Croatian medical journal
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Like any other area of academic medicine in Croatia, academic ophthalmology has always been limited by or has depended on the factors outside the profession itself: during the communist regime, it was mostly political and ideological correctness of academic ophthalmologists, and today during the social and economic transition, it is the lack of finances, planning, and sophisticated technology. The four university eye clinics, which are the pillars of academic ophthalmology in Croatia, provide health care to most difficult cases, educate students, residents, and specialists, and do research. ⋯ This ever growing imbalance between requirements imposed on academic ophthalmology today and its possibilities make it less and less attractive, especially in comparison with private practice. The possible solution lies in increasing the independence of ophthalmology from pharmaceutical industry and politics, especially in research and financial aspects.
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Academic medicine consists of three vocations: clinical care, research, and teaching. Many argue that academic medicine is undergoing a crisis. ⋯ The debate is to examine "the fundamental nature of academic medicine." The present editorial seeks to explore one problematic feature of academic medicine: the fact that it consists of three vocations. This problematic feature is fundamental to academic medicine.
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Croatian medical journal · Jun 2004
Prognostic factors in open eye injury managed with vitrectomy: retrospective study.
To evaluate surgery results and establish prognostic factors that predicted final functional (good or poor vision) and anatomic (final retinal detachment) outcome in open eye injury involving the posterior segment managed with pars plana vitrectomy. ⋯ Half of the eyes with a good final visual outcome in our study were successfully managed with pars plana vitrectomy for open eye injury after trauma. The classification system may become useful prognostic tool for visual outcome in posterior segment ocular injuries managed with vitrectomy. Relative afferent pupillary defect as a functional test is a good predictor for visual outcome.
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Croatian medical journal · Jun 2004
Academic medicine--experiences from Finland and suggestions for the future.
This article presents the basic facts about education, health care system, and academic medicine in Finland. The issue of the academic medicine in the world is discussed and Finnish models compared with those of the rest of the world. Possible solutions for the recovery of academic medicine, education, and research are proposed.
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Academic medicine comprises education, research, and medical care, respectively provided by medical schools, research institutions, and teaching hospitals. Thus far, academic medicine has been unsuccessful in establishing, protecting, promoting, and improving the quality of care. Its role in that area should therefore be reconsidered. ⋯ Early exposure of medical students to the principles and practices of quality of care improvement would be a starting point for a life long process of experience-based learning that allows physicians to change and improve practice through the application of relevant knowledge and skills. It is essential that changes in graduate and postgraduate education and training be introduced, to improve an understanding of the importance of focusing on the care process from the patient's perspective as well as on the need for interdisciplinary cooperation and team performance as prerequisites for good medical care. Their education should also emphasize the measurement of the quality of delivered care, provide an understanding of the demand of society for accountability and how to meet it, as well as competence in using the principles and practice of quality improvement to provide, document, and improve the quality of care in institutions of academic medicine.