Factitious disorders and Munchausen syndrome: the tip of the iceberg.

This population-based study evaluates the prevalence of factitious disorders, Münchausen syndrome, and Münchausen syndrome by proxy in a clinical setting. All children referred to the Pediatric Unit of the Department of Pediatrics of the Catholic University Medical School (Agostino Gemelli Hospital) in Rome were recruited between November 2007 and March 2010. An experienced interdisciplinary team of medical professionals analyzed all suspected cases.

[Beyond the informed consent: the relationship consensual].

The current paradigm of medicine places the principle of self-determination at the centre of the system of treatment, as an essential condition for the validity of medical action, even from the ethical point of view. But if it is not correctly integrated with the former principle, that of doing good, the principle of self-determination alone cannot guarantee a fully ethical dimension in medical action, among other reasons because it would arrive at a contractual-type way of reasoning, in which the doctor's position would be subordinate to that of the patient. Only a situation where both sides are truly equal protagonists in the decision-making process, and both truly share the assumption of responsibility, can take full account of the centrality of the person in relation to his or her treatment.

[Education in postgraduate surgical schools: the role of the surgical tutor as supervisor in the operating room].

The Postgraduate Surgical education is in an era of transition, in order to create physicians with skills and attitudes needed by modern health care. Many studies have examined the impact of surgical tutoring in surgical residency programs in USA Medical Schools, while few experiences are reported from European Universities. The new Italian guidelines for post-graduate education require a structured clinical learning with the supervision of a tutor ("attending surgeon" for surgical residency); it is a challenge to describe the role of this teacher and educator, and to implement an effective evaluation of operating room teachers.

[The figure of tutor: new perspectives in medical education].

Education in the history of medicine is a crucial issue in constructing a complete medical curriculum. Tutorage in medicine helps the student by building a warm and emotional full relationship between the tutor and the pupil.

Research in medical education, a challenge to enhance the quality of education and care.

Research in education assumes that every intuition regarding the improvement in the educational process is followed by justification and foundation. Creativeness and rigor with the relative implications in the context of both research and justification are the two main elements. Knowledge characteristic of the transition from a PHOG approach, that is, based on prejudice, hunches, opinions, guess, to evidence-based education is not easy to collect, document, and generalize.