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Preclinical Medical Students (preclinical + medical_student)

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Medical Sciences100%

Selected Abstracts

Evaluation of a pharmacotherapy context-learning programme for preclinical medical students

BRITISH JOURNAL OF CLINICAL PHARMACOLOGY, Issue 6 2006
J. A. Vollebregt
What is already known about this subject ,,Context-learning in medicine is mainly based on theories explaining how medical expertise is achieved, particularly with regard to diagnostic problem solving. ,,By frequently solving diagnostic clinical problems doctors generate so-called networks of organized knowledge in their memory. ,,Preclinical medical students are well able to learn to choose and prescribe drugs. What this study adds ,,Preclinical pharmacotherapy context learning for medical students has a modest but positive effect on learning cognitive pharmacotherapeutic skills, i.e. choosing a drug treatment and determining patient information. ,,The effect can be obtained with role-play sessions, a suboptimal form of context learning, with a minimal study load and a high appreciation by students. Aim To evaluate a context-learning pharmacotherapy programme for approximately 750 2nd, 3rd and 4th year preclinical medical students with respect to mastering cognitive pharmacotherapeutic skills, i.e. choosing a (drug) treatment and determining patient information. Methods The context-learning pharmacotherapy programme consists of weekly organized role play sessions in the form of consulting hours. Fourth year students sit for a therapeutic Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE) in the form of consulting hours at the outpatient clinic. Sixty-one 2nd, 74 3rd and 49 4th year medical students who attended the role play sessions and the OSCE were randomly selected. Their performances were assessed by clinical examiners and clinical experts and compared with a reference group of 6th year graduated students. Additionally, the scores of a questionnaire on study load and appreciation were collected. Results The level of the pharmacotherapeutic skills of the 4th year students who followed the pharmacotherapy context-learning programme was not far below that of 6th year graduates who had finished their clinical clerkships, but had not followed the pharmacotherapy programme. The time spent on the programme was about 1% of the total study load per year. The students appreciated the role play sessions and OSCE by around 80% and 99% of the maximum possible scores. Conclusions Preclinical pharmacotherapy context learning has a modest but positive effect on learning cognitive pharmacotherapeutic skills, i.e. choosing a drug treatment and determining patient information. This effect has been obtained with role play sessions, a suboptimal form of context learning, with a minimal study load and a high appreciation by students. [source]

Potential Structures That Could Be Confused With a Nonrecurrent Inferior Laryngeal Nerve: An Anatomic Study,

THE LARYNGOSCOPE, Issue 1 2008
Eva Maranillo MD
Abstract Objectives: Study and detailed description of the large connections between the normally recurrent inferior laryngeal nerve (RILN) and the sympathetic trunk (ST) because these may be mistaken for a nonrecurrent inferior laryngeal nerve (NRILN). Study Design: Morphologic study of adult human necks. Methods: The necks of 144 human, adult, embalmed cadavers were examined (68 males, 76 females). They had been partially dissected by Cambridge preclinical medical students and then further dissected by the authors using magnification. The RILN, the ST, and their branches were identified and dissected. A total of 277 RILNs and STs (137 rights, 140 lefts) were observed. Results: A communicating branch (CB) with a similar diameter to the RILN occurred between the ST and the RILN in 48 of the 277 (17.3%) dissections, 24 from the 137 (17.5%) right dissections, and 24 from the 140 (17%) left dissections. In 12 cases, the CB was bilateral. The CB arose from the superior cervical sympathetic ganglion in 3 of the 48 (6.25%) cases, from the middle ganglion in 10 (21%) cases, from the stellate ganglion in 3 (6.25%) cases, and from the ST in 32 (66.6%) cases. One (0.36%) NRILN associated with a right retro-esophageal subclavian artery (arteria lusoria) was found. Conclusions: 1) The CB between the RILN and the ST may have a diameter and course similar to an NRILN and may be confused with it. 2) The occurrence of the CB is greater than the occurrence referred to in previous studies. 3) The occurrence of the CB is similar by side and sex. 4) The CB may arise at different levels from the cervical ST and ganglia and end in the thyroid area. 5) Other neural elements may also be confused with an RILN, such as the cardiac nerves and the collateral branches from an NRILN to the trachea and esophagus. [source]

Evaluation of a pharmacotherapy context-learning programme for preclinical medical students

BRITISH JOURNAL OF CLINICAL PHARMACOLOGY, Issue 6 2006
J. A. Vollebregt
What is already known about this subject ,,Context-learning in medicine is mainly based on theories explaining how medical expertise is achieved, particularly with regard to diagnostic problem solving. ,,By frequently solving diagnostic clinical problems doctors generate so-called networks of organized knowledge in their memory. ,,Preclinical medical students are well able to learn to choose and prescribe drugs. What this study adds ,,Preclinical pharmacotherapy context learning for medical students has a modest but positive effect on learning cognitive pharmacotherapeutic skills, i.e. choosing a drug treatment and determining patient information. ,,The effect can be obtained with role-play sessions, a suboptimal form of context learning, with a minimal study load and a high appreciation by students. Aim To evaluate a context-learning pharmacotherapy programme for approximately 750 2nd, 3rd and 4th year preclinical medical students with respect to mastering cognitive pharmacotherapeutic skills, i.e. choosing a (drug) treatment and determining patient information. Methods The context-learning pharmacotherapy programme consists of weekly organized role play sessions in the form of consulting hours. Fourth year students sit for a therapeutic Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE) in the form of consulting hours at the outpatient clinic. Sixty-one 2nd, 74 3rd and 49 4th year medical students who attended the role play sessions and the OSCE were randomly selected. Their performances were assessed by clinical examiners and clinical experts and compared with a reference group of 6th year graduated students. Additionally, the scores of a questionnaire on study load and appreciation were collected. Results The level of the pharmacotherapeutic skills of the 4th year students who followed the pharmacotherapy context-learning programme was not far below that of 6th year graduates who had finished their clinical clerkships, but had not followed the pharmacotherapy programme. The time spent on the programme was about 1% of the total study load per year. The students appreciated the role play sessions and OSCE by around 80% and 99% of the maximum possible scores. Conclusions Preclinical pharmacotherapy context learning has a modest but positive effect on learning cognitive pharmacotherapeutic skills, i.e. choosing a drug treatment and determining patient information. This effect has been obtained with role play sessions, a suboptimal form of context learning, with a minimal study load and a high appreciation by students. [source]