Background: Effective communication affects cancer management and outcomes and is particularly essential in the last year of life when medical complexity peaks. In the last decade, adoption of telemedicine and other advances may have affected patient experience and communication effectiveness. The purpose of this study is to assess racial disparities and trends in patient experience [...]

Background: Burn injuries and corrosion are significant contributors to global mortality, particularly in severe cases where complications such as sepsis and organ failure arise. This study analyzed trends and disparities in mortality rates due to burns and corrosion among different age groups and demographic categories from 1999 to 2020. Methods: Analysis of Burns and corrosion [...]

Background: In Texas, the five-year survival rate for lung cancer is significantly lower compared to the national average with noted disparities in early diagnosis and treatment. The aim of this study is to assess sex, ethnic and racial differences in end-of-life healthcare utilization, advance care planning (ACP) and associated outcomes such as hospice use among [...]

Background: Safety-net hospitals are disproportionately affected by the national intensivist shortage. The Society of Critical Care Medicine estimates the U.S. needs over 48,000 intensivists, but fewer than half are available. This shortage is pronounced in rural and underserved urban areas, leaving hospitalists in resource-limited settings to manage critically ill patients with minimal or no intensivist [...]