Clin Med
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Practice Guideline
Concise guidance: diagnosis and management of giant cell arteritis.
Giant cell arteritis (GCA) or temporal arteritis (TA) with polymyalgia rheumatica (PMR) is among the most common reasons for long-term steroid prescription. GCA is a critically ischaemic disease, the most common form of vasculitis and should be treated as a medical emergency. ⋯ The purpose of this concise guidance is to draw attention to the full guidelines to encourage the prompt diagnosis and urgent management of GCA, with emphasis on the prevention of visual loss. They provide a framework for disease assessment, immediate treatment and referral to specialist care for management and monitoring of disease activity, complications and relapse.
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In the context of professionalism being viewed increasingly as a social contract, a survey was conducted to investigate the importance placed by the general public on doctors' professional attributes. A quota sample of 953 responded to a 55-item online inventory of professional attributes. The quotas closely represented the national census. ⋯ The general public did not equate professionalism with social standing, wealth production, physique or appearance. They recognised doctors as professionals by their good behaviour, high values and positive attitudes as clinicians, workmen and citizens. Although, their preference of professional attributes varied with the setting, eg patient consultation, working with others and behaving in society, they expected doctors to be confident, reliable, dependable, composed, accountable and dedicated across all settings.
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This article describes the establishment of a web-based training programme for postgraduate respiratory trainees. A pilot survey assessed trainees' experiences of online learning. All trainees had used the internet for work-related purposes with commonly used resources being Google, national society websites and specialty journals. ⋯ Trainees found that topics covered were appropriate, contained novel information and subjectively impacted on practice. Common problems were technical difficulties accessing the site (37%) and journal articles (74%), ambiguity of MCQs and difficulty finding time during normal working hours to complete modules. Trainees felt that feedback from MCQs and discussion with colleagues and their educational supervisor were useful methods to support their learning, but did not find the self-reflection exercise helpful.
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The Young Diabetologists' Forum (YDF) is a group designed and run by specialist trainees in endocrinology and diabetes that aims to provide high quality educational events. The YDF recognised that not all trainees in the specialty had equitable access to training opportunities and resolved to try and remedy the situation. ⋯ As well as offering education and training another key purpose of the YDF is to give trainees from around the country the opportunity to meet up and exchange thoughts and ideas. The overall aim of the organisation is to improve the lives of people with diabetes by helping to ensure that future specialists are fully equipped for their role.