From the "what" to the "how": Teaching integrative medicine-related skills to medical students during COVID-19

ObjectiveTo examine the impact of an integrative medicine (IM) course on self-perceived IM-related communication and research skills.MethodsA 3-day mandatory "hybrid" (online and in-person) IM course was held within COVID-19 restrictions for 161 pre-clerkship medical students, with workshops facilitated by mentor healthcare professionals (IM and non-IM) and student-directed tasks. Self-perceived levels of 6 IM-related skills were scored (from 1 to 5) for history-taking; communicating with patients with "alternative" health-beliefs; referral to IM consultations; assessing risks/benefits; and working with non-medical IM practitioners.Results137 students (85.1%) completed pre-/post-course questionnaires, with overall scores improving from pre-course (1.98 ± 0.92) to post-course (3.31 ± 0.63; p < 0.0001), for the entire group and student subgroups (with vs. without prior IM experience). Multivariate analysis found no association between age, gender, primary language or prior experience with IM and improvement in skill scores.ConclusionsThe IM course increased self-perceived skill levels, reflecting the course curriculum and workshops. Further research needs to explore the application of these skills during clinical training.Practice implicationsTeaching medical students about IM in a course comprising communication and research skills was shown to be feasible and effective. The application of IM-related skills needs to be evaluated during the clinical clerkship.     

国内住培中医患沟通研究现状的分析与思考

目的通过文献计量法分析国内住院医师规范化培训(简称住培)中关于医患沟通的研究现状,为提高住培过程中医患沟通能力提出建设性对策。方法应用文献检索策略,在中文期刊全文数据库搜索并导出自2000年1月1日—2020年2月29日以来有关住培中医患沟通的全部文献,以文献标题、发表时间和研究内容等构建Excel数据库,并进行统计分析。结果查到住培相关医患沟通的相关文献共70篇,均于2009年以后发表,文献研究数量逐年增加;文献作者所在地域分布不均匀;作者单位主要以大学附属医院为主;文献多出自于教育类、临床类和管理类期刊;文献的研究方法主要以理论论述为主,缺乏干预性研究;文献的被引次数较低,文献质量相对较差;文献的研究内容主要对医患沟通的重要性、内涵建设、现状与挑战和提高医患沟通措施方面进行了阐述。结论医患沟通培训在住培中并未受到充分重视,需在住培期间加强医患沟通教育,培养医患沟通能力,为创建新型医患关系奠定坚实的基础。     

Ultrasound Bone Fracture Sensing and Data Communication: Experimental Results in a Pig Limb Sample

Approximately 6.3 million fractures occur each year in the United States alone. Accurately monitoring the progression of fracture healing is essential to be able to advise patients when it is safe to return to normal activity. The most common method used to confirm and monitor fracture healing is the acquisition of multiple radiographic images over the many months required for healing. This imaging method uses large expensive equipment and exposes patients to high levels of ionizing radiation. In the study described here, we tested another technology for monitoring fracture healing that could minimize the need for multiple radiographic images. We tested a piezoelectric transducer fixed to the surface of a bone that uses electromechanical impedance spectroscopy to measure simulated fractures and transmits the measurement data to an acoustic receiver located externally on the skin surface.     

Interhemispheric communication and the preference for attitude consistent information

The current study investigated the role of interhemispheric communication in selective exposure to information. Participants (N?=?241) reported their attitude and attitude strength toward a controversial social topic, engaged in a selective exposure task, and completed the Poffenberger paradigm. As expected, participants demonstrated a moderate (d?=?0.50) preference for attitude consistent information on the selective exposure task and attitude strength was a significant predictor of participants’ information search tendencies. Furthermore, faster right-to-left interhemispheric transfer was also significantly associated with an increased preference for attitude consistent information. These findings highlight the potential role of the right hemispheric processes in the detection of cognitive inconsistency and in the implementation of dissonance reduction strategies.     

AAC technologies with visual scene displays and “just in time” programming and symbolic communication turns expressed by students with severe disability

Background: The current study investigated the impact of an intervention that included aided augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) technologies on the frequency of symbolic communication turns of school-age children, adolescents, and young adults with severe disability.

Method: Nine students ages 8–20 were engaged in interactive activities using an aided AAC system with visual scene displays (VSDs; concepts embedded within a photograph of a naturally occurring event), and “just-in-time” (JIT) programming (the capability to add new contexts “on the fly”). Effectiveness was evaluated using a single subject multiple probe across participants design.

Results: All participants demonstrated increases in symbolic communication turns upon introduction of the AAC technologies with VSDs using JIT technology.

Conclusions: AAC with VSDs and JIT programming may be effective in increasing symbolic communication for students with severe developmental disability. The fast and easy creation of VSDs and hotspots to provide communication may be a valuable tool for interventionists.     

Review article: Goals‐of‐care discussions for adult patients nearing end of life in emergency departments: A systematic review

Goals‐of‐care discussions at end‐of‐life are associated with increased patient satisfaction and reduced treatment burdens, reduced family and healthcare worker distress and healthcare costs, while achieving equal life‐expectancy. It is unclear how goals‐of‐care discussions should occur. The objective of the study was to determine which patients could benefit, requirements, content, documentation, and harms and benefits of emergency medicine goals‐of‐care discussions. We sought primary evidence on goals‐of‐care discussions in EDs with adult patients nearing end‐of‐life, published in English after 1989. Data sources included Medline, Embase, PsycINFO, CINAHL, Web of Science and reference lists of included articles. One thousand nine hundred and twenty abstracts were screened, five articles selected. There was no consensus on the meaning of goals‐of‐care, which is often confused with advanced care planning and treatment limitation. Emergency clinicians can identify most patients needing discussions following training. There was no evidence for how to involve stakeholders, nor how to adapt conversations to meet cultural and linguistically diverse needs. Expert panels have suggested requirements and content for conversations with little supporting evidence. There was no evidence for how emergency conversations differ to those in other settings, nor for harms or benefits for holding goals‐of‐care conversations in EDs. Increased ED goals‐of‐care conversations increased hospice referral and reduced in‐patient admissions. Most studies were of moderate quality only, outcomes were not standardised and sample sizes were small. ‘Goals‐of‐care’ is used inconsistently across the literature. This is the first systematic review regarding goals‐of‐care discussions in EDs. Further research is needed on all aspects of these conversations.