PRESS-NEWS.org - Press Release Distribution
PRESS RELEASES DISTRIBUTION

Languages of medical residency applicants compared to patients with limited English

2014-12-09
(Press-News.org) An analysis of the non-English-language skills of U.S. medical residency applicants finds that although they are linguistically diverse, most of their languages do not match the languages spoken by the U.S. population with limited English proficiency, according to a study in the December 10 issue of JAMA, a theme issue on medical education.

More than 25 million U.S. residents have limited English proficiency, an 80 percent increase from 1990 to 2010. Limited English proficiency (LEP) may impede participation in the English­language-dominant health care system. Little is known about the non-English-language skills of physicians in training, according to background information in the article.

Lisa Diamond, M.D., M.P.H., of Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, and colleagues conducted a study to characterize the language diversity of all U.S. residency applicants through the Electronic Residency Application Service and contrast applicant language skills with the predominant languages of the U.S. population with LEP. Applicants were asked to self-report proficiency in all languages spoken. The five response options were: native/functionally native; advanced; good; fair; and basic. The applicants' linguistic diversity was contrasted with the U.S. LEP population. The top 25 LEP languages spoken were obtained from the U.S. Census Bureau for individuals 5 years and older between 2007 and 2011.

Most (84.4 percent) of the 52,982 applicants for 2013 reported some proficiency in at least 1 non-English language. The most common languages were Spanish (53.2 percent), Hindi (20.5 percent), French (15.6 percent), Urdu (10.1 percent), and Arabic (9.8 percent). Only 21 percent of applicants reported advanced Spanish proficiency.

Among the 25.1million U.S. LEP speakers, 16.4 million speak Spanish. For every 100,000 U.S. LEP speakers, there were 105 applicants who reported at least advanced proficiency in a non­English language. Relative to this rate, there was an over-representation of Hindi-speaking applicants, and an under-representation of Spanish, Vietnamese, Korean, and Tagalog, which are 4 of the top 5 U.S. LEP languages.

"Further research is needed on whether increasing the number of bilingual residents, educating trainees on language services, or implementing medical Spanish courses as a supplement to (not a substitute for) interpreter use would improve care for LEP patients," the authors write.

INFORMATION:

(doi:10.1001/jama.2014.15444; Available pre-embargo to the media at http://media.jamanetwork.com)

Editor's Note: Dr. Diamond was supported by Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Immigrant Health and Cancer Disparities Service. The authors have completed and submitted the ICMJE Form for Disclosure of Potential Conflicts of Interest and none were reported.



ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

Number of medical schools with student-run free clinics has more than doubled

2014-12-09
There has been a doubling during the last decade in the number of U.S. medical schools that have student-run free clinics, with more than half of medical students involved with these clinics, according to a study in the December 10 issue of JAMA, a theme issue on medical education. Sunny Smith, M.D., of the University of California, San Diego, and colleagues conducted a study to assess whether there has been growth of student-run free clinics (SRFCs) in medical schools and describe the characteristics of these clinics. The first national study of SRFCs conducted in 2005 ...

Emergency department resource use by supervised residents vs. attending physicians alone

2014-12-09
In a sample of U.S. emergency departments, compared to attending physicians alone, supervised visits (involving both resident and attending physicians) were associated with a greater likelihood of hospital admission and use of advanced imaging and with longer emergency department stays, according to a study in the December 10 issue of JAMA, a theme issue on medical education. A common assumption is that care at academic medical centers costs more than care at nonteaching hospitals in part because of a higher frequency of testing and other resource use in teaching settings. ...

No increase in patient deaths or readmissions following restrictions to residents' hours

2014-12-09
PHILADELPHIA - In the first year after the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) reduced the number of continuous hours that residents can work, there was no change in the rate of death or readmission among hospitalized Medicare patients, according to a new study published in JAMA. The study was led by researchers at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania and The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. "There has been a lot of speculation about the effect of the 2011 ACGME duty hour reforms on patient outcomes, so we looked ...

Mayo Clinic: Genotyping errors plague CYP2D6 testing for tamoxifen therapy

2014-12-09
ROCHESTER, Minn. -- Clinical recommendations discouraging the use of CYP2D6 gene testing to guide tamoxifen therapy in breast cancer patients are based on studies with flawed methodology and should be reconsidered, according to the results of a Mayo Clinic study published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute. For years, controversy has surrounded the CYP2D6 gene test for breast cancer. Women with certain inherited genetic deficiencies in the CYP2D6 gene metabolize tamoxifen less efficiently, and thus have lower levels of tamoxifen's active cancer-fighting metabolite ...

Yeast are first cells known to cure themselves of prions

Yeast are first cells known to cure themselves of prions
2014-12-09
Yeast cells can sometimes reverse the protein misfolding and clumping associated with diseases such as Alzheimer's, according to new research from the University of Arizona. The new finding contradicts the idea that once prion proteins have changed into the shape that aggregates, the change is irreversible. "It's believed that when these aggregates arise that cells cannot get rid of them," said Tricia Serio, UA professor and head of the department of molecular and cellular biology. "We've shown that's not the case. Cells can clear themselves of these aggregates." Prions ...

It doesn't add up: People who say they are good at math, but aren't

2014-12-09
COLUMBUS, Ohio - Thinking you're good at math and actually being good at it are not the same thing, new research has found. About one in five people who say they are bad at math in fact score in the top half of those taking an objective math test. But one-third of people who say they are good at math actually score in the bottom half. "Some people mis-categorize themselves. They really don't know how good they are when faced with a traditional math test," said Ellen Peters, co-author of the study and professor of psychology at The Ohio State University. The results ...

Immunizing schoolkids fights flu in others, too

2014-12-09
GAINESVILLE, Fla. --- Mathematical models predicted it, and now a University of Florida study confirms it: Immunizing school-aged children from flu can protect other segments of the population, as well. When half of 5- to 17-year-old children in Alachua County were vaccinated through a school-based program, the entire age group's flu rates decreased by 79 percent. Strikingly, the rate of influenza-like illness among 0-4 year olds went down 89 percent, despite the fact that this group was not included in the school-based vaccinations. Among all non-school-aged residents, ...

Women with dense breasts will have to look beyond ultrasound for breast cancer screening

2014-12-09
Supplemental ultrasound screening for all U.S. women with dense breasts would substantially increase healthcare costs with little improvement in overall health, according to senior author Anna Tosteson, ScD, at Dartmouth Hitchcock's Norris Cotton Cancer Center and The Dartmouth Institute for Health Policy and Clinical Practice. In a study released Monday in the Annals of Internal Medicine, Tosteson and colleagues, including lead author Brian Sprague, MD, provide evidence on the benefits and harms of adding ultrasound to breast cancer screening for women who have had a ...

Now researchers can see how unfolded proteins move in the cell

Now researchers can see how unfolded proteins move in the cell
2014-12-09
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. -- When a large protein unfolds in transit through a cell, it slows down and can get stuck in traffic. Using a specialized microscope -- a sort of cellular traffic camera -- University of Illinois chemists now can watch the way the unfolded protein diffuses. Studying the relationship between protein folding and transport could provide great insight into protein-misfolding diseases such as Alzheimer's and Huntington's. Chemistry professor Martin Gruebele and graduate students Minghao Guo and Hannah Gelman published their findings in the journal PLOS ONE. "We're ...

Multiple, short learning sessions strengthen memory formation in fragile X syndrome

2014-12-09
Irvine, Calif., Dec. 9, 2014 -- A learning technique that maximizes the brain's ability to make and store memories may help overcome cognitive issues seen in fragile X syndrome, a leading form of intellectual disability, according to UC Irvine neurobiologists. Christine Gall, Gary Lynch and colleagues found that fragile X model mice trained in three short, repetitious episodes spaced one hour apart performed as well on memory tests as normal mice. These same fragile X rodents performed poorly on memory tests when trained in a single, prolonged session - which is a standard ...

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:

QUT scientists create material to turn waste heat into clean power

Major new report sets out how to tackle the ‘profound and lasting impact’ of COVID-19 on cardiovascular health

Cosmic crime scene: White dwarf found devouring Pluto-like icy world

Major report tackles Covid’s cardiovascular crisis head-on

A third of licensed GPs in England not working in NHS general practice

ChatGPT “thought on the fly” when put through Ancient Greek maths puzzle

Engineers uncover why tiny particles form clusters in turbulent air

GLP-1RA drugs dramatically reduce death and cardiovascular risk in psoriasis patients

Psoriasis linked to increased risk of vision-threatening eye disease, study finds

Reprogramming obesity: New drug from Italian biotech aims to treat the underlying causes of obesity

Type 2 diabetes may accelerate development of multiple chronic diseases, particularly in the early stages, UK Biobank study suggests

Resistance training may improve nerve health, slow aging process, study shows

Common and inexpensive medicine halves the risk of recurrence in patients with colorectal cancer

SwRI-built instruments to monitor, provide advanced warning of space weather events

Breakthrough advances sodium-based battery design

New targeted radiation therapy shows near-complete response in rare sarcoma patients

Does physical frailty contribute to dementia?

Soccer headers and brain health: Study finds changes within folds of the brain

Decoding plants’ language of light

UNC Greensboro study finds ticks carrying Lyme disease moving into western NC

New implant restores blood pressure balance after spinal cord injury

New York City's medical specialist advantage may be an illusion, new NYU Tandon research shows

Could a local anesthetic that doesn’t impair motor function be within reach?

1 in 8 Italian cetacean strandings show evidence of fishery interactions, with bottlenose and striped dolphins most commonly affected, according to analysis across four decades of data and more than 5

In the wild, chimpanzees likely ingest the equivalent of several alcoholic drinks every day

Warming of 2°C intensifies Arctic carbon sink but weakens Alpine sink, study finds

Bronze and Iron Age cultures in the Middle East were committed to wine production

Indian adolescents are mostly starting their periods at an earlier age than 25 years ago

Temporary medical centers in Gaza known as "Medical Points" (MPs) treat an average of 117 people daily with only about 7 staff per MP

Rates of alcohol-induced deaths among the general population nearly doubled from 1999 to 2024

[Press-News.org] Languages of medical residency applicants compared to patients with limited English