Spirituality Aids Patients; Residency Changes; Girl’s Rescue

Spirituality Aids Neurologic Patients

Spirituality may improve the quality of life and emotional well-being of patients with neurologic disorders, a new study suggests. It may even lead to a lower incidence of neurologic conditions such as Alzheimer’s disease, according to a review of 13 studies published in the Journal of Religion and Health.

Investigators found a lower incidence of neurodegenerative disease in religious communities that incorporated spiritual or religious lifestyle recommendations compared with the general population.

Implications for clinical practice: Providing spiritual support could be an important strategy in healthcare settings, the study suggests.

Some concerns voiced: “Interactions between spirituality and neurological disorders are likely to be highly dependent on the age of the patient and additional comorbid medical conditions,” said Jeffrey Anderson, MD, PhD, associate professor of radiology, University of Utah School of Medicine, Salt Lake City.

Residents Have Mixed Feelings About Changes

Medical residents told a Medscape survey that they have mixed feelings about residency, though some applaud recent changes. Some respondents to Medscape’s Residents Salary and Debt Report 2022 concluded that residency is a rite of passage given its low compensation, school loans, long hours, and problematic personal relationships.

Some 72% of residents described themselves as “very satisfied” or “satisfied” with their professional training experience, but only 27% felt that highly about how well they’re paid.

Changes applauded: Many residents said that things got easier, less stressful, and less expensive when the Step 1 exam was converted to pass-fail and interviews were brought online because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Some think things are easier now: “Whatever issues there may be, [today’s residents] are still making eight times what I got and, from what I’ve seen, we had a lot more independent responsibilities,” one physician commenter said.

A Plane Crash Interrupts a Doc’s Vacation

Rapid action, quick thinking, and a few lucky breaks led to the rescue of a young girl from a downed float plane in a lake on the Maine-New Hampshire border.

Dr Todd Dorfman, an emergency medicine physician in Boulder, Colorado, and medical director at Cedalion Health, tells the story of the emergency that interrupted his vacation in a new Medscape feature, Is There a Doctor in the House?

Dorfman described the crash of the plane in remote Kezar Lake, where he was staying with his family.

A doctor’s doubts: The gripping story includes Dorfman’s doubts about his actions before it became clear that everything would work out for the family who survived the crash.

One miracle: Dorfman said that the mother had given the women in her family what she called a “miracle bracelet” that is supposed to give you one miracle in your life. “Saving Lauren’s life was my miracle,” she said.

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