Pain Education in North American Medical Schools

Knowledgeable and compassionate care regarding pain is a core responsibility of health professionals associated with better medical outcomes, improved quality of life, and lower healthcare costs. Education is an essential part of training healthcare providers to deliver conscientious pain care but little is known about whether medical school curricula meet educational needs. Using a novel systematic approach to assess educational content, we examined the curricula of Liaison Committee on Medical Education-accredited medical schools between August 2009 and February 2010. Our intent was to establish important benchmark values regarding pain education of future physicians during primary professional training. External validation was performed. Inclusion criteria required evidence of substantive participation in the curriculum management database of the Association of American Medical Colleges. A total of 117 U.S. and Canadian medical schools were included in the study. Approximately 80% of U.S. medical schools require 1 or more pain sessions. Among Canadian medical schools, 92% require pain sessions. Pain sessions are typically presented as part of general required courses. Median hours of instruction on pain topics for Canadian schools was twice the U.S. median. Many topics included in the International Association for the Study of Pain core curriculum received little or no coverage. There were no correlations between the types of pain education offered and school characteristics (eg, private versus public). We conclude that pain education for North American medical students is limited, variable, and often fragmentary. There is a need for innovative approaches and better integration of pain topics into medical school curricula.

Perspective

This study assessed the scope and scale of pain education programs in U.S. and Canadian medical schools. Significant gaps between recommended pain curricula and documented educational content were identified. In short, pain education was limited and fragmentary. Innovative and integrated pain education in primary medical education is needed.     

A survey of basic life support training in various undergraduate health care professions

Basic life support (BLS) is a core skill in which all healthcare professionals should be proficient. It is logical to provide BLS training during undergraduate years ensuring basic competence in all graduating healthcare students. Previous surveys of medical and dental schools have highlighted deficiencies in BLS training. This survey sought to assess the level of BLS training provided for students across a broad range of disciplines in the North West region of the UK. This included courses leading to an entry qualification into medicine, dentistry, nursing, midwifery or a profession allied to medicine (PAM). Information was collected by self-administered postal questionnaire with a response rate of 87%. The survey highlighted major variations in BLS training provided at undergraduate level across disciplines.     

Cost-effectiveness and pain medicine

The specialty of pain medicine, as noted by Lippe,“… justifies itself as a unique medical specialty by virtue of a distinct body of knowledge and a well-defined scope of practice. In common with other medical specialties, it is founded on an infrastructure of scientific research, education, and clinical practice [1].“ The traditional methods of education for healthcare providers, such as medical schools, nursing schools, physical therapy schools, and clinical psychology programs, do not prepare their students adequately for the delivery of evaluation and treatment services to patients experiencing pain. Also apparent, as evidenced by the dearth of medical literature, is that the traditional methods of educating pain specialists do not adequately prepare students for an effective approach to the realities of healthcare economics in their respective fields.The result of a lack of significant education in the economics of pain medicine can be financially devastating to a new practitioner who is practicing “good” medicine yet not meeting the financial obligations incipient in the operation of a multidisciplinary pain center or even a solo practice. One important concept in the study of healthcare economics is the issue of cost-effectiveness [2].     

Assessing Preferences Regarding Healthcare Interventions that Involve Non-Health Outcomes: An Overview of Clinical Studies

Decision making in healthcare often involves decision alternatives that vary on different dimensions in conflicting ways, such as health benefits and costs. In such cases, it is not always easy to identify the best option, as a trade-off has to be made. In preference studies, patients evaluate health states or healthcare strategies reflecting this trade-off. A focus that is restricted to only health outcomes in decision making may be too narrow. Patients also derive utility, or experience disutility, from healthcare processes themselves. A range of techniques is available for eliciting valuations of patients for these processes and other non-health outcomes. At present, it is unclear to what extent, and how, clinical evaluation studies have taken into account non-health outcomes. We performed a systematic review of trade-off and valuation studies to assess the extent to which valuations of process and non-health outcomes have actually been elicited from patients, in what specialty areas, and what techniques were used.We identified 567 articles that addressed patients' preferences involving non-health outcomes. The main therapeutic fields were oncology (17%), gynecology/obstetrics (11%), pulmonology (11%), cardiology (7%), gastroenterology (6%), and infectious diseases (6%). There was an absolute increase from the early 1980s (a handful of studies published each year) to recent years (almost 100 publications per year). We noticed a strong increase in elicitation techniques aimed at identification of determinants of patients' preferences.The number of studies addressing preferences for medical dilemmas involving non-health outcomes is steadily increasing and covers the whole spectrum of health-related interventions across all medical fields. A diversification in application fields as well as in research methods was observed, reflecting a lack of standardization. There is a need for methodological standards and evidence-based criteria to evaluate the methodological quality and clinical validity of studies that address preferences for dilemmas involving non-health outcomes.     

Non-medical Switching from Originator Tumor Necrosis Factor Inhibitors to Their Biosimilars: Systematic Review of Randomized Controlled Trials and Real-World Studies

Tumor necrosis factor (TNF) inhibitors are widely used biologics for the treatment of several chronic inflammatory diseases. The launch of anti-TNF biosimilars has introduced the possibility of non-medical switching between originator biologics and their biosimilars. However, the potential clinical and patient-reported consequences of non-medical switching remain largely unknown, as much of the evidence comes from poorly or uncontrolled real-world evidence (RWE) studies that often have an element of bias and nonstandardized outcome measures. To appropriately evaluate the safety, efficacy, and immunogenicity of non-medical switching from an originator to its biosimilar, we propose that seven key study design elements should be considered when assessing the existing evidence: studies should be (1) randomized and double-blind, (2) adequately controlled, and (3) adequately powered; include (4) multiple switching, (5) an assessment of immunogenicity, and (6) adequate follow-up duration; and (7) report individual patient-level outcomes. This systematic review assessed the robustness and consistency of the current non-medical switching evidence, with a focus on TNF inhibitors. A comprehensive literature search (January 2012–February 2018) identified 98 publications corresponding to 91 studies (17 randomized controlled trials and 74 RWE studies) describing non-medical switching from a TNF inhibitor originator to its biosimilar. When assessing the totality of this evidence, none of the non-medical switching studies conducted to date were found to use all seven of the key design elements, and the absence of these elements dilutes the robustness of the data. Furthermore, discontinuation rates varied widely among studies (0–87%), suggesting heterogeneity and inconclusiveness of the current efficacy, safety, and immunogenicity evidence, particularly at an individual patient level. Therefore, patients should not be indiscriminately switched from an originator TNF inhibitor to its biosimilar for non-medical reasons. Switching decisions should remain between the treating physicians and their patients and be made on a case-by-case basis, relying upon robust scientific evidence.Funding: AbbVie.Plain Language Summary: Plain language summary available for this article.     

Avian influenza: are you prepared?

This article aims to assist healthcare workers to prepare, both in their professional and personal life, for a possible influenza pandemic. It identifies the medical and non-medical interventions that may be required.     

CycleMorph: Cycle consistent unsupervised deformable image registration

Image registration is a fundamental task in medical image analysis. Recently, many deep learning based image registration methods have been extensively investigated due to their comparable performance with the state-of-the-art classical approaches despite the ultra-fast computational time. However, the existing deep learning methods still have limitations in the preservation of original topology during the deformation with registration vector fields. To address this issues, here we present a cycle-consistent deformable image registration, dubbed CycleMorph. The cycle consistency enhances image registration performance by providing an implicit regularization to preserve topology during the deformation. The proposed method is so flexible that it can be applied for both 2D and 3D registration problems for various applications, and can be easily extended to multi-scale implementation to deal with the memory issues in large volume registration. Experimental results on various datasets from medical and non-medical applications demonstrate that the proposed method provides effective and accurate registration on diverse image pairs within a few seconds. Qualitative and quantitative evaluations on deformation fields also verify the effectiveness of the cycle consistency of the proposed method.     

A survey of the uptake and implementation of research evidence by South Australian acupuncturists in clinical practice: attitudes and associated predictive factors

OBJECTIVE: To examine South Australian acupuncturists' attitudes towards the use of research evidence and concurrently identify predicative factors associated with the uptake and implementation of research evidence. METHODS: Questionnaires were mailed out to the entire South Australian acupuncturist population (n=94). The population was divided into two groups, medical acupuncturists (general practitioners or other medical specialists) and non-medical acupuncturists, as previous studies have suggested that clinicians' attitudes to EBP are particular to the clinical setting. RESULTS: The total response rate to the survey was 76.6% (n=72). The difference in response rates between non-medical acupuncturists (90.9%, n=60) and medical acupuncturists (42%, n=12) was significant (p<0.0001). Over half of all respondents had both prior research training and previous research experience. Both groups held positive attitudes to research utilization, the use of research information was considered to be an important component of their professional practice, although they prioritized patient care over both reading research evidence and undertaking primary research. There was no significant difference in research interest between groups. The only predicative factor that influenced research utilization was related to the non-medical acupuncturists period of time in practice; non-medical acupuncturists interest in research (rho=-0.29, p=0.036) declined as they accrued clinical experience. No predictive factors were identified for the medical acupuncturist group. CONCLUSION: South Australian acupuncturists hold favorable views towards research utilization and consider the integration of research evidence into clinical practice as an important component of professional development. Professional associations should implement strategies which capitalize on the respondents' positive attitudes in order to ensure high quality evidence-based care for patients seeking acupuncture.     

The anxieties of medical students related to clinical training

High levels of anxiety and stress during medical education may have negative effects on students' learning and may also influence students' performance, decision-making and caring capabilities. This study aims to compare the anxieties of clerkships of two medical schools that apply two different preclinical curricula; one is problem-based and the other is integrated. Dokuz Eylul University School of Medicine (DEUSM) has the basic clinical and communication skills education by the first year of medical education. However, the students of Marmara University School of Medicine (MUSM) had not any preclinical training about these issues at the time we performed this study. In order to evaluate the perceived anxiety, we used a questionnaire which comprises 39 issues presented as 4-point Likert-type scales. Eighty-six clerkships from MUSM and 115 clerkships from DEUSM participated in the study. According to the students of both of the schools, fear of making mistakes that could harm the patients was at the top of the list of sources of anxiety. The students of MUSM have additional anxieties related to the core clinical skills such as suturing patients, taking blood from patients and giving injections. On the other hand, the students of DEUSM have anxieties mostly related to difficult issues in communication such as breaking bad news. The study has revealed that medical students might have anxiety related to the clinical practice in the beginning of their clerkships. It was also shown that sources of anxiety may vary among students exposed to different preclinical curricula and different educational environment. If basic clinical and communication skills courses are integrated in preclinical curriculum, the students would meet some clinical task in the early year and would be orientated through clinical period.     

卫生研究中证据的定义与循证规范

近20年随着循证医学的发展及其方法学的不断完善，证据概念和循证原则不仅在医学各领域广泛应用，且逐渐渗透于非医学领域。我们调查了不同组织对卫生研究中证据的定义，结合实际工作提出对证据的新定义：“证据是系统评价后的信息”；同时论述循证规范的形成，为其服务于其他学科和行业提供借鉴和参考。     

Type of bystander and rate of cardiopulmonary resuscitation in nursing home patients suffering out-of-hospital cardiac arrest

AimWe investigated bystander cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) provision rate and survival outcomes of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) patients in nursing homes by bystander type.MethodsA population-based observational study was conducted for nursing home OHCAs during 2013–2018. The exposure was the bystander type: medical staff, non-medical staff, or family. The primary outcome was bystander CPR provision rate; the secondary outcomes were prehospital return of spontaneous circulation (ROSC) and survival to discharge. Multivariable logistic regression analysis which corrected for various demographic and clinical characteristics evaluated bystander type impact on study outcomes. Bystander CPR rate trend was investigated by bystander type.ResultsOf 8281 eligible OHCA patients, 26.0%, 70.8%, and 3.2% cases were detected by medical staff, non-medical staff, and family, respectively. Provision rate of bystander CPR was 69.9% and rate of bystander defibrillation was 0.4% in total. Bystander CPR was provided by medical staff, non-medical staff, and families in 74.8%, 68.9%, and 52.1% respectively. Total survival rate was 2.2%, out of which, 3.3% was for medical staff, 3.2% for non-medical staff, and 0.6% for family. Compared to the results of detection by medical staff, the adjusted odds ratios (95% CIs) for provision of bystander CPR were 0.56 (0.49–0.63) for detection by non-medical staff and 0.33 (0.25–0.44) for detection by family. The bystander CPR rates of all three groups increased over time, and among them, the medical staff group increased the most. For prehospital ROSC and survival to discharge, no significant differences were observed according to bystander type.ConclusionAlthough OHCA was detected more often by non-medical staff, they provided bystander CPR less frequently than the medical staff did. To improve survival outcome of nursing home OHCA, bundle interventions including increasing the usage of automated external defibrillators and expanding CPR training for non-medical staff in nursing home are needed.     

Does non-medical prescribing make a difference to patients?

This article examines the literature on non-medical prescribing to establish its impact on UK healthcare. It discusses how better access to medication through non-medical prescribing can improve patient safety and patient-centred care, and how nurse prescribing can help ensure quality of care in the NHS during the current financial crisis.     

Working together: Using a unique approach to evaluate an interactive and clinic-based longitudinal interprofessional education experience with 13 professions

Interprofessional education (IPE) involving an interactive and longitudinal clinic experience at an inner-city charitable clinic from September to May 2013/2014 was evaluated. Pre-, mid-, and post-intervention data were collected from students in 13 different professions including medicine (medical and physician assistant), dentistry (dental and dental hygiene), nursing (undergraduate and clinical nurse specialist), public health, pharmacy, physical therapy, occupational therapy, nutritional sciences, speech and language pathology, and social work. To evaluate their interprofessional attitudes, students completed the TeamSTEPPS Teamwork Attitudes Questionnaire (T-TAQ) and Readiness for Interprofessional Learning Scale (RIPLS). They also completed a unique measure, healthcare professionals circles diagrams (HPCDs), that indicated student conceptualisation of a healthcare team caring for a complex patient, along with perception of their team’s progress towards meeting patient goals. Results from the T-TAQ and RIPLS scores indicated small but significant increases from pre- to post-intervention (p = 0.005 and 0.012, respectively). Analysis of the HPCDs revealed significant increases in students’ perceptions of the types of interprofessional team members, relationships, and communication between professions to provide medical care to patients (p < 0.01). Most HPCDs included pharmacists, nurses, and physicians as part of the care team at all time points. Students significantly increased their inclusion of dentistry, public health, social work, and physician assistants as members of the healthcare team from pre- to post-intervention. Implications of our data indicated the importance of IPE interventions that include not only classroom-based sessions, but actual patient care experiences within interprofessional teams. It also reinforced the importance of new and unique methods to assess IPE.     

Using video podcasting to enhance the learning of clinical skills: A qualitative study of physiotherapy students' experiences

BackgroundVideo podcasts, or vodcasts are increasingly used by a range of healthcare professions in the mastery of new skills. Little is known about the experiences of using vodcasts in physiotherapy education. Traditional pedagogic strategies have been employed in order to master those skills required for physiotherapy practice. There have been advances in the use of technology in medical education in the nursing, dentistry and medical fields. Vodcasts offer great versatility and potential when used as a pedagogical tool, embedded within a physiotherapy curriculum.AimTo explore students' experiences of using technology enhanced learning, namely vodcasts, in the Physiotherapy curriculum to develop the learning of clinical skills.MethodA series of focus groups were carried out with undergraduate and pre-registration physiotherapy students (n = 31).FindingsStudents valued the versatility and audio-visual nature of vodcasts; helpful in revising for practical examinations and practising their skills prior to, during and after taught skills classes. Watching and practising simultaneously allowed students to practice repeatedly and formulate a process for each skill. When learning a new skill, a combination of teaching and learning approaches was favoured, marrying traditional approaches with those that utilise technology.ConclusionsThis study's findings add to the existing body of evidence in skills based teaching and support a multi-media, blended approach in those disciplines involved in the learning and teaching of clinical skills.     

Clinical Governance: from clinical risk management to continuous quality improvement.

Reducing medical errors has become an international concern. Population-based studies from a number of nations around the world have consistently demonstrated unacceptably high rates of medical injury and preventable deaths. The introduction of effective reporting systems is a cornerstone of safe practice within hospitals and other healthcare organisations. Reporting can help to identify hazards and risks. However, reporting in itself does not improve safety. It is the response to reports that leads to change. Clinical teams must feel empowered to change the way in which they deliver their services, promoting effective clinical risk management. Process analysis, implementation of evidence-based practices, and a clear accountability system are effective tools not only for decreasing error rates, but also for improving effectiveness. Clinical Governance represents the context in which effective clinical risk management should be promoted and continuously improved. It should not be regarded as a separate activity, but should form part of the everyday practice of all healthcare professionals. It requires good multidisciplinary working and a willingness to reflect on and learn from errors to achieve a patient-centred and safer system.     

How to help a "problem" patient

A patient may become a "problem" owing to three groups of causes acting either independently or together. Group 1 is characteristic features of the patient including psychological problems and borderline psychiatric disorders. Group 2 is related to the physician's activity (overfatigue, poor communicative skills, etc.). Group 3 is comprised by the causes related to the peculiarities of the healthcare system structure and organization (overworked physicians, insufficient time that they can spend in direct care to an individual patient, inadequate information the patients acquire from non-medical sources). Poor organization of work in an outpatient facility inevitably deteriorates the quality of the provided care. The patients attending it begin making complaints against the personnel which leads to conflicts even in the absence of serious medical errors. Practical recommendations are proposed designed to help the "problem patients" to obtain quality medical aid and avoid conflict situations.     

Patient,physician and presentational influences on clinical decision making for breast cancer: results from a factorial experiment*

This study examines the influence of six patient characteristics (age, race, socioeconomic status, comorbiditics, mobility and presentational style) and two physician characteristics (medical specialty and years of clinical experience) on physicians' clinical decision making behaviour in the evaluation and treatment of an unknown and known breast cancer. Physicians' variability and certainty associated with diagnostic and treatment behaviour were also examined. Separate analyses explored the influence of these non-medical factors on physicians' cognitive processes. Using a fractional factorial design, 128 practising physicians were shown two videotaped scenarios and asked about possible diagnoses and medical recommendations. Results showed that physicians displayed considerable variability in response to several patient-based factors. Physician characteristics also emerged as important predictors of clinical behaviour, thus confirming the complexity of the medical decision-making process.     

突发重大疫情背景下公共卫生伦理原则在临床诊疗中的应用

公共卫生的宗旨是组织全体社会成员共同努力预防和控制疾病、促进健康.医务工作者和医疗机构是公共卫生系统不可或缺的重要组成部分,了解公共卫生伦理学的概念和原则,有助于改进医疗决策、提升医疗质量.医务工作者的临床实践既要符合临床伦理学原则,又要兼顾公共卫生伦理学原则,尤其在突发重大疫情背景下,公共卫生伦理学在临床诊疗和医疗资...