Recent Publications by CFE Educators

Importance

Pubic hair grooming is an increasingly prevalent trend. Several studies have sought to characterize its prevalence, associated demographics, and motivations.

Objective

To characterize current pubic hair grooming practices in the United States.

Design, Setting, and Participants

In this cross-sectional study, a nationally representative survey was conducted in January 2013 of noninstitutionalized adults aged 18 to 65 years residing in the United States via the GfK Group (formerly Knowledge Networks) panel members. Data analysis was performed from November to December 2015.

Interventions

A questionnaire examining pubic hair grooming habits.

Main Outcomes and Measures

Demographic characteristics and motivations associated with pubic hair grooming.

Results

A total of 3372 women were surveyed. Fifty-six women did not answer the grooming question; consequently, 3316 women were included in the analysis. Of these women, 2778 (83.8%) reported pubic hair grooming and 538 (16.2%) reported never grooming. On multivariate regression, several factors associated with grooming were found. When compared with younger women (aged 18-24 years), women aged 45 through 55 years (odds ratio [OR], 0.05; 95% CI, 0.01-0.49; P = .01) and those older than 55 years (OR, 0.04; 95% CI, 0.00-0.34; P = .003) were significantly less likely to groom. Women with some college (OR, 3.36; 95% CI, 1.65-6.84; P = .001) or a bachelor's degree (OR, 2.39; 95% CI, 1.17-4.88; P = .02) were more likely to have groomed. Race was also significantly associated with grooming, with all groups reporting less grooming when compared with white women. No association was found between grooming and income, relationship status, or geographic location.

Conclusions and Relevance

This study provides a nationally representative assessment of contemporary female pubic hair grooming habits. Demographic differences in grooming were found, which may reflect cultural variations in preference related to pubic hair. Health care professionals and those who provide grooming services can use this information to better counsel patients and understand grooming practices.

Older adults are at high risk of developing multimorbidity, and the high levels of clinical and psychosocial complexity in this population pose special challenges for primary care physicians (PCPs). As a way to improve the care for the older adults, a number of health systems have developed programs to provide comprehensive geriatric assessment (CGA), which generally refers to an intensive interprofessional evaluation and management of geriatric syndromes with the goals of maximizing health in aging. Sternberg and Bentur examined the impact of CGA as perceived by PCPs, the PCPs attitude toward CGA, and their satisfaction with CGA. In this commentary, we seek to provide additional context to the current state of outpatient consultative CGA and how it relates to the findings in the study by Sternberg and Bentur. The knowledge gained from this study begs for future investigations, especially in the areas of PCPs' understanding of outpatient consultative CGA, the perceived benefit in health outcomes and actual health outcomes, perceived needs in geriatric consultation, preference in management of complex geriatric syndromes, and interests in continuing education in geriatrics. Insight into these factors could allow for improvement of the current outpatient consultative CGA model and allow for adaption of the model to local needs.

This Conversation Starters article presents a selected research abstract from the 2016 Association of American Medical Colleges Western Region Group on Educational Affairs annual spring meeting. The abstract is paired with the integrative commentary of three experts who shared their thoughts stimulated by the needs assessment study. These thoughts explore how the general theoretical mechanisms of transition may be integrated with cognitive load theory in order to design interventions and environments that foster transition.

AIM

To evaluate use of palliative care services in patients with end-stage liver disease who do not have access to liver transplant.

METHODS

Evaluated were end-stage liver disease patients who were removed from the liver transplant wait-list or died prior to transplant at a single transplant center over a 2-year period. Those who were removed due to noncompliance or ultimately transplanted elsewhere were excluded from this study. Patient characteristics associated with palliative care consultation were assessed using logistic regression analysis.

RESULTS

Six hundred and eighty-three patients were listed for liver transplant in 2013-2014 with 107 (16%) dying (n = 62) or removed for clinical decompensation prior to liver transplant (n = 45): Median age was 58 years, and the majority were male (66%), Caucasian (53%), had Child C cirrhosis (61%) or hepatocellular carcinoma (52%). The palliative care team was consulted in only 18 of the 107 patients (17%) who died or were removed, 89% of which occurred as inpatients. Half of these consultations occurred within 72 h of death. In univariable analysis, patients of younger age, white race, and higher end-stage liver disease scores at time of listing and delisting were more likely to receive palliative care services. Only younger age [Odds ratio (OR) = 0.92; P = 0.02] and Caucasian race (OR = 4.90; P = 0.02) were still associated with integration of palliative care services through multivariable analysis.

CONCLUSION

Palliative care services are grossly underutilized in older, non-white patients with cirrhosis on the liver transplant wait-list. We encourage early integration of these services into clinical decision-making in the transplant population, with further studies aimed at understanding barriers to consultation.

BACKGROUND

Emergency department (ED) management of hereditary angioedema (HAE) has been hindered by misdiagnosis and limited treatment options. Food and Drug Administration approval of 4 on-demand HAE therapies starting in 2009 and the publication of ED guidelines for angioedema management in 2014 should facilitate improvement of HAE management in the ED.

OBJECTIVE

The objective of this study was to identify patient-reported areas for improvement in ED management of HAE attacks.

METHODS

Patients with self-reported HAE with C1 inhibitor deficiency who attended the 2015 HAE Association Patient Summit were asked to complete an anonymous 30-question survey. Questions addressed patient characteristics and HAE management in the ED.

RESULTS

Patients indicated that understanding of HAE in the ED needed improvement (99%, 104 of 105 patients). Recognition of HAE as a diagnosis (48%, 50 of 105 patients), appreciation of HAE as a serious disease (45%, 47 of 105 patients), and medication management (59%, 62 of 105 patients) were identified as areas needing improvement. Among 39 patients who required ED care within the last year, 6 did not receive any HAE-targeted therapy, and treatment with corticosteroids (n = 3), epinephrine (n = 2), and antihistamines (n = 7) was reported. Among 68 patients whose treatment plan was to receive home on-demand therapy, 26 required ED care because of an inability to receive on-demand therapy at home as outlined in their treatment plan. Having a treatment plan was associated with a greater likelihood of receiving HAE therapy in the ED (99% vs 74%, P = .002).

CONCLUSION

HAE management in the ED can be improved with a focus on recognition of HAE attacks and administration of effective HAE therapies.

OBJECTIVE

To determine whether the use of a choice-based conjoint analysis (CA) exercise decreased patients' decisional conflict about treatment preferences for surgical management of urethral stricture disease. Understanding patient preferences for treatment decisions assists in shared decision-making and emphasizes patient-centered outcomes. CA offers a method to understand what risks patients are willing to take for what gains.

METHODS

The CA methodology was used by providing participants with case-based choices to elucidate the relative importance that individuals place on various treatment aspects. Patients' decisional conflict regarding surgery for urethral stricture was assessed before and after the CA exercise to assess the impact the exercise had on their decisional conflict.

RESULTS

Completion of the CA exercise resulted in a significant decrease in decisional conflict (P  .001). The majority (59.5%) of participants with decisional conflict before the CA exercise experienced a decrease in decisional conflict afterwards, with only a minority (16.5%) experiencing new decisional conflict after the exercise. Participants felt the choice-based CA exercise was helpful in deciding what was important in making treatment decisions (70%) and in expressing their priorities and treatment preferences (82%). The number needed to counsel to achieve a decrease in decisional conflict was 1.69 and to achieve no decisional conflict was 3.65.

CONCLUSION

Choice-based CA improves patients' ability to express their treatment preferences and decreases decisional conflict. CA may be a new tool that physicians and patients can use to aid in shared decision-making with a focus on patient-centered outcomes.

BACKGROUND & AIMS

Nonpolypoid colorectal neoplasms (NP-CRNs) are more likely to contain high-grade dysplasia or early-stage cancer than polypoid neoplasms. We aimed to determine the long-term outcomes of patients with at least 1 NP-CRN.

METHODS

We performed a longitudinal cohort study of 4454 patients at a Veterans' Affairs hospital who underwent colonoscopy from 2000 through 2005; 341 were found to have 1 or more NP-CRNs and were matched (3:1) with patients found to have 1 or more polypoid neoplasms (controls, n = 1025). We collected and analyzed data on baseline colonoscopy findings and first follow-up colonoscopy results through August 2014. We calculated the incidence of advanced neoplasia at first follow-up colonoscopy, as defined by the presence of ≥1 tubular or sessile serrated adenomas ≥10 mm in diameter, tubulovillous adenoma, high-grade dysplasia, or invasive cancer.

RESULTS

A significantly higher proportion of patients with 1 or more NP-CRNs (16.0%) were found to have advanced neoplasia at their first follow-up colonoscopy than controls (8.6%); the adjusted risk ratio was 1.6 (95% confidence interval, 1.05-2.6; P = .03). A significantly higher proportion of patients with 1 or more NP-CRNs were found to have additional NP-CRNs at the follow-up colonoscopy (17%) than controls (7%; relative risk, 2.3; 95% confidence interval, 1.5-3.5; P  .001). Similar proportions of patients in each group developed cancers after colonoscopy.

CONCLUSIONS

In a longitudinal cohort study, we found that patients with NP-CRN were more likely to develop additional NP-CRNs and to have advanced neoplasms at their first follow-up colonoscopy than patients with only polypoid neoplasms. However, patients with NP-CRN were not more likely to develop cancers after colonoscopy when surveillance guidelines were followed. Larger studies are needed to determine risk of colorectal cancer in patients with NP-CRN.

Male genital satisfaction is an important aspect of psychosocial and sexual health. The Index of Male Genital Image (IMGI) is a new scale that measures perceptions of male genitalia. We aim to characterize genital satisfaction using the IMGI and correlate dissatisfaction with sexual activity. We conducted a nationally representative survey of non-institutionalized adults aged 18-65 years residing in the U.S. In total, 4198 men completed the survey and 3996 (95.2 %) completed the IMGI. Men reported highest satisfaction with the shape of their glans (64 %), lowest satisfaction with the length of their flaccid penis size (27 %), and neutrality with the scent of their genitals (44 %). No demographic characteristics (age, race, sexual orientation, education, location, and income) were significantly associated with genital dissatisfaction. Men who were dissatisfied with their genitals were less likely to report being sexually active (73.5 %) than those who were satisfied (86.3 %). Penetrative vaginal sex (85.2 vs. 89.5 %) and receptive oral intercourse (61.0 vs. 66.2 %) were reported less by dissatisfied men. Overall, most U.S. men were satisfied with their genitals; however, a subset (14 %) report low genital satisfaction, which included men of all ages, races, and socioeconomic groups. Low genital satisfaction is associated with a decrease in sexual activity. These results provide clinicians and health educators a baseline of genital satisfaction to provide education and reassurance.