Kaohsiung J Med Sci
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Kaohsiung J Med Sci · Jan 2009
Children presenting at the emergency department with right lower quadrant pain.
Right lower quadrant (RLQ) pain is a common complaint in children presenting at emergency departments. This study analyzed the etiologies of RLQ pain, and compared the clinical presentations, laboratory test results and imaging findings in patients with appendicitis with those in other groups of patients. We also investigated if active observation resulted in delayed diagnosis, to the detriment of patients. ⋯ There were significant differences in the incidences of fever (p = 0.004) and rebound tenderness (p = 0.019), and in white cell counts (p < 0.001), neutrophil percentages (p < 0.001), and C-reactive protein levels (p < 0.001) between patients with appendicitis and patients with other causes of RLQ pain. Clinical signs and symptoms, laboratory tests, and imaging studies can be used to differentiate between the causes of RLQ pain. Patients without the classical features of appendicitis or peritonitis can be safely managed by active observation and repeated physical examinations.
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Kaohsiung J Med Sci · Jan 2009
Effects of the Emergency Trauma Training Course on the confidence of final-year medical students dealing with trauma patients.
Trauma is an important issue that has been neglected in the training of medical students. This study evaluated the effects of the Emergency Trauma Training Course (ETTC), after completion of standard medical training, on seventh-year medical students. The ETTC was designed in Taiwan by the Taiwan Society of Emergency Medicine to train physicians and registered nurses who care for trauma patients in the emergency department (ED). ⋯ This indicates that the ETTC could increase the confidence of participants. This is the first evaluation of the implementation of the ETTC for final-year medical students in Taiwan. Based on our results, we highly recommend that this training course be taught to final-year medical students before they practice in hospital.
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Kaohsiung J Med Sci · Dec 2008
Experiences of interprofessional implementation of a healthcare matrix.
The Taiwan Joint Commission on Hospital Accreditation endorsed the Institute of Medicine (IOM) dimensions of health care quality as safe, timely, effective, efficient, equitable, and patient-centered. The Taiwan Association of Medical Education has also adopted the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) outcome project and core competencies for Taiwan physicians in training. These schemes focus on patient care, medical knowledge and skills, interpersonal and communication skills, professionalism, system-based practice and practice-based learning and improvement. ⋯ With interprofessional collaboration, the matrix has been used in the departments of Plastic Surgery, and Nursing and Performance Management in our hospital. The achievements are encouraging. The Taiwan Edition Healthcare Matrix is worthy of consideration, having been used in a Mandarin-speaking region of Asia.
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Kaohsiung J Med Sci · Dec 2008
Evaluation of the effectiveness of postgraduate general medicine training by objective structured clinical examination---pilot study and reflection on the experiences of Kaohsiung Medical University Hospital.
Objective structured clinical examination (OSCE) is an effective assessment method to evaluate medical students' clinical competencies performance. Postgraduate year 1 (PGY1) residents have been initiated in a general medicine training program in Taiwan since 2003. However, little is known about the learning effectiveness of trainees from this program. ⋯ Qualitative information revealed that tutors and SPs remarked that PGY1 residents' medical knowledge performance was satisfactory but their clinical reasoning performance, communication skills (giving bad news) and self-confidence were unsatisfactory. In conclusion, this pilot study has demonstrated that OSCE is a rational and feasible assessment method for evaluating the effectiveness of our PGY general medicine training program. The quantitative data and qualitative information provide a foundation to improve the quality of the program design and evaluation in implementing postgraduate general medicine training.
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Kaohsiung J Med Sci · Oct 2008
Case ReportsCytologic diagnosis of primary effusion lymphoma in an HIV-negative patient.
Primary effusion lymphoma (PEL) is an unusual and rare type of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma characterized by lymphomatous effusion of pleural, pericardial or peritoneal cavities without lymphadenopathy or organomegaly. It is associated with human herpes virus-8 (HHV-8) and occurs most often in immunodeficient patients. We present a case of PEL in a 69-year-old male presenting with pleural effusion and ascites. ⋯ Immunohistochemically, the lymphoid cells expressed CD138 and multiple myeloma oncogene 1, were positive for HHV-8, and were monoclonal for immunoglobulin heavy chain gene rearrangement. They were negative for Epstein-Barr virus by in situ hybridization. Unfortunately, the patient died during the first course of chemotherapy with cyclophosphamide, vincristine and prednisone.