23), and a reduction in alcohol disorders (28 v. 52). The proportion of presentations with suicidal ideation (SI) or self-harm as factors remained unchanged.
 
  Rates of emergency presentation with mental illness reduced during the initial COVID-19 restrictions. This may represent an unmet burden of mental health needs. Younger people may be experiencing greater distress and mental illness during the current crisis. More people sought help for anxiety disorders during the COVID-19 restrictions compared with corresponding data from 2018 and 2019.
 Rates of emergency presentation with mental illness reduced during the initial COVID-19 restrictions. This may represent an unmet burden of mental health needs. Younger people may be experiencing greater distress and mental illness during the current crisis. More people sought help for anxiety disorders during the COVID-19 restrictions compared with corresponding data from 2018 and 2019.Objectives The objective of this paper was to determine the extent to which dry needling is instructed in entry-level education programs for physical therapists. Methods Program directors from 226 entry-level education programs recognized by the Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education were recruited via e-mail to participate in an anonymous 35-item electronic survey during the 2017-2018 academic year. The survey evaluated dry needling curricula, faculty qualifications, attitudes and experience, and programs' future plans for teaching dry needling. Results A total of 75 programs responded to the survey (response rate = 33.1%). Forty (53.3%) had integrated dry needling theory and psychomotor training into their programs and 8 (10.6%) planned to include such content in their curriculum in the future. Of the 40 respondents, 28 indicated that dry needling education was integrated into a required course, 4 indicated that dry needling was an elective course, and 8 did not specify how dry needling education was integrated.  https://www.selleckchem.com/products/ki696.html  Faculty teaching dry needling appear to be well qualified, with the majority having 5-10 years of experience using dry needling in clinical practice. The primary reason for programs not teaching dry needling is that it was not considered an entry-level skill. Discussion There appeared to be variability in how dry needling was integrated into the curricula, as well as in the depth and breadth of instruction. Our research may serve as a baseline for faculty to assess existing dry needling curricula and as a guide for developing curricula in new or existing physical therapy programs.Low self-efficacy is a barrier to effective nurse prescribing. Therefore, nurses' self-efficacy should be assessed using validated tools. We aimed to develop and psychometrically test the Nurse Prescribing Self-Efficacy Scale (NP-SES). We conducted an observational cross-sectional study with 290 nurses between January and June 2019. We studied the NP-SES' reliability (i.e., internal consistency and temporal stability), validity (i.e., content, criterion, and construct) and legibility. The NP-SES showed good internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha=0.958) and temporal stability (intraclass correlation coefficient=0.783). The NP-SES also showed good content validity (scale's content validity index=0.98) and criterion validity (r=0.75; p less then 0.001). Construct validity analysis revealed the NP-SES' three-dimensional structure and showed its ability to detect significant differences between nurses with different levels of experience. Our psychometric analysis suggests that the NP-SES is a reliable and valid instrument that could be used to assess nurses' self-efficacy in nurse prescribing.With over fifteen million older adults in the United States relying on the means-tested Medicaid program for healthcare coverage, there has been concern over rising Medicaid costs among this rapidly growing age group. Few studies have longitudinally examined trends among older beneficiaries over time to identify factors related to Medicaid utilization and to better understand how potential coverage changes might impact this group. This study used the 1998 to 2014 waves of the Health and Retirement Study (N = 8,162) to analyze a representative sample of those aged 50 and older to ascertain demographic, health, and economic factors associated with Medicaid utilization over a sixteen-year period. The analyses showed stable probabilities of accessing the program over time and observed that the most vulnerable older adults make up the pool of Medicaid beneficiaries. There is no evidence of significant asset divestment in order to qualify for benefits. Multivariate analyses further revealed those who were older, female, minority race/ethnicity, less educated, in poorer health, below the federal poverty line, and with lower net wealth had a higher risk of utilizing Medicaid during the observed time period than their counterparts. Findings highlight the importance of monitoring changes in the documented risk factors over time in terms of their impact on Medicaid utilization and underscore the need to consider how these factors may be interrelated.Breast cancer is an incapacitating physical illness. It was once reported predominantly by patients in developed countries. With the advent of globalization, it is increasingly becoming a major health concern in developing countries such as South Africa. Breast cancer researchers have continuously advocated for original studies that address this condition from a sociocultural perspective. Consequently, in this article I examine the perceptions of breast cancer patients from underprivileged parts of Kwa Zulu Natal (KZN). Thirty semi-structured interviews were conducted with Zulu women at a tertiary hospital in the region. A culture-centered approach was utilized to gauge their perceptions of life as breast cancer patients within the conservative Zulu community. The findings revealed that this ailment is generally misunderstood, which has adverse implications for the patients. Furthermore, there is a dire need for breast cancer communication interventions that can acquaint the Zulu community with this condition.