Project description:The American Academy of Dermatology is modernizing its clinical practice guidelines to be more timely and easily interpretable, while decreasing the influence of conflicts of interest in guideline generation. The main changes include the transition from SORT to GRADE methodology and the requirement that nonconflicted members of the guideline work groups remain nonconflicted throughout the entire guidelines process.
Project description:ObjectiveSex disparity is a major societal issue. The aim of this paper was to describe changes in the representation of women among speakers of the American Psychiatric Association (APA) annual meeting over 10 years, between 2009 and 2019 and to compare them to changes in the proportion of women among American psychiatrists.MethodsData were collected from the programs of the APA annual meetings of 2009 and 2019, and from the Association of American Medical Colleges. Descriptive and comparative statistical analyses were performed.ResultsThere were 1,138 distinct speakers at the 2009 conference and 1,784 at the 2019 conference. The number of distinct female speakers increased from 413 (36.3%) to 813 (45.6%). The proportion of female speakers at the meetings was almost equivalent to the proportion of women in the American psychiatrists' workforce. The number of female chairs increased from 158 (39.6%) to 322 (46.4%). There were 38 female speakers in child and adolescent psychiatry in 2009 (51.4% of 74 speakers) and 74 in 2019 (51.0% of 155 speakers).ConclusionsThe representation of women at the APA annual meetings increased between 2009 and 2019. At the same time, the growth in the percentage of women in the American psychiatrists' workforce was slower. The APA appears to promote female representation during its annual meetings.
Project description:BackgroundThe incidence of melanoma is rising faster than that of any other preventable cancer in the United States. The American Academy of Dermatology has sponsored free skin cancer education and screenings conducted by volunteer dermatologists in the United States since 1985.ObjectiveWe aimed to assess the American Academy of Dermatology's national skin cancer screening program from 1986 to 2014 by analyzing the risk factor profile, access to dermatologic services, and examination results.MethodsWe conducted several detailed statistical analyses of the screening population.ResultsFrom 1986 to 2014, records were available for 2,046,531 screenings, 1,963,141 (96%) of which were subjected to detailed analysis. Men comprised 38% of all participants. The number of annual screenings reached approximately 100,000 in 1990 and remained relatively stable thereafter. From 1991 to 2014 (data for 1995, 1996 and 2000 were unavailable), clinical diagnoses were rendered for 20,628 melanomas, 156,087 dysplastic nevi, 32,893 squamous cell carcinomas, and 129,848 basal cell carcinomas. Only 21% of screenees had a regular dermatologist. Those with a clinical diagnosis of skin cancer were more likely than the general screening population to be uninsured.LimitationsInability to verify clinical diagnoses histopathologically.ConclusionOur findings suggest that the SPOTme program has detected thousands of skin cancers that may have gone undetected or experienced a delay in detection.
Project description:A large body of research has revealed the challenges that disproportionately affect women as they climb the academic ladder. One area that has received relatively little attention is women's experiences at academic conferences, which are often integral to academics' professional development. As conferences are attended by professional colleagues and influential players in specific fields, the professional consequences of any gender bias in criticism are likely to be amplified at such venues. Here, we explore the degree to which the likelihood of audience members asking a question and offering criticism is associated with the gender of a presenter. Audience questions were tabulated during the authors' visits to the three American Anthropological Association Annual Meetings. The results suggested that men were indeed marginally more likely to ask a question, both when considering all types of questions and when considering only critical questions. However, there was no evidence that they differentially targeted women for these questions. Future research might explore what motivates assertive and critical speech in men and women and how their experiences in receiving it might differ, particularly in academic settings in which critical speech might be considered more acceptable.
Project description:The 2019 American Joint Replacement Registry shows continued growth in cases and data recorded. There are several trends noted in the registry that have been highlighted in this brief communication. More granular data collection is projected for future reports that may shed light on specific procedure and device survivorship and patient-reported outcomes. The authors encourage you to read the full report, available at the following link: http://ajrr.net/publications-data/annual-reports.
Project description:PurposeTo evaluate the presence of sex-specific analysis (SSA) in abstracts accepted for podium presentation at the Arthroscopy Association of North America (AANA) and American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine (AOSSM) annual meetings from 2016 to 2019.MethodsAbstracts accepted for podium presentation at the AANA and AOSSM annual meetings from 2016 to 2019 were selected for review. Studies that included sex as a variable in a multifactorial statistical model were considered to have performed adequate SSA. Secondary data collected included whether the abstract had a female lead or senior author, the degrees of the female authors, and the anatomic focuses of studies with SSA.ResultsOf the 891 total abstracts accepted for podium presentation at the AANA and AOSSM annual meetings from 2016 to 2019, 90 (10%) included SSA. There were 284 AANA abstracts, 24 (8%) of which reported SSA. Of the 607 AOSSM abstracts, 66 (11%) reported SSA. There were 43 female first authors (15%) and 33 female senior authors (12%) of the AANA abstracts compared with 92 female first authors (15%) and 39 female senior authors (6%) of the AOSSM abstracts. Of the 891 total abstracts, 135 (15%) listed a female lead author and 72 (8%) had a female senior author. Of the 135 female first authors, 92 (68%) had an M.D., whereas 40 of the 72 female senior authors (56%) had an M.D. Analysis of all abstracts combined showed a positive correlation between SSA and a female first author (Pearson correlation coefficient = 0.035, P = .147), as well as between SSA and a female senior author (Pearson correlation coefficient = 0.052, P = .059).ConclusionsFrom 2016 to 2019, only 10% of abstracts accepted for podium presentation at the AANA and AOSSM annual meetings included SSA. Altogether, women represented 15% of first authors and 8% of senior authors.Clinical relevanceThis study highlights the low percentage of SSA in abstracts presented at the AANA and AOSSM annual meetings from 2016 to 2019. Future studies should attempt to perform SSA when relevant to better evaluate differences in outcomes between male and female patients.
Project description:IntroductionVideoconferencing has been employed in numerous medical education settings ranging from remote supervision of medical trainees to conducting residency interviews. However, no studies have yet documented the utility of and student response to videoconference meetings for mid-clerkship feedback (MCF) sessions required by the Liaison Committee on Medical Education (LCME).MethodsFrom March 2017 to June 2018, third-year medical students rotating through the mandatory, four-week emergency medicine (EM) clerkship at a single medical school were randomly assigned either to a web-based videoconference meeting via Google Hangouts, or to a traditional in-person meeting for their MCF session. To compare students' MCF experiences we sent out an electronic survey afterward to assess the following using a 0-100 sliding scale: overall satisfaction with the meeting; the effectiveness of communication; the helpfulness of the meeting; their stress levels, and the convenience of their meeting location. The survey also collected data on these demographic variables: the name of the faculty member with whom the student met; student gender, age, and interest in EM; location prior to meeting; meeting-method preference; and number of EM shifts completed.ResultsDuring the study period, 133 third-year medical students responded to the survey. When comparing survey responses between individuals who met online and in person, we did not detect a difference in demographics with the exception of preferred meeting method (p=0.0225). We found no significant differences in the overall experience, helpfulness of the meeting, or stress levels of the meeting between those who met via videoconference vs. in-person (p=0.9909; p=0.8420; p=0.2352, respectively). However, individuals who met in-person with a faculty member rated effectiveness of communication higher than those who met via videoconference (p=0.0002), while those who met online rated convenience higher than those who met in-person (p<0.0001). Both effects remained significant after controlling for preferred meeting method (p<0.0001 and p=0.0003, respectively) and among EM-bound students (p=.0423 and p<0.0110, respectively).ConclusionOur results suggest that LCME-required MCF sessions can be successfully conducted via web-based programs such as Google Hangouts without jeopardizing overall meeting experience. While the convenience of the meetings was improved, it is also important for clerkship directors to note the perceived deficit in the effectiveness of communication with videoconferencing.