Assessment of matriculating medical students' knowledge and attitudes towards professionalism.

Background: Students' perceptions of traditional attributes of professionalism are important for understanding their professional development needs, and determining appropriate curricular initiatives and assessment methods.

Aim: This study assessed the knowledge and attitudes towards professionalism of three classes of matriculating students at two institutions.

Methods: Subjects completed four instruments: a multiple-choice test and a clinical scenario instrument assessed knowledge; and a semantic differential scale and Likert-format statement instrument assessed attitudes.

Regionalized perinatal education.

Despite changes in the organization and financing of healthcare delivery, and dramatic increases in the number and distribution of perinatal facilities and professionals over the past three decades, there remains a continuing need for effective and efficient regionalized perinatal outreach education programmes. Both the organizers and the participants should be multidisciplinary and include both inpatient and outpatient providers. Content should be restricted to issues relevant to participants' practice, and include topics ranging from preconception to postpartum and early infant care.

Ability of the objective structured clinical examination to differentiate surgical residents, medical students, and physician assistant students.

Background: The Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE) has been used extensively to evaluate the clinical abilities of medical students and residents. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether the standard OSCE would differentiate performance of subjects with different levels and/or types of training.

Methods: We conducted a blinded OSCE, during which we simultaneously evaluated surgical residents from all 5 years of the general surgery training program, third-year medical students, and second-year physician assistant students.

Offices of research in medical education: accomplishments and added value contributions.

Purpose: Offices of research in medical education have been in existence since the 1st one was begun by Hale Hamm at Case Western Reserve in 1958. There are now 61 medical schools in North America that have a formal office of medical education (OME) and are part of the Society of Directors of Research in Medical Education (SDRME). The purpose of this study was to report how SDRME and OMEs have contributed to the research in medical education (RIME) efforts.

Comparison of the Objective Structured Clinical Examination with the performance of third-year medical students in surgery.

Background: The purpose of this study was to investigate the validity of the Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE) as an evaluation technique by comparing medical student performance on the OSCE with traditional forms of evaluation.

Subjects And Methods: We analyzed the performance of 129 third-year medical students in the 1997-1998 academic year on clinical evaluations, oral examinations, and NBME subject examinations, and on OSCE, which was not included in the final grade.

Results: The OSCE showed high correlation with the final grades received for the clerkship.

Diagnostic value of cervical fetal fibronectin in detecting extrauterine pregnancy.

Objective: To determine whether fetal fibronectin (FFN) might serve as a marker to distinguish intrauterine versus extrauterine pregnancy.

Design: Prospective cohort study.

Setting: Academic research center.

A regionalized perinatal continuing education programme: successful adaptation to a foreign health care system and language.

Much of the decline in perinatal mortality over the past two decades in the United States has been attributed to regionalization of perinatal care. Outreach education from regional medical centres to community hospitals is an essential component of regionalization. The Perinatal Continuing Education Program (PCEP) has been successfully used for outreach education in more than 30 states since 1979.

Influence of the interview on the evaluation of applicants to medical school.

Purpose: To determine whether medical school admission interviewers change their evaluations and impressions of applicants as a direct result of the interview.

Method: In 1991-92, 419 applicants to the University of Virginia School of Medicine were interviewed by members of the admission committee in two separate half-hour sessions. After reviewing each applicant's folder, interviewers rated the applicant before the interview on six objective scales.

Medical students' attitudes toward the autopsy.

Background: The autopsy is an educational experience that helps students correlate clinical findings with basic science issues. Because of the sensitive nature of the autopsy, students' attitudes should be considered prior to its design and implementation.

Method: In 1992-1993, all 147 second-year students at the Medical College of Ohio completed a 26-item Likert questionnaire about their attitudes toward the autopsy.

Issues and challenges in the design of curriculum information systems.

Medical schools are increasingly using curriculum information systems to better manage their curricula, to incorporate alternative learning environments, to expand subject-specific instruction, or to adapt the curricula to the changing health care environment. A curriculum information system contains key features, selected by the system's designers, that describe the objectives, the specific content, and/or the educational activities that compose the curriculum. The underlying purpose of such a system is to document and describe the knowledge, behaviors, skills, attitudes, or activities students will be expected to develop or learn.

Assessment of adaptive transportation technology: a survey of users and equipment vendors.

In order to define the state of adaptive transportation equipment, wheelchair users with spinal cord injury (SCI) and equipment vendors were surveyed about equipment, funding, maintenance, and repair. SCI registries from two states, Virginia and Arkansas, were used to create the sample pool of users and 225 responses were received. A list of equipment vendors and vehicle modifiers was compiled from several national resources, and 123 responses were received from 36 states.

Demographic variables in medical school admission.

Admission committees report that demographic variables, although accurate, reliable, and easily obtained from applicants to medical schools, are only moderately important in their decision making. This may be because the committees are concerned about the validity and legality of using such data as admissions criteria. This essay discusses the research on the validity of demographic variables and the recommendations for their legal use in selecting students for medical school.

Attitudes toward prevention of cardiovascular diseases among first-year students at eight American medical schools, 1983-1985.

First-year medical students at eight U.S. medical schools were surveyed by written questionnaire in 1983-1985 to determine their attitudes toward cardiovascular diseases prevention at medical school entry.

Fear of hypoglycemia: quantification, validation, and utilization.

Hypoglycemia can lead to various aversive symptomatic, affective, cognitive, physiological, and social consequences, which in turn can lead to the development of possible phobic avoidance behaviors associated with hypoglycemia. On the other hand, some patients may inappropriately deny or disregard warning signs of hypoglycemia. This study presents preliminary reliability and validity data on a psychometric instrument designed to quantify this fear: the hypoglycemic fear survey.

Providing free samples of baby items to newly delivered parents. An unintentional endorsement?

Recent studies have suggested that providing free sample packs of baby items to newly delivered parents may adversely influence parental health behavior. To determine the extent of this practice in Virginia, the head nurses of all 68 newborn nurseries and a random sample of 200 pediatricians were surveyed. Formula samples were being distributed at all hospitals.

Measures of knowledge and attitude toward preventive cardiology.

In this paper, the authors describe the development and validation of an inventory of preventive cardiology at the University of Virginia. The inventory contains two instruments designed to measure medical students' preinstructional and postinstructional knowledge of and attitude toward preventive cardiology. The knowledge test subscales provide unique and significant information about knowledge in preventive cardiology and can discriminate among groups differing in level of instruction and expertise in preventive cardiology.

Medical examination of children referred for special education.

The results of medical examinations of 184 children referred for special educational services were reviewed, with particular attention paid to the value of the examination in the detection of abnormalities that would have an adverse educational impact and of previously undiagnosed abnormalities. Seventeen students (9%) were found to have educationally important abnormalities previously unknown to the school. Fifteen students had abnormalities detected through screening tests.

Outpatient pediatric diabetes--I. Current practices.

A survey of pediatric diabetologists in the U.S. was made in an attempt to define current outpatient practices in diabetes subspecialty clinics.

Perinatal outreach education. A continuation strategy for a basic program.

The Perinatal Continuing Education Program consists of a nine-month intervention with community hospital nurses, physicians, and support personnel. Components include a hospital self-inventory of resources, coordination by community hospital staff, a skills workshop, and self-instructional books. This article outlines a follow-up strategy to the basic program and describes changes in community hospital knowledge and care practices that occur between programs.

The relationship between psychological stress and insulin-dependent diabetic blood glucose control: preliminary investigations.

Clinical literature has frequently alluded to the role of psychological stress in diabetic blood glucose fluctuations. Past research in the area has been minimal and inconsistent. Recent methodological and measurement advances have made it possible to more accurately assess the impact of psychological stress on long-term diabetic control.

Assessment of transportability of a perinatal education program.

We evaluated a perinatal outreach education program to determine its "transportability" (usefulness to other regional centers). Three kinds of data were available from seven regional centers: (1) participation in the program by health care providers, (2) changes in cognitive knowledge, and (3) changes in neonatal care practices. Data were obtained from 2,735 program participants and from retrospective chart review of 2,781 at-risk babies born in participating hospitals.