Comparison Between Surgical Trainee Self-Assessment With Supervisor Scores in Technical and Nontechnical Skills to Identify Underperforming Trainees.

Objective: This study aims to compare trainee self-assessment with supervisor assessment to identify differences in correlations of the demographic data and evaluate whether the instrument can be utilized to identify underperforming trainees.

Design: A novel instrument was designed based off the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons original 9 competencies utilizing the JDocs framework and covers 48-items across all surgical competencies. A multiple regression model using age, gender, postgraduate year, IMG status, and level of training as the variables was performed with backwards elimination, and pairwise comparisons made to identify the degree and direction of influence each variable contributed to trainee and supervisor ratings.

A quantitative analysis of the perceived barriers to implementation of multisource feedback in surgical training.

Background: The adoption and integration of work-based assessments by surgical units and training programs continues to increase, it is important to identify challenges in their implementation. The authors evaluated the barriers involved in the deployment of a supervisor assessment tool in Australia.

Methods: A questionnaire was created based on existing literature from international, and non-surgical contexts.

Development of a novel behaviourally anchored instrument for the assessment of surgical trainees.

Background: The Royal Australasian College of Surgeons (RACS) created its competency framework in 2003 which initially consisted of nine competencies each regarded as equally important for a practising surgeon. The JDocs Framework is aligned to these competencies and provides guidance for junior doctors working towards the Surgical Education and Training program.

Methods: A novel assessment instrument was designed around the JDocs framework using 48 behaviourally anchored questions.

The work environment of junior doctors: their perspectives and coping strategies.

Objective: This study explores the associations between psychological distress in junior doctors and their work environment and how they cope with work stressors.

Methods: A cross-sectional survey designed by Health Education and Training Institute was delivered in 2014 to over 1900 junior doctors across 15 hospital networks through Australian Capital Territory and New South Wales. Psychological distress was evaluated using the Kessler Psychological Distress Scale-10 (K10).

Learning trajectories in longitudinal rural medical school placements.

Background: Rural longitudinal placements are now a key part of clinical medical education, and are part of workforce strategies to enhance the rural medical workforce. Learning trajectories (a map to guide student learning) have been recommended as a means of maximising student learning on placements, and have the potential to assist long-term rural students and supervisors in adapting to a longitudinal clerkship.

Context: This study focuses on year-3 medical students in rural longitudinal clinical placements at an Australian graduate-entry medical school.

Quality of life impairment associated with body dissatisfaction in a general population sample of women.

Background: In order to elucidate the individual and community health burden of body dissatisfaction (BD), we examined impairment in quality of life associated with BD in a large, general population sample of women.

Methods: Self-report measures of BD, health-related quality of life (SF-12 Physical and Mental Component Summary scales) and subjective quality of life (WHOQOL-BREF Psychological Functioning and Social Relationships subscales) were completed by 5,255 Australian women aged 18 to 42 years.

Results: Most participants (86.

Role of personality in medical students' initial intention to become rural doctors.

Objective: Recent efforts to redress the deficit of rural medical practitioners have considered the problem of recruitment and retention of rural doctors as one of influencing individuals' career choices. Exposure to rural medical environments during basic medical training is one long-standing example of an initiative aimed in this direction and there is some evidence that it is effective. This study sought to determine whether or not various domains of personality are related to medical students' attitude to practising as rural doctors after graduation.

A student-centred feedback model for educators.

Background: Effective feedback is instrumental to effective learning. Current feedback models tend to be educator driven rather than learner-centred, with the focus on how the supervisor should give feedback rather than on the role of the learner in requesting and responding to feedback.

Context: An alternative approach emphasising the theoretical principles of student-centred and self-regulated learning is offered, drawing upon the literature and also upon the experience of the authors.

Utilisation of multidisciplinary services for diabetes care in the rural setting.

Objective: To quantify utilisation of allied health care services by diabetics in rural NSW and explore reasons for any underutilisation.

Design: Self-administered mail survey of 268 patients with diagnosed diabetes identified from practice registers.

Setting: Two rural general practices.

Quality of life impairment in a community sample of women with eating disorders.

Objective: Studies of quality of life among individuals with eating disorders have relied almost exclusively on clinical samples. We examined impairment in quality of life in a community sample of women with eating disorders recruited as part of an epidemiological study.

Methods: Measures of health-related quality of life (Medical Outcomes Study 12-item Short-Form Physical and Mental Component Summary scales) and subjective well-being (WHOQOL-BREF Psychological Functioning and Social Relationships subscales) were completed by women with eating disorders (n = 159), primarily variants of bulimia nervosa and binge eating disorder, and a comparison group of healthy women (n = 232).

Trajectories of long-term outcomes for postnatally depressed mothers treated with group interpersonal psychotherapy.

There is evidence that psychological treatments for postnatal depression are effective in the short-term; however, whether the effects are enduring over time remains an important empirical question. The aim of this study was to investigate the depressive symptoms and interpersonal functioning of participants in a randomised controlled trial (RCT) of group interpersonal psychotherapy (IPT-G) at 2 years posttreatment. The study also examined long-term trajectories, such as whether participants maintained their recovery status, achieved later recovery, recurrence or persistent symptoms.

The development and content of an interpersonal psychotherapy group for postnatal depression.

Postnatal depression (PND) usually causes distressing symptoms for sufferers and significant impairments in relationships. Group Interpersonal Psychotherapy (IPT-G) provides the experienced therapist with a brief, focused, and manualized approach to helping women recover from the debilitating effects of PND. This paper describes the background and development of IPT-G for PND.

Intern culture, internal resistance: uptake of peer review in two Australian hospital internship programs.

Objective: To compare the uptake of peer review among interns in mandatory and voluntary peer-review programs.

Population: All first and second year graduates (n=105) in two Australian hospitals.

Main Outcome Measures: Completion of peer review, and reported responses by doctors to peer review.

Mental health impairment in underweight women: do body dissatisfaction and eating-disordered behavior play a role?

Background: We sought to evaluate the hypothesis that mental health impairment in underweight women, where this occurs, is due to an association between low body weight and elevated levels of body dissatisfaction and/or eating-disordered behaviour.

Methods: Subgroups of underweight and normal-weight women recruited from a large, general population sample were compared on measures of body dissatisfaction, eating-disordered behaviour and mental health.

Results: Underweight women had significantly greater impairment in mental health than normal-weight women, even after controlling for between-group differences in demographic characteristics and physical health.

Maximising student preparation for clinical teaching placements.

Background: With the increasing emphasis on ambulatory health care, clinical educators need to ensure that students are sufficiently prepared to maximise learning opportunities during placements in ambulatory settings.

Context: This study focuses on third-year medical students entering urban or rural clinical placements at an Australian graduate entry medical school.

Innovation: All rural and a subset of urban students received intensive training in taking Papanicolaou (Pap) smears prior to starting the clinical placement.

Initial evaluation of rural programs at the Australian National University: understanding the effects of rural programs on intentions for rural and remote medical practice.

Introduction: Rural health workforce issues are a priority area for the Australian Government and substantial funding has been provided for rural education programs to address health workforce disparities across Australia's rural and remote communities. The Australian Government established a Rural Health Strategy in 2001 and as a result there are now 14 rural clinical schools in Australia. The 2008 Urbis Report highlighted the lack of research on rural programs and workforce outcomes, essential to ensuring that educational efforts, resources and funding are being concentrated appropriately.

Assessment of a peer review process among interns at an Australian hospital.

Purpose: This study considered how a peer review process could work in an Australian public hospital setting.

Method: Up to 229 medical personnel completed an online performance assessment of 52 Junior Medical Officers (JMOs) during the last quarter of 2008.

Results: Results indicated that the registrar was the most suitable person to assess interns, although other professionals, including interns themselves, were identified as capable of playing a role in a more holistic appraisal system.

Eating disorders "mental health literacy" in low risk, high risk and symptomatic women: implications for health promotion programs.

Attitudes and beliefs concerning the nature and treatment of bulimia nervosa (BN) were compared among young adult women at low risk of an eating disorder (n = 332), at high risk (n = 83), or already showing symptoms (n = 94). Participants completed a self-report questionnaire that included a measure of eating disorder symptoms. A vignette of a fictional person suffering from BN was presented, followed by a series of questions addressing the nature and treatment of the problem described.

A randomised control trial for the effectiveness of group Interpersonal Psychotherapy for postnatal depression.

This study is a randomised controlled trial comparing outcomes from an 8-week Interpersonal Psychotherapy group (IPT-G) for postnatal depression with 'treatment as usual' (TAU), conducted in a routine community setting in the Australian Capital Territory (ACT). Eligible women were recruited and randomly assigned to either IPT-G or TAU conditions. This study compared outcomes on such variables as depressive symptoms, marital adjustment, social support and mother-infant bond at baseline, mid-treatment, end-of-treatment and 3 months follow-up.

Comparing the health burden of eating-disordered behavior and overweight in women.

Objective And Methods: We compared the health burden of eating-disordered behavior with that of overweight in a community-based sample of women aged 18-42 years residing in the Australian Capital Territory region of Australia. Participants (n = 4643) completed self-report measures of eating disorder psychopathology, health-related quality of life and health service utilization. Body mass index (BMI) was derived from self-reported height and weight.

Obesity and impairment in psychosocial functioning in women: the mediating role of eating disorder features.

Objective: The objective was to test the hypothesis that, in women, the association between obesity and impairment in psychosocial functioning is mediated by levels of weight and shape concerns and/or binge-eating frequency.

Research Methods And Procedures: Self-report measures of eating disorder psychopathology, mental health functioning, subjective quality of life in the psychological and social domains, and days "out-of-role" associated with any (physical or mental) health problem, were completed by a community sample of women classified as obese (BMI >or=30 kg/m(2), n = 639) or non-obese (BMI <30 kg/m(2), n = 4253). For each of the dependent measures, regression models were used to test the hypothesis of mediation by comparing the strength of the relationship between independent and dependent variables with and without inclusion of the putative mediator in the regression model.