Perceptions of COVID-19 vaccines among osteopathic medical students (OMS).

BACKGROUND: Research has shown that physicians' recommendations are one of the top predictors for individuals to receive vaccines. This study examined the perceptions of new COVID-19 vaccines among the medical students at the X and the factors that influenced their opinions. OBJECTIVE: To measure X students' perception of a new COVID-19 vaccine and the factors which drive their opinions. METHODS: An electronic survey of 37 questions was distributed to Osteopathic Medical Students (OMS I-IV) of X in October of 2020. RESULTS: 1770 total students received the survey, and 197 responded (11%). 45% (88/197) of the respondents reported that they would receive new COVID-19 vaccines if they were available at the time of the survey, while 19% (37/197) reported that they had not yet decided. Confidence in the US healthcare system, pharmaceutical trust, the United States Food and Drug Administration's (FDA)'s minimum effectiveness level, adequate vaccine testing, additional vaccine dose, and antivaccine acquaintances were significant predictors of intended vaccine uptake. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings confirmed a low acceptance of the new COVID-19 vaccine among OMS students, which mirrored the general public's low acceptance rate. Better education of OMS about vaccination benefits and the vaccine development process may increase future immunization rates.

Medical Student Perspectives on Their Role as Emerging Physicians During the COVID-19 Pandemic.

The COVID-19 pandemic caused a large strain on the US medical system, with shortage of medical personnel being a key issue. The role of medical school students during a pandemic is not well established. Understanding the perspectives of medical students with regard to their role is essential in determining how to facilitate the use of their skills in combating the pandemic. To evaluate medical student perspectives on the COVID-19 pandemic, an anonymous online survey was distributed to medical students, primarily in the Northeastern United States. In the sample of 232 students, there were significant differences between students in different class years when assessing moral obligations to assist with the COVID-19 pandemic (p = 0.002). A higher percentage of first and second year medical students (pre-clinical training, around 48%) felt that healthcare students are morally obligated to assist as compared to third and fourth year students (clinical training, 30.43% of third years and 23.19% of fourth years). In all class years, the majority said they would regret their decision if they had chosen not to study medicine (62.32% to 79.31%) and most students did not feel their motivation to become a physician had been decreased (84.78% to 87.50%). Though the study was limited because the majority of subjects were from New York, the results provide insight into medical students' attitudes about the COVID-19 pandemic and can be used in the planning of how best to utilize medical students in this and in future situations. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s40670-021-01374-z.

Self-Identified African Americans and prostate cancer risk: West African genetic ancestry is associated with prostate cancer diagnosis and with higher Gleason sum on biopsy.

Concerns about overtreatment of clinically indolent prostate cancer (PrCa) have led to recommendations that men who are diagnosed with low-risk PrCa be managed by active surveillance (AS) rather than immediate definitive treatment. However the risk of underestimating the aggressiveness of a patient's PrCa can be a significant source of anxiety and a barrier to patient acceptance of AS. The uncertainty is particularly keen for African American (AA) men who are about 1.7 times more likely to be diagnosed with PrCa than European American (EA) men and about 2.4 times more likely to die of this disease. The AA population, as many other populations in the Americas, is genetically heterogeneous with varying degrees of admixture from West Africans (WAs), Europeans, and Native Americans (NAs). Recommendations for PrCa screening and management rarely consider potential differences in risk within the AA population. We compared WA genetic ancestry in AA men undergoing standard prostate biopsy who were diagnosed with no cancer, low-grade PrCa (Gleason Sum 6), or higher grade PrCa (Gleason Sum 7-10). We found that WA genetic ancestry was significantly higher in men who were diagnosed with PrCa on biopsy, compared to men who were cancer-negative, and highest in men who were diagnosed with higher grade PrCa (Gleason Sum 7-10). Incorporating WA ancestry into the guidelines for making decisions about when to obtain a biopsy and whether to choose AS may allow AA men to personalize their approach to PrCa screening and management.