How we developed and piloted an electronic key features examination for the internal medicine clerkship based on a US national curriculum.

Background: Key features examinations (KFEs) have been used to assess clinical decision making in medical education, yet there are no reports of an online KFE-based on a national curriculum for the internal medicine clerkship. What we did: The authors developed and pilot tested an electronic KFE based on the US Clerkship Directors in Internal Medicine core curriculum. Teams, with expert oversight and peer review, developed key features (KFs) and cases.

Educational technology in medical education.

This article aims to review the past practices of educational technology and envision future directions for medical education. The discussion starts with a historical review of definitions and perspectives of educational technology, in which the authors propose that educators adopt a broader process-oriented understanding of educational technology. Future directions of e-learning, simulation, and health information technology are discussed based on a systems view of the technological process.

Using patient-provided information to refine sexually transmitted infection screening criteria among women presenting in the emergency department.

Emergency department patients are at increased risk for infection with chlamydia and gonorrhea, but routine screening of asymptomatic patients is problematic. Limiting screening to patients answering the affirmative to 2 questions would reduce the number of tests administered by 51.9%, increase the tested population prevalence to 15.

Chlamydia and gonorrhea screening in United States emergency departments.

Background: Chlamydia trachomatis (CT) and Neisseria gonorrhoeae (GC) are the most commonly reported notifiable diseases in the United States, with annual reported cases exceeding 1.2 million and estimated costs exceeding $1.2 billion.

Evaluating Emergency Medicine Faculty at End-of-Shift.

Introduction: Faculty often evaluate learners in the emergency department (ED) at the end of each shift. In contrast, learners usually evaluate faculty only at the end of a rotation. In December 2007 Southern Illinois University School of Medicine changed its evaluation process, requiring ED trainees to complete end-of-shift evaluations of faculty.

Internal medicine clerkship characteristics associated with enhanced student examination performance.

Purpose: To determine which internal medicine (IM) clerkship characteristics are associated with better student examination performance.

Method: The authors collected data from 17 U.S.

Peer assessment of professionalism: a five-year experience in medical clerkship.

Introduction: Faculty assessment of students' professionalism is often based upon sporadic exposure to students. Peers are in a unique position to provide valid judgments of these behaviors.

Aims: (1) To learn if peer assessments of professional conduct correlate with traditional performance measures; (2) to determine if peer assessments of professionalism influence the designation of honors, and (3) to explore student and faculty opinions regarding peer assessment.

Using indirect questions to detect intimate partner violence: the SAFE-T questionnaire.

A screening instrument for detecting intimate partner violence (IPV) was developed using indirect questions. The authors identified 5 of 18 items studied that clearly distinguished victims of IPV from a random group of health conference attendees with a sensitivity of 85% and a specificity of 87%. This 5-item instrument (SAFE-T) was then tested on 435 women presenting to three emergency departments and the results compared to a direct question regarding current abuse.