Plasma alpha-synuclein predicts cognitive impairment in Parkinson's disease: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: Alpha-synuclein (ɑ-syn) plays a key role in Parkinson's disease (PD) pathogenesis, but existing studies have found mixed results regarding the associations between plasma ɑ-syn and the development of cognitive impairment. We aim to clarify the potentially important relationship between ɑ-syn level in plasma and development of cognitive impairment in PD through systematic review and meta-analysis.

Methods: A systematic search was conducted in the PubMed, Embase and Web of Science databases for studies reporting plasma ɑ-syn concentrations and cognitive impairment in PD.

Enablers of and Barriers to Self-Regulated and Self-Directed Aptitudes of Learning (SELF-ReDiAL) in Health Professional Education: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.

Introduction: Recently, accrediting organizations have focused on developing lifelong learners who possess self-regulated and self-directed aptitudes of learning (hereinafter SELF-ReDiAL or in short, SR). This meta-analysis aimed to identify factors which promote or deter SR in health professionals.

Methods: Original studies which, by using self-reports, evaluated enablers of and barriers to SR in health professionals (dentistry, medicine, nursing, and pharmacology), and were indexed in Scopus and PubMed databases from 1 January 2000 to 31 August 2022, were retrieved.

General practice trainee, supervisor and educator perspectives on the transitions in postgraduate training: a scoping review.

Unlabelled: Transitions are a period and a process, through which there is a longitudinal adaptation in response to changing circumstances in clinical practice and responsibilities. While the experience of the transition in medical student learning and in hospital-based specialty training programmes are well described and researched, the experience of the transition in community-based postgraduate general practitioner (GP) training has not been described comprehensively.

Objective: We aimed to identify, and categorise, the formative experiences of transitions in GP training and their impacts on personal and professional development.

Insights into undergraduate medical student selection tools: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Purpose: Evaluating medical school selection tools is vital for evidence-based student selection. With previous reviews revealing knowledge gaps, this meta-analysis offers insights into the effectiveness of these selection tools.

Methods: A systematic review and meta-analysis were conducted applying the following criteria: peer-reviewed articles available in English, published from 2010 and which include empirical data linking performance in selection tools with assessment and dropout outcomes of undergraduate entry medical programs.

Establishing minimal clinically important differences for the Pemphigus Disease Area Index.

Background: Pemphigus is a rare autoimmune blistering disease with potentially life-threatening consequences. Establishing minimal clinically important differences (MCIDs) for disease severity scores like the Pemphigus Disease Area Index (PDAI) is crucial for assessing treatment efficacy.

Objectives: To calculate MCIDs for both improvement and deterioration in PDAI scores in patients with pemphigus vulgaris (PV) and pemphigus foliaceus (PF), using the anchor-based method.

"Excited When They See Their Name in Print": Research Outputs from an Australian Medical Program.

To promote evidence-based practice, medical schools offer students opportunities to undertake either elective or mandatory research projects. One important measure of the research program success is student publication rates. In 2006, UNSW Medicine implemented a mandatory research program in the 4th year of the undergraduate medical education program.

Autoimmune blistering diseases treated with glucocorticoids: An international study of steroid-induced myopathy.

Background: Patients with autoimmune blistering diseases (AIBDs) are often exposed to chronic glucocorticoid (GC) treatment with many side effects. Glucocorticoid-induced myopathy (GIM) is a well-established side effect, which particularly affects the proximal muscles. The Glucocorticoid Toxicity Index (GTI) is a validated global assessment tool which quantifies GC toxicity over time.

A Systematic Review of Ophthalmology Education in Medical Schools: The Global Decline.

Topic: This systematic review examined geographical and temporal trends in medical school ophthalmology education in relationship to course and student outcomes.

Clinical Relevance: Evidence suggesting a decline in ophthalmology teaching in medical schools is increasing, raising concern for the adequacy of eye knowledge across the rest of the medical profession.

Methods: Systematic review of Embase and SCOPUS, with inclusion of studies containing data on medical school ophthalmic course length; 1 or more outcome measures on student ophthalmology knowledge, skills, self-evaluation of knowledge or skills, or student course appraisal; or both.

Development and validation of the student ratings in clinical teaching scale in Australia: a methodological study.

Purpose: This study aimed to devise a valid measurement for assessing clinical students' perceptions of teaching practices.

Methods: A new tool was developed based on a meta-analysis encompassing effective clinical teaching-learning factors. Seventy-nine items were generated using a frequency (never to always) scale.

Telemedicine vs Face-to-Face for Nursing Home Residents With Acute Presentations: A Noninferiority Study.

Objectives: Telemedicine and face-to-face outreach services to nursing homes (NHs) have been used to reduce hospital utilization rates for acute presentations. However, how these modalities compare against each other is unclear. This article examines if the management of acute presentations in NHs with care involving telemedicine is noninferior to care delivered face-to-face.

Screening for Media Use in the Emergency Department Among Young Australians: Cross-sectional Study.

Background: Research on problematic internet use has largely adhered to addiction paradigms, possibly impeding the identification of specific internet behaviors related to psychopathology. This study presents a novel approach to screening for specific problematic internet behaviors by using a new measure, the emergency department media use screener (EDMUS).

Objective: The purpose of this study was to identify patterns of internet use in young people presenting with mental health concerns to the emergency department (ED), ascertain associations with their mental health, and evaluate whether the EDMUS can be used to predict subsequent ED presentations within 3 months.

What impacts students' satisfaction the most from Medicine Student Experience Questionnaire in Australia: a validity study.

Purpose: This study evaluated the validity of student feedback derived from Medicine Student Experience Questionnaire (MedSEQ), as well as the predictors of students' satisfaction in the Medicine program.

Methods: Data from MedSEQ applying to the University of New South Wales Medicine program in 2017, 2019, and 2021 were analyzed. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) and Cronbach's α were used to assess the construct validity and reliability of MedSEQ respectively.

Factors predicting rural location employment intent and choice among medical students and graduates.

Purpose: Workforce shortage is a contributing cause of health inequality in rural Australia. There is inconclusive evidence demonstrating which factors cause doctors to choose rural practice. This study's objective is to determine predictive factors for medical students' intent to work rurally and for graduates' current rural employment location choice.

Medical student selection process enhanced by improving selection algorithms and changing the focus of interviews in Australia: a descriptive study.

Purpose: The study investigates the efficacy of new features introduced to the selection process for medical school at the University of New South Wales, Australia: (1) considering the relative ranks rather than scores of the Undergraduate Medicine and Health Sciences Admission Test and Australian Tertiary Admission Rank; (2) structured interview focusing on interpersonal interaction and concerns should the applicants become students; and (3) embracing interviewers’ diverse perspectives.

Methods: Data from 5 cohorts of students were analyzed, comparing outcomes of the second year in the medicine program of 4 cohorts of the old selection process and 1 of the new process. The main analysis comprised multiple linear regression models for predicting academic, clinical, and professional outcomes, by section tools and demographic variables.

Equal Z standard-setting method to estimate the minimum number of panelists for a medical school’s objective structured clinical examination in Taiwan: a simulation study.

Purpose: Undertaking a standard-setting exercise is a common method for setting pass/fail cut scores for high-stakes examinations. The recently introduced equal Z standard-setting method (EZ method) has been found to be a valid and effective alternative for the commonly used Angoff and Hofstee methods and their variants. The current study aims to estimate the minimum number of panelists required for obtaining acceptable and reliable cut scores using the EZ method.

Medical school grades may predict future clinical competence.

Background: In real-world medical education, there is a lack of reliable predictors of future clinical competencies. Hence, we aim to identify the factors associated with clinical competencies and construct a prediction model to identify "improvement required" trainees.

Methods: We analyzed data from medical students who graduated from National Yang-Ming University with clerkship training and participated in the postgraduate year (PGY) interview at Taipei Veterans General Hospital.

Faculty appointment and promotion in Taiwan's medical schools, a systematic analysis.

Background: A rigorous faculty appointment and promotion (FAP) system is vital for the success of any academic institution. However, studies examining the FAP system in Asian universities are lacking. We surveyed the FAP policies of Taiwan's medical schools and identified an overreliance on the CJA score (manuscript Category, Journal quality, and Author order).

Implementing a flipped classroom model in an evidence-based medicine curriculum for pre-clinical medical students: evaluating learning effectiveness through prospective propensity score-matched cohorts.

Background: In a flipped classroom (FC) model, blended learning is used to increase student engagement and learning by having students finish their readings at home and work on problem-solving with tutors during class time. Evidence-based medicine (EBM) integrates clinical experience and patient values with the best evidence-based research to inform clinical decisions. To implement a FC and EBM, students require sufficient information acquisition and problem-solving skills.

Immersive virtual reality (VR) training increases the self-efficacy of in-hospital healthcare providers and patient families regarding tracheostomy-related knowledge and care skills: A prospective pre-post study.

Background: Virtual reality (VR)-based simulation in hospital settings facilitates the acquisition of skills without compromising patient safety. Despite regular text-based training, a baseline survey of randomly selected healthcare providers revealed deficiencies in their knowledge, confidence, comfort, and care skills regarding tracheostomy. This prospective pre-post study compared the effectiveness of regular text- and VR-based intervention modules in training healthcare providers' self-efficacy in tracheostomy care skills.

Medical students' perception of an online dental trauma course in medical education.

Background: With dental trauma education not commonly offered in medicine programmes, offering an online learning course may fill the knowledge deficiency for medical students. The aim of this study is to evaluate medical students' perceptions of an online dental trauma course.

Material And Methods: This was a cross-sectional questionnaire study conducted among medical students at an Australian University.

It's what you do, not the way you do it - online versus face-to-face small group teaching in first year medical school.

Background: Major disruptions imposed on medical education by the COVID-19 pandemic and the rapid shift to online teaching in medical programs, necessitated need for evaluation of this format. In this study we directly compared knowledge outcomes, social outcomes, and wellbeing of first year student small group teaching in either face to face (f2f) or online format.

Methods: At the end of the first course of our medical program, students were invited to participate in an online questionnaire with 10 quantitative items and 1 qualitative item.

Empirical analysis comparing the tele-objective structured clinical examination (teleOSCE) and the in-person assessment in Australia.

Purpose: It aimed to compare the use of the tele objective structured clinical examination (teleOSCE) with in-person assessment in high-stakes clinical examination so as to determine the impact of the teleOSCE on the assessment undertaken. Discussion follows regarding what skills and domains can effectively be assessed in a teleOSCE.

Methods: This study is a retrospective observational analysis.