Effects of an Academic Half Day in a Residency Program on Perceived Educational Value, Resident Satisfaction and Wellness.

Background: The academic half day (AHD) has emerged in recent years as an alternative to the traditional noon conference model of didactic teaching in graduate medical education. However, the effects of this change on learners are not fully understood. This study aimed to assess the effects of the AHD on attendance, satisfaction, perceived value and wellness of resident physicians.

The Power of Collaboration: Experiences From the Educational Innovations Project and Implications for the Next Accreditation System.

Background: The Internal Medicine Educational Innovations Project (EIP) is a 10-year pilot project for innovating in accreditation, which involves annual reporting of information and less-restrictive requirements for a group of high-performing programs. The EIP program directors' experiences offer insight into the benefits and challenges of innovative approaches to accreditation as the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education transitions to the Next Accreditation System.

Objective: We assessed participating program directors' perceptions of the EIP at the midpoint of the project's 10-year life span.

Association of exercise stages of change with glycemic control in individuals with type 2 diabetes.

A study of 74 patients in a clinic serving indigent primarily African American people found that most were in early stages of readiness to start exercising, and that HbA1c levels were lower in the later stages.

Setting standards and defining quality of performance in the validation of a standardized-patient examination format.

Purpose: To evaluate whether written standards increase the reproducibility of a physician-facilitated station in an objective structured clinical examination (OSCE) designed to assess history, physical-examination, and communication skills.

Method: The OSCE examination at the University of Texas Medical Branch-Galveston consists of ten eight-minute stations. Six of these stations consist of three History, Physical-examination, Problem-solving, and Plan (HPPP) station pairs.

Hypertension induced by drugs and other substances.

The purpose of this article is to review and summarize the literature regarding the effects of medications and other substances on blood pressure. Many substances are known to cause or exacerbate hypertension, including sodium chloride, substances of abuse, nonprescription sympathomimetics, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, sex steroids, immunosuppressive therapies, erythopoietin, antidepressants, ergot alkaloids, anesthetic agents, and other substances. With the population aging, the increasing incidence of polypharmacy, and the growth of over-the-counter pharmacological agents, including those which were previously available only by prescription, drug-induced hypertension is assuming heightened importance.