ABSTRACT
National hematology and oncology organizations and experts in the field, predict a shortage of hematology/oncology specialists in the United States. Four types of hematology/oncology graduate medical education programs picked to represent direct patient care specialists are presented as physician supply in quantitative data proportional to the averages of the United States in this paper. The hematology/oncology physician production in Louisiana is similar to the average of all programs in the United States. The complexities of having several hematology/oncology graduate medical education programs, along with other specialists, make physician supply more difficult to predict. The patient care demand will rise gradually as the population increases and aging of the population ensues. Technology proliferates, and reform adds patient numbers. As the US shortage of hematology/oncology specialists occurs, the state of Louisiana is tracking the United States in supply and will show the shortage in the same way, same timing, and for the same reasons.
Subject(s)
Education, Medical, Graduate , Medical Oncology/education , Humans , LouisianaABSTRACT
Hemoglobin SO-Arab is a rare sickling disorder with a clinical course similar to that of hemoglobin SS. Hemoglobin C-Harlem is another rare condition that produces sickling disorders in affected individuals with a disease course and electrophoretic findings similar to that of hemoglobin SO-Arab. The authors report the case of a 38-year-old African American man with hemoglobin SO-Arab and the challenges that may arise in working up a rare hemoglobinopathy.
Subject(s)
Anemia, Sickle Cell/diagnosis , Hemoglobin, Sickle , Hemoglobins, Abnormal , alpha-Thalassemia/diagnosis , Adult , Black or African American , Anemia, Sickle Cell/genetics , Anemia, Sickle Cell/metabolism , Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid/methods , Electrophoresis/methods , Genetic Techniques , Hemoglobin, Sickle/analysis , Hemoglobins, Abnormal/analysis , Heterozygote , Humans , Louisiana , Male , alpha-Thalassemia/genetics , alpha-Thalassemia/metabolismABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Patient transfers from other hospitals within the Ochsner Health System to the main campus are coordinated through a Transfer Center that was established in fall 2008. We analyzed the transfer process to assess distinct opportunities to enhance the overall transition of patient care. METHODS: We surveyed internal medicine residents and nocturnists to determine their satisfaction with transfers in terms of safety, efficiency, and usefulness of information provided at the time of transfer. After a kaizen event at which complementary goals for the institution and members of the study team were recognized and implemented, we resurveyed the group to evaluate improvement in the transfer process. RESULTS: The preintervention average satisfaction score was 1.18 (SD=0.46), while the postintervention score was 3.7 (SD=1.01). A t test showed a significant difference in the average scores between the preintervention and postintervention surveys (P<0.0001). CONCLUSIONS: By including residents in the transfer calls (a result of the kaizen event), data were collected that facilitated fewer and higher quality handoffs that were performed in less time. In addition, the process resulted in increased awareness of the value of resident participation in institutional quality improvement projects.
