Publications by authors named "Ruth E Blackham"

Background: The performance of laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy has increased markedly to become the single-most performed bariatric surgical procedure globally. To date, a means of standardized trainee teaching has not been developed. The aim of this study was to design a laparoscopic curriculum for trainees of bariatric surgery utilizing modified Delphi consensus methodology.

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Purpose: The global rise in obesity has been accompanied by widespread uptake of the procedure of laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy. Despite this, the key components for performance assessment have not been standardized for this procedure. The aim of this study was to develop and demonstrate the validity of a Sleeve Objective Structured Assessment of Technical Skill (SOSATS) scale for learning the procedure of laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy (LSG).

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Coronary artery aneurysms and arterio-venous fistulae are uncommon malformations. We report the case of a 58-year-old woman with a large aneurysmal fistula arising from the left coronary tree and involving the entire coronary sinus venous system, resulting in significant left-to-right shunt. We discuss the management of aneurysmal fistulae of the coronary arteries, and the merits of prophylaxis for thrombotic complications of large aneurysms.

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The current system of prevocational training does not meet the needs of junior doctors because of a high administrative workload, insufficient funding for education, and a lack of centralised guidance for trainees, teachers and hospitals. The Australian Curriculum Framework for Junior Doctors is designed to identify the training objectives for the prevocational years. The Framework has the potential to improve the quality of training of junior doctors, but this depends on how well it is implemented and resourced.

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