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Biomedical subjects

Doug Campos-Outcalt

Publications and source records attributed to Doug Campos-Outcalt.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2006

Disaster medical response: maximizing your effectiveness.

In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, physicians and other health professionals volunteered for deployment to the affected area to provide medical services. The frustrating reality most of them encountered was the incapacity of those in charge to use the number of professional volunteers expressing interest. Untrained volunteers, though well intentioned, are often not that helpful. The immediate needs of a disaster area relate to public health and other safety issues. Until a proper infrastructure is re-established, general medical services cannot be provided. Physician services are most effectively provided in collaboration with, or as part of, an organized local response agency.

Disaster Planning↗
PubMed2006

Are you up to date with new immunization recommendations?

Vaccines are one of the most important and effective tools for protecting the health of the public and family physicians are instrumental in insuring that vaccine recommendations are implemented. With the development of new vaccines come increasingly complex recommendations. Staying current is challenging. This column describes the most recent changes to the immunization schedules made by the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Adolescent↗
PubMed2006

The diverse functions of role models across primary care specialties.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: This study investigated the relationship of role models to primary care specialty and gathered information on the attributes and functions of role models. METHODS: A questionnaire on medical school experiences and attitudes was administered to primary care graduates from 24 US medical schools. RESULTS: Questionnaires were completed by 1,457 physicians. Sixty-three percent of primary care respondents had a role model. Having a role model was significantly related to current specialty and ethnicity. Respondents most valued their role models' patient relationships. For family medicine and internal medicine graduates, having a role model was related to more contact and more-positive views of faculty in their specialty. Those with a role model reported that primary care was encouraged at their medical school and were more satisfied with their specialty choice. CONCLUSIONS: Role models may be more important to students who are not well represented among medical school faculty, namely women, underrepresented ethnic minorities, and those interested in family medicine. For family medicine graduates, role models function to moderate negative stereotypes. Role models may also make explicit the values of physicians in that specialty, making students more informed when choosing a specialty and as a consequence more satisfied with the decision.

Adult↗
PubMed2005

Family medicine specialty choice and interest in research.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: This study investigated interest in research related to declining interest in family medicine by US medical school graduates. METHODS: Twenty-four schools were selected for study based on American Academy of Family Physicians data on the number of their graduates entering family medicine. Data for all graduates in 1997, 1998, and 1999 were obtained from the Association of American Medical Schools matriculation and graduation questionnaires for 23 of 24 schools. RESULTS: Measures of research activity or interest were available on matriculation during medical school and at graduation. All were inversely related to interest in family medicine. Students interested in family medicine were less likely to have selected the field of medicine because of research interests, were less likely to have participated in a research project during medical school, and at graduation were less likely to plan on a career involving research. CONCLUSIONS: Given this pervasive negative relationship between interest in research and interest in family medicine, initiatives intended to increase research within the specialty of family medicine should be evaluated for their effects on student career choices. These initiatives may decrease interest in family medicine among students who don't want to do research but who otherwise might have been interested in family medicine. Conversely, they may increase interest in family medicine among students with research interest, or they may do both.

Biomedical Research↗
PubMed2005

Meningococcal vaccine: New product, new recommendations.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention now recommends that all adolescents aged 11 to 12 years receive a quadrivalent, conjugate meningococcal vaccine (MCV-4). With time, universal administration of meningococcal vaccine for this age group will make moot the question of whether entering college freshmen should receive meningococcal vaccine. It should lead to a marked reduction in a potentially catastrophic disease and contribute to the continued decline in morbidity and mortality from bacterial meningitis in the United States, which has largely been due to advances in vaccine technology.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2004

Which primary care specialty? Factors that relate to a choice of family medicine, internal medicine, combined internal medicine-pediatrics, or pediatrics.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: This study was conducted to examine factors used by medical students to select a primary care specialty that may differentiate students who choose the primary care specialties of family medicine, internal medicine, pediatrics, and combined internal medicine-pediatrics. METHODS: A questionnaire was sent to all family physicians and an equal number of other primary care physicians graduating from one of 24 medical schools in 1997-1999. Twelve schools had increasing proportions of graduates choosing family medicine in this study period, and 12 had decreasing proportions. The questionnaire asked about factors related to choice of specialty, which could be grouped into the specialty domains of type of patients, process, content, and setting. RESULTS: For family physicians, the most important factor was patient relationships, and the second most important was wanting an approach to the practice of medicine similar to that of family physicians. Internists indicated as most important wanting to work with adults and as the next most important an "internal medicine approach" to the practice of medicine. Most important for pediatricians was working with children and next most important was having patient relationships like other pediatricians. Those in combined internal medicine-pediatrics most often indicated a desire to work with children and next most important was an approach to medicine like others in their specialty. CONCLUSIONS: The most important reasons for choice of specialty were similar for all primary care specialties and related to congruence between the graduate and the physicians in the specialty or the process of providing care within that specialty. The factors that differentiated the four specialties related to the content of the specialty.

Adult↗
PubMed2004

A comparison of primary care graduates from schools with increasing production of family physicians to those from schools with decreasing production.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: This study investigated factors related to declining interest in family medicine by US medical school graduates. METHODS: A questionnaire was sent to all physicians who graduated from 24 medical schools in 1997-1999, and who entered a family medicine residency, and a randomly selected equal number of graduates from the same years who entered other primary care specialties. Between 1997 and 1999, 12 of these schools had increases and 12 had decreases in the proportion of graduates choosing family medicine residencies. RESULTS: Between 1997 and 1999, at schools with increasing proportions of graduates choosing family medicine, there were significant increases in the proportion of graduates who (1). had entered medical school with a specialty preference of family medicine, (2). spent their required family medicine clerkship at two or more sites, (3). ranked the competence of family medicine faculty highly, (4). reported the faculty member they most wanted to be like was a family physician, and (5). experienced clinical rotations in both family medicine and primary care. At schools with declines in the proportion of graduates choosing family medicine, there were significant declines in the proportion of graduates who (1). ranked the competence of family medicine faculty highly, (2). stated that they were encouraged to go into family medicine, and (3). reported that the faculty member they most wanted to be like was a family physician. In schools with decreases in family medicine graduates, there was a significant increase in the proportion of graduates intending a large city or suburban practice. Using binary logistic regression, the variables that remained significantly correlated with attending a school with increases or decreases in students selecting family medicine were the number of required clinical rotations in family medicine and primary care, the perception of the clinical competence of the family medicine faculty, and an intent to practice, or subsequently having a practice, in a rural area. CONCLUSIONS: Schools that want to increase their production of family physicians should consider admissions policies that select students inclined toward family medicine and rural practice, should adopt a curriculum that maximizes clinical training with family physicians and other primary care physicians, and should ensure that their family medicine faculty are perceived as competent role models.

Adult↗