Becker's Hospital Review

35 WOMEN'S LEADERSHIP 1 in 4 physicians experience harassment on social media, study finds By Erica Carbajal N early a quarter of U.S. physicians face online attacks or harassment, ac- cording to the first known study to document physician experiences with online harassment. The research was published in JAMA Internal Medicine Jan. 4. Researchers from Evanston, Ill.-based Northwestern University and the Univer- sity of Chicago collaborated on the study, issuing a survey that 464 physicians completed between Feb. 6 and March 20, 2019. Findings indicated 23.3 percent of respondents (108) reported personal at- tacks on social media. Women were significantly more likely than men to re- port online sexual harassment — 16.4 percent (44), compared to 1.5 percent (3), respectively. Personal attacks were mainly related to online advocacy, such as backing vac- cinations on social media. Work-related attacks were all related to patient care, while personal attacks not related to advocacy were based on race or religion. The study authors noted that survey data was collected before the pandemic. "If anything, our data is likely an underestimate of the true extent of attacks and harassment post-pandemic since so many doctors started to advocate for public health measures during the pandemic and have been met with an in- creasingly polarized populace," said study author Vineet Arora, MD, assistant dean for scholarship and discovery at the University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine. Since social media plays a role in collaboration among physicians, health sys- tems should support them and institute plans that address online harassment, according to the study. n Rhode Island hospital to be led by nurse promoted from within for 1st time By Kelly Gooch T he Miriam Hospital in Providence, R.I., promoted chief nursing executive Maria Ducharme, DNP, RN, to president on Jan. 1. Dr. Ducharme previously served as senior vice president of patient care services and chief nursing officer. She is the first nurse to be promoted from in- side the organization to the top leadership role since the hospital was founded in 1925, the hospital said. She is the hospital's third female president. "Dr. Ducharme has dedicated her career to the Miriam Hospital's mission of providing advanced medical care at the highest quality level in a community setting," Timothy Babineau, MD, president and CEO of Miriam's parent com- pany, Providence-based Lifespan, said in a news release. "I am so pleased that the Lifespan community will continue to benefit from Dr. Ducharme's deep knowledge, experience and expertise as she leads the Miriam Hospital as its next president." Dr. Ducharme's career at the hospital spans more than 30 years. She was named senior vice president of patient care services and chief nursing officer in 2010. n Women vulnerable to sudden cardiac death overnight, study finds By Erica Carbajal W omen are more likely than men to suffer sudden death from cardiac arrest during nighttime hours, according to a study published in Heart Rhythm Jan. 19. Researchers evaluated 4,136 sudden cardiac death cases, 22 percent of which occurred between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m. Results showed 25.4 percent of women suffered sudden cardiac death at night compared to 20.6 percent of men. Additionally, brain-affecting medica- tions such as sedatives and depression management drugs were associated with nighttime sudden cardiac death. While the study observed this association re- gardless of gender, women were taking more brain-affecting medications than men. People who experienced sudden cardiac arrest were also more likely to have lung disease or a history of smoking. e findings were particularly surprising since the body is typically in a resting state during overnight hours, with reduced me- tabolism, heart rate and blood pressure, researchers said. "Prescribing physicians may wish to be cautious when recommending brain-af- fecting medications, for example, sed- atives and drugs prescribed for pain and depression management, to high- risk patients, especially women," the news release said. n

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