A new study suggests that people in their 50s and older have embraced the ability to send and receive secure medical messages with their doctors and other providers, through the digital patient portals that most health systems and medical offices now offer. The study also suggests that some older adults – including those with very low incomes – find themselves getting billed for these digital interactions.

About The Study: This systematic scoping review suggests that even though emphasis has been placed on addressing gender inequities in academic medicine, considerable disparities remain at the leadership level. While certain positions and specialties have been observed to have more female leaders, niches of academic medicine almost or completely exclude women from their leadership ranks. Importantly, even female-dominated specialties, such as obstetrics and gynecology, have substantial inequity in leadership roles. It is past time for organizational and systems-level changes to ensure equitable gender representation in academic leadership.

A major challenge in the efforts to eradicate rubella and measles has been the absence of a unified global commitment to do so, despite the availability of effective vaccines. In a Policy Forum, Matthew Ferrari and William Moss discuss the 2024 World Health Organization’s (WHO) recommendation for universal introduction of rubella-containing vaccines (RCVs) into childhood vaccination programs in all countries – particularly in the remaining 19 countries that have yet to do so. According to the authors, the decision marks a critical step toward eliminating congenital rubella syndrome (CRS) and, ultimately, rubella itself. And, since RCV is delivered in combination with the measles vaccine, the effort will significantly boost global immunity against both diseases, bringing the world closer to eradicating both diseases. Rubella, typically mild, poses grave risks when contracted during pregnancy and often leads to CRS, causing birth defects and infant mortality. While many nations have successfully introduced the RCVs using domestic resources, poorer nations have lacked the financial capacity to do so and have relied on external funding. Ferrari and Moss note that the WHO’s support in introducing RCVs globally removes a major hurdle for these last 19 countries, many of which are in Africa and the Global South. However, because widespread vaccination and eradication benefits the global community, the authors argue that the international community and non-governmental organizations need to work together to advocate for RCV introduction. They should collaborate to provide incentives for high-quality vaccination campaigns in critical regions. Ferrari and Moss also stress that the potential resurgence of rubella and measles transmission in the Western Hemisphere poses a significant threat. According to the authors, declining support for vaccination, the United States’ withdrawal from WHO, and the recent threat to eliminate international health funding “[loom] as a dark cloud on the horizon,” and could jeopardize what could be a monumental global public health achievement.

About The Study: The findings of this qualitative study of emergency medical services (EMS) clinicians suggest that migration has a complex, multidimensional influence on EMS clinicians in the border region. Deterrence-focused actions have not decreased the number of crossings but rather pushed migrants to cross in more dangerous ways, leading to more injuries and deaths. The findings suggest that the strain placed on local EMS clinicians is unsustainable and may be exacerbated by increased deterrence-based policies. Instead, border-region EMS clinicians need increased federal funding to support their work.