RESUMO
Background: Despite 49.1% of registered pharmacists in the UK being from a Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) background, senior management roles within pharmacy are dominated by white males. People from BAME communities may experience minority stress which contributes to a professional attainment gap compared with non-BAME colleagues. Minority stress describes additional stressors, such as unconscious bias, micro-aggression and racial minority stress, experienced by minoritized people to adhere to the social norms of the majority. There is little evidence describing experiences of minority stress in pharmacy practice and education. The aim was to explore experiences of racial minority stress in pharmacy education and practice. Methods: A convenience sample of pharmacy students and pharmacists were recruited via email and social media posts to volunteer to take part in interviews and focus groups. A topic guide was used to explore experiences of unconscious bias, microaggressions and racial minority stress in education and practice. Interviews and focus groups were transcribed verbatim and inductively analysed using thematic analysis underpinned by a phenomenological approach. Ethical approval was granted from Newcastle University (5340/2020, 2430/2593). Results: Forty-five participants were recruited. Six focus groups and sixteen one-to-one semi-structured interviews were conducted. The sample was varied, with 56% (n = 25) students and 33% (n = 15) registered pharmacists from community, hospital, primary care, academia and an additional 11% (n = 5) still in foundation training in these sectors. The sample include diversity of racial identities, including 40% (n = 18) South Asian, 27% (n = 12) White, 15% (n = 7) Black, 7% (n = 3) Chinese and Arab mixed, 2% (n = 1) and 2% (n = 1) Not disclosed. Three themes were identified - Theme 1) Experiences of racial minority stress, Theme 2) Making sense of racial minority stress, and Theme 3) Responding to racial minority stress. Participants characteristics (for example skin colour, dialect, religious dress) made them feel susceptible to judgement, racist comments and microaggressions in education and practice. Participants required time to interpret, understand and make sense of incidents of racial minority stress. Responses to stressors included 'ignoring ignorance' and using a 'professional identity' to mask feelings. However, malicious comments and actions from other pharmacy staff were responded to differently to experiences from patients. Participants reported poor self-confidence to challenge racist behaviours in the workplace. Conclusions: The aim of this study was to explore experiences of racial minority stress in pharmacy education and practice. This study shows dealing with microaggression, racial minority stress and judgement in pharmacy education and practice is a burden experienced by people from BAME backgrounds. These experiences could contribute to the professional attainment gap in pharmacy, as making sense of these experiences is an additional burden pharmacists and trainees must bear in comparison to people from non-BAME backgrounds. Further work is needed to explore interventions to reduce minority stress in pharmacy practice and education to reduce the attainment gap across the sector.
RESUMO
Scrotal epidermoid cysts are rare. Intratesticular epidermoid cysts are more common than extra scrotal cysts and are the most commonest benign tumors of the testicles. Midline scrotal raphe cysts are reported, but only a few have intrapelvic extensions deep into the pelvis. A nine-year-old boy presented with a painless scrotal swelling. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the pelvis confirmed the cystic nature with an extension of the swelling up to the base of the prostate. On surgical exploration, the cyst had a tapering stalk with cranial extension up to the base of the prostate. The patient underwent an excision of the cyst and made an uneventful recovery and was asymptomatic at the end of three months of surgery. The histopathology of the lesion was typical of an epidermoid cyst. Extratesticular scrotal epidermoid cysts with pelvic extension are a rarity with less than five cases reported in the literature. Our case stands to be the youngest reported case of a scrotal epidermoid cyst based on our knowledge. Scrotal epidermoid cysts are a very rare and benign entity, and upon recognition and confirmation of the extent of spread, extratesticular scrotal cysts can safely be removed. No other management may be required with no recurrences reported.
RESUMO
A retained foreign body (RFB) is a rare but possible complication of surgery. Among the most common retained foreign bodies are sponges, which may include lap pads and gauze pieces. Surgical never events are errors in medical care that are identifiable and preventable but have serious consequences for the patient, making it an important problem in terms of the safety and credibility of a healthcare facility. They also pose a major medicolegal threat to healthcare organizations and a diagnostic challenge for surgeons. Herein, we present the case of a 35-year-old woman who presented with signs and symptoms of acute intestinal obstruction. She revealed a history of Caesarean section 11 months prior. She had a stormy postoperative course then and had to undergo a diagnostic laparoscopy for pus aspiration three months after surgery, where no finding other than pus was reported. Upon presentation at our tertiary care center, she was examined and found to have an RFB for 11 months. She was managed surgically with successful laparoscopic removal of the gossypiboma and consequent resolution of all her symptoms. Though rare, the possibility of an RFB, especially after open surgery, should be kept in mind when diagnosing patients who present with pain, mass in the abdomen, or symptoms of an infection. Laparotomy is the mainstay of treatment for gossypiboma, but successful laparoscopic removal of the RFB provides a definite treatment with the super-added benefits of laparoscopy. Laparoscopic removal of gossypiboma has been reported in the literature and demonstrated in our tertiary care center.
