Educational Symposium Research Articles

Panel 4: Linking Service Members and Exposure Data to Support Determination of Risk—Proceedings of an Educational Symposium on Assessing Potentially Hazardous Environmental Exposures Among Military Populations

On May 19 to 21, 2010, the Armed Forces Health Surveillance Center and Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences cosponsored an educational symposium on Assessing Potentially Hazardous Environmental Exposures among Military Populations. The meeting provided an opportunity for stakeholders and policy makers to review key historical information in areas related to this subject, discuss current policy, and identify future initiatives. In small group sessions, one area of focus centered on linking individual service members and environmental exposure data to assess health risk. Discussion included describing the current Department of Defense approach to this issue, successes, problems, gaps, near future solutions to overcome gaps, and identification of those problems and gaps for which there are no easy, foreseeable, or near term solutions available. A summary of the discussion and determinations from this focus group is provided.

Assessing Potentially Hazardous Environmental Exposures Among Military Populations: 2010 Symposium and Workshop Summary and Conclusions

From May 19 to May 21, 2010, the Armed Forced Health Surveillance Center and the Uniformed Services University cosponsored an educational symposium and workshop on the assessment of potentially hazardous environmental exposures among military populations. Symposium participants reviewed and analyzed historical exposure events, from herbicides in Vietnam to the 1991 Gulf War oil well fires and World Trade Center dust exposure in 2001, using the framework that the Institute of Medicine developed for addressing environmental exposures and their possible impact on military populations. Historical exposures were critically assessed in terms of methods used to identify and define harmful exposures, to prevent or limit exposures, and to define the health risks to exposed people. The lessons learned were then used during small group discussions to deliberate on the current scientific approach for dealing with hazardous environmental exposures. This article summarizes the major conclusions and proceedings of the symposium and provides suggestions to improve the U.S. military's current strategy on identifying and assessing potentially hazardous environmental exposures.

Fifth Educational Symposium of the Spanish Lung Cancer Group: Report on the Molecular Biology Workshop

The majority of non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients present with locally advanced (35%) or metastatic disease (40%); in this setting, it is of the utmost importance to balance efficacy with toxicity. However, with platinum combinations, survival has reached a “plateau”, with median overall survival times of a mere 10–12 months, making it mandatory to search for new strategies and to identify more effective treatment. Molecular characteristics can be more informative than clinical features in predicting clinical benefit, and the identification of molecular markers can help define subgroups of patients who are likely to respond to different treatments, thus avoiding unnecessary toxicities and costs and providing the maximum benefit to each patient. Here we review research on biomarker assessment that was presented during the Molecular Biology Workshop held in Palma de Mallorca on 25 November 2010, during the Fifth Educational Symposium of the Spanish Lung Cancer Group.

Reducing Mental Health Stigma: A Case Study

The purpose of this study was to evaluate a contact-based educational symposium designed to reduce mental health-related stigma in journalism students. Repeated surveys conducted before (n = 89) and again after the intervention (n = 53) were used to assess change. The estimated average response rate for each survey was 90%. The instrument, adapted from prior research, contained items pertaining to stereotypical content, attitudes toward social distance and feelings of social responsibility (Cronbach's alpha =.74). There was a statistically significant reduction in stigma (reflecting a 5% reduction in the aggregated scale score). A large, item-specific change was noted pertaining to attributions of dangerousness and unpredictability (reflecting a 26% improvement). The majority of students reported that the symposium had changed their views of people with a mental illness. Half of these students considered that they would change the way they would report stories involving someone with a mental illness. A potential unexpected negative side effect was that 14% fewer students reported post-test a willingness to go to a doctor if they experienced a mental illness. Though it is difficult to draw firm conclusions from an uncontrolled study, it would appear that this relatively brief, contact-based intervention changed journalism students' views of people with a mental illness. More controlled investigation is needed to rule out alternative explanations that could account for this change.

Quality of Life with Atrial Fibrillation: Do the Spouses Suffer as Much as the Patients?

Atrial fibrillation (AF) can have a significant effect on quality of life (QoL). Other chronic diseases are known to not only affect the patient but to also impact the QoL of persons living with them. Scant data exist on the QoL effect of AF in spouses/significant others (SOs). An anonymous survey regarding the perceived effect of AF on QoL was designed and distributed to both patients and spouses/SOs during an educational symposium about living with AF. Both were asked to fill out the survey independently according to how their life was affected by either their AF or their partner's AF. Questions included demographics, perceived impairment of overall QoL on a 5-point scale, as well as effect on subcategories of QoL, namely daily activity, work life, sex life, physical activity, psychological well-being, and social activity. Five hundred and sixty-eight subjects completed the survey of which 411 were AF patients and 129 were spouses/SOs. The perceived effect of AF on overall QoL (N = 527) was similar in patients and spouses (AF patients: mild 42.0%, moderate 26.0%, severe 32.0% vs. spouses: 44.1%, 25.2%, 31.7%; P = 0.917). This result did not change when adjusted for age and gender. There was also no significant difference between patients and spouses in the subcategories of QoL with the exception of the perceived effect on work life, which was greater in patients than spouses (P = 0.041). AF has a similar perceived impact on the QoL of spouses and patients. QoL improvement strategies for patients with AF should take spouses into account.

Managing Dyslipidaemic Patients – Improving Adherence with Lifestyle Intervention

On 27 June 2011, during the European Atherosclerosis Society (EAS) Congress 2011, Danone hosted an educational symposium entitled ‖Nutritional Behaviour and Reduction of Cardiovascular Risk: From Basic Science to Clinical Practice‗. The symposium was co-chaired by Professor M John Chapman, EAS President and Director of the Dyslipidaemia and Atherosclerosis Research Unit at the French National Institute of Health and Medical Research (INSERM), Pitié-Salpêtrière Hospital, Paris, and Professor John Deanfield, British Heart Foundation Vandervell Professor of Cardiology, University College Hospital, London, UK. The focus of the four presentations and discussions was whether the incorporation of functional foods in the diet of dyslipidaemic patients might improve adherence to lifestyle changes, and the implications of such an approach.

Improving the care for people with acute low-back pain by allied health professionals (the ALIGN trial): A cluster randomised trial protocol

BackgroundVariability between clinical practice guideline recommendations and actual clinical practice exists in many areas of health care. A 2004 systematic review examining the effectiveness of guideline implementation interventions concluded there was a lack of evidence to support decisions about effective interventions to promote the uptake of guidelines. Further, the review recommended the use of theory in the development of implementation interventions. A clinical practice guideline for the management of acute low-back pain has been developed in Australia (2003). Acute low-back pain is a common condition, has a high burden, and there is some indication of an evidence-practice gap in the allied health setting. This provides an opportunity to develop and test a theory-based implementation intervention which, if effective, may provide benefits for patients with this condition.AimsThis study aims to estimate the effectiveness of a theory-based intervention to increase allied health practitioners' (physiotherapists and chiropractors in Victoria, Australia) compliance with a clinical practice guideline for acute non-specific low back pain (LBP), compared with providing practitioners with a printed copy of the guideline. Specifically, our primary objectives are to establish if the intervention is effective in reducing the percentage of acute non-specific LBP patients who are either referred for or receive an x-ray, and improving mean level of disability for patients three months post-onset of acute LBP.MethodsThe design of the study is a cluster randomised trial. Restricted randomisation was used to randomise 210 practices (clusters) to an intervention or control group. Practitioners in the control group received a printed copy of the guideline. Practitioners in the intervention group received a theory-based intervention developed to address prospectively identified barriers to practitioner compliance with the guideline. The intervention primarily consisted of an educational symposium. Patients aged 18 years or older who visit a participating practitioner for acute non-specific LBP of less than three months duration over a two-week data collection period, three months post the intervention symposia, are eligible for inclusion. Sample size calculations are based on recruiting between 15 to 40 patients per practice. Outcome assessors will be blinded to group allocation.Trial registrationAustralian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry ACTRN12609001022257 (date registered 25th November 2009)

Cornelia de Lange Syndrome 4th Biennial Scientific and Educational Symposia abstracts

AbstractThe following abstracts are presentations from the 4th Cornelia de Lange Syndrome Scientific Symposium on June 24, 2010 in conjunction with the Cornelia de Lange Syndrome Foundation National Meeting, Dallas, Texas. This year, an Educational Symposium was added to the program. Cornelia de Lange Syndrome (CdLS) remains the prototype for the cohesinopathy disorders that have been described as having mutations in genes involved in the cohesin subunit in all cells. In addition to clinically related presentations, there were a significant number of developmental and molecular biology‐based talks, elucidating the genetic changes and progress towards research for treatment on this condition. A “typical” case presentation is included below as well. AMA CME credits were provided through the University of Texas Southwest. © 2010 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.

Leg ulcers in sickle cell disease

Sickle cell disease is a single amino acid molecular disorder of hemoglobin leading to its pathological polymerization, red cell rigidity that causes poor microvascular blood flow, with consequent tissue ischemia and infarction. The manifestations of this disease are protean.Among them, leg ulcers represent a particularly disabling and chronic complication, often associated with a more severe clinical course.Despite the fact that this complication has been recognized since the early times of SCD, there has been little improvement in the efficacy of its management and clinical outcome over the past 100 years. Recently, vasculopathic abnormalities involving abnormal vascular tone and activated, adhesive endothelium have been recognized as another pathway to end organ damage in sickle cell disease. Vasculopathy of sickle cell disease has been implicated in the development of pulmonary hypertension, stroke, leg ulceration and priapism, particularly associated with hemolytic severity, and reported in other severe hemolytic disorders. The authors present the proceedings from the Educational Session on Chronic leg ulcers in Sickle cell disease, held during the 4th Annual Sickle Cell Disease Research and Educational Symposium, on February 17, 2010 in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.

Fourth Annual Sickle Cell Disease Research and Educational Symposium and Grant Writing Institute and Annual National Sickle Cell Disease Scientific Meeting

American Journal of HematologyVolume 85, Issue 8 p. E1-E56 AbstractFree Access Fourth Annual Sickle Cell Disease Research and Educational Symposium and Grant Writing Institute and Annual National Sickle Cell Disease Scientific Meeting First published: 16 July 2010 https://doi.org/10.1002/ajh.21763AboutPDF ToolsRequest permissionExport citationAdd to favoritesTrack citation ShareShare Give accessShare full text accessShare full-text accessPlease review our Terms and Conditions of Use and check box below to share full-text version of article.I have read and accept the Wiley Online Library Terms and Conditions of UseShareable LinkUse the link below to share a full-text version of this article with your friends and colleagues. Learn more.Copy URL Share a linkShare onEmailFacebookTwitterLinked InRedditWechat Volume85, Issue8August 2010Pages E1-E56 RelatedInformation

ESRD care in Bhutan: Common themes and unique challenges

ESRD care in Bhutan: Common themes and unique challenges

‘Educational symposium on long-term results of large prospective clinical trials for childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia (1985–2000)’

‘Educational symposium on long-term results of large prospective clinical trials for childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia (1985–2000)’

Evaluation of the Braak staging scheme for Parkinson's disease: Introduction to a panel presentation

Braak and colleagues have proposed a staging scheme for Parkinson's disease (PD) based on patterns of abnormal immunostaining for alpha-synuclein. They have proposed a temporal sequence in which the appearance of Lewy bodies and neurites in brainstem structures represent the earliest manifestations of the disease, and that this involvement of non-dopaminergic structures long antedates involvement of the substantia nigra and the appearance of the cardinal motor signs that are now required for diagnosis. This proposed scheme has had a wide and profound impact on many aspects of current thinking about PD, and it has already received wide acceptance. Given the importance and growing acceptance of the Braak staging scheme, the Scientific Program Committee for this Educational Symposium to honor the 50th Anniversary of the Parkinson's Disease Foundation agreed that it would be highly worthwhile to devote an entire session of the Scientific Program to consideration of the Braak staging scheme. There was a consensus among members of the Committee that, given the importance of the Braak scheme, it would be of value to create a venue that would stimulate and encourage a thorough and incisive critical analysis.

Third Annual Sickle Cell Disease Research and Educational Symposium and Grant Writing Institute and Annual National Sickle Cell Disease Scientific Meeting

American Journal of HematologyVolume 84, Issue 8 p. E1-E235 AbstractFree Access Third Annual Sickle Cell Disease Research and Educational Symposium and Grant Writing Institute and Annual National Sickle Cell Disease Scientific Meeting First published: 17 June 2009 https://doi.org/10.1002/ajh.21445Citations: 1AboutPDF ToolsRequest permissionExport citationAdd to favoritesTrack citation ShareShare Give accessShare full text accessShare full-text accessPlease review our Terms and Conditions of Use and check box below to share full-text version of article.I have read and accept the Wiley Online Library Terms and Conditions of UseShareable LinkUse the link below to share a full-text version of this article with your friends and colleagues. Learn more.Copy URL Share a linkShare onFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditWechat Citing Literature Volume84, Issue8August 2009Pages E1-E235 RelatedInformation

Ordering the International Journal for Educational and Vocational Guidance Special Padua Symposium Issue

The Career Development QuarterlyVolume 57, Issue 4 p. 384-384 Ordering the International Journal for Educational and Vocational Guidance Special Padua Symposium Issue First published: 23 December 2011 https://doi.org/10.1002/j.2161-0045.2009.tb00125.xAboutPDF ToolsRequest permissionExport citationAdd to favoritesTrack citation ShareShare Give accessShare full text accessShare full-text accessPlease review our Terms and Conditions of Use and check box below to share full-text version of article.I have read and accept the Wiley Online Library Terms and Conditions of UseShareable LinkUse the link below to share a full-text version of this article with your friends and colleagues. Learn more.Copy URL Share a linkShare onFacebookTwitterLinked InRedditWechat No abstract is available for this article. Volume57, Issue4June 2009Pages 384-384 RelatedInformation

Increased Knowledge of Safe and Appropriate Penicillin Injection After Viewing Brief Instructional Video Titled “How to Inject Bicillin LA”

Increased Knowledge of Safe and Appropriate Penicillin Injection After Viewing Brief Instructional Video Titled “How to Inject Bicillin LA”

TRIAD II: Do Living Wills Have an Impact on Pre-Hospital Lifesaving Care?

Background: Living wills accompany patients who present for emergent care. To the best of our knowledge, no studies assess pre-hospital provider interpretations of these instructions. Objectives: Determine how a living will is interpreted and assess how interpretation impacts lifesaving care. Design setting: Three-part survey administered at a regional emergency medical system educational symposium to 150 emergency medical technicians (EMTs) and paramedics. Part I assessed understanding of the living will and do-not-resuscitate (DNR) orders. Part II assessed the living will's impact in clinical situations of patients requiring lifesaving interventions. Part III was similar to part II except a code status designation (full code) was incorporated into the living will. Results: There were 127 surveys completed, yielding an 87% response rate. The majority were male (55%) and EMTs (74%). The average age was 44 years and the average duration of employment was 15 years. Ninety percent (95% confidence interval [CI] 84.6–95.4%) of respondents determined that, after review of the living will, the patient's code status was DNR, and 92% (95% CI 86.5–96.6%) defined their understanding of DNR as comfort care/end-of-life care. When the living will was applied to clinical situations, it resulted in a higher proportion of patients being classified as DNR as opposed to full code (Case A 78% [95% CI 71.2–85.6%] vs. 22% [95% CI 14.4–28.8%], respectively; Case B 67% [95% CI 58.4–74.9%] vs. 33% [95% CI 25.1–1.6%], respectively; Case C 63% [95% CI 55.1–71.9%] vs. 37% [95% CI 28.1–44.9%]), respectively. With the scenarios presented, this DNR classification resulted in a lack of or a delay in lifesaving interventions. Incorporating a code status into the living will produced statistically significant increases in the provision of lifesaving care. In Case A, intubation increased from 15% to 56% ( p < 0.0001); Case B, defibrillation increased from 40% to 59% ( p < 0.0001); and Case C, defibrillation increased from 36% to 65% ( p < 0.0001). Conclusions: Significant confusion and concern for patient safety exists in the pre-hospital setting due to the understanding and implementation of living wills and DNR orders. This confusion can be corrected by implementing clearly defined code status into the living will.

Diabetes in Finland: What Can Happen When a Country Takes Diabetes Seriously

In April of this year, I was honored to speak at the Finnish Nurses in Diabetes educational symposium held in Naantali, a beautiful resort town on the west coast of Finland. This country has long recognized diabetes as a health problem for its citizens. In both research and management, Finland has aggressively pursued its national goals for reducing the effects of this public health problem. My Finnish host, Maria Aarne, General Secretary of the Development Programme for the Prevention and Care of Diabetes (DEHKO), generously offered to give me a tour of one of the country's outstanding diabetes programs. By a lake outside a small city, a collection of buildings is nestled into the piney landscape. The windows of the buildings have large glass panes inviting the peace and quiet of nature into the indoor spaces. The beauty of the setting is integral to the work that is done inside—the work of putting lives back into balance. People come to this place of learning and support to focus on the lifestyle changes necessary to live successfully with diabetes. This place is the Diabetes Center in Tampere, Finland. The prevention and care of people with diabetes is taken very seriously in Finland. According to the Diabetes Barometer 2005, a document published by the Finnish Diabetes Association, diabetes affects 10% of the country's adult population.1 Although the preponderance have type 2 diabetes, ~ 15%, or 40,000 people, have type 1 diabetes. The incidence of type 1 diabetes is the highest in the world.2 This is particularly alarming because the 2003 international comparison of the incidence of diabetes in children indicated that the rate in Finland is 40/100,000, giving this country the dubious distinction of being the leader in this statistic as well. Among those with type 2 diabetes, the highest …

Introduction to the Symposium

Clinical competence is generally defined as the ability to perform acceptably those duties directly related to patient care, including the personal and technical skills that lead to effective intervention in illness or injury. The thesis of this year’s educational symposium was that veterinary educators, including clinicians, owe animals, their owners, and veterinary students the assurance that clinical competence will be evaluated effectively. In addition to indirectly safeguarding patient health, a goal of clinical competency assessment is to provide opportunities for formative evaluation that lead to improvement of clinical skills.

Abstracts of Posters Presented at the 2008 AAVMC Educational Symposium

Abstracts of Posters Presented at the 2008 AAVMC Educational Symposium