A Case of Doxycycline-Induced Pancreatitis

INTRODUCTION

Acute pancreatitis is a common cause of hospitalizations in the United States, causing approximately 230 000 to 275 000 annual admissions We present the case of a patient with acute pancreatitis likely due to doxycycline.

CASE PRESENTATION

A 64-year-old male was admitted after developing acute epigastric pain radiating to his back, a lipase of 6611 (units/L), and a computed tomography scan showing moderate peripancreatic inflammation. He had no recent alcohol use, his gallbladder was surgically absent, and he had no gallbladder pathology on evaluation; however, he had been started on doxycycline 10 days prior. While hospitalized, he was treated with pain medications, fluids, and antibiotics for aspiration pneumonia. His acute symptoms resolved, except for minor intermittent abdominal pain 2 months after discharge.

DISCUSSION

Doxycycline-induced pancreatitis has been reported within 3 to 17 days of medication initiation. Given the temporal correlation and lack of other inciting etiologies, we determined the most likely etiology was doxycycline.

CONCLUSIONS

Further study is needed to understand the pathophysiology and incidence of doxycycline-induced pancreatitis.

An Assessment of International Family Medicine Faculty Development Priorities: Perspectives From the American Academy of Family Physicians Global Health Workshop

Introduction

The proliferation of new family medicine training programs across the globe has increased the demand for faculty development (FD) opportunities in international settings. US-based faculty may partner with international colleagues to support FD. In 2016, the Society of Teachers of Family Medicine Global Health Educators Collaborative (STFM-GHEC) began to develop a toolkit of low-cost FD resources for this purpose. To ensure that the resources appropriately target current FD needs, STFM-GHEC organized a session at the 2016 American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP) Global Health Workshop (GHW) to collect feedback from internationally-based and US-based faculty.

Methods

The authors presented a list of faculty development topics to attendees of an AAFP GHW session entitled "Global Faculty Development Tool Kit" on September 8, 2016, in Atlanta, Georgia. Workshop participants voted up to five times each using sticky notes for the topics they felt were of greatest need.

Results

Forty-five participants cast 157 votes (34 from internationally-based faculty, 123 from US-based faculty). The combined group ranked curriculum development, program evaluation, and teaching methods as the most important FD needs. Both groups identified assessment strategy and time management among the least important FD needs. Other topics such as technology training and research design varied widely between the two groups in relative importance.

Conclusions

This pilot demonstrates that US-based and internationally-based family medicine faculty may differ in their perceived FD needs. This exercise may be utilized by future members in global health partnerships to understand and prioritize faculty development needs.

Current Status of Family Medicine Faculty Development in Sub-Saharan Africa

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES

Reducing the shortage of primary care physicians in sub-Saharan Africa requires expansion of training programs in family medicine. Challenges remain in preparing, recruiting, and retaining faculty qualified to teach in these pioneering programs. Little is known about the unique faculty development needs of family medicine faculty within the sub-Saharan African context. The purpose of this study was to assess the current status and future needs for developing robust family medicine faculty in sub-Saharan Africa. The results are reported in two companion articles.

METHODS

A cross-sectional study design was used to conduct a qualitative needs assessment comprising 37 in-depth, semi-structured interviews of individual faculty trainers from postgraduate family medicine training programs in eight sub-Saharan African countries. Data were analyzed according to qualitative description.

RESULTS

While faculty development opportunities in sub-Saharan Africa were identified, current faculty note many barriers to faculty development and limited participation in available programs. Faculty value teaching competency, but institutional structures do not provide adequate support.

CONCLUSIONS

Sub-Saharan African family physicians and postgraduate trainee physicians value good teachers and recognize that clinical training alone does not provide all of the skills needed by educators. The current status of limited resources of institutions and individuals constrain faculty development efforts. Where faculty development opportunities do exist, they are too infrequent or otherwise inaccessible to provide trainers the necessary skills to help them succeed as educators.

Future of Family Medicine Faculty Development in Sub-Saharan Africa

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES

High-quality family medicine education is needed in sub-Saharan Africa to facilitate the future growth of primary care health systems. Current faculty educators recognize the value of dedicated teacher training and ongoing faculty development. However, they are constrained by inadequate faculty development program availability and institutional support.

METHODS

A cross-sectional study design was used to conduct a qualitative needs assessment comprised of 37 in-depth, semi-structured interviews of individual faculty trainers from postgraduate family medicine training programs in eight sub-Saharan African countries. Data were analyzed according to qualitative description.

RESULTS

Informants described desired qualities for a family medicine educator in sub-Saharan Africa: (1) pedagogical expertise in topics and perspectives unique to family medicine, (2) engagement in self-directed, lifelong learning, and (3) exemplary character and behavior that inspires others. Informant recommendations to guide the development of faculty development programs include: (1) sustainability, partnership, and responsiveness to the needs of the institution, (2) intentional faculty development must begin early and be supported with high-quality mentorship, (3) presumptions of teaching competence based on clinical training must be overcome, and (4) evaluation and feedback are critical components of faculty development.

CONCLUSIONS

High-quality faculty development in family medicine is critically important to the primary care workforce in sub-Saharan Africa. Our study describes specific needs and recommendations for family medicine faculty development in sub-Saharan Africa. Next steps include piloting and evaluating innovative models of faculty development that respond to specific institutional or regional needs.

Systematic review: the perceptions, diagnosis and management of irritable bowel syndrome in primary care--a Rome Foundation working team report

OBJECTIVE

To review studies on the perceptions, diagnosis and management of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) in primary care.

METHODS

Systematic searches of PubMed and Embase.

RESULTS

Of 746 initial search hits, 29 studies were included. Relatively few primary care physicians were aware of (2-36%; nine studies) or used (0-21%; six studies) formal diagnostic criteria for IBS. Nevertheless, most could recognise the key IBS symptoms of abdominal pain, bloating and disturbed defaecation. A minority of primary care physicians [7-32%; one study (six European countries)] preferred to refer patients to a specialist before making an IBS diagnosis, and few patients [4-23%; three studies (two European, one US)] were referred to a gastroenterologist by their primary care physician. Most PCPs were unsure about IBS causes and treatment effectiveness, leading to varied therapeutic approaches and broad but frequent use of diagnostic tests. Diagnostic tests, including colon investigations, were more common in older patients (>45 years) than in younger patients [<45 years; five studies (four European, one US)].

CONCLUSIONS

There has been much emphasis about the desirability of an initial positive diagnosis of IBS. While it appears most primary care physicians do make a tentative IBS diagnosis from the start, they still tend to use additional testing to confirm it. Although an early, positive diagnosis has advantages in avoiding unnecessary investigations and costs, until formal diagnostic criteria are conclusively shown to sufficiently exclude organic disease, bowel investigations, such as colonoscopy, will continue to be important to primary care physicians.

Effective clinical education: strategies for teaching medical students and residents in the office

PROBLEM

Educating medical students and residents in the office presents the challenges of providing quality medical care, maintaining efficiency, and incorporating meaningful education for learners. Numerous teaching strategies to address these challenges have been described in the medical educational literature, but only a few teaching strategies have been evaluated for their impact on education and office practice.

METHODS

Literature on the impact of office-based teaching strategies on educational outcomes and on office efficiency was selected from a Pub Med search, from review of references in retrieved articles, and from the author's personal files.

RESULTS

Two teaching strategies, "one-minute preceptor" (OMP) and "SNAPPS," have been shown to improve educational processes and outcomes. Two additional strategies, "Aunt Minnie" pattern recognition and "activated demonstration," show promise but have not been fully evaluated. None of these strategies has been shown to improve office efficiency.

CONCLUSIONS

OMP and SNAPPS are strategies that can be used in office precepting to improve educational processes and outcomes, while pattern recognition and activated demonstration show promise but need further assessment. Additional areas of research also are suggested.

An algorithm for the diagnosis and management of chest pain in primary care

This article focuses on the key clinical and investigatory features that help differentiate the multiple causes of chest pain in adults in assessment of patients with undifferentiated chest pain in primary care using history, physical examination, and basic initial investigations. The initial treatment of many of the causes is discussed. Some treatments not only relieve symptoms but also provide further diagnostic information based on the response to treatment. Guidance for referral for specialist assessment and further investigations is provided, but the diagnostic usefulness of these measures is not discussed.