Education In Laboratory Medicine Research Articles

Clinical Chemistry Education for Medical Students

Clinical chemistry plays an important role in medical practice. Approximately 60% to 70% of medical decisions rely on laboratory test results, justifying the need for physicians to have sufficient knowledge of clinical chemistry. However, recent studies have shown that medical students’ knowledge of clinical chemistry is inadequate, and many are unable to interpret the meaning of laboratory parameter results. This implies that the study of clinical chemistry in the curriculum is currently insufficient. There are several related problems, namely a lack of a formal or structured clinical chemistry curriculum, limited time allocated for these studies, a lack of teaching experts and the failure of stakeholders to acknowledge the importance of clinical chemistry. This review discusses problems in the current clinical chemistry education of medical students and provides solutions. A structured search strategy in PubMed and Google Scholar for publications in English was applied using the search terms “clinical chemistry”, “clinical pathology”, “laboratory” and “laboratory medicine” in combination with one of the following keywords: “education”, “medical student”, “curriculum”, “guideline”, “undergraduate”, “medical school” and “training”. The extracted literature focused on research studies, review articles and meta-analyses. Background information and details about the current status of clinical chemistry/ laboratory medicine education were extracted from review articles, while research articles were used to analyse and evaluate the current conditions in the medical schools regarding clinical chemistry/ laboratory medicine education.

Challenges and Opportunities in Using Twitter as a Pedagogical Tool in Pathology and Laboratory Medicine Education

Even though the benefits of using Twitter for teaching and information exchange within the pathology community are primarily undisputed, a fair number of users refrain from sharing educational content on this social media platform. The survey aims to identify challenges in using Twitter as a pedagogical tool and discuss ways of converting those challenges into opportunities. We performed a cross-sectional survey-based study involving 174 participants from the pathology community on Twitter. The results demonstrated that procurement of content was the major challenge faced by 36.2% of the participants, with most participants being concerned or very concerned regarding institutional policies and Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act issues. Content procurement concerns were followed by social media inertia, stated by 23% of the participants as an obstacle to posting educational content on Twitter. The report helps elicit some common obstacles faced by the pathology and laboratory medicine community and allows us to recommend solutions to overcome these obstacles.

The Utility of PathElective.com as a Curricular Adjunct in Laboratory Medicine Education

Introduction/ObjectivePathElective.com was founded as a means of combating stagnating resident and medical student education due to halting of in-person educational activities during the COVID-19 pandemic. The site has since grown to be included in medical student and resident training programs at numerous institutions across the world, serving as a unique means of delivering high-quality and trackable laboratory medicine education.Methods/Case ReportThe PathElective website was developed using Squarespace, video lectures were recorded by each professor or sourced from openly available web resources incorporating virtual slides, reading assignments, or relevant podcasts at the course director’s discretion. Monthly website traffic data were obtained through Squarespace analytics for the first 11 months of the website being available (May 1, 2020, to April 22, 2021). Geographic and source data were obtained through deidentified IP address analysis built-in to Squarespace analytics. Students who registered to take the online courses were assessed before and after interacting with the course materials using a dual form crossover quiz design to prevent memorization of questions and assess comprehension. Quiz data were all anonymous and improvement was determined using a paired t-test. Comparisons between courses were made via percentage improvements.Results (if a Case Study enter NA)Over the tracking period, PathElective.com received 352,012 page views, 73,550 visits, 33,225 unique visitors, and accrued 5,815 registered users. Most of the visitors (72.8%) arrived at the site via a direct URL input, 14.9% through a search engine, and 10.6% through social media. Most visitors were from the US (43.8%) or India (11.9%). With a total of 1598 test pairs being analyzed from all clinical pathology modules, the average increase in score was 14.4% (95%, CI=10.3-18.6, p=0.0052). All courses experienced a statistically significant increase in scores except for Clinical Chemistry lesson 3.2 (7%, -1.8-15.9% CI, p=0.12). Courses were well received with a median satisfaction score was very satisfied in all six assessment categories.ConclusionPathElective.com is a free and effective means of enhancing clinical pathology training in medical education. Students liked the online format, the quality of the lectures, and course faculty, and felt they could get help if needed. An area of improvement for this platform would be the interaction with students on social media.

Laboratory medicine education: challenges and opportunities

Laboratory medicine is experiencing rapid development and moving from the edge of medicine stage to the center of medicine. Laboratory medicine has become the component of evidence-based medicine, the pathway to translational medicine and the core of precision medicine.These recent advances have increased the challenges and opportunities for laboratory medicine education. It will be the most urgent task to us how to train innovative personnel, medical laboratory physician, genetic counselor, medical laboratory scientist and personnel needed for personalized medicine.(Chin J Lab Med, 2017, 40: 904-906) Key words: Laboratory medicine education; Innovative personnel; Laboratory physician; Counselor; Medical laboratory scientist

THE PROFESSIONAL STANDARD OF A SPECIALIST IN CLINICAL LABORATORY MEDICINE AND ITS EVALUATION BY MEDICAL LABORATORY STAFF

The issue of improving the personnel service in clinical laboratory diagnostics is topical, since specialists, having modern knowledge in laboratory research, can not stay aside from active participation during their appointment and interpretation. Training of specialists of this level requires revision of the regulatory framework, namely, the development of professional standards for specialists in clinical laboratory medicine. The survey involved 83 specialists with higher education working in clinical diagnostic laboratories of various forms of ownership in the Samara Region (Russia). In the course of the study, data were obtained reflecting the readiness to perform a number of generalized labor functions of the professional standard. Prior to the evaluation of the criterion of attention paid to the labor function in each group of respondents, we expected to obtain values of 9-10 units. However, in the course of the study, we found that this indicator in various groups of respondents fluctuated in a wide range. We believe that the training of professional stuff with higher education in laboratory medicine should be implemented in parallel with the introduction of the professional standard.

On the present forms of continuous medical education in laboratory medicine

On the present forms of continuous medical education in laboratory medicine

Introduction to clinical pathology: A brief course of laboratory medicine in the field for medical students.

OBJECTIVES:Teaching of clinical pathology to medical students has been ignored in many countries such as Iran. We aim to introduce a practical brief course and its proper timing.MATERIALS AND METHODS:Three groups of medical students from consecutive years of entrance passed a 1.5 working day practical course on the field. Their level of knowledge was assessed by pre- and post-tests. Their idea and satisfaction were gathered by questionnaires.RESULTS:Knowledge of students became significantly higher after the course. Their satisfaction was high. Students in later year of education got significantly higher marks. Most of the students wished such a course should be away from basic sciences period and as near as possible to internship.DISCUSSION:Due to overloaded curriculum of general medicine in Iran, we decided to run a brief practical course of laboratory medicine education for medical students. Although the course was practical, the knowledge of students became higher. Students with more clinical experience and knowledge absorbed more. Being actively involved in the classes lit the enthusiasm of students and made them satisfied with the course. It seemed that the course should be placed in later years of clinical training to get the best uptake and results.

Laboratory Medicine Education at U.S. Medical Schools: A 2014 Status Report.

To assess the current state of laboratory medicine education at U.S. medical schools. From 2013 to 2014, the authors surveyed the appropriate dean, department chair, or undergraduate education director at each U.S. medical school accredited by the Liaison Committee on Medical Education about the state of laboratory medicine education, curriculum and competency assessment, and barriers to education at his or her institution. The authors used descriptive statistics to analyze the results. The authors received 98 (75%) responses. Eighty-two schools (84%) offered course work in laboratory medicine; 76 (78%) required it. The median number of hours of required course work was 12.5, with 8.0 devoted to lectures and 4.5 to small-group, problem-based learning and/or laboratory sessions. Only 8 schools required training in a clinical setting. Fewer than half reported regular, formal review of the laboratory medicine curriculum. The assessment of students' competency in laboratory medicine was rare (8 schools), and only half of respondents were aware of published curriculum guidelines. Barriers to teaching laboratory medicine included lack of sufficient time in the preclinical curriculum (86; 88%) or clinical curriculum (84; 86%), lack of knowledge of best laboratory practices by residents (70; 72%), lack of student interest (62; 63%), and lack of knowledge by attending physicians (58; 59%). Half of respondents were likely to use a national standardized examination to assess competency in laboratory medicine, if one was available. Significant opportunities exist to improve laboratory medicine education, including in the proper use and interpretation of clinical laboratory testing.

Curriculum reform of teaching the courses of laboratory medicine specialty to strengthen student's clinical ability

The clinical ability of employees in laboratory medicine refers to their ability to give useful information and helps for clinical diagnosis and treatment. In laboratory medicine education, the cultivation of the undergraduates'clinical ability should be strengthened. Case teaching and clinical signs analysis is practical to the cultivation of clinical ability. In addition, we should carry out the reform of the teaching materials in order to adapt to the requirements of the clinical ability training. Improving the clinical ability should be the students' a lifelong career planning. Key words: Laboratory medicine; Clinical ability; Curriculum reform

Laboratory medicine education in Lithuania

In Lithuania there are two types of specialists working in medical laboratories and having a university degree: laboratory medicine physicians and medical biologists. Both types of specialists are officially being recognized and regulated by the Ministry of Health of Lithuania. Laboratory medicine physicians become specialists in laboratory medicine after an accredited 4-year multidisciplinary residency study program in Laboratory Medicine. The residency program curriculum for laboratory medicine physicians is presented. On December 9, 2009 the Equivalence of Standards for medical specialists was accepted and Lithuanian medical specialists in Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine can now apply for EC4 registration. Medical biologists become specialists in laboratory medicine after an accredited 2-year master degree multidisciplinary study program in Medical Biology, consisting of 80 credits. Various postgraduate advanced training courses for the continuous education of specialists in laboratory medicine were first introduced in 1966. Today it covers 1-2-week courses in different subspecialties of laboratory medicine. They are obligatory for laboratory medicine physicians for the renewal of their license. It is not compulsory for medical biologists to participate in these courses. The Centre of Laboratory Diagnostics represents a place for the synthesis and application of the basic sciences, the performance of research in various fields of laboratory medicine, as well as performance of thousands of procedures daily and provision of specific teaching programs.

Educating Medical Students in Laboratory Medicine

Conferring a professional degree on a person implies that the person awarded that degree, through his or her education as a student, has attained certain levels of understanding and competency in defined areas of knowledge. A professional degree also implies that the person is qualified to seek a higher level of education, be that a residency training program in medicine, dentistry, or veterinary medicine; a clerkship in law; or graduate education in a related field. To educate effectively, organizations providing that education must be able to assume that graduates of professional programs have the knowledge and competency to be successful in their programs. Attaining this common body of knowledge is what curricula are designed to provide and tiered examinations are designed to assess. It is also assumed that these curricula, examinations, and degrees are in some way designed in an integrated and cohesive manner to ensure that students receive an education that will prepare them for the current state of training and, eventually, practice. Thus, it is (or should be) expected that this common body of knowledge includes all of the pertinent areas of medicine. To a great extent, this indeed happens: curricula at different medical schools are far more similar than they are dissimilar. Yet there are gaps in this education that defy common sense and reason, one of which is the lack of a requirement for formal education in laboratory medicine at all medical schools. This phenomenon is difficult to understand: the number, type, and complexity of laboratory tests has increased markedly during the past 50 years, and health care providers increasingly rely on laboratory tests to make diagnoses, assess the efficacy of therapy (or even to predict the outcome of therapy), and follow the natural progression of diseases. The pressures to see ever higher numbers of patients …

Teaching and learning apheresis medicine: The Bermuda Triangle in Education

Apheresis Medicine has evolved markedly due to an explosion of knowledge and technology, whereas the time available for training has shrunk as curricula have become increasingly overloaded. Apheresis teaching has inherited a strong clinical context where real patient problems are used in a hands-on environment. To optimize instruction, those involved in the education of apheresis professionals need to have (1) knowledge of how clinical laboratory medicine education has developed as a field, (2) an understanding of what is known from theory and research about how people learn, and (3) the skills to design teaching/learning activities in ways consistent with literature-based principles of adult education. These developments in education provide a context for curriculum projects currently underway by the American Society for Apheresis. Teachers must determine which competencies are central to the essence of a trained professional. Specific, robust, learning objectives targeted toward the development of higher levels of thinking, professional attitudes, and requisite skills are formulated to guide the learner toward mastering those competencies. Curriculum is developed for each objective, consisting of content and the best teaching/learning methods to help learners attain the objective. Appropriate assessment strategies are identified to determine whether the objective is being achieved. The integration of objectives, curriculum, and assessment creates The Bermuda Triangle of Education (Richter, The Circle of Learning and Bermuda Triangle in Education, University of New Mexico School of Medicine, 2004). When educators do not effectively navigate The Bermuda Triangle of Education, learning may disappear into the murky depths of confusion and apathy. When successfully navigated, the result will be a significant learning experience that leads to transformation through education.

Undergraduate education in Laboratory Medicine

The graduation of medicine is a title necessary but not sufficient to practice the medical profession. In Italy, as in other countries, Laboratory Medicine teaching is an educational area integrated with relevant pre-clinical disciplines, supporting the main medical processes of patient diagnosis, prognosis, treatment monitoring, evolution following-up, risk screening and hidden/latent condition finding. In the modern concept of core curriculum of medical students, some cardinal aspects of Laboratory Medicine should be included and precisely: test ordering, preanalytical and analytical issues, test interpreting. Such learning objectives would ultimately contribute, by a procedural/methodological approach, to the process of either correctly diagnosing or proper decision making, at the patient's benefit. The present article provides an overview of Laboratory Medicine teaching in the core curriculum of medical students in Italy, and highlights specific tasks of laboratory competencies and skills required to optimize the learning abilities of the students.

The new Italian course of post-graduate education in laboratory medicine

Clinical biochemistry has undergone a dramatic transformation in the last decade, with the introduction of new technologies, instrumentation and methodologies. The educational program of the postgraduate training should allow the students to achieve knowledge and skills to work and supervise a laboratory department in a hospital or health service institution. Here we describe the proposed revision of the postgraduate training in the Italian system, focusing on educational goals as well as mandatory professional activities.

Laboratory medicine education in United States medical schools.

The Academy of Clinical Laboratory Physicians and Scientists conducted a survey of US medical schools to examine the current status of laboratory medicine education, estimate the amount of teaching time available in the curriculum, and identify the most effective teaching practices. Questionnaires were sent to department heads and course directors at 126 US medical schools. Replies were received from 120 schools (95%), 83 of which offered a total of 132 courses in laboratory medicine. Only 68 schools (57%) had required courses. Most of the elective courses (35 of 50; 70%) were in general clinical pathology. Lectures remained the most common teaching format, with or without laboratory sessions and workshops. Computer-assisted instruction was used in only 10 schools. Laboratory medicine courses were offered in all 4 years of medical school, with the majority (70 of 132; 53%) in the second year, often integrated with general pathology. Opinion was divided over the relative importance of laboratory medicine instruction in the preclinical versus clinical years.

Effective utilization of clinical laboratories

Effective utilization of clinical laboratories requires that underutilization, overutilization, and malutilization be appreciated and eliminated or reduced. Optimal patient care service, although subjective to a major extent, is reflected in terms of outcome and cost. Increased per diem charges, reduced hospital stay, and increased laboratory workload over the past decade all require each laboratory to examine its internal operations to achieve economy and efficiency as well as maximal effectiveness. Increased research and development, an active managerial role on the part of pathologists, internal self-assessment, and an aggressive response to sophisticated scientific and clinical laboratory data base requirements are not only desirable but essential. The importance of undergraduate and graduate medical education in laboratory medicine to insure understanding as well as effective utilization is stressed. The costs and limitations as well as the accuracy, precision, sensitivity, specificity, and pitfalls of measurements and examinations must also be fully appreciated. Medical malpractice and defensive medicine and the use of critical values, emergency and routine services, and an active clinical role by the pathologist are of the utmost value in assuring effective utilization of the laboratory. A model for the optimal use of the laboratory including economy and efficiency has been achieved in the blood bank in regard to optimal hemotherapy for elective surgery, assuring superior patient care in a cost effective and safe manner.