Evaluation of a Community Hospital-Based Residencies' Intimate Partner Violence Education by a Domestic Violence Shelter Expert.

Intimate partner violence, or IPV, is estimated to affect an estimated 10 million Americans. From 2015-2017 our community hospital-based residencies trained first-year residents to improve education in recognizing and screening for IPV. This retrospective cohort study's goal was to analyze the longitudinal effectiveness of the educational program. The education was based on a curriculum created by Futures Without and the United States Office on Violence Against Women. The curriculum was taught by Turning Point, the local county provider for victims of domestic and sexual violence, and involved five hours of training. Physician Readiness to Manage Intimate Partner Violence Survey was used as the assessment tool. Residents were measured pre-, post immediate, and one-year post-education. Measures that include perceived knowledge and perceived preparation improved post immediate and one year after the training (p = 0.0001). Actual knowledge increased significantly post immediate but decreased after one year (p = 0.0001). The proportion of residents who screened patients and the proportion of patients who were screened increased post-intervention. The educational training provided by our local shelter improved residents' performance in several of the categories tested, but most importantly, improved IPV practice post immediate and generally one year after.

Statin medications are associated with decreased risk of sepsis and anastomotic leaks after rectal resections.

BACKGROUND: This study was designed to determine the effect of statins on colorectal postoperative complications related to sepsis. Previous studies have reported conflicting results. METHODS: This is a retrospective propensity score analysis of postoperative outcomes from a large regional database of patients who underwent elective colorectal resection from June 2012-July 2015. RESULTS: 7285 patients met inclusion criteria: 34.5% received statins. Propensity score matching revealed that patients taking statins had reduced risk of sepsis (3.75% vs 5.32%, p = .03). Subgroup analysis revealed that this difference was driven by patients undergoing rectal resections. Among the rectal resection group, anastomotic leaks were more common in the non-statins group (4.1% vs. 1.3%, p = .01). There was no significant difference between those taking statins and those not on statin medications with respect to composite SSI or 30-day mortality. CONCLUSIONS: Statin medications are associated with decreased risk of sepsis after colorectal surgery and anastomotic leaks after rectal resection. Future studies should focus on medication type, dosage, and duration to confirm these results and identify patient populations that would benefit most from statin therapy.