JAMA Clinical Reviews

David Juurlink, MD, PhD, a clinical pharmacologist and professor of internal medicine at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre and professor of medicine at the University of Toronto, discusses 10 things new doctors should know about drugs and thir complications as they start practicing medications in the the fourth and final episode of this series.

One of the most important things clinicians can do is help patients and their families deal with impending death. Despite its importance, this part of medical care is hardly covered in medical training. Clinicians have to learn this on their own. One of the most powerful ways to find out what it's like is to go through it yourself. Martin F. Shapiro, MD, professor of medicine at the Weill Cornell School of Medicine, describes along with his sister, Lori Shapiro, what they went through in dealing with their mother's death. Dr Shapiro relates what he learned to more effectively manage his patients and their families in coping with the end of life. Related Article(s): The Last Breath—Enriching End-of-Life Moments

Sweden's response to the COVID-19 pandemic differed from its neighbors in Europe. Lockdowns were minimized with the belief that they would be more damaging than the virus itself. Much criticism was levied at the country regarding these policies. Anders Tegnell, MD, is the head of the Department of Public Health Analysis and Data Management, Deputy Director General at the Public Health Agency of Sweden, and had been Sweden's state epidemiologist since 2013. He discusses what Sweden did in response to COVID-19 and what their outcomes were. Related Article: COVID-19 and Health Equity—A New Kind of "Herd Immunity"

In the 13 years since the American Thoracic Society and Infectious Diseases Society of America have issued guidelines for the treatment of community-acquired pneumonia much has changed, resulting in a new guideline with 16 major recommendations. These are reviewed by Maylyn Martinez, MD, from the Department of Medicine at the University of Chicago and JAMA Network Open Associate Editor Angel Desai, MD, from the Department of Medicine at the University of California at Davis. Related Article: Diagnosis and Treatment of Adults With Community-Acquired Pneumonia

Intimate partner violence--also known as domestic abuse--may affect as many as 1 in 3 women. It's often underreported but that shouldn't be the case. Harriet L. MacMillan, MD, from the Departments of Psychiatry & Behavioral Neurosciences and Pediatrics at McMaster University, discusses how to identify and intervene in intimate partner violence. Related Article(s): Intimate Partner Violence

When trying to administer its qualifying examination during the COVID-19 shutdowns, the American Board of Surgery failed. Jo Buyske, MD, president and chief executive officer of the American Board of Surgery, discusses what went wrong and what they are doing to fix it. Related Article: Association Between Resident Physician Training Experience and Program-Level Performance on Board Examinations

A new clinical trial suggests that obstructive sleep apnea (in patients unable to tolerate treatment with CPAP or other devices) can be treated with airway surgery. The author of the study published in JAMA, Stuart MacKay, MBBS, from the University of Wollongong, Australia, discusses the study and treatments for obstructive sleep apnea. Related Article: Effect of Multilevel Upper Airway Surgery vs Medical Management on the Apnea-Hypopnea Index and Patient-Reported Daytime Sleepiness Among Patients With Moderate or Severe Obstructive Sleep Apnea

Cluster randomized trials are performed when an intervention must be delivered to a group of patients like when testing new nursing protocols on award or different means for cleaning beds on a ward. One type of cluster trials is called a stepped-wedge where every cluster in the study ultimately undergoes the intervention. How this works it is explained by Susan Ellenberg, PhD, from the Department of Biostatistics, Epidemiology, and Informatics at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine. Related Article: The Stepped-Wedge Clinical Trial

David Arterburn, MD, MPH, senior investigator from Kaiser Permanente Washington Health Research Institute, discusses the effectiveness of bariatric surgery in inducing weight loss and managing diabetes. The podcast explores a retrospective study comparing bariatric surgery to non-surgical treatment, benefits and complications of bariatric surgery, cost of weight loss drugs, managing post-bariatric surgery patients through a holistic approach.

COVID-19 continues to rapidly spread throughout the world. In the past few months, the population affected by the disease has shifted from older to younger patients. Public health officials are concerned that younger people seem not to be very compliant with recommendations regarding masking and social distancing. It is believed that younger people think that the adverse consequences of the disease occur in the elderly and not in them. Garrett Salzman, MD, is a resident physician at UCLA and contracted the disease. He is young and healthy, but he has had substantial disability from COVID-19. He tells a cautionary tale of his experience with COVID-19 that this is not a benign disease in young people, that they need to be careful. Related Article: Potential Implications of COVID-19 for the 2020-2021 Residency Application Cycle