Ann Acad Med Singap
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Ann Acad Med Singap · Dec 2008
Development of a tool to evaluate health science students' experiences of an interprofessional education (IPE) programme.
The Rural Interprofessional Programme Emergency Retreat (RIPPER) is an educational programme collaboratively developed and evaluated by an interprofessional team from Schools within Faculty of Health Science (FHS), University of Tasmania (UTAS), Australia. The aims of RIPPER are to foster and facilitate positive and productive interprofessional learning experiences for undergraduate students in a rural setting; and to develop a firmly embedded and sustainable interprofessional healthcare module within the health science curriculum. This paper reports on the development of a reliable and valid survey tool to evaluate students' understandings and experiences of this interprofessional learning programme. ⋯ Factor analysis of the 12 statements identified 3 main factors including appreciation of professional roles and responsibilities, improved professional practice based on effective teamwork and the importance of students learning and working together for improved clinical practice. Reliability of the survey was established. The survey is able to evaluate students' understandings and experiences of this interprofessional learning programme.
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Issues pertaining to the diagnosis and management of inborn errors of metabolism (IEM) in Malaysia included low awareness of atypical and variable presentations in IEMs leading to delayed diagnosis or treatment, absence of reliable population data on IEMs and involvement of multiple siblings in the same family due to consanguinity. The importance of careful family history taking and genetic counselling are emphasised. Selected testing of ill infants and children for IEM yielded a positive 2% (264/13,500) results for IEMs in Malaysia. ⋯ Confirmatory studies of IEMs are an important aspect of management of IEMs. There is a need for more metabolic specialists and funding for diagnosis and treatment of IEMs in Malaysia. Long-term care issues and cost-effectiveness of IEM therapy, supportive and preventive aspects will need further studies in Malaysia.
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Ann Acad Med Singap · Dec 2008
A systems approach to teach core topics across graduate medical education programmes.
Core curricula including Ethics, Medico-legal issues, Socioeconomics, and Quality Improvement (QI) are relevant and significant for graduate medical education programmes, regardless of specialty. A lack of faculty expertise in these content areas is a frequently cited concern among specialty programmes in graduate medical education. We report the results of an institutional systems-approach to assist this challenge. Our institution has 86 post-graduate residency and fellowship training programmes serving 1068 learners. Directors of these programmes expressed the need for a centralised approach to teach learners about insurance systems and the basics of QI. ⋯ Systems-wide didactic sessions for learners of different residencies has several advantages including the efficient use of content experts, prevention of resource burnout, and cost effectiveness. This strategy may also assist programmes directors in meeting external accreditation requirements.
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Ann Acad Med Singap · Dec 2008
Does team learning motivate students' engagement in an evidence-based medicine course?
Small group-based instructional methods such as team learning have been shown to produce positive educational outcomes. To motivate students' learning in an evidence-based medicine course, we explore team learning as a teaching strategy, and describe students' engagement and preference for this mode of learning. ⋯ Team learning is the preferred mode of learning by Year 2 students attending the evidence-based medicine course. It promoted a high level of students' engagement and interaction in class.
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Ann Acad Med Singap · Dec 2008
Newborn screening in Pakistan - lessons from a hospital-based congenital hypothyroidism screening programme.
We are living in a time of unprecedented increase in knowledge and rapidly changing technology. Such biotechnology especially when it involves human subjects raises complex ethical, legal, social and religious issues. The establishment of newborn screening programmes in developing countries poses major challenges as it competes with other health priorities like control of infectious diseases, malnutrition and immunization programmes. ⋯ However due to missing data links spanning several years, we were unable to calculate its true incidence during this period. In order to estimate the incidence of congenital hypothyroidism (CH) we reviewed in detail data over 10 months in 2008, a period where there was better compliance for repeat thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) testing, and found 2 babies with CH. This gave an estimated incidence of 1 in 1600 live births.