Clin Med
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Both the MRCP(UK) written examinations and the specialty certificate examinations (SCEs) use single-best-answer questions to assess the knowledge and problem-solving skills of physicians in training. Since 1999, specialists and senior trainees have created large banks of questions for these examinations that cover the relevant curricula. ⋯ Each question drafted is subjected to face-to-face peer review and subsequent stages of academic scrutiny before reaching the question bank, and later during the exacting processes of question selection and standard setting. Feedback to question writers at every level of scrutiny helps to support the development of question-writing competence, and the analysis of individual question performance provides some insight into optimal question design.
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Biography Historical Article
Isolation in time: a cause of suffering in the elderly. Lessons from Krapp's last tape.
This column explores the links and synergies between medicine and literature. What roles can literature play in reflecting and influencing good practice, and what sorts of images of doctoring are to be found in drama, poetry, fiction, biography, electronic fora and film? The editors would be pleased to receive short papers, ranging from 500–1,000 words, on relevant topics. Those interested in contributing should email brian.hurwitz@kcl.ac.uk or neil.vickers@kcl.ac.uk