Development and evaluation of an allocation committee to distribute community placements on an equitable basis between universities: Our experience with the University Placement Allocation Committee

The present paper outlines the development and evaluation of an allocation committee to distribute community placements on an equitable basis between universities. Although based on our experience in South Australia with the University Placement Allocation Committee (UPAC), the primary goal is to outline the steps that would be useful if placement coordinators at other universities in Australia decided to establish and maintain an allocation committee. A survey of field supervisors was also conducted and field supervisors endorsed UPAC as a constructive mechanism for allocating community placements.     

The structure of memorized knowledge in students and clinicians: an explanation for diagnostic expertise

This paper provides for the first time evidence of a consistent difference in the memory structures of novice and expert clinicians. The diagnostic performance of first- and third-year clinical medical students, senior house officers, registrars and consultants on four clinical problems in general medicine was studied. Comparisons were made of all diagnostic interpretations offered and the forceful features (personally important pieces of information which act as a key to particular memory structures which in turn give rise to the clinical interpretation) from which these were derived. Results demonstrate that the numbers of interpretations made and the numbers of forceful features identified did not differ significantly between groups (P greater than 0.05). However, the actual interpretations made in three out of four cases, and the actual forceful features identified in all cases, did differ significantly between groups (P less than 0.05). The numbers of interpretations made by all groups were large and demonstrated enormous variability. Highly individualized multiple responses to clinical information are associated with easy diagnoses. We conclude that there is no difference between groups of differing clinical experience in the breadth of thought but that there are marked differences in the precise content and structure of thought. This allows coherent explanation of variation in diagnostic expertise with clinical experience. The significance of the findings is discussed.     

Assessment of postoperative pain: impact of clinical experience and professional role

Background: Unrelieved postoperative pain is still reported to be a rather common clinical problem which may be related to inadequate routines for pain assessment. Therefore, the aim of the study was to describe strategies used by experienced and less experienced nurses and physicians in their assessment of postoperative pain and to relate different approaches, clinical experience, and professional role to the accuracy of the pain ratings.
Methods: Data collection was based on repeated interviews with nurses (n=30) and physicians (n=30) in connection with clinical pain assessments (n=180) including VASscoring
Results: Commonly used strategies in the pain assessment were: - how the patient looks, - what the patient says, - the manner of talking, and - past experience of similar circumstances. The mean VAS-score given by the patients (6.1±21.1) was significantly (P<0.001) higher than that rated by the staff members (4.9±21.2). Nurses as well as physicians overestimated low and underestimated high levels of pain indicated by the patients. The accuracy of the ratings by nurses, especially by more experienced ones (≤10 years in nursing), was found to be less precise than that of physicians. The pain assessment of these very experienced nurses was characterized by a systematic underestimation.
Conclusions: The present study emphasizes a need for definition of more precise strategies for clinical postoperative pain assessment which better take into consideration the pain experiences and needs of individual patients     

120例门静脉病变的彩色多普勒超声诊部的临床价值

目的:探讨门静脉临床病变类型及超声诊断价值,指导临床治疗及预防。方法:通过120例超声诊断门静脉病变分析总结,对门静脉病变进行归纳分类,指导临床治疗及预防。结果:按门脉节段分类门脉病变分为:①门脉属支病变,②门脉主干病变,③门脉分支病变。每一病变又分门脉血流异常,门脉本身病变,门脉外异常影响门脉。并分析部分异常出现的原因及后果,指导预防及治疗。结论:应用彩超可以评价门脉病变性质、部位,部分指导临床治疗。     

Application of fluorescence in situ hybridization techniques in clinical genetics: use of two alphoid repeat probes detecting the centromeres of chromosomes 13 and 21 or chromosomes 14 and 22, respectively

Two cloned DNA fragments, one derived from an alpha satellite subfamily common to chromosomes 13 and 21, and the other derived from a similar subfamily common to chromosomes 14 and 22, have been used as biotinylated probes in in situ hybridization studies. Under high stringency conditions, chromosome specific centromeric labelling can be obtained. The applications of this technique in clinical situations are illustrated on metaphases from a fetus with trisomy 21, a fetus with trisomy 13, and a child with clinical features of cat-eye syndrome.     

Does the shunt opening pressure influence the effect of shunt surgery in normal pressure hydrocephalus?

Summary Thirteen patients with normal pressure hydrocephalus were operated upon with an externally manoeuvrable shunt system (Sophy SU8) in order to investigate its influence on clinical outcome, intracranial pressure and cranial CT parameters. The opening pressure was set at high at surgery and lowered stepwise at intervals of three months to medium and low. The clinical condition, intracranial pressure and cranial CT parameters were examined at the end of the 3 months interval on each pressure level.The patients improved within the first 3 months inspite of an unchanged mean intracranial pressure and remained in a stable clinical condition during the rest of the study period. The intracranial pressure was significantly reduced at 9 months. The ventricular index, Evans index, temporal horn and third ventricle width were reduced 3 months post-operatively and did not change significantly during the rest of the study. The pre-operative third ventricle width was correlated to high psychometric test results after shunt surgery. Reduction in ventricular index, Evans index and third ventricle width after surgery correlated to improvement in psychometric scoring.The clinical improvement after shunt surgery for normal pressure hydrocephalus is seen within 3 months and is independent of the adjusted valve pressure.     

An analysis of paediatric diagnostic decision-making: how should students be taught?

This study assesses the relative importance of history, examination and investigations in paediatric diagnosis, in the Paediatric Out-patient Department of the Central Middlesex Hospital, London, by means of a questionnaire-based record of 94 consecutive referrals. A diagnosis identical to the final diagnosis was made in 76% of referrals after taking a history. The general practitioner had proposed a diagnosis in 45% in the referral letter. Clinical examination changed the diagnosis in only 15% but increased diagnostic confidence in 33%. Ninety-one per cent of cases were diagnosed without recourse to investigations. Forty-two per cent of children referred had investigations performed. In the majority of paediatric cases the provisional diagnosis reached after taking a history was identical to that after examination or results of investigations were known. Although examination provided a final diagnosis in only 15% of all cases it played an important role in adding confidence in 33%. More educational effort should therefore be directed at clinical history-taking skills and the subsequent purpose of examination.     

临床医学专业学位教育的困境与发展走向

自临床医学研究生、临床医学专业学位教育实施以来，社会评价并不高，甚至存在相当数量的负面评价。究其因，一是源于对临床医学专业学位教育的认识误区，二是源于我国目前临床医学专业学位教育制度本身的缺陷。目前，我国高等医学教育体系尚不完善，专业学位教育、研究生教育及毕业后职业技能基本培训之间关系错综复杂，功能定位不清，形成相互干扰和冲突。建议进一步梳理思路，正确认识专业学位教育、研究生教育和住院医师规范化培训的教育特征与功能定位，建立各自恰当的培养目标与培养模式，最终实现在全国建立先进、科学、完善、与国际接轨的完整的医学教育体系。     

元认知能力在医学生临床实习中的培养

元认知能力在医学生临床实习过程中起着非常重要的作用。培养医学生的元认知能力 ,必须丰富医学生的元认知知识 ,强化医学生的元认知体验 ,促进医学生加强元认知监控 ,从而使他们成为独立自主、有创造力的学习者。