Requiring Consent vs. Waiving Consent for Medical Records Research: A Minnesota Law vs. the U.S. (HIPAA) Privacy Rule

The use of medical records in research can yield information that is difficult to obtain by other means. When such records are released to investigators in identifiable form, however, substantial privacy and confidentiality risks may be created. These risks become more common and more serious as medical records move to an electronic format. In 1996, the state of Minnesota enacted legislation with respect to consent requirements for the use of medical records in research. This legislation has been widely criticized because--it is claimed--it creates an unnecessary impediment to research. In this article, we show that these arguments rest upon misinterpretation and/or misrepresentation of the 1996 legislation. A consent requirement had actually been present in Minnesota since 1976 (though codified in a patient rights statute rather than a privacy statute). The 1996 law does not require specific consent, as often claimed, but rather only a general authorization. The campaign against the Minnesota legislation appears to have been motivated by concern with respect to the then impending federal privacy rule. The HIPAA rule, as enacted, is in fact less stringent with respect to consent than the Minnesota consent law. On the other hand, the Minnesota consent law has not been effectively applied or enforced. As we change the way we manage sensitive medical information, new efforts are needed to provide protection against the confidentiality risks in research. Patient consent is an important tool in this regard. New instrumentalities are needed to solicit and document consent.     

Integrating human factors into the medical curriculum

Background  The study of human factors is a scientific discipline that deals with the interactions between human beings and the elements of a system. This is important because shortcomings in these areas, if unchecked, can result in adverse outcomes. Research into human factors in industries where safety is paramount has provided the basis of countermeasures against human error. Adverse outcomes in medicine resulting from human error exact a high cost in both patient suffering and financial outlay.
CRM training  One of the approaches used to minimise the effect of human error is to train people in a set of knowledge, skills and attitudes that underpin the domain-specific competencies for that profession. These are referred to as non-technical skills (NTS). In aviation, such an approach has been shown to be both translatable from the training environment to the workplace and effective in reducing adverse outcomes.
Discussion  Medicine has incorporated this style of training, usually centred around simulator-based courses, but as yet in a piecemeal, episodic fashion which relies on participants volunteering to attend courses. Unlike other industries there is no systematic approach to linking the content of this teaching with the more conventional range of topics. As a consequence it is difficult to assess the impact of human factors training in medicine. This is partly because very little work has been done to date in identifying the key non-technical skills required in medicine, and the overall experience of workplace based assessment is limited. Lessons from other high reliability organisations may help to address the main challenges of developing the content, integrating it into the curriculum, reinforcing the concepts in the workplace through staff development and establishing its role in summative assessment.     

浅谈医疗商业贿赂的成因及预防对策

医疗商业贿赂已引起全社会的高度关注，成为2006年六大重点领域里治理的商业贿赂之一。作者通过分析医疗商业贿赂的危害和原因，提出：①加强思想教育；②坚持依法行政；③完善相关制度；④深化体制改革；⑤完善监督制度等预防对策。     

温州市农村贫困人群卫生服务需求和利用分析

通过对近2000份调查表的分析,评价温州市农村贫困人群在就诊过程中对医疗机构的选择、未就诊原因方面的特点,提出提高卫生服务利用的方法。     

近代宁波仁泽医院

1842年鸦片战争结束后,西方势力纷沓而至,为了便于传教布道,英国圣公会传教团于19世纪70年代在宁波成立了仁泽医院.作为西方列强在华扩展势力的产物,仁泽医院具有殖民色彩,但其所开展的医疗活动对宁波近代的医疗卫生事业发展以及社会观念和陋习的改变发挥了一定的积极作用.     

双语教学Powerpoint课件制作探讨

针对Powerpoint软件在课件制作上常存在的屏幕背景与文字色彩对比不当、文字数量太多及字体太小、文字动画太多且乱、声音混杂等问题,结合实践就如何制作课件,尤其是双语教学课件,从总体布局、屏幕文字安排、背景与版式的设计、声音与动画等方面进行了探讨,并介绍了多种特殊效果的应用技巧.     

医学生心理健康教育面临的挑战

随着知识经济、信息时代的到来以及医学事业自身的不断发展、现代医学模式转变、医学院校的心理健康教育的状况等都对医学院校的心理健康教育提出了严峻的挑战。面对挑战,医学院校应充分重视心理健康教育,大力开展和加强心理素质教育,提高医学生的心理素质。     

《太医院先生案》考

近来发现一本朝鲜朝宫庭医名录本，暂题名为《太医院先生案》．结合其他文献介绍了宫庭医的情况，并介绍了名录本的文例．这将对朝鲜朝医学史研究有一定的价值     

Health-seeking behavior and the meaning of medications in Balochistan, Pakistan

A wide variety of health care options--home-based, indigenous, and cosmopolitan--exists in northern Balochistan, Pakistan. This paper examines health-seeking behavior in the area of mother and child health for villagers in this pluralistic medical setting. The analysis of a specific series of illness episodes shows that the majority of cases obtain treatment from different medical systems for a single episode. Interest in medications takes precedence over practitioners, and the meaning the villagers attach to such substances is explored. Long-established patterns of behavior relating to indigenous medicine continue to occur when cosmopolitan medicine is utilized. Information presented here helps to explain problems in utilization of cosmopolitan pharmaceuticals and delineates areas for future health programme activity.     

THE ACCEPTANCE OF COMPUTER ASSISTED LEARNING BY MEDICAL STUDENTS

The use of computer assisted learning (CAL) in the medical undergraduate curriculum is increasing. Little is known regarding the acceptability of CAL among medical students. The present study was conducted to investigate the possible anxiety generated by and the acceptability of CAL among medical students. One hundred and twenty-six students completed a questionnaire after using n software package which has been written as an adjunct in teaching urology. The present study demonstrates that there was little anxiety experienced by the students when using CAL and furthermore that there was a high level of acceptance for this type of instruction. This is encouraging for medical educators involved in producing multimedia packages for teaching medicine and surgery.