Clin Med
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There is increasing concern about the inappropriate use of alcohol by teenagers and young adults. The objective of this study was to assess the practicality of developing an alcohol education programme for school pupils delivered by medical students. The study design was of a prospective, observational, interventional cohort study. ⋯ Over a three-year period, 60 medical students provided alcohol education sessions to 1,780 high school pupils (aged 13-15 years) within seven schools in Wales. Strongly positive feedback was obtained from all stakeholders and all schools asked to be included in future programmes. In conclusion, medical student-delivered teaching of alcohol education programmes to school pupils appears to be feasible and welcome by schools, teachers, pupils and medical students.
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It is recognised that physicians can face difficulty in identifying the aetiology of an episode of loss of consciousness. This lesson reports the case of a patient who was diagnosed with epilepsy in 2008 after presenting with ‘funny turns’ and had more than 100 further blackouts before a correct diagnosis of sinus node disease was made in 2010. ⋯ Diagnostic and management strategies are discussed for patients presenting with loss of consciousness. Physicians are reminded of the difficulty in distinguishing cardiovascular syncope from epilepsy in such patients and the broader principle of questioning a diagnosis in those who do not appear to respond to treatment.
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This lesson describes a case of tuberous sclerosis presenting with confusion and agitation. The condition is briefly reviewed and learning points are emphasised for clinicians encountering similar presentations.
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All physicians who are training young doctors of the future recognise the current challenge of doing this in the NHS. The recently published Temple Report documents the challenge and some of the solutions. ⋯ This paper sets out the history, structure and purpose of LFGs, describes what happens during a LFG meeting in both open and closed sessions and presents feedback of learning from two years in action across 11 acute trusts in the South East Coast (SEC) strategic health authority area. The experience of trainers in SEC is that the local faculty group structure and associated processes is one strand in the more effective delivery of education in the current NHS environment.