Preoperative psychological factors influence analgesic consumption and self-reported pain intensity following breast cancer surgery.

Background: Psychological factors such as anxiety and mood appear to influence acute postoperative pain; however, there is conflicting evidence on the relationship between preoperative psychological parameters and the severity of postoperative pain. In the context of the stressful setting of initial surgery for breast cancer, we conducted a prospective observational study of patients who were scheduled to undergo initial breast cancer surgery.

Methods: The objectives were to examine the potential associations between predefined preoperative psychological parameters and (i) Self-reported pain scores at discharge from the postoperative acute care unit, (ii) Cumulative perioperative opioid consumption at four hours postoperatively and (iii) Self-reported pain as measured during the first seven days after surgery.

The feasibility and usability of mixed reality teaching in a hospital setting based on self-reported perceptions of medical students.

Background: Clinical teaching during encounters with real patients lies at the heart of medical education. Mixed reality (MR) using a Microsoft HoloLens 2 (HL2) offers the potential to address several challenges: including enabling remote learning; decreasing infection control risks; facilitating greater access to medical specialties; and enhancing learning by vertical integration of basic principles to clinical application. We aimed to assess the feasibility and usability of MR using the HL2 for teaching in a busy, tertiary referral university hospital.

The gut microbiota in persistent post-operative pain following breast cancer surgery.

Persistent post-surgical pain (PPSP) is defined as pain which continues after a surgical operation in a significant form for at least three months (and is not related to pre-existing painful conditions). PPSP is a common, under-recognised, and important clinical problem which affects millions of patients worldwide. Preventative measures which are currently available include the selection of a minimally invasive surgical technique and an aggressive multimodal perioperative analgesic regimen.

Learning analytics and the future of postgraduate medical training.

Confronted by the many barriers and deficiencies which currently face those responsible for the training of doctors, the concept of a logic model applied in real time may seem aspirational. However, several of the necessary of logic-based practices are already in place - these include quantified training effect and performance, learning analytics, and applied reflective practice. A nationally or internationally co-ordinated effort is required to harness these disciplines (which currently exist disparately) to create a sustainable and effective training system which is adaptive to its own performance and to society's changing needs.

Delivering clinical tutorials to medical students using the Microsoft HoloLens 2: A mixed-methods evaluation.

Background: Mixed reality offers potential educational advantages in the delivery of clinical teaching. Holographic artefacts can be rendered within a shared learning environment using devices such as the Microsoft HoloLens 2. In addition to facilitating remote access to clinical events, mixed reality may provide a means of sharing mental models, including the vertical and horizontal integration of curricular elements at the bedside.