To determine whether medication interventions enhance the sensitivity and specificity of guaiac-based fecal occult blood testing (FOBT) when screening for colorectal cancer (CRC). We searched PubMed-MEDLINE, CINAHL, and the Cochrane databases using the MeSH headings occult blood, feces/analysis, and guaiac/analysis, linking them to variations of anticoagulants, heparin, warfarin, iron, aspirin, ...

Availability of annotated corpora has facilitated application of machine learning algorithms to concept extraction from clinical notes. However, it is expensive to prepare annotated corpora in individual institutions, and pooling of annotated corpora from other institutions is a potential solution. In this paper we investigate whether pooling of corpora from ...

BACKGROUND: Retinal detachment is one complication of ocular trauma. Retinal detachments resulting from gunshot wounds are typically associated with significant facial trauma, orbital trauma, or globe penetration. Ultrasonography has been shown to be of diagnostic utility in the evaluation of retinal detachments. OBJECTIVES: In this case, an atypical mechanism for ...

Six female patients diagnosed with Progressive Facial Hemiatrophy are presented here. The clinical and serological features are highlighted, and treatment options for the condition are discussed. We would like to highlight the need to differentiate the condition from localized scleroderma and the with limitation of its medical management.

Nonablative procedures for facial rejuvenation have become increasingly popular. One such method to improve laxity and diminish rhytids is monopolar capacitively coupled radiofrequency (MRF). The authors discuss clinical studies using MRF. The authors also discuss their clinical experiences as well as recommendations for optimal results. MRF using the Thermage CPT ...

This study assesses (1) the prevalence of ever having a blood test for cholesterol, (2) current practices of following advice from a health care professional to manage high cholesterol, and (3) the association between total serum cholesterol level and following the advice. A total of 17,260 adults aged 20 and ...

Background: Older adults have more chronic medical conditions, and the level of polypharmacy increases with advancing age. Malnutrition and drug nutrient interactions are of concern in this population. Objectives: The aims of this cross-sectional study were to examine nutritional status, the use of medications, and drug-nutrient interactions in older adults. ...

OBJECTIVE: To quantify and compare the determinants of different types of medication non-adherence in cholesterol lowering and asthma maintenance medications using a theoretical approach. METHODS: Study design was online cross sectional survey. A conceptual framework was developed using Andersen's Behavioral Model and Leventhal's Common Sense Model to understand the determinants ...

Techniques developed for teaching more empathic affect recognition and reflection to medical students during their introduction to psychiatric interviewing begin with a concrete grounding in facial muscular movements and facial affect recognition, and proceed to the use of countertransferential affective experience to aid in ascertaining personality types. Observations about the ...

There is an expanding gap between the availability of direct-to-consumer whole genome testing and physician knowledge regarding interpretation of test results. Advances in the genomic literacy of health care providers will be necessary for genomics to exert its potential to affect clinical practice. However, implementation of a major shift in ...

The medical consequences of elevated cholesterol are widely known, as are the medical regimens to control and manage it. At the same time, elevated cholesterol is bereft of bodily signs. Being symptomless places the condition in a no man's land: people with elevated cholesterol are assessed as medically sick but ...

Undergraduate medical education programmes universally struggle with overfull curricula that make curricular changes quite challenging. Final content decisions are often influenced by available faculty staff, vocal champions or institutional culture. We present a multi-modal process for identifying 'need-to-know' content while leveraging curricular change, using the social and behavioural sciences (SBS) ...

Abraham Flexner's 1910 report, Medical Education in the United States and Canada, was hardly noticed in the Netherlands, and though his 1925 book, Medical Education: A Comparative Study, was extensively discussed in the Dutch Medical Journal, it did not and could not affect medical education in the Netherlands. Until the ...

To probe medical students' narrative essays as a rich source of data on the hidden curriculum, a powerful influence shaping the values, roles, and identity of medical trainees. In 2008, the authors used grounded theory to conduct a thematic analysis of third-year Harvard Medical School students' reflection papers on the ...

Clinical economics requires an understanding of clinical relationships just like health economy requires an understanding of economic relationships. Hitherto we have ensured that economists can differentiate symptoms from diagnoses and diagnostics from screening at the interface between medicine and economy. However, we overlooked the fact that physicians should be able ...

Objective: This study assessed the impact of a blended, standardized curriculum for invasive bedside procedural training on medical knowledge and technical skills for Internal Medicine residents. Methods: The investigators developed a curriculum in procedural instruction and performance for Internal Medicine house staff, and implemented the program at a tertiary care ...

Utilizing interviews with students and a key administrator, analyses of academic schedules, and observations of courses, labs, and small groups, this study examines if and how elements of the explicit preclinical curriculum may have deleterious effects on medical students' humanitarian attributes, namely empathy. Findings from this case-study of a medical ...

Radiology undergraduate curriculum has undergone a tremendous transformation in the decades reflecting a change in the structure, content and delivery of instruction. These changes are not unique to the discipline, but rather a response in the cycle of the re-engineering process in the medical curriculum in order to ensure its ...

Rapid expansion in scientific knowledge, changes in medical practice, and greater demands from patients and society necessitate reform of the medical curriculum. In recognition of this, medical educators across the world have recommended the adoption of competence-based education. This is intended to increase the rigour and relevance of the curriculum, ...

Anatomy has been considered a core subject within the medical education curriculum. In the current setting of ever-changing diagnostic and treatment modalities, the opinion of both students and trainers is crucial for the design of an anatomy curriculum which fulfils the criteria required for safe medical practice. Medical students, trainees ...

This article provides a description of a proposed sub-module and attendant syllabus for inclusion of neuroimmune pharmacology as a sub-discipline of an immunology course that is offered to medical students during the first year of medical school. Neuroimmune pharmacology is an area of study that integrates fundamental concepts in pharmacology, ...

As science continues to evolve and expand some major areas of interest are now crossing boundaries to become multi-disciplinary in nature closely reflecting the biological processes of the organism as a whole. The fields of neuroscience, immunology, and pharmacology are good examples of one such emerging inter-disciplinary area. This article ...

This article, the ninth in the "To the Point" series that is prepared by the Association of Professors of Gynecology and Obstetrics Undergraduate Medical Education Committee, discusses the role of the "hidden curriculum" in shaping the professional identity of doctors in training. The characteristics that distinguish the formal curriculum and ...

In December 2002, the medical toxicology sub-board, which consists of representatives from emergency medicine, preventive medicine, and pediatrics, released revised core content for medical toxicology, aiming to better meet the academic challenges imposed by the continually expanding knowledge base of medical toxicology. These challenges included the addition of relatively new ...

Although injury is a major cause of death and disability, concepts of injury prevention have not been present in the curricula of most medical schools. There have been recent calls in the literature, including a 2005 report from the Association of American Medical Colleges, for the addition of injury prevention ...

This study was undertaken to determine the PDA functionalities for a problem-based learning (PBL) medical curriculum at the Graduate School of Medicine (GSM), the University of Wollongong (UOW). The study determines the factors/aspects of incorporating PDAs, and the attitudes of stakeholders regarding the use of PDAs in such a PBL-based ...

Professionalism remains a challenging part of the medical curriculum to define, teach and evaluate. We suggest that one way to meet these challenges is to clarify the definition of professionalism and distinguish this from medical ethics. Our analysis is two staged. First, we reviewed influential definitions of professionalism and separated ...

As the 100th anniversary of the Flexner report nears, medical student education is being reviewed at many levels. One area of concern, expressed in recent reports from some national health care organizations, is the adequacy of training in the discipline of laboratory medicine (also termed clinical pathology). The Academy of ...

Clinical leadership is now part of the curriculum for all doctors in training. This article describes one deanery's approach to the development of clinical leadership.

Library integration into the medical school curriculum is a crucial aspect of meeting Liaison Committee on Medical Education (LCME) Accreditation Standards and the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) Medical School Objectives Project (MSOP) guidelines. To accomplish this, academic health sciences libraries seek to develop evidence-based medicine (EBM) literature searching ...

Anatomy instruction at Australian and New Zealand medical schools has been the subject of considerable debate recently. Many commentators have lamented the gradual devaluation of anatomy as core knowledge in medical courses. To date, much of this debate has been speculative or anecdotal and lacking reliable supporting data. To provide ...

Pathology and anatomy are both sciences that contribute to the foundations of a successful medical career. In the past decade, medical education has undergone profound changes with the development of a core curriculum combined with student selected components. There has been a shift from discipline-based teaching towards problem-based learning. Both ...

Medical schools in the United States have continued to demonstrate deficiencies in musculoskeletal education. In response to the findings of numerous studies and to the objectives of the U.S. Bone and Joint Decade (an international collaborative movement sanctioned by the United Nations and the World Health Organization for the purpose ...

The ability to understand and integrate new knowledge into clinical practice is a necessary quality of good physicians. Student participation in in-depth scholarship could enhance this skill in physicians while also creating a larger cadre of physician-scientists prepared to advance the field of medicine. However, because no definitive data exist ...

Reform of medical education at Keio University has been underway since 2003. We measure the progress made since then in five specific categories that span fifteen recommendations presented in our "Blueprint for Reform" at the outset of the effort. These are effectiveness of leadership, curriculum reform, recognition of teaching, clinical ...

An undergraduate education in liberal arts is viewed by many, especially in North America, as a desirable preparation for medical school. In countries where such a pre-medicine curriculum is not available, an introduction of 'humanities in medicine' has recently been emphasized. Few, however, has entertained the idea that Medicine already ...

BACKGROUND: It is increasingly important that physicians have a thorough understanding of the basic science of human genetics and the ethical, legal and social implications (ELSI) associated with genetic testing and counseling. METHODS: The authors developed a series of web-based courses for medical students on these topics. The course modules ...

Despite their potential benefits, relationships linking medical school faculty and the pharmaceutical and device industries may also challenge the professional value of primacy of patient welfare, a point highlighted in a recent Institute of Medicine report. Academic medical centers and professors have the added professional obligation to ensure the unbiased, ...

CONTEXT: The world of medical education is more complex than ever and there seems to be no end in sight. Complexity science is particularly relevant as medical education embraces a movement towards more authentic curricula focusing on integration, interactive small-group learning, and early and sustained clinical and community experiences. DISCUSSION: ...

BACKGROUND: Recently, many medical curricula have been changed into vertically integrated programmes. One of the aims of vertical integration is to facilitate the transition from theoretical to clinical education and from medical school to postgraduate training. AIMS: The aim of this study was to determine whether a vertically integrated curriculum ...

BACKGROUND: A major drawback in the medication adherence literature today is the absence of a gold standard for measuring medication adherence. Objective measures of nonadherence such as prescription claims and pill count, while quantifying nonadherence, do not provide the reasons for nonadherence, hence making it difficult to develop intervention strategies. ...

Let's face it. It's always there. It is never included in the medical school curriculum but patients often consult you about its use. You are not sure of its efficacy, so you cannot say it is useful. Some patients listen to you, some don't, and others use it without telling ...

OBJECTIVES: Curriculum reform poses significant challenges for medical schools across the globe. Understanding the medical educator's personal and lived experience of curriculum change is paramount. This paper illustrates the use of narrative inquiry as a means of exploring the author's own evolving professional identity as a medical educator engaged in ...

This study assessed the impact of changes made to address the inadequate upper-extremity education through preclinical medical school curriculum reform. After the administration of a new upper-extremity curriculum, which also increased the time devoted to three preclinical medical school courses from 7.25 to 21.25 hours, second-year medical students were evaluated ...

In recent years an international debate has culminated in the questions "How much anatomy is necessary in the medical curriculum?" and "Should dissection be replaced by prosection or computer-aided learning?". This article will deal with data published on evaluations of the anatomical knowledge of students, on experience with different teaching ...

CONTEXT: With the formal adoption of the seven core competencies, the American Osteopathic Association's Commission on Osteopathic College Accreditation instructed osteopathic medical educators to guide curricular development with these goals in mind. Tools to facilitate and monitor these purposes have been under development separately at each of the nation's colleges ...

Medical school curricular reform to address humanism is now a prominent issue in Taiwan. Taiwan's community of medical professionals have for the last 100 years played a leading role in the nation's modernization and democratization. With the democratic opening of 1990, they took up the cause of humanistic reform of ...

PURPOSE: Undergraduate medical education has been criticized for not keeping pace with the increasing complexity of the U.S. health care system. The authors assessed medical students' perceptions of training in clinical decision making, clinical care, and the practice of medicine, and the degree to which the intensity of education in ...

The proposed clinical curriculum in Years 3 and 4 provides the opportunity to complete the process begun with the reform of the pre-clerkship curriculum in 2007. The redesign should produce an educational process which not only more adequately prepares students for the future, but helps produce leaders in multiple fields ...

OBJECTIVES: This paper describes the development and pilot testing of a communication skills curriculum based on medical student curriculum and modified for use with patients. METHODS: Six key concepts from our introductory medical education communication skills curriculum were identified. The core knowledge and skills related to these concepts were reorganized ...