Journal of Medical Education for Future Demands
Year:2008 | Volume:12 | Issue:3-4|Papers Count:8

Background and purpose: The learning experiences of medical students happen in diverse settings. Logbook is a long known tool to manage and guide these experiences but the studies had varying re­sults this study is an attempt to examine the educational benefits of logbooks . Methods: In this quasi-experimental study the externs were divided into to equivalent groups as in­tervention and control group. For the controls the routine program was delivered while logbook was used in addition to routine learning activities for intervention group. The students was examined with an OSCE and MCQ exam at completion of rotation. The results were compared. Results: Of 53 subjects, 28 were assigned in control groups and 25 were placed in intervention groups. The intervention groups’ performance on OSCE was not significantly different from control group (14.84±1.87 vs 13.93.2.15, P > 0.05). The intervention groups performance on 5 stations of OSCE assessing clinical skills compared with the control groups performance on these stations showed a significant difference of 6.4 out of 20 (P < 0.0001) while the intervention groups performance on 7 stations assessing factual knowledge compared with the control groups performance on these stations showed no significant difference (0.2, P > 0.05). Conclusion: The introduction of logbook was associated with increased clinical skills while no im­provement of factual knowledge was observed.

Background and purpose: It has been demonstrated that the level of welfare and improvement of na­tions is evaluated by the progress and achievement of their health service networks. The specialization of therapeutic approaches is one of the practical and effective ways to accomplish this goal. The health system savants believe that the family physician guideline is the redeemer of health system section. This study is aimed, to evaluate the accuracy of diagnosis of the dermatologic disease of referred pa­tients by family physician in Zanjan Valiasr hospital in year 2008.Methods: This descriptive and cross-sectional study was done on 173 cases of referred patients from village family physician to dermatologic clinic. After correct diagnosis by dermatologist data includ­ing age, sex, family physician diagnosis and dermatologist diagnosis were recorded on data forms and then analyzed by Chi-square test.Results: From 173 referred patients, 76 cases (43.9%) were male, 49 cases (28.3%) were under 15 years old, 73 cases (42.2%) were between 15-30 years old, and rest were more than 30 years old. 28 cases (16.1%) have been referred with correct diagnosis.Conclusion: The level of accurate diagnosis by family physicians was law, which can be due to non-familiarity with common local skin disease and lack of enough instruction and education before start­ing the family physician project. We recommended that before starting this project, specialist workshop be prepared for family physicians.

Background and purpose: Radiology course has different parts in dentistry curriculum in Iranian medical universities. The third part of this course involves the diagnosis of facial and jaw’s bone le­sions. In this study educational software was designed, by using Access Database Software, to teach this course to dentistry students and after one semester the efficacy of it was tested by examining the students’ opinion about it.Methods: In this study the radiology course part 3 was thought to the 32 students in 2 parts. In the first part (before mid-semester) the traditional method of teaching and in the second part (after the mid-semester exam) the designed software was used for teaching and evaluating the students. After each semester the opinion of the students about the course was examined by using a standard questionnaire. The students in the first and second part of the semester were considered as the control and case group respectively. Results: Most of the students (90.6%) believe that the software is useful in education and helps them to learn the subject. In addition, 84.4% of students believe that the soft ware can evaluate the clinical skills of students in detecting the radiological lesions and that the program can save their studying time. Overall, the students’ marks in case group were significantly higher than these in control group. The overall satisfaction of 78.1% of students about this program was good while 9.3% did not have a good feeling about it and 12.5% did not express any opinion.Conclusion: This study shows the importance of using computer for educational purposes especially in the courses with a huge amount of materials to be memorized by students. Computer science can help students in memorizing different signs and symptoms of many disorders. In addition it can help the teachers to evaluate the students at the end of the course.

Background and purpose: Study skills are one important factor influencing academic achievement of students. We must replace ineffective models and habits of study with more fruitful skills in order to gain better learning. This study investigates the study skills and habits of medical students and their educational achievement. Methods: Based on a pilot study the sample size was estimates as 400. Systematic cluster sampling based on medical school registry of students was used. The subjects were medical sciences students of different program. Data gathered with a researcher – made questioner of study skills containing five part including demographic question ; 14 items on planning and time management; 20 on active reading , 8 on concentration and 18 on note taking; and 20 on study habits.Results: The mean score was 163/1±28/2 (range 50-250) for study skill and 25/6±6/86 (range 20-60) for study habits. The mean scores of students for different components of study skills were 16.89±1.7 for planning and time management (Possible of 14-70), 59.1±14.1 for reading comprehension and speed (20-100), 19.8±6.6 for concentration (8-40), and 46.43±13.8 for note taking (18-90).The major defects in students’ study skills were planning and time management followed by concentration and note taking skills. Study skills had a significant correlation with educational achievement (r = 0.101, P < 0.05) while study habits correlation with educational achievement was not significant (r = 0.085, P > 0.05). Although males scored slightly better in study habits and all components of study skills but this superiority was only significant for reading comprehension and speed.Conclusion: Students need to learn study skills early in their university life. results showed weakness in study habits and study skill and deficit in planning and time management ,concentration and note taking skill. We suggest educational course or workshop about university skills for students.

Background and purpose: As in many countries, Medical Education (ME) is offered in three levels including Undergraduate ME, Graduate ME, and Continuing ME. Informtion tehnology development has provided a suitable chance for ME. E-learning in ME is growing more and more. The present study seeks to determine the key success factors (KSF) in E-learning in medical fields. Methods: KSF has been scrutinized in the literature following of which, and due to similarity, a clas­sification with seven groupings was established including institutional factor, technology, interested parties, information knowledge, methods and approaches educational resources, and environmental factors. Through a questionnaire, the data were gatered from the information technology (IT) directors in all medical universities throughout the country. The data collected were subjected to factorial analysis. Data from heads of educational groups were obtained through focus group discussion. Cronbach reliability coefficient was calculated for questionnaire used. Factorial analysis was used to identify meaningful KSF. T-Test, and one-way variance analysis as well as Pearson’s correlation were used. The analysis was conducted with SPSS software.Results: The results showed no significant differences between age, sex, career, and level of education, and KSF. The preparedness factors were analyzed through group discussions with the heads of the academic departments under the study. By factorial analyses, five factors were found including the departmental interest and potential (27.3%), task performance potential (25.1%), E-teaching develop­ment in basic and clinical sciences, and continuing education (20.1%), suitable cultural environment (16.8%), and infrastructures (10.8%). Fisher Exeact Test was used to compare the obtained ratios in 5% curve whose results showed that among the three factors including legal and technocal environ­ment, specialized hardwareand software, and high speed internet, performance interest and potentials showed a significant difference (p=0.002). A p=0.011 was found for the authorities’ interest and finan­cial and non-financial rewards. No other significant differences were found anywhere else. Conclusion: Our results showed that sex, age, career, work has no relation with KSF which means that if other factors such as technology, organizational and financial preparedness, curriculum content, human resources, teaching methods, standards, literacy, communications systems, trainers and learners, envi­ronment and culture were ready motivated person can experience success in e learning in medicine.

Background and purpose: A 3-unit course is dedicated to general language in medical universities and the vocabulary and text structure of the courses have usually no relation to medical language. We examine whether teaching general language will be as effective as medical language as assessed through recall of general and medical vocabulary and text structure knowledge.Methods: an experimental study was designed, in that, the third year students who had participated in the 3-unit general language classes in the first year of their General Practitioner (GP) program were selected and sat for a 60 MCQ tests. The 60 MCQ tests consisted of 30 questions of general lan­guage, 25 vocabulary and 5 comprehension questions and also 30 questions of medical language, 25 technical and semi-technical vocabulary and 5 comprehension questions. In all, 145 medical students attended the exam which took 40 minutes to accomplish.Results: The results of the study indicated that memory retention was significantly lower in general language than medical language. The technical and semi-technical vocabulary items were signifi­cantly better recalled and the medical text was significantly better understood by the participants.Conclusion: A 3-unit course in general language may be a futile effort since the students will not be exposed to the same vocabulary and text structure knowledge in later years of their GP program. It is recommended that the focus of all the university English courses be on the medical language.

Background and purpose: roles and tasks of intended graduates direct medical eductionist for de­veloping the right curriculum. In Iran there has been no systematic study on defining GPs roles. This study is an attempt to systematically clarify the roles of GPs in Iran. Methods: In this questionnaire – based survey health care professionals participated. The subjects were selected through convinient sampling and snowballing. A semi-structured questionnaire was de­veloped which covered the goals and functions of health system as mentioned in World Health Report 2000. For content validity a panel of experts including health care professionals, biostatisticians, and psychometrist evaluated the questionnaire. For the reliability of the questionnaire a pilot study was carried out. Chronbach’s coeficient were calculated as 0.89. The final revision of the questionnaire included 15 roles in current and ideal states. The respondent should score each role in both states in a range of 0-100. Results: Of 50 subjects who received the questionnaire, 40 (80%) completed and returned it. Of all subjects 30% were female and 70% were male. Of all subjects 90% were faculty members. The sub­jects believe that in the current state “health care provision” (74.7.3±29.7) “health center administra­tion” (37±21.8), and “leading clinical services and coordinating patients care” (29.5±24.4) are more evident while “fund holding” is rather non-existence (1.2±3.7). They believed that in an ideal national health system physicians should play most of these roles in various extents. Conclusion: The participants believed that GPs should play other roles beyond the clinical care pro­vision to enable health system respond to community needs and expectations. The graduate medical degree should be reformed if the gradates are going to play these new roles.

Endocrinologists contribute to the care of sizable populations with diabetes, thyroid disorders, obesity, metabolic syndrome, osteoporosis, dyslipidemia, pituitary disease, adrenal disease, male and female reproductive disorders and menopausal women. In addition, the trend of prevalence’s of endocrine and metabolic disorders show that these diseases are highly prevalent, with none becoming less common; on the contrary, diabetes and obesity are the great epidemics of the third millennium. Based on the number of hospital beds, required office-based services, trend of endocrinology diseases, current prevalence of this disease, an estimated 860 endocrinologist are needed while at present there are only 146 adult endocrinologists are practicing. Efforts are urgently needed to find solutions for this gap in the endocrinology workforce if quality services are to be offered.