Clinical reasoning and medical education: Scoping Review

This review aims at identifying research trends in medical education focused on clinical reasoning and argumentation for the resolution of specific problems in the area of medicine. A systematic literature review was performed comprising articles from 2015 to 2019 with the keywords; Clinical Reasoning and Medical Education. A total of 191 articles were initially found, of which 52 were analyzed as they were in accordance with the criteria designed for the study. Most studies had a qualitative design and, although they were focused on the teaching process, there was a fundamental recognition of the student in the design of strategies and methods. The theoretical and thematic categories most addressed were new trends in teaching strategies, resolution of medical practice problems, and the decrease in diagnostic error. This type of study allows the delimitation of fields of research, and clarifies the state of progress, approaches, and interests of researchers dedicated to this particular area. It is concluded that the investigation of teaching practices that lead to the promotion of argumentation in students has become a field of exploration, and introduces new perspectives in relation to the training process. This supports the need to integrate the method into teaching and learning processes of health sciences, as well as in the theoretical and methodological developments resulting from research on specific didactics.     

有限元分析在骨科植入器械研发中的应用探讨

有限元分析方法目前常用于骨科植入器械设计和性能研究,但在运用的过程中还存在有限元分析方法使用不当、有限元分析的研究过程不完整、有限元分析模型缺少验证等问题。因此,本文结合企业研发资料情况,就如何提高有限元分析方法在骨科植入器械研发过程中的可靠性提出几点建议,以期为相关人员正确合理使用有限元分析方法提供参考。     

Pilot study to evaluate safety culture perception in the operating theatres of an acute NHS Trust using the National Air Traffic Services (NATS) App

An area critical to safety in an organisation is the perceived and actual culture. National Air Traffic Services (NATS) work closely with large safety-critical industries including various aviation companies to enable them to identify strengths and vulnerabilities with the aim of improving safe practice. NATS have developed a simple free downloadable self-assessment App that individuals can use to assess their own culture perception in their organisation. The App has 16 questions arranged in four domains but to our knowledge it has not been used to date in healthcare. As part of the initiatives to improve staff culture, we evaluated operating theatre colleagues’ safety perception in our large acute NHS Trust in a pilot study using the NATS safety App. Staff downloaded the App to their smart device before completing it. Responses were sent anonymously through the App and collated by NATS. A total of 146 colleagues downloaded and completed the questionnaire. One hundred and seventeen staff (80%) felt encouraged to report safety concerns, but 86% (n = 126) confirmed a lack of available support from healthcare managers. Only 43% of respondents (n = 63) would find it easy to challenge colleagues if they observed unsafe behaviour. This pilot study has identified positive indicators of an evolving NHS safety culture, and some concerns about speaking up, support, and challenging colleagues without fear. These issues are known to occur across healthcare. Further work is needed in the NHS to provide a supportive environment to improve patient safety, and lower hierarchy in surgical teams.     

A user-study measuring the effects of lexical simplification and coherence enhancement on perceived and actual text difficulty

PurposeLow patient health literacy has been associated with cost increases in medicine because it contributes to inadequate care. Providing explanatory text is a convenient approach to distribute medical information and increase health literacy. Unfortunately, writing text that is easily understood is challenging. This work tests two text features for their impact on understanding: lexical simplification and coherence enhancement.MethodsA user study was conducted to test the features’ effect on perceived and actual text difficulty. Individual sentences were used to test perceived difficulty. Using a 5-point Likert scale, participants compared eight pairs of original and simplified sentences. Abstracts were used to test actual difficulty. For each abstract, four versions were created: original, lexically simplified, coherence enhanced, and lexically simplified and coherence enhanced. Using a mixed design, one group of participants worked with the original and lexically simplified documents (no coherence enhancement) while a second group worked with the coherence enhanced versions. Actual difficulty was measured using a Cloze measure and multiple-choice questions.ResultsUsing Amazon's Mechanical Turk, 200 people participated of which 187 qualified based on our data qualification tests. A paired-samples t-test for the sentence ratings showed a significant reduction in difficulty after lexical simplification (p < .001). Results for actual difficulty are based on the abstracts and associated tasks. A two-way ANOVA for the Cloze test showed no effect of coherence enhancement but a main effect for lexical simplification, with the simplification leading to worse scores (p = .004). A follow-up ANOVA showed this effect exists only for function words when coherence was not enhanced (p = .008). In contrast, a two-way ANOVA for answering multiple-choice questions showed a significant beneficial effect of coherence enhancement (p = .003) but no effect of lexical simplification.ConclusionsLexical simplification reduced the perceived difficulty of texts. Coherence enhancement reduced the actual difficulty of text when measured using multiple-choice questions. However, the Cloze measure results showed that lexical simplification can negatively impact the flow of the text.     

在校小学生意外伤害救护认知与教育需求调查

目的 了解小学生对意外伤害救护的认知水平、教育现状与需求,针对薄弱环节,探索适应小学生需求及学习特征的培训形式。 方法 通过学校微信平台,对武汉市江岸区某小学1 264名学生进行意外伤害救护认知与教育需求问卷调查,并进行统计学分析。 结果 小学生对心肺复苏有效时间、心肺复苏按压深度、按压部位、复苏抢救对象知晓率低,仅为12.82%、25.08%、50.55%、70.33%;溺水的急救知晓率仅30.46%;不同年级学生对学校易受伤地点、易受伤情境、易受伤原因、同学做危险活动时表现的认知及对心肺复苏知识的知晓和烫伤、眼部异物、气管异物的急救处理认知上存在统计学差异(P＜0.05);97.63%的小学生希望医院-学校建立联合培训模式;68.35%选择情景游戏方式进行培训。 结论 小学生对意外伤害救护认知存在局限,尤其心肺复苏知识与技能急待提升,学校及教育主管部门可探索医院-学校联合培训形式,建构科学规范的安全教育体系,提高小学生意外伤害救护能力。     

Dental and medical dual qualification in Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery: a global identity

The argument of whether or not Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery (OMFS) should have both dental and medical core education in the training pathway remains an issue of debate and contention to date. The mid-90s witnessed a gradual trend internationally towards a dual qualification which has slowed down or come to a standstill the last 10 years. This has been more evident in rapidly growing nations in the Middle East/North Africa and Asian subcontinent regions. The maxillofacial identity of a dual degree is being questioned in OMFS-pioneering countries, such as the United Kingdom (UK), which has played a role in the domination of the single degree pathway globally. In this mini review, we will attempt to shed light on the aforementioned regions and put forward a more global role the UK can play in standardising education and training while addressing the cost burden of the dual qualification pathway.     

责任指数在医学生医师职业精神评测中的应用初探

目前对于医学生医师职业精神的培养和测评已成为国内外医学院校医学教育当中的热点问题,但是对于低年级医学生职业精神评测的研究较少。介绍了责任指数的基本概念并通过介绍国外医学院校应用责任指数对于在校医学生医师职业精神的评测,分析该方法的优劣。认为责任指数是基于具体行为的评测、其结果更加真实准确,是适用于低年级医学生的医师职业精神评测系统,与其他评测系统相比,责任指数更注重预先的指导和规范。但责任指数也有一些不足之处,如责任指数评估过程中须面对一些伦理挑战,且评测框架设计缺乏整体性。     

Ethical Issues and Management of Fetal Hemolytic Anemia Caused by Anti-Rh17 in a Multipara with Rare −D– Phenotype

BackgroundThe development of allo-anti-Rh17 (anti-Hr0) in a −D– phenotype whose red blood cells (RBCs) lack CcEe antigens is most likely triggered by transfusion, transplantation, or pregnancy. Gene conversion is the predominating factor in generating RHD-CE-D and RHCE-D-CE hybrids like −D–.MethodsWe report here immunohematological and obstetrical data from 2 of the 5 pregnancies of a 24-year-old woman presenting with the −D– phenotype with anti-Rh17. Blood group typing, antibody screening, antibody differentiation, direct antiglobulin test (DAT), and antibody titers were performed by routine gel technology and tube testing. Additionally, molecular genetic analysis was performed. Fetal surveillance was done by sonographic evaluation of the fetal middle cerebral artery peak systolic velocity (MCA-PSV).ResultsBlood group typing showed O, C-c-D+E-e- and the DAT was negative. DNA sequencing revealed homozygosity for an RHCE-D(3–9)-CE null allele. Anti-Rh17 titers in the fourth pregnancy remained between 1:8 and 1:128, and no signs for a fetal anemia were observed. However, in the fifth pregnancy, the antibody titers increased up to 1:4,096. Signs of moderate fetal anemia were detected and cesarean section was performed at 34 + 6 weeks of gestation. The newborn presented with hemolytic anemia (cord blood hemoglobin [Hb] = 8.5 mg/dL). She received 2 compatible (small) packed RBC concentrates, phototherapy, and intravenous immunoglobulins.ConclusionOur case shows that the risk for hemolytic complications increases with the number of pregnancies of sensitized women. Only people who also lack CcEe antigens are compatible as donors. The role of such rare donors as lifesavers, their freedom, and voluntariness conflict with the urgent need for compatible blood.     

The development and psychometric evaluation of the Clinicians' Attitudes towards Responding and Escalating care of Deteriorating patients scale

BackgroundValidated measures of ward nurses' safety cultures in relation to escalations of care in deteriorating patients are lacking.ObjectivesThis study aimed to develop and evaluate the psychometric properties of the Clinicians' Attitudes towards Responding and Escalating care of Deteriorating patients (CARED) scale for use among ward nurses.MethodsThe study was conducted in two phases: scale development and psychometric evaluation. The scale items were developed based on a systematic literature review, informant interviews, and expert reviews (n = 15). The reliability and validity of the scale were examined by administering the scale to 617 registered nurses with retest evaluations (n = 60). The factor structure of the CARED scale was examined in a split-half analysis with exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses. The internal consistency, test–retest reliability, convergent validity, and known-group validity of the scale were also analysed.ResultsA high overall content validity index of 0.95 was obtained from the validations of 15 international experts from seven countries. A three-factor solution was identified from the final 22 items: ‘beliefs about rapid response system’, ‘fears about escalating care’, and ‘perceived confidence in responding to deteriorating patients’. The internal consistency reliability of the scale was supported with a good Cronbach's alpha value of 0.86 and a Spearman-Brown split-half coefficient of 0.87. An excellent test–retest reliability was demonstrated, with an intraclass correlation coefficient of 0.92. The convergent validity of the scale was supported with an existing validated scale. The CARED scale also demonstrated abilities to discriminate differences among the sample characteristics.ConclusionsThe final 22-item CARED scale was tested to be a reliable and valid scale in the Singaporean setting. The scale may be used in other settings to review hospitals' rapid response systems and to identify strategies to support ward nurses in the process of escalating care in deteriorating ward patients.     

心理健康管理对综合医院体检慢性病筛查与管理的有效性

目的探讨心理健康管理对体检慢性病筛查与管理的有效性。方法随机抽取体检筛查的慢性病231例,排除相关因素,对其中的201例进行体检后心理健康管理,主要采用体检报告与心理测评报告结合方式进行讲解答疑工作,对筛选出的慢性病患者进行心理健康指导与效果评估。结果参与心理健康管理后,83.58%的患者主观感受较好,67.67%自感心理健康水平有所提升,79.10%疾病复发次数降低,90.55%体检结果转好,73.13%经访谈后表示会继续参加心理健康管理。结论心理社会因素在心身疾病的发生、发展、治疗和预后中起重要的作用,心理健康管理对慢性病康复有促进作用。