Publications by authors named "Tom J Syer"
The Analysis of Teaching of Medical Schools (AToMS) survey: an analysis of 47,258 timetabled teaching events in 25 UK medical schools relating to timing, duration, teaching formats, teaching content, and problem-based learning.
Oliver Patrick Devine Andrew Christopher Harborne Hugo Layard Horsfall Tobin Joseph Tess Marshall-Andon Tom J Syer
BMC Med
May 2020
Background: What subjects UK medical schools teach, what ways they teach subjects, and how much they teach those subjects is unclear. Whether teaching differences matter is a separate, important question. This study provides a detailed picture of timetabled undergraduate teaching activity at 25 UK medical schools, particularly in relation to problem-based learning (PBL).
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- Medical schools in the UK exhibit significant differences in various aspects, including teaching styles, entry criteria, and postgraduate performance, prompting the MedDifs study to explore these variations.
- The study analyzed aggregated data from 29 medical schools, focusing on 50 different measures such as curricular influences, student satisfaction, and specialty training outcomes.
- Results indicate that while differences in medical schools are consistent over time, schools using problem-based learning (PBL) tend to have lower postgraduate performance despite higher satisfaction with feedback, suggesting a complex relationship between teaching methods and outcomes.
Article Synopsis
- The study investigates the effectiveness of diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) and T-weighted imaging (TWI) in detecting prostate cancer, focusing on the impact of high b-values (> 1000 s/mm) through a systematic review and meta-analysis.
- A total of 33 studies involving 2,949 patients were analyzed, revealing a pooled sensitivity of 69% and specificity of 84%, with improved sensitivity associated with high b-values.
- The findings suggest that while the combined use of DWI and TWI shows good diagnostic accuracy, more extensive research on b-values is needed to make definitive recommendations.
Background The diagnostic accuracy of diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) to detect prostate cancer is well-established. DWI provides visual as well as quantitative means of detecting tumor, the apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC). Recently higher b-values have been used to improve DWI's diagnostic performance.
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