Digital learning of clinical skills and its impact on medical students' academic performance: a systematic review.

Background: The constraints imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic has led to the rapid development and implementation of digital methods for teaching clinical skills in medical education. This systematic review presents both the benefits, challenges, and effectiveness of this transition.

Methods: A systematic search of six electronic databases (SCOPUS, Medline, CINAHL, PsycINFO, ERIC & Informit) was conducted on 1st October 2023 and updated on 1st April 2024 to identify peer- reviewed articles, from 2019 onwards, which used any type of digital tool (online or otherwise) to teach clinical skills to medical trainees (undergraduate or postgraduate) and were published in English language.

Interventions for the symptoms and signs resulting from jellyfish stings.

Background: Jellyfish envenomation is common in many coastal regions and varies in severity depending upon the species. Stings cause a variety of symptoms and signs including pain, dermatological reactions, and, in some species, Irukandji syndrome (which may include abdominal/back/chest pain, tachycardia, hypertension, cardiac phenomena, and, rarely, death). Many treatments have been suggested for these symptoms, but their effectiveness is unclear.

Timing of submissions to The Journal of Paediatrics and Child Health: Associations with the COVID-19 pandemic and editorial decisions.

Aim: To determine if the timing of manuscript submissions to The Journal of Paediatrics and Child Health (JPCH) changed following the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic and to determine if the timing of manuscript submissions influenced editorial decisions.

Methods: A retrospective observational study of submissions to JPCH from 1 January 2015 to 1 August 2022 was performed. Regression models were used to explore the change over time.

A systematic review of patient-reported outcome measures in paediatric endocrinology.

Context: Patient reported outcome measures (PROMs) are useful tools in paediatric endocrinology to gauge health status in children, especially since they are often unable to clearly communicate it themselves. We aimed to systematically search and appraise all available PROMs relevant to paediatric endocrinology and provide a curated resource for health professionals to utilise.

Evidence Acquisition: We identified PROMs in paediatric endocrinology by systematically searching the Cochrane Library, MEDLINE, World Health Organisation International Clinical Trials Registry Platform, and the Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature on May 20, 2022.

Fake news and fake research: Why meta-research matters more than ever.

Research is in a crisis of credibility, and this is to the peril of all paediatricians. Billions of dollars are being wasted each year because research is not planned, badly conducted or poorly reported, and this is on a background of rapidly reducing research budgets. How can paediatricians, families and patients make informed treatment choices if the evidence base is absent or not trustworthy? This article discusses why meta-research now matters more than ever, how it can help solve this crisis of credibility and how this should lead to more efficient and effective clinical care.

How to Include Patient-Reported Outcome Measures in Clinical Trials.

Purpose Of Review: Patient-reported outcome measures are increasingly important measures of patient experience, which can increase research robustness, maximise economic value and improve patient outcomes. This review outlines the benefits, challenges and practicalities of incorporating patient-reported outcome measures in clinical trials.

Recent Findings: Patient-reported outcome measures are often the best way of measuring patient symptoms and quality of life.

Assessing guideline adherence in the management of type 1 diabetes mellitus in Australian children: a population-based sample survey.

Introduction: To estimate adherence to clinical practice guidelines in selected settings at a population level for Australian children with type 1 diabetes mellitus.

Research Design And Methods: Medical records of children with type 1 diabetes mellitus aged 0-15 years in 2012-2013 were targeted for sampling across inpatient, emergency department and community visits with specialist pediatricians in regional and metropolitan areas and tertiary pediatric hospitals in three states where approximately 60% of Australian children reside. Clinical recommendations extracted from two clinical practice guidelines were used to audit adherence.

Management for intussusception in children.

Background: Intussusception is a common abdominal emergency in children with significant morbidity. Prompt diagnosis and management reduces associated risks and the need for surgical intervention. Despite widespread agreement on the use of contrast enema as opposed to surgery for initial management in most cases, debate persists on the appropriate contrast medium, imaging modality, pharmacological adjuvant, and protocol for delayed repeat enema, and on the best approach for surgical management for intussusception in children.

Probiotics for people with hepatic encephalopathy.

Background: Hepatic encephalopathy is a disorder of brain function as a result of liver failure or portosystemic shunt or both. Both hepatic encephalopathy (clinically overt) and minimal hepatic encephalopathy (not clinically overt) significantly impair patient's quality of life and daily functioning, and represent a significant burden on healthcare resources. Probiotics are live micro-organisms, which when administered in adequate amounts, may confer a health benefit on the host.

Pain from bluebottle jellyfish stings.

An 11-year-old girl presented to the emergency department with severe pain after a jellyfish sting at a New South Wales beach. Bluebottle (Physalia) jellyfish was deemed the most likely cause considering her geographical location. The Australian Resuscitation Council Guideline (2010) suggests immersing in water as hot as can be tolerated for 20 min for treating pain from jellyfish stings.

Interventions for the symptoms and signs resulting from jellyfish stings.

Background: Jellyfish envenomations are common amongst temperate coastal regions and vary in severity depending on the species. Stings result in a variety of symptoms and signs, including pain, dermatological reactions and, in some species, Irukandji syndrome (including abdominal/back/chest pain, tachycardia, hypertension, sweating, piloerection, agitation and sometimes cardiac complications). Many treatments have been suggested for the symptoms and signs of jellyfish stings.

Systematic reviews of surgical procedures in children: quantity, coverage and quality.

Aim: Systematic reviews have the potential to map those areas where children are under-represented in surgical research. We aimed to describe and evaluate the quantity, coverage and the quality of conduct and reporting of systematic reviews of surgical procedures in children.

Methods: We searched four biomedical databases, a systematic review register, reference lists and conducted hand searching to identify relevant reviews.

Exercise training in solid organ transplant recipients: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: Exercise training is effective in improving the cardiovascular risk profiles of nontransplanted patients, but the health benefits and potential harms of routine exercise training after solid organ transplantation are unclear. This study aims to assess the health benefits and harms of supervised exercise training programs in solid organ recipients.

Methods: We systematically reviewed all randomized controlled trials (RCTs) comparing the outcomes of exercise training programs in solid organ recipients against standard care.

Medical device regulation in Australia: safe and effective?

Objective: To describe the frequency, characteristics and outcomes of reports of possible harms related to medical devices submitted to the Australian Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) using data made publicly available on the TGA website.

Design And Setting: A retrospective analysis, conducted in January 2012, of data made publicly available on the TGA website from January 2000 to December 2011.

Main Outcome Measures: The number and nature of reports of medical device incidents, recalls and alerts.

Probiotics for patients with hepatic encephalopathy.

Background: Hepatic encephalopathy is a disorder of brain function as a result of liver failure and/or portosystemic shunt. Both hepatic encephalopathy (clinically overt) and minimal hepatic encephalopathy (not clinically overt) significantly impair patient's quality of life and daily functioning and represent a significant burden on health care resources. Probiotics are live microorganisms, which when administered in adequate amounts may confer a health benefit on the host.

Trial registration and declaration of registration by authors of randomized controlled trials.

Background: Trial registration was introduced to reduce research bias by promoting trial transparency and accountability. We aimed to evaluate the frequency of, and factors associated with, trial registration and declaration of trial registration.

Methods: We selected all randomized controlled trials in kidney transplantation published between October 2005 and December 2010 and determined whether a trial was registered and whether a trial declared their registration in subsequent trial reports.

Diagnostic test studies in nephrology: quantity, quality, and scope.

Background: Diagnostic errors represent an important cause of preventable harm in health care that may be reduced through evidence-based choice, use, and interpretation of diagnostic tests. We hypothesized that diagnostic errors are reduced through evidence-based choice, use, and interpretation of diagnostic tests.

Study Design: Retrospective cohort study.