BMC medical education
-
BMC medical education · Jan 2016
"You kind of want to fix it don't you?" Exploring general practice trainees' experiences of managing patients with medically unexplained symptoms.
Much of a General Practitioner's (GP) workload consists of managing patients with medically unexplained symptoms (MUS). GP trainees are often taking responsibility for looking after people with MUS for the first time and so are well placed to reflect on this and the preparation they have had for it; their views have not been documented in detail in the literature. This study aimed to explore GP trainees' clinical and educational experiences of managing people presenting with MUS. ⋯ Managing MUS is a common problem for GP trainees and results in a disproportionate amount of anxiety, frustration and uncertainty. Their training needs to better reflect their clinical experience to prepare them for managing such scenarios, which should also improve patient care.
-
BMC medical education · Jan 2016
Utilisation of internet resources for continuing professional development: a cross-sectional survey of general practitioners in Scotland.
Participation in continuing professional development (CPD) is a professional and regulatory expectation of general practitioners (GPs). Traditionally, CPD activity was undertaken face-to-face in educational settings, but internet based formats have found increasing favour. The need for doctors to use the internet for service and educational purposes is growing, particularly in support of specialty training and appraisal. We aimed to determine how GPs in Scotland utilise online resources in support of their CPD. This involved identifying which resources are used and how frequently, along with their preferences as to how and why they access these resources. ⋯ The majority of respondents had positive attitudes to using online resources for continuing professional development, and a preference for evidence-based and peer reviewed online resources. Information technology (IT) difficulties remain a barrier to effective utilisation. The findings have implications for future planning and design of online resources and IT infrastructure.
-
BMC medical education · Jan 2016
Comparative StudyThe effect of an interactive delirium e-learning tool on healthcare workers' delirium recognition, knowledge and strain in caring for delirious patients: a pilot pre-test/post-test study.
Studies investigating the effectiveness of delirium e-learning tools in clinical practice are scarce. The aim of this study is to determine the effect of a delirium e-learning tool on healthcare workers' delirium recognition, delirium knowledge and care strain in delirium. ⋯ The e-learning tool improved healthcare workers' delirium recognition and knowledge. The effect of the tool is related to its level of completion, but was less explicit after controlling for potential confounders and warrants further investigation. The level of strain did not improve.
-
BMC medical education · Jan 2016
The medical students' perspective of faculty and informal mentors: a questionnaire study.
Student mentoring is an important aspect of undergraduate medical education. While medical schools often assign faculty advisors to medical students as mentors to support their educational experience, it is possible for the students to pursue mentors informally. The possible role of these informal mentors and their interactions with the students in a faculty mentorship program has not been reported. This study builds upon previous work that suggested many students have informal mentors, and that there might be interplay between these two types of mentors. This study was conducted to report the experience of undergraduate medical students in a faculty mentorship program of their faculty mentors and if applicable, of their informal mentors. ⋯ Informal mentorship was common for medical students. The presence of an informal mentor was not associated with dissatisfaction with the Faculty advisor or with the mentorship program. It is likely students may pursue informal mentorship for career-related reasons.
-
BMC medical education · Dec 2015
Construct validation of judgement-based assessments of medical trainees' competency in the workplace using a "Kanesian" approach to validation.
Evaluations of clinical assessments that use judgement-based methods have frequently shown them to have sub-optimal reliability and internal validity evidence for their interpretation and intended use. The aim of this study was to enhance that validity evidence by an evaluation of the internal validity and reliability of competency constructs from supervisors' end-of-term summative assessments for prevocational medical trainees. ⋯ Internal validity and reliability of clinical competence assessments using judgement-based methods are acceptable when actual competency constructs used by assessors are adequately identified. Validation for interpretation and use of supervisors' assessment in local training schemes is feasible using standard methods for gathering validity evidence.