Medications for Opioid Use Disorder for Youth: Patient, Caregiver, and Clinician Perspectives.

PURPOSE: Clinical trial data support use of medications for opioid use disorder (MOUD) in adolescents and young adults ("youth"), but qualitative data are lacking on the acceptability and importance of MOUD to youth, caregivers, and clinicians. We assessed how these stakeholders viewed the role of MOUD in treatment and recovery. METHODS: We recruited youth aged from 15 to 25 years with opioid use disorder who had received buprenorphine, naltrexone, or methadone and caregivers from a primary care-based youth addiction treatment program. We also recruited clinicians with addiction expertise from social work, nursing, pediatrics, internal medicine, and psychiatry. We conducted semistructured interviews assessing special considerations for MOUD use in youth. Three coders performed inductive and deductive thematic analysis of transcripts. RESULTS: Among 37 participants, including 15 youth (age range, 17-25 years), nine caregivers, and 13 clinicians, we identified three themes. (1) Medications support recovery in the short term: Youth described MOUD as beneficial in managing withdrawal symptoms. Notably, some youth and caregivers preferred to limit MOUD duration. (2) Medication adherence is affected by type of medication, dosing regimen, and route of administration. Participants endorsed long-acting, injectable MOUD for ease of use and youth's ability to continue engagement in "normal activities" without daily medication. (3) Caregiver involvement can support medication decisions and adherence. Youth and some clinicians described the need to assess caregiver involvement before incorporating them into treatment; caregivers and other clinicians described caregivers as critical in supporting accountability. DISCUSSION: MOUD is evidence-based, and its provision should be developmentally responsive and youth- and family-centered, incorporating caregivers when appropriate.

Survey of Medical Student Empathy at a Canadian Medical School: A Cross-Sectional Quantitative Survey.

Introduction: Within a medical context, empathy is defined as "an appropriate understanding and communication of a patient's experience." While it has been established that empathy is an important quality to have as a doctor, studies have shown that empathy in medical students declines during their clinical years. However, there are no studies to date that evaluate medical student empathy in Canada. Therefore, we aimed to evaluate medical student empathy at McGill University Medical School using the Jefferson Scale of Empathy (JSE). Methods: We used a cross-sectional study design and invited medical students across all 4 years, in October 2019, to complete the JSE. The JSE is a validated psychometric tool that measures empathy at one point in time. The survey was distributed via email and on social media. Results: A total of 133 students from all 4 years responded, proportionate across each year; 119 responses were included in analysis. Differences in mean questionnaire were not statistically significant for gender, age or specialty interest. The analysis of variance for differences in year of medical school was significant (P=.0104). Between groups analysis revealed a statistically significant decrease between Med-2 empathy scores (average score 117.6) and Med-3 (107.5), P<.01. Multivariable analysis demonstrated the decrease in empathy remained statistically significant (P<.05). Discussion: Our statistical analysis determined that medical students' empathy declines between the second and third year of medical school in a Canadian context, consistent with global results. This information can help target changes in the medical curriculum to preserve empathy in students, and prevent this decline, which could then be applied to other medical schools internationally.

Room for improvement: noise on a maternity ward.

BACKGROUND: For mothers who have just given birth, the postpartum hospital stay is meant to promote an environment where resting, healing and bonding can take place. New mothers, however, face many interruptions throughout the day including multiple visitors and noise caused by medical equipment, corridor conversations and intercom announcements. This paper argues that disruptions and noise on a maternity ward are detrimental to the healing process for new mothers and their newborns and healthcare decision-makers need to act to improve the environment for these patients. This paper also provides recommendations on how to reduce the noise levels, or at least control the noise on a maternity ward, through the implementation of a daily quiet time. DISCUSSION: Hospital disruptions and its negative health effects in particular for new mothers and their children are illustrated in this paper. Hospital noise and interruptions act as a stressor for both new mothers and staff, and can lead to sleep deprivation and detrimental cardiovascular health effects. Sleep deprivation is associated with a number of negative mental and physical health consequences such as decreased immune function, vascular dysfunction and increased sympathetic cardiovascular modulation. Sleep deprivation can also increase the risk of postpartum mental health disorders in new mothers. Some efforts have been made to reduce the disruptions experienced by these patients within a hospital setting. For example, the introduction of a daily quiet time is one way of controlling noise levels and interruptions, however, these have mostly been implemented in intensive care units. Noise and disruptions are a significant problem during postpartum hospital stay. Healthcare institutions are responsible for patient-centered care; a quiet time intervention promises to contribute to a safe, healing environment in hospitals.