Extramural US Federal Research Grants For Health Outcomes Associated With Climate Change Inadequate, Too Narrow In Focus.

Climate change causes and exacerbates disease, creates and worsens health disparities, disrupts health care delivery, and imposes a significant disease burden in the US and globally. Critical knowledge gaps hinder an evidence-based response and are perpetuated by scarce federal research funds. We identified and described extramural US federal research funding (that is, grants provided to organizations and institutions outside of federal agencies) that both addressed health outcomes associated with climate change and was awarded between 2010 and 2020. During this eleven-year period, 102 grants met our criteria, totaling approximately $58.7 million, or approximately $5.3 million per year (2020 adjusted US dollars). Federal investments in climate change and health research during this period failed to address the breadth of climate-sensitive exposures, health outcomes, and impacts on vulnerable populations. Moving forward, in addition to increasing investment in climate and health research across all known hazards, critical attention should be placed on vulnerable populations and health equity. To achieve this, increased federal research coordination and cooperation are needed, as well as a mechanism to track this funding.

The Impact of Physician Social Media Behavior on Patient Trust.

Introduction: Institutions have developed professionalism policies to help guide physician social media behavior in light of professionalism lapses that have resulted in serious consequences. Prior research has gathered perspectives on online professionalism; however, the public's views remain poorly understood. Importantly, the impact of physician social media behavior on patient trust is unknown. Methods: To determine whether patients' trust might change based on their physicians' social media behavior, we conducted a cross-sectional survey across three U.S. cities (n = 491). The survey assessed patient trust using hypothetical scenarios. Results: Most respondents reported they would have less trust if their physician posted racist comments online, wrote a disrespectful patient narrative, appeared intoxicated in a photograph, or wrote profanity. Respondent age and education impacted change in trust. Conclusions: We conclude that physicians' social media behavior may affect patient trust. Better understanding of how physicians' online presence impacts their relationships with patients can help guide policy and inform educational efforts.