satisfaction, only one subscale of EQi, "happiness," was related to higher satisfaction. CONCLUSIONS: Findings suggest a limited relationship between physicians'scores on a test of emotional intelligence and patient satisfaction. Implications for physician training programs are offered in light of recent focus on physician-patient communication in medical education. Application of emotional intelligence concepts to physician skills and patient attitudes needs further research that may lead to further educational opportunities.
Affect↗