Narrative medicine as a means of training medical students toward residency competencies

Objective

This study sought to explore the perceived influence of narrative medicine training on clinical skill development of fourth-year medical students, focusing on competencies mandated by ACGME and the RCPSC in areas of communication, collaboration, and professionalism.

Methods

Using grounded-theory, three methods of data collection were used to query twelve medical students participating in a one-month narrative medicine elective regarding the process of training and the influence on clinical skills. Iterative thematic analysis and data triangulation occurred.

Results

Response rate was 91% (survey), 50% (focus group) and 25% (follow-up). Five major findings emerged. Students perceive that they: develop and improve specific communication skills; enhance their capacity to collaborate, empathize, and be patient-centered; develop personally and professionally through reflection. They report that the pedagogical approach used in narrative training is critical to its dividends but misunderstood and perceived as counter-culture.

Conclusion/Practice implications

Participating medical students reported that they perceived narrative medicine to be an important, effective, but counter-culture means of enhancing communication, collaboration, and professional development. The authors contend that these skills are integral to medical practice, consistent with core competencies mandated by the ACGME/RCPSC, and difficult to teach. Future research must explore sequelae of training on actual clinical performance.     

Palliative and supportive care needs of patients with high-grade glioma and their carers: A systematic review of qualitative literature

Objective

Patients diagnosed with Primary Malignant Glioma (PMG) face substantial challenges with poor prognosis, high symptom burden and care needs. This study aims to collate current literature detailing the supportive and palliative care needs of patients with PMG and their carers, and to subject it to a novel approach of formal evaluation.

Methods

Medline, EMBASE, CINAHL, PsychInfo were searched with core concepts: (1) glioma, (2) high-grade disease, and (3) palliative and supportive care needs. A narrative synthesis approach was undertaken including a quality appraisal of the 21 included studies.

Results

Key themes related to the need for consistent well-delivered information around disease sequelae, treatment, and resources available; health service needs including a key professional identified to coordinate care; the need for psychological and social supports, and clear avenues of communication with treating professionals.

Conclusion

The literature remains limited in the number and quality of evidence with two Level I, eight Level II, and eleven Level III studies. The findings call for improved information, communication and support practices to address the complexity and breadth of needs.

Practice implications

Specialised and individually tailored information, attention to clear, consistent communication and support practices should be incorporated into a future needs-based model of care.     

Slaying the dragon myth: an ethnographic study of receptionists in UK general practice

Background

General practice receptionists fulfil an essential role in UK primary care, shaping patient access to health professionals. They are often portrayed as powerful ‘gatekeepers’. Existing literature and management initiatives advocate more training to improve their performance and, consequently, the patient experience.

Aim

To explore the complexity of the role of general practice receptionists by considering the wider practice context in which they work.

Design and setting

Ethnographic observation in seven urban general practices in the north-west of England.

Method

Seven researchers conducted 200 hours of ethnographic observation, predominantly in the reception areas of each practice. Forty-five receptionists were involved in the study and were asked about their work as they carried out their activities. Observational notes were taken. Analysis involved ascribing codes to incidents considered relevant to the role and organising these into related clusters.

Results

Receptionists were faced with the difficult task of prioritising patients, despite having little time, information, and training. They felt responsible for protecting those patients who were most vulnerable, however this was sometimes made difficult by protocols set by the GPs and by patients trying to ‘play’ the system.

Conclusion

Framing the receptionist–patient encounter as one between the ‘powerful’ and the ‘vulnerable’ gets in the way of fully understanding the complex tasks receptionists perform and the contradictions that are inherent in their role. Calls for more training, without reflective attention to practice dynamics, risk failing to address systemic problems, portraying them instead as individual failings.     

脑血管病生物样本库建设标准研究

目的 开发适合我国脑血管病精准医学研究的生物样本库建设及管理标准,为建设可开发共享的 脑血管病生物样本库提供技术保障。 方法 参考国际大型生物样本库建设经验,基于国际标准化组织等机构的标准化思路,形成我国 脑血管病生物样本库建设标准框架,从场地设施、设备、操作规程、数据标准、信息化等多个维度, 对样本库的建设提出技术要求。 结果 依据本研究提出的建设标准,建立了符合国际标准的天坛脑血管病生物样本库运行及质量 管理体系,建成标准化采集、处理、保藏的10万人次脑血管病临床研究生物样本资源平台。 结论 天坛脑血管病生物样本库具有样本量充足、多样、多时点采集的生物样本资源,并实现了标 准化的信息存储,可为对接脑血管病多组学研究,脑血管病精准筛查、预警、诊断与干预等精准医学 研究提供技术支撑。     

Family interventions for adults living with type 2 diabetes mellitus: A qualitative meta-synthesis

ObjectiveReview and synthesize qualitative research on family interventions for adults living with type 2 diabetes.MethodsA qualitative metasynthesis was conducted. Analysis used imported concepts from realist evaluation – context, mechanisms, and outcomes.ResultsSix studies met inclusion criteria in this qualitative systematic review. Powerful mechanisms were identified that occur outside the family intervention in the context of ethnic, racialized, and geographically defined groups. Many similarities were noted across contexts, such as low income. Mechanisms of interventions focused primarily on family member education. Outcomes were focused more on improving self-care behaviors, rather than family-oriented outcomes.ConclusionSystemic issues affecting social determinants of health set the context for family interventions for type 2 diabetes. When designing these interventions, intersectionality, scarcity, and family functioning may need to be considered.Practice implicationsEmphasis on education of family members may not be effective in improving diabetes outcomes, as many powerful mechanisms exist outside of these interventions.     

国内外超重和肥胖人群心理卫生相关研究的热点

目的:分析近20年超重和肥胖人群心理卫生相关研究,比较国内外该人群心理卫生相关研究热点。方法:检索万方、知网、PubMed数据库2000年1月-2020年4月收录的超重和肥胖人群心理相关研究,采用BICOMB、gCLUTO软件对关键词和主题词进行聚类和可视化分析。研究人群为中国人的研究定义为国内研究,其余均视为国外研究。结果:最终纳入国内研究661篇、国外研究3679篇。聚类分析显示,国内关注肥胖型多囊卵巢综合征、儿童青少年、肥胖合并症患者等;国外侧重于减重术后及暴食症患者、儿童青少年等。结论:国内外研究热点仅在儿童、青少年方面较为相似。国内在存在肥胖合并症的临床疾病领域发展较好,而国外所关注的减重术后患者生活质量及心理状况、正念疗法和认知行为疗法的运用等值得国内研究者借鉴。