Supporting trainees in difficulty: a new approach for Scotland.

National Health Service (NHS) Education for Scotland (NES) works with NHS and University employers, through the four Postgraduate Deaneries to provide education and training for medical trainees from graduation to completion of specialist and general practice training. Most trainees make good progress through the relevant curriculum supported by a managed system of supervision with regular appraisal and feedback. Similarly most trainees demonstrate their progression to Certificate of Completion of Training through the assessment process that is defined in each specialty curriculum.

Consultants in Scotland: survey of educational qualifications, experience and needs of Scottish consultants.

Aims: To survey Scotland's NHS consultants regarding their teaching roles; educational qualifications/training; attitudes to educational qualifications; perceptions of health boards' attitudes to educational activities; usefulness of various educational courses and preferred delivery methods.

Methods: Postal questionnaire (n=3615).

Results: Sixty two percent response rate (n=2246).

Generic inhaled salbutamol versus branded salbutamol. A randomised double-blind study.

Generic substitution of salbutamol lags behind that of other drugs in Scotland and a negative perception by both patients and doctors may explain this. The aim of this study was to assess whether, in clinical practice, there was any difference in efficacy between branded salbutamol (Ventolin) and a generic preparation. Asthmatic patients using a Ventolin metered-dose inhaler at least twice a day for symptom relief were entered into a double-blind cross-over study, comparing Ventolin, blinded Ventolin and a generic salbutamol in random order for two weeks each.

Damp housing and asthma: a case-control study.

Background: Several epidemiological studies have reported a higher prevalence of respiratory symptoms in subjects living in damp housing, but links with specific respiratory diseases such as asthma have not been satisfactorily established.

Methods: One hundred and two subjects with physician diagnosed asthma and 196 age and sex matched controls were interviewed; 222 (75%) then agreed to have their dwelling surveyed for dampness. The prevalence of both self-reported and observed dampness in the homes of the asthmatic subjects and controls were compared.

Sedation for fibre optic bronchoscopy.

Most current sedative regimens for fibre optic bronchoscopy use an opioid, a benzodiazepine or a combination of both. This study compares midazolam (M) (a benzodiazepine), alfentanil (A) (an opioid) and a combination of both drugs (M+A). One hundred and three patients were randomized in double-blind manner into groups M(35), A(33) and M+A(35).