Overview Lecture Research Articles

Testing Effect of the National Basic Newborn Resuscitation Educational Program on Midwives’ Knowledge and Skills: Observational Quasiexperimental Study

Background: Basic newborn resuscitation is a vital strategy to reduce the incidence of birth asphyxia and the associated outcomes. These outcomes can be improved if the midwives have the knowledge and skills of basic newborn resuscitation. Purpose: We assessed the midwives' knowledge and their quality of skills regarding BNR, as well as the effectiveness of an educational program in improving midwives' knowledge and skills during the process of BNR. Methods: A pretest-posttest design was conducted. The BNR educational program was adapted from the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) Neonatal Resuscitation Program (NRP). It was conducted through three days of workshops, including an overview lecture, interactive video modules, and extensive hands-on teaching of basic resuscitation techniques. Assessments (pre-and post-tests) were performed. Data was analyzed using ttest, one-way ANOVA, relative importance index analysis, and linear regression test. Results:100 midwives attended the workshops. Their mean scores were: knowledge score before the program (M=68.38%, SD= 13.4) and after the program (M=78.72%, SD=10.3), t=6.29, p<0.001. The overall mean prioritization before the program was 2.71(out of 3) and after the program 2.9. The mean quality performance of skills (out of 4 points) before and after the educational program, respectively, were (M=2.2, SD=0.8) and (3.64, SD=0.5). According to multi-variant logistic regression, midwives’ age (years) and weekly to monthly practice of BNR correlated significantly and positively with higher odds of succeeding with a score >= 84% on the knowledge test of post-educational program having been delivered to all the midwives. Conclusion: The study results showed the significant impact of the BNR educational program, followed immediately by the significant improvement in the midwives' knowledge and skills. Implications for Nursing: Midwives and neonatal nurses should be encouraged to upgrade their educational level to ensure their skill retention and expose themselves to BNR. Further, it is essential to understand the factors affecting how midwives and neonatal nurses gain and retain skills using a high-level methodology. Keywords: Basic newborn resuscitation (BNR), Midwives, Knowledge, Skills

Make it personal

Speaking about academic integrity with students can be challenging. In this session I will demonstrate how I moved beyond the traditional policy overview lecture, to engage audiences in interactive, research-based discussions that were focused on 1) addressing the root causes of academic integrity adherence/violation unique to that group; 2) debunking myths around academic integrity; 3) providing customized explanations of why departing from academic integrity is detrimental; and 4) highlighting resources focused on treating the root causes (e.g. unintentional plagiarism, poor time management, mental health) of many violations. Examples from talks given to first year undergraduate students, students in a professional program in which academic integrity adherence was low, and to MSc/PhD students who had recently received access to similarity detection reports will be shared. Participants who attend this session will leave with 1) examples of how to bring academic research into non-research settings; 2) a set of questions that they can use to help them to customize their own presentations based on the audience to which they are presenting; 3) ideas of how to form a connection with their audience through the use of relevant examples; and 4) tips on how to engage with their audience through polls.

A four-prong approach for engaging biomedical engineering students

My involvement in a large medical imaging company for nearly 20 years shaped my approach to teaching biomedical engineering. These experiences are described in Medical Physics International Journal, 6,602–620, May 2021. At Boston University, I taught undergraduates using a four pronged approach. The first part included a “lessons learned” career overview lecture and discussion to incoming freshman. This talk emphasized shifting paradigms in medical device development and changing trends in research and development and how to best prepare for a biomedical engineering career by prudent course selection, practical experience and life-long networking. Second, I designed two ultrasound lab modules which were part of the mandatory physiology lab all juniors took. These laboratories provided condensed theory with hands-on experiments on imaging and Doppler processing/imaging and data analysis. Third, I taught ultrasound and medical imaging courses which included rigorous theory, applications and examples. My book, Diagnostic Ultrasound Imaging: Inside Out, second edition, is being used in ultrasound courses throughout the world. A new book and curriculum, coauthored with Peter Kaczkowski, and sponsored by Verasonics, is underway. Finally, for 15 years, I taught a usually two semester course in entrepreneurship, innovation and engineering design which culminated in a team-based senior project.

Module to scaffold the process of filling grant documents in English

In order for students and professors to advance their educational and professional careers as well as become competitive specialists in the modern world of science and technology, it is essential for them to apply for international grant programs that allow them to take part in internships abroad. Currently, there are several foreign programs offered in Russia that provide financial support for students to participate in internships abroad. Unfortunately, studentsstudying in Russia often do not possess the skills necessary to complete foreign language documents correctly. This barrier reduces their chance to successfully pass through several stages of the selection process to secure full financial support while competing amongst a large number of applicants. As a solution to this issue, the authors offer for a module to be introduced into existing curricula, which will teach students how to complete grant documents in English. This module can be introduced in foreign language courses at any level, that are aimed at preparing students to receive a higher education. The content of the module was developed based on the analysis of foreign practices of studying an academic letter, which includes in itself, the preparation of the necessary documentation for grant programs. The module consists of an overview lecture that outlines different grant programs and their English language websites, where a full list of the necessary documentation needed to apply to the respective program is included. In order to submit a strong application for an international internship opportunity, a student should comprehend the rules of writing a statement of purpose as well as recommendation letters. Applicants should also be prepared to answer questions presented to them during an interview with representatives of the program for which they have applied. The main goal of the proposed module is to teach students how to effectively communicate per the requirements and objectives set forth by these grant programs. This module will allow for the development of critical thinking skills necessary to present application materials in a logical and structured manner, in both Russian and English.

Precision Medicine in Pancreatic Disease-Knowledge Gaps and Research Opportunities: Summary of a National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases Workshop.

A workshop on research gaps and opportunities for Precision Medicine in Pancreatic Disease was sponsored by the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive Kidney Diseases on July 24, 2019, in Pittsburgh. The workshop included an overview lecture on precision medicine in cancer and 4 sessions: (1) general considerations for the application of bioinformatics and artificial intelligence; (2) omics, the combination of risk factors and biomarkers; (3) precision imaging; and (4) gaps, barriers, and needs to move from precision to personalized medicine for pancreatic disease. Current precision medicine approaches and tools were reviewed, and participants identified knowledge gaps and research needs that hinder bringing precision medicine to pancreatic diseases. Most critical were (a) multicenter efforts to collect large-scale patient data sets from multiple data streams in the context of environmental and social factors; (b) new information systems that can collect, annotate, and quantify data to inform disease mechanisms; (c) novel prospective clinical trial designs to test and improve therapies; and (d) a framework for measuring and assessing the value of proposed approaches to the health care system. With these advances, precision medicine can identify patients early in the course of their pancreatic disease and prevent progression to chronic or fatal illness.

Colon cancer surgery: pathological quality control is essential for optimal outcomes.

Following Professor Madoff's overview lecture and the experts' round table discussion Dr West and Professor Quirke provide a commentary of the major gains which could be made by improving and standardizing the quality of colon cancer surgery.

Session 1: Colon cancer - 10years behind the rectum.

The improvements in surgical technique brought about by the widespread adoption of total mesorectal excision plane dissection in rectal cancer has substantially improved survival and recurrence rates from this disease. For the first time in 50years, the outcomes in rectal cancer have overtaken those of colon cancer. Professor Madoff's overview lecture and the experts' round table discussion address whether applying the surgical principles already achieved in rectal cancer can meet with similar success in colon cancer, how this can be achieved and the challenges we face.

Small-Group Activity to Reinforce the Impact of Valvular Defects and Heart Failure on Cardiac Pressure-Volume Relationships.

An important topic in cardiac physiology is the relationship between changes in intracardiac pressures and volumes during the cardiac cycle. This topic lends itself well to utilizing active learning principles to facilitate student understanding of pressure and volume changes in normal cardiac physiology and in the pathophysiology of valve disease and heart failure. We describe an active learning exercise regarding this topic that engages and facilitates student learning in a small-group setting. Following an overview lecture on the normal cardiac physiology, small groups of students under the guidance of a facilitator were provided with a worksheet consisting of questions related to background knowledge of cardiac physiology. Additional questions related to five valve disease and heart failure cases were also provided to promote the application of basic physiology principles to clinically relevant problems. The facilitator was provided with a guide to help facilitate the student interactions. Following the group worksheet activity, an animated slide presentation was shown to further engage student learning through active discussion of their worksheet answers. Students were assessed by written examination, and were found to have a higher performance on the subset of questions related to this learning activity compared to the overall exam. Of the 175 students completing the exercise, 23 voluntarily provided feedback via a survey. Student surveys provided overwhelmingly positive feedback on the benefits of this active learning exercise. Small group, active learning exercises benefited student learning by providing a framework for analysis, synthesis, and application of clinically relevant cardiac physiology concepts.

A model for the use of blended learning in large group teaching sessions

BackgroundAlthough blended learning has the potential to enhance the student experience, both in terms of engagement and flexibility, it can be difficult to effectively restructure existing courses. To achieve these goals for an introductory Pathology course, offered to more than 250 undergraduate students at UNSW Sydney, we devised a novel approach.MethodsFor each topic presented over 2–3 weeks, a single face-to-face overview lecture was retained. The remaining content that had previously been delivered as conventional lectures was converted into short (12–18 min) online modules. These were based on lecture slides with added animations/highlights, plus narration using edited excerpts of previous lecture recordings. The modules also incorporated interactive questions and review quizzes with feedback which used various question types. Modules were developed in PowerPoint and iSpring and uploaded to Moodle as SCORM packages. Each topic concluded with an interactive large-group session focussing on integration of the content, with in-class questions to which students could respond via the Echo360 Active Learning Platform (ALP). Overall, more than 50% of face-to-face lecture time was replaced by online modules and interactive large-group sessions. Quantitative evaluation data included usage statistics from 264 students and feedback via online survey responses from 41 students. Qualitative evaluation data consisted of reflective commentaries from 160 student ePortfolios, which were analysed to identify factors affecting learning benefits and user acceptability.ResultsAll of the modules were completed by 74% of students and on average, 83.1% of students eventually passed the optional review quizzes. Notably, 88.4% of students responded to in-class questions during the integration and feedback sessions via the ALP. Student reflections emphasised that the modules promoted understanding, which was reinforced through active learning. The modules were described as enjoyable, motivating and were appreciated for their flexibility, which enabled students to work at their own pace.ConclusionsIn transforming this introductory Pathology course, we have demonstrated a model for the use of blended learning in large group teaching sessions, which achieved high levels of completion, satisfaction and value for learning.

Mapping the Nephron Exercise Incorporates Multiple Learning Strategies.

Understanding the location and action of nephron transporters and channels is important to the understanding of renal function. As each region of the nephron is unique in its inclusion of specific transporters and channels, mapping of the nephron is an effective first step in understanding overall nephron processing. We describe a small-group, active-learning exercise that facilitates students' ability to understand renal processing within each region of the nephron. Following an overview lecture on renal transporters and channels, small groups of students worked cooperatively to map the nephron. This 2-hour, collaborative exercise was developed to reinforce key concepts in renal processing of ions and nutrients and, at the same time, utilize effective learning strategies. Learning strategies incorporated in this exercise include small-group collaboration, peer teaching, retrieval practice using an audience response system, and elaboration through discussion. Written examination was used to assess student understanding. Students demonstrated higher performance on a subset of questions related to this learning activity compared to the overall exam. Highly positive feedback was provided by a convenience sample of students completing an anonymous survey. This nephron-mapping exercise was an effective means to promote synthesis and analysis of lecture content and engage students in methods that enhance learning.

IL09 Overview lecture: ankle, pilon and distal lower leg fractures

IL09 Overview lecture: ankle, pilon and distal lower leg fractures

Workshop On Polar Lows

What: Twenty-five scientists from universities, weather forecasting and space centers, and national research institutions in France, Germany, Norway, Russia, Sweden, the United Kingdom, Canada, and Japan presented and discussed recent developments in polar low research. When: 21–22 May 2012 Where: Oslo, Norway T he International Polar Year (IPY) has brought new momentum to polar low (PL) research and a huge amount of new data on, and insight to, mesoscale processes in polar regions. The Oslo polar low workshop was the 12th workshop of the European Polar Low Working Group (EPLWG1; www.eplwg .uni-trier.de). The EPLWG focuses its work on polar mesocyclones (MCs) in both hemispheres, but research includes other mesoscale weather phenomena such as katabatic winds, tip jets, boundary layer fronts, cold air outbreaks, and Arctic fronts. This workshop2 was convened by EPLWG to summarize recent experimental, climatological, modeling, and remote sensing studies on PLs and polar mesoscale processes. The workshop started with an overview lecture on the influence of low-frequency variability on the life cycles of high-impact weather. Subsequent presentations addressed observational studies, the climatology of PLs, modeling and theoretical aspects, and related and future projects (see www.eplwg.uni-trier .de/index.php?id=46884L extended abstracts of the presentations can be found at www.eplwg.uni-trier.de /index .php?id=46883&L=2).

Responding to Patients' Questions About Complementary, Alternative, and Integrative Medicine

OPEN ACCESSApril 12, 2012Responding to Patients' Questions About Complementary, Alternative, and Integrative Medicine Shelley Adler, PhD, Yvette Coulter, Ginger Polich, Katherine Hyland, PhD, June Chan, ScD Shelley Adler, PhD University of California, San Francisco, School of Medicine Google Scholar More articles by this author , Yvette Coulter University of California — San Francisco Google Scholar More articles by this author , Ginger Polich University of California — San Francisco Google Scholar More articles by this author , Katherine Hyland, PhD University of California — San Francisco Google Scholar More articles by this author , June Chan, ScD University of California — San Francisco Google Scholar More articles by this author https://doi.org/10.15766/mep_2374-8265.9152 SectionsAboutAbstract ToolsDownload Citations ShareFacebookTwitterEmail AbstractAbstractThis resource features a collection of activities, including an independent exercise and small-group session, developed to help first- and second-year medical students explore the issues that arise when communicating with patients regarding integrative medicine or complementary and alternative medicine use. These activities are designed to prepare students for situations in which they need to have discussions with patients regarding healing modalities about which most physicians have little or no information. They are also meant to give students tools to help them communicate with patients about different health beliefs and health care models in a way that promotes a stronger doctor-patient relationship. Likewise, they are intended to teach students how to evaluate the quality of, and synthesize information from, a variety of sources to answer patient questions about integrative medicine or complementary and alternative medicine use. This resource was created and first taught in 2002 and has been updated annually to reflect evolving research in integrative medicine. The linked exercise was designed to enrich both independent and interactive components of the required curriculum in integrative medicine at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF). This portion of the curriculum is presented in the Mechanisms, Methods and Malignancies course of the second preclinical year. Together with a 2-hour overview lecture on the history, prevalence, and use of complementary and alternative medicine, this content forms the foundation of UCSF's undergraduate medical education instruction in integrative medicine and reinforces the social/behavioral sciences and epidemiology/evidence-based medicine curricular themes. Educational Objectives By the end of this session, learners will be able to: Identify and evaluate the quality of a variety of complementary, alternative, and integrative medicine information resources, including databases, printed materials, and internet-based options.Summarize and synthesize information from a variety of sources to answer patient questions about integrative medicine and complementary and alternative medicine.Apply information about complementary and alternative medicine in a simulated discussion with a patient about different health beliefs and health care models.Generate a strategy for situations in which they need to have discussions with patients regarding modalities or treatments for which there is insufficient or no information. Sign up for the latest publications from MedEdPORTAL Add your email below FILES INCLUDEDReferencesRelatedDetails FILES INCLUDED Included in this publication: CAM-IM Module Instructor's Guide and Materials.docx To view all publication components, extract (i.e., unzip) them from the downloaded .zip file. Download editor’s noteThis publication may contain technology or a display format that is no longer in use. Copyright & Permissions© 2012 Adler et al. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-No Derivatives license.KeywordsHealth BeliefsIntegrativeHealing Modalities Disclosures None to report. Funding/Support None to report. Loading ...

Pattern recognition methods as applied to optimize systems represented by simulation models

This overview lecture discusses four topics and describes the method of approximate optimization of dynamic stochastic systems known as the optimization-simulation method. The grid method of uniform probing of the space of parameters called LP ?-search with averaging allows estimating the efficiency region as the region in the space of parameters where the system quality indices are better than in other regions. Ensuring better quality of processing the results of simulation experiments, pattern recognition methods allow speeding up the evaluation of efficiency regions.

Reduction of Restraint and Seclusion Through Collaborative Problem Solving: A Five-Year Prospective Inpatient Study

This study examined usage patterns of restraint and seclusion before and after the implementation of collaborative problem solving (CPS), a manualized therapeutic program for working with aggressive children and adolescents. The clinical setting was a 15-bed psychiatric inpatient unit for school-age children. A total of 755 children were hospitalized for a total of 998 admissions from fiscal years 2003 to 2007 (median age=11 years; 64% boys). Data were collected for three years before and 1.5 years after the six-month implementation of the CPS model of care. There were 559 restraint and 1,671 seclusion events during the study period. After implementation of the CPS model there was a reduction in the use of restraints (from 263 events to seven events per year, representing a 37.6-fold reduction, slope [beta]=-.696) and seclusion (from 432 to 133 events per year, representing a 3.2-fold reduction, beta=-.423). The mean duration of restraints decreased from 41+/-8 to 18+/-20 minutes per episode, yielding cumulative unitwide restraint use that dropped from 16+/-10 to .3+/-.5 hours per month (a 45.5-fold reduction, beta=-.674). The mean duration of seclusion decreased from 27+/-5 to 21+/-5 minutes per episode, yielding cumulative unitwide seclusion use that dropped from 15+/-6 to 7+/-6 hours per month (a 2.2-fold reduction; p for trend .01 or better for all slopes). During the early phases of implementation there was a transient increase in staff injuries through patient assaults. CPS is a promising approach to reduce seclusion and restraint use in a child psychiatric inpatient setting. Future research and replication efforts are warranted to test its effectiveness in other restrictive settings.

CMV as a cofactor enhancing progression of AIDS

Background Cytomegalovirus (CMV) has been proposed as a cofactor driving HIV pathogenicity since the late 1980s. Potential mechanisms which CMV could use as a cofactor have been described in vitro and potential criteria for assessing cofactor activity in vivo have been proposed. Objective To determine if recent publications have added new information to these in vitro or in vivo studies since the author last reviewed this subject in 1998. Study design Literature survey prior to presenting an overview lecture. Results No new in vitro mechanisms have been described though several clinical cohort studies are consistent with the possibility that active CMV infection can act as a cofactor. One study published in 1999 showed that mortality in AIDS patients was driven more by CMV viral load than HIV viral load. Although highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) has now greatly controlled end organ disease caused by CMV, a recent study showed that CMV viraemia was still strongly associated with death in AIDS patients. Conclusions (1) CMV remains important in the era of HAART. (2) CMV has been underestimated as an important cofactor since the beginning of the AIDS epidemic.

Learning to consult with computers.

To develop and evaluate a strategy to teach skills and issues associated with computers in the consultation. An overview lecture plus a workshop before and a workshop after practice placements, during the 10-week general practice (GP) term in the 5th year of the University of Melbourne medical course. Pre- and post-intervention study using a mix of qualitative and quantitative methods within a strategic evaluation framework. Self-reported attitudes and skills with clinical applications before, during and after the intervention. Most students had significant general computer experience but little in the medical area. They found the workshops relevant, interesting and easy to follow. The role-play approach facilitated students' learning of relevant communication and consulting skills and an appreciation of issues associated with using the information technology tools in simulated clinical situations to augment and complement their consulting skills. The workshops and exposure to GP systems were associated with an increase in the use of clinical software, more realistic expectations of existing clinical and medical record software and an understanding of the barriers to the use of computers in the consultation. The educational intervention assisted students to develop and express an understanding of the importance of consulting and communication skills in teaching and learning about medical informatics tools, hardware and software design, workplace issues and the impact of clinical computer systems on the consultation and patient care.

Teaching comparative criminal procedure: Russian dolls, color charts, and cappuccino

ABSTRACT Two major traditions-common law and civil law—provide the legal bases for most criminal justice systems in the Western world. Though sharp differences still exist, the past two centuries have witnessed a convergence between the two systems. This article suggests a method to introduce these two systems. It also suggests analogies and provides class handouts for an overview lecture that may be used in comparative criminal justice classes or, more commonly, in any criminal justice class in which the instructor wishes to introduce comparative criminal processes efficiently and with some depth.

Overview lecture. Hydration processes in biological and macromolecular systems.

I discuss several themes arising from the papers presented at this Faraday Discussion that are, in my view, particularly interesting and/or important. With respect to model systems, recent progress in understanding structural aspects of the hydrophobic interaction, and of through-solvent interactions in general, is highlighted, together with the need to continue to develop more sophisticated (theoretical and computational) interpretational techniques if we are to exploit to the full the power of present-day experimental techniques. The current state of our knowledge of hydration effects on the structure and dynamics of biomolecules is discussed, and the importance of being able to see how molecular-level structural effects control behaviour at the important mesoscopic level is underlined. Issues relating to recent progress in characterising solvent effects in more complex systems and processes, including those of industrial interest, are raised, and the necessity of using a range of appropriate experimental techniques when tackling such complex problems is stressed. Progress since the 1975 Royal Society Discussion is highlighted, and interesting issues ripe for fruitful discussion at this meeting are raised. A strong case can now be made that our under-standing of both the structure and dynamics of water as a function of its local environment is now sufficiently good to enable us to use water as a probe of complex system behaviour, rather than, as heretofore, an objects of study in itself.

Overview Lecture The Lewis acid-base concepts: recent results and prospects for the future

Since many of the applications of the Lewis acid-base concepts to problems in the field of surface chemistry are dependent on the use of the three basic models of Lewis acid-base phenomena introduced in the 1960s (the HSAB principle, the E & C equation, and the DN-AN approach), this overview lecture briefly summarizes and comments on the published literature on these models that has appeared since they were least reviewed in 1980. It also comments on the problem of extending them to the multi-site interactions characteristic of polymers and surfaces and suggests some possible directions for future work in this area.