PubMed Health⌕ Search

Biomedical subjects

Victor S Sierpina

Publications and source records attributed to Victor S Sierpina.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

Measuring what medical students think about complementary and alternative medicine (CAM): a pilot study of the complementary and alternative medicine survey.

With increasing national and international support for the development of Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) curricula in American medical schools, it is essential to measure what learners know and believe about CAM in order to assess outcomes of new teaching efforts. This paper describes the development and initial results of a survey designed for those purposes. The survey is constructed so that earlier single-institution studies of students' attitudes toward CAM topics, preferred ways of learning about CAM, and students' use of CAM therapies for self-care might be replicated and extended. A pilot test of the Complementary and Alternative Medicine ( CAM) Survey was conducted with third-year medical students at the University of Texas Medical Branch. Validity and reliability studies of the survey were conducted. Findings were compared to those of previously published studies. Interpretable subscales were constructed from survey questions. Students' attitudes toward CAM-related topics were generally favorable. More students were familiar with biological-based therapies than with other CAM therapies. The majority of respondents listed lectures as their preferred way to learn about CAM. Respondents' own CAM use varied; minority and economically-disadvantaged students were more likely to use CAM therapies than other students. The survey is a promising assessment of student attitudes toward and knowledge of CAM therapies.

Adult↗

Spirituality and clinical care: exploring developmental changes in nursing and medical students.

OBJECTIVE: This study identifies and assesses changes in spiritual experiences and the perceived importance of spiritual issues in nursing and medical students participating in a Spirituality and Clinical Care course. Students participated in the study by completing two survey instruments: the Spiritual Experience Index-Revised (SEI-R) and the Spiritual Importance (SI) scales. Differences from pretest to posttest by sex and by discipline (medicine vs nursing) and changes in spiritual maturity are assessed and analyzed. RESULTS: Data analyses explored discipline differences, sex differences, and changes in levels of spiritual maturity one year after the two-week course. Students (N = 416) participating in the course reflected a significant increase in perceived importance of spirituality in practice, with females of both disciplines showing greater increases than males, and students in nursing showing greater increases than students in medicine. Female students were more trusting than male students in spiritual measures for support. An interesting finding revealed that both male and female students evidenced reduced dogmatic perceptions over time, with medical students declining more sharply than nursing students. Finally, changes in the levels of spiritual maturity of the students were measured. Students in contrasting developmental groups (n = 127) regressed over time to more dogmatic and underdeveloped levels of spiritual maturity. CONCLUSIONS: Maintenance or advancement of spiritual development was the expected outcome as students began to develop the art of their practice. It was unexpected that students would regress to a more dogmatic or underdeveloped spiritual level. Several explanations for these findings are explored.

Adult↗

Goal-Directed Health Care and the chronic pain patient: a new vision of the healing encounter.

We introduce a new way to engage the patient with chronic pain, Goal-Directed Health Care (G-DHC). Identifying the patient's major life goals during the medical interview is the key element of this approach along with connecting these life goals to specific health-related goals. The implementation of G-DHC is a shift in process from the usual focus on disease-related goals such as relief of pain, titrating narcotic refills, and working on condition management to broader, long-term, personal goals. It emphasizes the importance of identifying the global life goals of patients and the reasons they wish to be well for and what they would do with improved health once they had it. Utilizing these life goals as a point of reference, discussion, and motivation makes clearer what specified health goals mean, whether or not the patient is ready to work on them, and most significantly, what the underlying motivation is to participate in their own care. We anticipate such a model of patient-centered care will shift the dynamic of the medical encounter with the patient with chronic pain to one that is ultimately more productive and satisfying for both patient and physician. Illustrations of cases, questions to ask patients, and a detail of the process may allow the reader to adopt this method into their practice.

Activities of Daily Living↗

Innovations in integrative health care education.

Content on integrative healthcare and complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) is now being taught in hundreds of educational programs across the country. Nursing, medical, osteopathic, chiropractic, acupuncture, naturopathic, and other programs all are finding creative and innovative ways to include these approaches into new models of education and practice. In this column, we will spotlight such innovations in integrative health care and CAM education. The goal is to present readers with specific educational interventions that they may wish to adapt into new or ongoing educational efforts at their institution or program. We invite you to submit brief descriptions of efforts in your institutions that reflect the creativity, diversity, and interdisciplinary nature of the field. Please submit to either Dr. Sierpina at vssierpi@utmb.edu or Dr. Kreitzer at. Submissions should be brief, 300 to 400 words, because we plan to synopsize several projects in each issue. We also wish to link the information in the summary to a larger body of information at a Web site or other resource, so please include that information as well as your e-mail contact.

Academic Medical Centers↗

Innovations in integrative health care education.

The University of Arizona is justifiably famous for starting the first Program in Integrative Medicine Fellowship under the leadership of Dr. Andrew Weil several years ago. This was followed by creation of the successful distance learning Associate Fellowship. Now, making a potentially even broader contribution to the future of medicine is a new program, Integrative Family Medicine (IFM).

Academic Medical Centers↗

Innovations in integrative health care education.

Content on integrative healthcare and complementary and alternative medicine is now being taught in hundreds of educational programs across the country. Nursing, medical, osteopathic, chiropractic, acupuncture, naturopathic, and other programs all are finding creative and innovative ways to include these approaches into new models of education and practice. In this column we spotlight such innovations in integrative health care and CAM education. The goal is to present readers with specific educational interventions that they may wish to adapt into new or ongoing educational efforts at their institution or program. We invite you to submit brief descriptions of efforts in your institutions that reflect the creativity, diversity, and interdisciplinary nature of the field. Please submit to either Dr. Sierpina at or Dr. Kreitzer at . Submissions should be brief, 300-400 words, as we plan to synopsize several projects in each issue. We also wish to link the information in the summary to a larger body of information at a website or other resource, so please include that information as well as your e-mail contact.

Academic Medical Centers↗

Innovations in integrative healthcare education: mind-body medicine training.

Content on integrative healthcare and complementary and alternative medicine is now being taught in hundreds of educational programs across the country. Nursing, medical, osteopathic, chiropractic, acupuncture, naturopathic, and other programs are finding creative and innovative ways to include these approaches in new models of education and practice. This column spotlights such innovations in integrative healthcare and CAM education and presents readers with specific educational interventions that they can adapt into new or ongoing educational efforts at their institution or program. We invite readers to submit brief descriptions of efforts in their institu-tions that reflect the creativity, diversity, and interdisciplinary nature of the field. Please submit to Dr. Sierpina at or Dr. Kreitzer at . Submissions should be brief, no more than 300-400 words. Please include any Web site or other resource that is relevant as well as contact information.

Clinical Competence↗

Acupuncture: a clinical review.

This article summarizes the research base, probable mechanism of actions, and clinical applications of acupuncture. It offers the clinician a deeper understanding of appropriate conditions for which acupuncture may be useful, outlines how to integrate acupuncture into a clinical practice, and describes referral and training issues.

Acupuncture↗

Treatments for Alzheimer disease.

As our population ages, the incidence and prevalence of Alzheimer disease (AD) will increase dramatically. A number of therapies have been investigated for the treatment and prevention of AD. Clinicians should be prepared to provide evidence-based answers to inquiries regarding AD treatment. There is insufficient evidence to recommend ginkgo biloba, estrogen, statins, or nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs for the prevention or treatment of AD. The use of vitamin E is supported by a single randomized controlled trial, while data on other antioxidants is mixed. There is good evidence that cholinesterase inhibitors and memantine are modestly effective in the treatment of AD. Cholinesterase inhibitors appear to be effective throughout the spectrum of AD, while memantine, alone or in combination with cholinesterase inhibitors, is effective in late stage disease. There is insufficient evidence to suggest superiority of one cholinesterase over another.

Alzheimer Disease↗

Teaching integratively: how the next generation of doctors will practice.

To prepare the next generation of physicians, we must understand the environment in which they will practice. Teaching integratively involves co-creating that future health care system with medical students, their teachers, and their patients working together. This essay takes a look at what the health care system of the future might look like, how efforts in medical education are helping create the practitioner of the future, and how current models of practice are already evolving to reflect a view of the future. In addition, multiple references, Web sites, and other resources are listed to provide the reader with useful tools for education, practice, and research. Integrative medicine is the medicine of the future. We can help bring that future about by identifying educational needs and pressing public health issues, reliable scholarly resources, and creative solutions. This article is divided into three sections: (1) the future vision of health care, (2) co-creating the health care system of the future, and (3) recognizing elements of medical care of the future that are here now.

Complementary Therapies↗

Ginkgo biloba.

Ginkgo biloba is commonly used in the treatment of early-stage Alzheimer's disease, vascular dementia, peripheral claudication, and tinnitus of vascular origin. Multiple trials investigating the efficacy of ginkgo for treating cerebrovascular disease and dementia have been performed, and systematic reviews suggest the herb can improve the symptoms of dementia. Ginkgo is generally well tolerated, but it can increase the risk of bleeding if used in combination with warfarin, antiplatelet agents, and certain other herbal medications. Clinical issues of safety, dosing, use in the perioperative period, and pharmacology are addressed in this review.

Clinical Trials as Topic↗

Innovations in integrative healthcare education: mind-body faculty development at UCLA and the symposium for portland area research on complementary and alternative medicine.

Content on integrative healthcare and complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) is being taught in hundreds of educational programs across the country. Nursing, medical, osteopathic, chiropractic, acupuncture, naturopathic, and other programs are finding creative and innovative ways to include these approaches in new models of education and practice. This column spotlights such innovations in integrative healthcare and CAM education and presents readers with specific educational interventions they can adapt into new or ongoing educational efforts at their institution or programs. We invite readers to submit brief descriptions of efforts in their institutions that reflect the creativity, diversity, and interdisciplinary nature of the field. Please submit to Dr. Sierpina at or Dr. Kreitzer at . Submissions should be no more than 700-800 words. Please include any Web site or other resource that is relevant, as well as contact information.

California↗

Glyconutrients: the state of the science and the impact of glycomics.

The science of glycobiology has made rapid strides in the past few decades. A recent development has been the introduction of glyconutrients as nutritional supplements for health support and disease management. This article reviews the basic and clinical science of glyconutrients and presents a brief perspective on the impact of the field of glycomics.

Carbohydrate Metabolism↗

Barriers to the integration of psychosocial factors in medicine: results of a national survey of physicians.

PURPOSE: Examine physicians' attitudes toward the incorporation of psychosocial factors in diagnosis and treatment and identify barriers to the integration of evidence-based mind-body methods. METHOD: Random sample of primary care physicians and physicians from selected non-primary specialties was drawn. A total of 1058 physicians completed a 12-page survey. RESULTS: The response rate was 27%. Although a majority of physicians seem to recognize the importance of addressing psychosocial issues, approximately one third believe that addressing such factors would lead to minimal or no improvements in outcomes. A minority reports their training regarding the role of psychosocial factors was effective, and relatively few indicate interest in receiving further training in these areas. Males were less likely to believe in the importance of addressing psychosocial factors. Additional factors included perceptions that training was poor in these areas; feelings of low self-efficacy to address psychosocial issues and the perception that such factors are difficult to control; lack of knowledge of the evidence-base supporting the role of psychosocial factors; and lack of time and inadequate reimbursement to address the psychosocial domain. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest the need for more comprehensive training in the role of psychosocial factors in health. In addition, the finding that physicians identify lack of time and inadequate reimbursement as significant barriers suggests that the current health care delivery system may, in many respects, be antithetical to the biopsychosocial model.

Attitude of Health Personnel↗