Mind the gap: Teachers’ conceptions of student-staff partnership and its potential to enhance educational quality

Abstract

Introduction: Student-staff partnerships as a concept to improve medical education have received a growing amount of attention. Such partnerships are collaborations in which students and teachers seek to improve education by each adding their unique contribution to decision-making and implementation processes. Although previous research has demonstrated that students are favourable to this concept, teachers remain hesitant. The present study investigated teachers’ conceptions of student-staff partnerships and of the prerequisites that are necessary to render such partnerships successful and enhance educational quality.

Method: We conducted semi-structured interviews with 14 course coordinators who lead course design teams and also teach in 4 bachelor health programmes, using Bovill and Bulley’s levels of student participation as sensitising concepts during data analysis.

Results: The results pointed to three different conceptions of student-staff partnerships existing among teachers: Teachers teach and students study; teachers teach and value students’ feedback; and teachers and students co-create. The prerequisites for effective co-creation teachers identified were: Teachers must be open to involve students and create dialogues; students must be motivated and have good communication skills; the organisation must be supportive; and teachers should have the final say.

Conclusion: We conclude that teachers’ conceptions are consistent with Bovill and Bulley’s levels of student participation. Under certain conditions, teachers are willing to co-create and reach the highest levels of student participation.     

The role of online videos in teaching procedural skills to post-graduate medical learners: A systematic narrative review

Abstract

Objective: Online videos are commonly used in medical education. The aim of this review was to investigate the role of online instructional videos in teaching procedural skills to postgraduate medical learners.

Methods: This systematic narrative review was conducted according to the PRISMA guidelines. MEDLINE, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, EMBASE, ERIC and Google Scholar were searched. Full texts that applied to online videos, postgraduate medical learners and procedural skills were included without language restrictions. The methodological quality of the studies was evaluated using a validated tool. A thematic analysis of the studies was carried out using a general inductive approach.

Results: A total of 785 articles were retrieved and the full text was reviewed for 66 articles that met the inclusion and exclusion criteria of the study. Twenty papers that were relevant to the role of online videos in postgraduate medical education of procedural skills were used for this review. They were heterogenous in the outcomes collected and the evidence was of variable quality. There was strong evidence for the use of online videos for procedural skill knowledge acquisition and retention. Online videos were used for various purposes, such as supervision, assessment, postoperative debriefing, providing feedback, and promoting reflection.

Conclusion: Online videos are a valuable educational tool especially for procedural skill knowledge acquisition and retention. Future research needs to be carried out on the appropriate use of platforms in disseminating and using online videos, identifying the factors surrounding the learners, video characteristics, and data protection.     

Does ablation of atrial fibrillation at the time of septal myectomy improve survival of patients with obstructive hypertrophic cardiomyopathy?

ObjectiveTo evaluate the outcomes after septal myectomy in patients with obstructive hypertrophic cardiomyopathy according to atrial fibrillation and surgical ablation of atrial fibrillation.MethodsWe reviewed patients with obstructive hypertrophic cardiomyopathy who underwent septal myectomy at the Mayo Clinic from 2001 to 2016. History of atrial fibrillation was obtained from patient histories and electrocardiograms. All-cause mortality was the primary end point.ResultsA total of 2023 patients underwent septal myectomy, of whom 394 (19.5%) had at least 1 episode of atrial fibrillation preoperatively. Among patients with atrial fibrillation, 76 (19.3%) had only 1 known episode, 278 (70.6%) had recurrent paroxysmal atrial fibrillation, and 40 (10.2%) had persistent atrial fibrillation. Surgical ablation was performed in 190 patients at the time of septal myectomy, including 148 with pulmonary vein isolation and 42 with the classic maze procedure. Among all patients, operative mortality was 0.4%, and there were no early deaths in patients undergoing surgical ablation. Over a median follow-up of 5.6 years, patients with preoperative atrial fibrillation had increased mortality (hazard ratio, 1.36; 95% confidence interval, 0.97-1.91; P = .070) after multivariable adjustment for comorbidities. When considering the impact of atrial fibrillation with or without surgical treatment, the adjusted hazard ratio for mortality in patients undergoing ablation compared with no ablation was 0.93 (95% confidence interval, 0.52-1.69; P = .824).ConclusionsAtrial fibrillation is present preoperatively in one-fifth of patients with obstructive hypertrophic cardiomyopathy undergoing myectomy and showed a trend toward higher all-cause mortality. Survival of patients undergoing septal myectomy with preoperative atrial fibrillation was similar between those who did and did not receive concomitant surgical ablation.     

Patterns of Use of Induction Therapy for T2N0 Esophageal Cancer

1. Download : Download high-res image (251KB)
2. Download : Download full-size image

     

Chlorthalidone with potassium citrate decreases calcium oxalate stones and increases bone quality in genetic hypercalciuric stone-forming rats

1. Download : Download high-res image (331KB)
2. Download : Download full-size image

     

Does post dural puncture headache exist in idiopathic intracranial hypertension? A pilot study

Background/ObjectiveOccurrence of post-dural puncture headache (PDPH) after diagnostic lumbar puncture (LP) for idiopathic intracranial hypertension (IIH) may seem very unlikely in clinical practice. Nevertheless, it has been suggested by several studies, mainly in sub-group analyses. We aimed to evaluate the prevalence of PDPH in an IIH population and determine any eventual predictive factors of PDPH occurrence.MethodsWe conducted a retrospective multiple-center observational study. All newly diagnosed IIH patients who met the International Classification of Headache Disorders (ICHD-3) or the Dandy modified criteria were included from three different French hospitals. They all underwent LP following the same process with the same type of needle. We recorded PDPH occurring within five days after LP, as defined by ICHD-3 criteria.ResultsSeventy-four IIH patients were recruited, of whom 23 (31%) presented with PDPH. Neither classical risk factors for PDPH such as body mass index, age or gender, nor cerebrospinal fluid opening pressure, or specific IIH features were associated with occurrence of PDPH.ConclusionPDPH can occur after LP in IIH patients. Clinicians should be aware of this possible event during the IIH diagnosis assessment and should not automatically reconsider IIH diagnosis. PDPH prevention using an atraumatic needle and dedicated PDPH treatment seem relevant in IIH patients.     

Impact on Health-Related Quality of Life of Induction Chemotherapy Compared With Concurrent Cisplatin and Radiation Therapy in Patients With Head and Neck Cancer

AimsOrgan preservation, an important goal in the treatment of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC), may include induction chemotherapy and cisplatin with radiation therapy (CRT). To our knowledge, no reports have directly compared the impact of induction chemotherapy with that of CRT on health-related quality of life (HRQOL).Materials and methodsIn a phase II trial, we assessed the HRQOL of patients treated with induction chemotherapy followed by CRT. Eligible patients had stage III–IV HNSCC. HRQOL questionnaires were administered at baseline, the end of induction (EOI), the end of CRT (EOCRT) and after CRT. Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy (FACT version 4) assessed HRQOL. We carried out a comparison of changes in HRQOL from baseline to EOI and from EOI to EOCRT. This trial is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT01566435).ResultsThirty patients were enrolled in the study. Most HRQOL questionnaires were completed (88%). The mean total FACT scores did not differ from baseline to EOI (general: 83.8 versus 79.1, P = 0.08; head and neck: 109.7 versus 105.8, P = 0.33; Total Outcome Index: 69.7 versus 62.3, P = 0.03; respectively, using P ≤ 0.01 to adjust for multiple simultaneous tests of differences). However, total FACT scores significantly worsened from EOI to EOCRT (79.1 versus 62.3, P = 0.01; 105.8 versus 74.2, P < 0.01; 62.3 versus 34.2, P = 0.01; respectively). Within domains, the head and neck cancer subscale score did not differ from baseline to EOI (median 28.5 versus 27.0, P = 0.69), but significantly worsened from EOI to EOCRT (27.0 versus 9.5, P < 0.01). Swallowing, oral pain and voice quality improved from baseline to EOI, but worsened from EOI to EOCRT. Physical and functional scores worsened from baseline to EOI and from EOI to EOCRT. The emotional well-being score improved from baseline to EOI but worsened from EOI to EOCRT.ConclusionsOverall, HRQOL did not significantly change from baseline to EOI but dramatically worsened from EOI to EOCRT.     

Twelve tips for implementing a community of practice for faculty development

Abstract

Teaching and learning practices often fail to incorporate new concepts in the ever-evolving field of medical education. Although medical education research provides new insights into curricular development, learners’ engagement, assessment methods, professional development, interprofessional education, and so forth, faculty members often struggle to modernize their teaching practices. Communities of practice (CoP) for faculty development offer an effective and sustainable approach for knowledge management and implementation of best practices. A successful CoP creates and shares knowledge in the context of a specific practice toward the development of expertise. CoPs’ collaborative nature, based on the co-creation of practical solutions to daily problems, aligns well with the goals of applying best practices in health professions education and training new faculty members. In our article, we share 12 tips for implementing a community of practice for faculty development. The tips were based on a comprehensive literature review and the authors’ experiences.     

Post-viral atopic airway disease: pathogenesis and potential avenues for intervention

Introduction: In early childhood, wheezing due to lower respiratory tract illness is often associated with infection by commonly known respiratory viruses such as respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and human rhinovirus (RV). How respiratory viral infections lead to wheeze and/or asthma is an area of active research.

Areas covered: This review provides an updated summary of the published information on the development of post-viral induced atopy and asthma and the mechanisms involved. We focus on the contribution of animal models in identifying pathways that may contribute to atopy and asthma following respiratory virus infection, different polymorphisms that have been associated with asthma development, and current options for disease management and potential future interventions.

Expert commentary: Currently there are no prophylactic therapies that prevent infants infected with respiratory viruses from developing asthma or atopy. Neither are there curative therapies for patients with asthma. Therefore, a better understanding of genetic factors and other associated biomarkers in respiratory viral induced pathogenesis is important for developing effective personalized therapies.