Teaching geriatrics using an innovative, individual-centered educational game: students and educators win. A proof-of-concept study.

Given the increasingly aging population, nearly every doctor will encounter elderly adults who present with multiple complex comorbidities that can challenge even experienced physicians. This may explain why many medical students do not have a positive attitude toward elderly adults and find the complexity of their problems overwhelming. It was hypothesized that a recently developed medical school geriatrics course, based on the game GeriatriX and designed specifically to address the complexities associated with decision-making in geriatrics, can have a positive effect on attitudes toward geriatrics and on perceived knowledge of geriatrics.

Influence on birthing positions affects women's sense of control in second stage of labour.

Objective: to explore whether choices in birthing positions contributes to women's sense of control during birth.

Design: survey using a self-report questionnaire. Multiple regression analyses were used to investigate which factors associated with choices in birthing positions affected women's sense of control.

Prevention of coronary heart disease and osteoporosis in women aged 45 to 49 years: a challenging role for general practitioners.

Objective: Part of the risks for coronary heart disease (CHD) and osteoporosis in women are established by their lifestyle in the premenopausal period. Therefore, we assessed the risk of women aged 45 to 49 years for CHD and osteoporosis and its relation with socioeconomic status (SES) and access to general practitioners (GPs) to provide clues for prevention.

Methods: The health interview data used for this study originated from the second Dutch National Survey of General Practice, a study with a response rate of 64.

Incorporating and evaluating an integrated gender-specific medicine curriculum: a survey study in Dutch GP training.

Background: We recently set standards for gender-specific medicine training as an integrated part of the GP training curriculum. This paper describes the programme and evaluation of this training.

Methods: The programme is designed for GP registrars throughout the 3-year GP training.

From gender bias to gender awareness in medical education.

Gender is an essential determinant of health and illness. Gender awareness in doctors contributes to equity and equality in health and aims towards better health for men and women. Nevertheless, gender has largely been ignored in medicine.

Does equal education generate equal attitudes? Gender differences in medical students' attitudes toward the ideal physician.

Background: Developing a patient-centered attitude is an important objective of medical education. Gender differences in students' patient-centered attitudes are also reported.

Purposes: Our study aims to measure (a) do gender differences and age differences exist in 1st- and 6th-year students' attitudes toward the ideal physician? and (b) what happens to gender differences in attitudes as students pass the medical curriculum?

Methods: In 2004, attitudes of 1st-year and 6th-year medical students of the Radboud University Nijmegen Medical Centre are measured with the Ideal Physician Scale.

Increased awareness of intimate partner abuse after training: a randomised controlled trial.

Background: Intimate partner abuse is very common among female patients in family practice. In general, doctors overlook the possibility of partner abuse.

Aim: To investigate whether awareness of intimate partner abuse, as well as active questioning, increase after attending focus group and training, or focus group only.

Intrauterine contraception: the role of general practitioners in four Dutch general practices.

The intrauterine device (IUD) use in the Netherlands and the United States is limited to a small group of women, though the risk of infection and pregnancy is small. Therefore, it was of interest to investigate the characteristics of women who choose an IUD as contraceptive method and the influence of general practitioners concerning IUD insertion. The aim of this retrospective cohort study was to assess differences between general practices and to investigate the characteristics of IUD users.

Substandard factors in perinatal care in The Netherlands: a regional audit of perinatal deaths.

Background: To determine: 1) whether substandard factors were present in cases of perinatal death, and to what extent another course of action might have resulted in a better outcome, and 2) whether there were differences in the frequency of substandard factors by level of care, particularly between midwives and gynecologists/obstetricians and between home and hospital births.

Methods: Population-based perinatal audit, with explicit evidence-based audit criteria.

Setting: The northern part of the province of South-Holland in The Netherlands.