Assessing sociology and psychology in UK undergraduate medical education: Square peg in a round hole?

This article was migrated. The article was marked as recommended. Attention has turned in recent years to the broader inclusion of sociology and psychology in medical curricula.

Teaching sociology to undergraduate medical students.

Understanding the social basis of health and medicine and the contexts of clinical care are essential components of good medical practice. This includes the ways in which social factors such as class, ethnicity, and gender influence health outcomes and how people experience health, illness, and health care. In our Guide we describe what sociology is and what it brings to medicine, beginning with the nature of the "sociological imagination.

Decolonising medical curricula through diversity education: lessons from students.

Introduction: The General Medical Council (GMC) expects that medical students graduate with an awareness of how the diversity of the patient population may affect health outcomes and behaviours. However, little guidance has been provided on how to incorporate diversity teaching into medical school curricula. Research highlights the existence of two different models within medical education: cultural competency and cultural humility.

From closed ranks to open doors: Elaine and John Cummings' mental health education experiment in 1950s Saskatchewan.

During late 1951 and early 1952, married couple, social biologist Elaine Cumming and psychiatrist John Cumming, led a mental health education experiment in Indian Head, Saskatchewan. The study, which was intended to inform strategies toward deinstitutionalization, sought to determine if attitudes regarding mental illness could be changed through commonly used educational practices. It was shaped by the shared interests of powerful philanthropic, charitable, psychiatric, academic and governmental bodies to create healthier citizens and a stronger democratic nation through expert knowledge.

Implementing the undergraduate mini-CEX: a tailored approach at Southampton University.

Objectives: The mini-clinical evaluation exercise (mini-CEX) is widely used in the UK to assess clinical competence, but there is little evidence regarding its implementation in the undergraduate setting. This study aimed to estimate the validity and reliability of the undergraduate mini-CEX and discuss the challenges involved in its implementation.

Methods: A total of 3499 mini-CEX forms were completed.

Qualitative study of depression management in primary care: GP and patient goals, and the value of listening.

Background: Guidelines for depression management have been developed but little is known about GP and patient goals, which are likely to influence treatment offers, uptake, and adherence.

Aim: To identify issues of importance to GPs, patients, and patients' supporters regarding depression management. GP and patient goals for depression management became a focus of the study.