Is it feasible to learn research skills in addition to audit skills through clinical audit? A mixed methods study in general practice.

Background: Involving medical students in research in their undergraduate careers may increase the likelihood that they will be research active after graduation. To date, there has been a paucity of published research of students doing research in general practice.

Aim: The study aims to evaluate the impact of general practice clinical audits on early-stage graduate entry students' audit and research self-efficacy and explore feasibility issues from the student and GP perspective.

Curriculum initiatives to enhance research skills acquisition by medical students: a scoping review.

Background: Although it is accepted that providing medical students with opportunities to engage in research activity is beneficial, little data has been collated on how medical degree curricula may address this issue. This review aims to address this knowledge gap by conducting a scoping review examining curriculum initiatives that seek to enhance research experience for medical students.

Methods: This review looks to specifically look at 'doing research' as defined by the MEDINE 2 consensus rather than 'using research' for the bachelor component of the Bologna Cycle.

Evaluating the longitudinal impact of a disability education intervention on medical students' attitudes towards persons with a disability.

Background: The attitudes and empathy levels of healthcare providers towards persons with a disability have been highlighted as important factors contributing to the quality of healthcare provided to this patient population.

Objective: This study aimed to investigate whether changes in medical students' attitudes and empathy towards persons with a disability following an educational intervention were maintained when measured again one year post intervention. This study provided a one year longitudinal follow up to a previous study investigating the efficacy of an educational intervention to cultivate positive change in empathy levels and attitudes towards disability.

Impact of participation in continuing medical education small group learning (CME-SGL) on the stress, morale, and professional isolation of rurally-based GPs: a qualitative study in Ireland.

Background: The pressures of general practice contribute to high levels of stress, low morale, and burnout in some GPs. In addition, rurally-based doctors may experience significant professional isolation. Participation in continuing medical education (CME) appears to reduce stress, and may improve the retention of rural GPs.

What are the current 'top five' perceived educational needs of Irish general practitioners?

Introduction: Doctors' continuing medical educational and professional development (CME and CPD) needs are known to be strongly influenced by national and local contextual characteristics. A crucial step in the development of effective education and training programmes is the assessment of learner needs.

Methods: A national needs assessment was conducted among general practitioners (GPs) in the Republic of Ireland who attended continuing medical education small group learning meetings (CME-SGL) in late 2017.

Internet skills of medical faculty and students: is there a difference?

Background: The shift from a more didactic to student-centred pedagogical approach has led to the implementation of new information communication technology (ICT) innovations and curricula. Consequently, analysis of the digital competency of both faculty and students is of increasing importance. The aim of this research is to measure and compare the internet skills of medical school faculty and students and to investigate any potential skills gap between the two groups.

'Understanding Disability': Evaluating a contact-based approach to enhancing attitudes and disability literacy of medical students.

Background: Health disparities and disparities in the provision of healthcare to people with disabilities remains a topic of concern. Research demonstrates that attitudes of healthcare providers contribute to this disparity. The approach to disability education and training in medical school warrants evaluation.

Barriers and solutions to online learning in medical education - an integrative review.

Background: The aim of this study is to review the literature on known barriers and solutions that face educators when developing and implementing online learning programs for medical students and postgraduate trainees.

Methods: An integrative review was conducted over a three-month period by an inter-institutional research team. The search included ScienceDirect, Scopus, BioMedical, PubMed, Medline (EBSCO & Ovid), ERIC, LISA, EBSCO, Google Scholar, ProQuest A&I, ProQuest UK & Ireland, UL Institutional Repository (IR), UCDIR and the All Aboard Report.

Continuing education for general practitioners working in rural practice: a review of the literature.

Background Studies demonstrate that the CME/CPD (continuing medical education/continuing professional development) needs of rural general practitioners (GPs) are unique. Little research has focused specifically on the effectiveness of CME/CPD programmes for rural practice. Aims To review the literature on CME/CPD for GPs in rural areas, focussing on studies which examined impact on doctor performance or patient outcomes.

Attitudes of Health Professional Educators Toward the Use of Social Media as a Teaching Tool: Global Cross-Sectional Study.

Background: The use of social media in health education has witnessed a revolution within the past decade. Students have already adopted social media informally to share information and supplement their lecture-based learning. Although studies show comparable efficacy and improved engagement when social media is used as a teaching tool, broad-based adoption has been slow and the data on barriers to uptake have not been well documented.

An analysis of free-choice electives in an undergraduate medical degree.

Background: The University College Dublin Elective Programme was introduced in 2005 with the intention of broadening the learning of its undergraduate students. Undergraduate medical students undertake seven free-choice electives during their six-year degree programme. They are permitted to choose electives from any school in the University.

Social Media in Health Science Education: An International Survey.

Background: Social media is an asset that higher education students can use for an array of purposes. Studies have shown the merits of social media use in educational settings; however, its adoption in health science education has been slow, and the contributing reasons remain unclear.

Objective: This multidisciplinary study aimed to examine health science students' opinions on the use of social media in health science education and identify factors that may discourage its use.

Push and stay factors affecting Irish medical student migration intentions.

Background: A significant proportion of medical students in Ireland have demonstrated strong intentions to migrate following their graduation. Factors influencing these intentions are poorly understood. Our study aimed to investigate 'push' and 'stay' factors that may influence the migration plans of medical students.

Ireland's medical brain drain: migration intentions of Irish medical students.

Background: To provide the optimum level of healthcare, it is important that the supply of well-trained doctors meets the demand. However, despite many initiatives, Ireland continues to have a shortfall of physicians, which has been projected to persist. Our study aimed to investigate the migration intentions of Irish medical students and identify the factors that influence their decisions in order to design appropriate interventions to sustain the supply of trained doctors in order to maintain a viable medical system.

Age prediction formulae from radiographic assessment of skeletal maturation at the knee in an Irish population.

Age estimation in living subjects is primarily achieved through assessment of a hand-wrist radiograph and comparison with a standard reference atlas. Recently, maturation of other regions of the skeleton has also been assessed in an attempt to refine the age estimates. The current study presents a method to predict bone age directly from the knee in a modern Irish sample.

Test of age-related variation in the craniometry of the adult human foramen magnum region: implications for sex determination methods.

Sex differences in the foramen magnum region of the cranial base have been identified with varying rates of success. Recent publications demonstrate a continuing strong interest in metric analysis of the foramen magnum region for sex determination despite the generally low expression of cranial base sexual dimorphism. It is important to identify possible age effects on skull base morphometric variables as most reported discriminant analyses use pooled-age samples without assessing the influence of aging on sexual dimorphism.

Epiphyseal maturity indicators at the knee and their relationship to chronological age: results of an Irish population study.

Skeletal maturation is divisible to three main components; the time of appearance of an ossification center, its change in morphology and time of fusion to a primary ossification center. With regard to the knee, the intermediate period between appearance and fusion of the ossification centers extends over a period of greater than 10 years. This study aims to investigate radiographically the age at which morphological changes of the epiphyses at the knee occur in a modern Irish population.

Medicine in the community: a unique partnership.

Introduction: Many advantages to community-oriented medical education have already been described. Responding to reforms in undergraduate medical education policy, our medical school reconfigured its clinical curriculum to include a module with a broad community focus, based in primary and secondary care. We describe our initial experience developing, implementing and evaluating this module.

Image quality in low-dose multidetector computed tomography: a pilot study to assess feasibility and dose optimization in whole-body bone imaging.

Objective: To study the impact of dose parameters on image quality at whole-body low-dose multidetector computed tomography (CT) in an attempt to derive parameters that allow diagnostic quality images of the skeletal system without incurring significant radiation dose in patients referred for investigation of plasma cell dyscrasias.

Methods: By using a single cadaver, 14 different whole-body low-dose CT protocols were individually assessed by 2 radiologists, blinded to acquisition parameters (kVp and mAs, reconstruction algorithm, dose reduction software). Combinations of kVps that range from 80-140 kVp, and tube current time product from 14-125 mAs were individually scored by using a Likert scale from 1-5 in 4 separate anatomical areas (skull base, thoracic spine, pelvis, and distal femora).

Sex determination from the occipital condyle: discriminant function analysis in an eighteenth and nineteenth century British sample.

Fragmentary human remains compromised by different types of inhumation, or physical insults such as explosions, fires, and mutilations may frustrate the use of traditional morphognostic sex determination methods. The basicranium is protected by a large soft tissue mass comprising muscle, tendon, and ligaments. As such, the occipital region may prove useful for sex identification in cases of significantly fragmented remains.

Sex determination from the foramen magnum: discriminant function analysis in an eighteenth and nineteenth century British sample.

The successful identification of the deceased is vital to the progress of any forensic investigation. One of the principal biological traits to be established from skeletal remains is the sex of the individual. This becomes more difficult if only parts of a skeleton are found or if the bones are compromised by physical insults such as fire, explosions or violence.