Proportion Of Medical Students Research Articles

Knowledge of Home Blood Pressure Monitoring among Medical Students in Malaysia

Introduction: As future healthcare providers, it is vital for medical students to be well-versed in home blood pressure monitoring (HBPM), which plays a crucial role in hypertension management. This study aimed to assess the level of knowledge on HBPM among medical students and factors associated with good knowledge. Method: A cross-sectional study was conducted among Year One to Five medical students in a Malaysian public university using universal sampling. Data was gathered via an online questionnaire on HBPM knowledge. The analysis of the data was performed using SPSS v26. Multiple logistic regression identified the determinants of good HBPM knowledge after adjusting for confounding. Results: A total of 370 medical students were recruited. The median age was 22 (2) years old, and 73.2% were female. 63.2% of them were from clinical years. The proportion of medical students with good HBPM knowledge was 55.7% (28.7% from preclinical students and 46% from clinical-year students). Multiple logistic regression revealed that clinical-year students were more likely to have good knowledge about HBPM than preclinical-year students. (OR=2.96; 95% CI=1.91-4.58, p<0.001). Conclusion: This study showed that preclinical-year students possess a poorer knowledge of HBPM. However, less than half of clinical year students exhibited good knowledge, despite greater patient exposure suggesting current clinical teaching may not impart comprehensive HBPM understanding. Medical schools should strengthen the curriculum by incorporating more practical HBPM learning during clerkships and rotations. This can better equip future physicians to effectively utilize HBPM for diagnosing and managing hypertension.

Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on the Professional Attitudes of Medical Students: A Pre-Post-Like Study.

This study assesses the difference in professional attitudes among medical students, both before and after coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), and identifies the determinants closely associated with it, while providing precise and scientific evidence for implementing precision education on such professional attitudes. A pre-post-like study was conducted among medical students in 31 provinces in mainland China, from March 23, to April 19, 2021. The proportion of medical students whose professional attitudes were disturbed after the COVID-19 pandemic, was significantly lower than before the COVID-19 pandemic (χ2 = 15.6216; P < 0.0001). Compared with the "undisturbed -undisturbed" group, the "undisturbed-disturbed" group showed that there was a 1.664-fold risk of professional attitudes disturbed as grade increased, 3.269-fold risk when others suggested they choose a medical career rather than their own desire, and 7.557-fold risk for students with COVID-19 in their family, relatives, or friends; while the "disturbed-undisturbed" group showed that students with internship experience for professional attitudes strengthened was 2.933-fold than those without internship experience. The professional attitudes of medical students have been strengthened during the COVID-19 pandemic. The results provide evidence of the importance of education on professional attitudes among medical students during public health emergencies.

Prevalence, Risk Factors, and Awareness of Electronic-Cigarette Use among Medical Students at King Khalid University, Saudi Arabia

Objectives: To determine the prevalence, pattern of smoking, and associated factors as well as attitudes toward E-cigarettes among medical students. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 340 medical students. An online questionnaire was used in data collection. It consists of socio-demographic characteristics, smoking history, awareness of E-cigarettes, the prevalence of their use, beliefs regarding E-cigarettes, and reasons for E-cigarette use Results: Males represented 58.8%, with a mean age of 22.4±1.5 years. The prevalence of current smoking and ex-smoking among participants was 13.5% and 9.1%, respectively. Most participants have heard of E-cigarettes (94.4%); female students have heard about E-cigarettes more than males (99.3% vs. 91%, respectively, p&lt;0.001); 36.8% of participants have tried using E-cigarettes at least once during their lifetime, 15.9% have used them during the last month and 11.8% intended to use them in the next year. Junior students were likelier to try E-cigarettes during their lifetime (44.5% vs. 32.1%, respectively, p=0.020). The commonest reasons for trying E-cigarettes were reducing the number of traditional cigarettes (93.6%), being less dangerous than traditional cigarettes (87.2%), and as an attempt to quit smoking (84.8%). Conclusions: E-cigarettes are tried by a considerable proportion of medical students, mainly to reduce the number of traditional cigarettes, assuming that they are less dangerous than traditional cigarettes, and as an attempt to quit smoking. Key Words: Cigarette smoking, E-smoking, medical students, knowledge, attitude, risk factors.

Comparative Studies on Knowledge, Attitude and Practice of Health Workers towards Medical Waste Management in Two Developed Regions of the World

Background: Worldwide, healthcare waste still remains a challenge to public health and potential source of hazard to biosphere. Assessment of knowledge, attitude and practice (KAP) of healthcare workers towards healthcare waste management was carried out in Sweden and Hungary for comparative analysis.&#x0D; Methods: Data was collected using a pretested questionnaire and analyzed using spss version 20.0. Total Sample size of 210 was used for the study; comprising of 105 from each area.&#x0D; Results: In Hungary, 11(10.5%) were male while 94(89.5%) were female. While Sweden comprised of 28(26.7%) male and 77(73.3%) female. In Sweden frequencies of 5.7%, 56.2%, 22.9%, 3.8%, 6.7% and 4.8% were recorded for age groups of &lt;20 years, 20-30years, 31-40years, 41-50years,51-60years and ≥61years respectively. While amongst the Hungarian respondents, the respective age groups yielded frequencies of 1.0%, 18.1%, 21.0%, 36.2%, 17.1% and 6.7% respectively(p&lt;0.05).More Doctors(63.8%) and Nurses(63.8%) in Hungary participated in the study than in Sweden(Doctors=15.2%;.Nurses=15.2%). The proportion of medical students was highest (32.4%) in Sweden than in Hungary (7.6%). According to educational qualifications, respondents with Bachelors degree occurred most in equal proportion (50.5%) in the two study areas. While those with doctorate degree recorded highest frequency of 11.4% in Sweden and least (1.0)% in Hungary. Respondents with masters degree occurred with frequencies of 27.6% and 21.0% in Hungary Sweden respectively. Result of respondents’ knowledge on healthcare waste shows that in Hungary, 81% of the respondents affirmed they are aware of waste management guidelines used in their hospital while in Sweden the proportion was 51.4%. Conversely, 19.0% of respondents from Hungary said they are not aware while in Sweden it was 26.7% and the remaining proportion (21.9%) said they don’t have idea. Where waste disposal guidelines exist, only 43.8% of Swedish respondents said they are aware of the contents while in Hungary, the proportion is high (81.0%). Those that responded “no” to the question;-meaning they are not aware of such guidelines occurred most (37.1%) in Sweden than in hungary(11.4%), though the proportion that said they don’t have idea is low in Hungary(7.6%) than in Sweden(19.0%) (P&lt;0.05).Also from the result, few proportion (19.0% in Hungary; 24.8% in Sweden) of the respondents believed that disposal of hazardous waste is extra burden to them. While most of the respondents (76.2% in Hungary; 48.6% in Sweden) said “no” to the question;- meaning that disposal of hazardous waste is not extra burden to them. More (68.6%) of the respondents from Hungary said they have been educated/trained on waste handling than the Swedish respondents where 54.3% had education/training on waste handling. The proportion that was not trained was high in Sweden (41.9%) than Hungary (31.4%). However, knowledge and attitude on healthcare waste management yielded high percentage rating scores for Hungarian respondents than those of Sweden. On the contrary, Swedish respondents demonstrated more practice than Hungarian counterparts in the area of HBV vaccination (Sweden=90.5%; Hungary=6.7%), use of personal protective equipment (Sweden=93.3%; Hungary=91.4%), change of personal protective equipment (Sweden=52.4%; Hungary=19.0%).&#x0D; Conclusion: Good knowledge and attitude was noted in the two areas but more in Hungary while Practice was mostly demonstrated in Sweden. This stands as a useful tool to relevant stakeholders in health sectors in the two areas.

How Do Academic Medicine Pathways Differ for Underrepresented Trainees and Physicians? A Critical Scoping Review.

Academic medicine faces difficulty recruiting and retaining a diverse workforce. The proportion of medical students who are underrepresented in medicine (URiM) is smaller than the proportion of URiM's in the general population, and these numbers worsen with each step up the academic medicine ladder. Previously known as the "leaky pipeline," this phenomenon may be better understood as disparate "pathways with potholes," which acknowledges the different structural barriers that URiM trainees and faculty face in academic medicine. This critical scoping review analyzed current literature to determine what variables contribute to the inequitable "pathways and potholes" URiM physicians experience in academic medicine. The authors combined scoping review methodology with a critical lens. The comprehensive search strategy used terms about academic medicine, underrepresented groups, and leaving academic medical careers. One reviewer conducted screening, full text review, and data extraction while in consultation with members of the research team. Data extraction focused on themes related to pathways and potholes, such as attrition, recruitment, and retention in academic medicine. Themes were iteratively merged, and quality of contribution to the field and literature gaps were noted. Included papers clustered into attrition, recruitment, and retention. Those pertaining to attrition noted that URiM faculty are less likely to get promoted even when controlling for scholarly output, and a hostile work environment may exacerbate attrition. Recruitment and retention strategies were most effective when multi-pronged approaches changed every step of the recruitment and promotion processes. These studies provide examples of various "potholes" that can affect representation in academic medicine of URiM trainees and faculty. However, only a few studies examined the link between isolating and hostile work environments, the so-called "chilly climate," and attrition from academic medicine. Understanding these concepts is key to producing the most effective interventions to improve diversity in medicine.

Peculiarities of commitment of students of a medical universit

Purpose: to assess the commitment of medical students to a healthy lifestyle during a new coronavirus infection. Tasks. Identification of threaths to health and identification of motivational factors for maintaining a healthy lifestyle Materials and methods. The study was conducted among first-year students of a medical university in 2018 and 2022 years, 926 first-year students were selected, including 412 people in 2018 (130 men and 282 women), in 2022–514 people (121 men and 393 women). Results. The study showed an increase in the proportion of medical students who consider health a priority value (from 59.1% to 71.7%) and are confident that they lead a healthy lifestyle (from 58.9% to 70.5%), a decrease in the specific weight who do not have physical activity (from 15.7 to 4.5%) and smokers (from 13.0% to 6.4). An increase in the number of students controlling the consumption of sugar, fruits and vegetables was recorded. The pandemic did not affect the opinion of students about the main factors affecting health: in the first ranking place, almost half of the students have systematic lack of sleep. On the second – overload associated with the educational process, on the third – the presence of bad habits. Conclusion. The study showed that the pandemic had a mixed effect on the adherence to a healthy lifestyle. Along with the growth of adherence, the opinion of students about the main factors affecting health has not changed. As in the pre-Covid period, students demonstrate opposite opinions about the influence of such factors as the presence of bad habits, passive smoking, an uncomfortable psychological microclimate in the group, overweight, hereditary predisposition. A significant part of the students indicate that the leading motivational factor influencing the implementation of health preservation is a regular and systematic study of the theoretical foundations of a healthy lifestyle.

Motivators and barriers to research participation among medical students in Saudi Arabia.

Little is known about the obstacles medical students face when conducting research in Saudi Arabia. Moreover, the proportion of medical students in research has been unknown in our region compared to other regions. We sought to identify the barriers and motivators that influence undergraduate medical students in pursuing research. This was a cross-sectional study design, utilizing an online survey distributed through social media platforms from the 17th of December 2021 to the 8th of April 2022. The survey was distributed to four universities in Saudi Arabia. Participants' characteristics, details regarding involvement in research, and attitude towards research were collected. Frequency measures were used to characterize the demographics and chi-squared tests to determine associations. A total of 435 students were included in the final analysis. The highest proportion of students that responded were second year, followed by first year medical students. Less than half (47.6%) of medical students were involved in research. A significant correlation was revealed between the involvement in research and higher participants' Grade Point Average (GPA). The top three incentives for pursuing undergraduate research were "admission into residency programs" (44.8%), "interest in research" (28.7%), and "financial return" (10.8%). However, the top three limitations were "lack of time" (29.2%), "lack of mentoring" (16.8%), and "lack of interest in research" (14.7%). System-related barriers and motivators were the main reasons behind the involvement of medical students in research. Our study is a call for action to raise awareness among medical students about the importance of research and to provide solutions to overcome these barriers.

Assessment of Physical Health of Final-Year Medical Students and Young Doctors

Background: By the end of university, the proportion of medical students with chronic diseases usually increases while physical activity and fitness decrease. Objective: To assess physical development of final-year medical university students and clinical residents. Materials and methods: We have assessed physical health of 16 final-year medical students and 14 first-year medical residents (20.0 % and 25.0 % of the sample population in 2019–2022, respectively). We measured body height, weight, chest circumference, leading hand force, lung capacity, hemodynamic parameters at rest, after exercise and recovery and the mean dynamic pressure in all study participants. We also estimated Quetelet, Pignet, and Robinson indices and those of force, vitality, endurance, and functional changes. In addition, we assessed living conditions, nutrition, and daily energy expenditures of the young people. Results: We established that, under conditions of an organized team, a regulated mode of learning and a high calorie intake, two students (12.5 %) were overweight while the number of overweight residents was six (42.9 %), which was probably related to changes in the lifestyle, nutrition, and daily routine. Estimation of the body mass index showed that 10 (62.5 %) students and 11 (78.6 %) residents were overweight and obese. A more positive body build index among the residents was attributed to a higher number of overweight subjects and confirmed by strength and vital indices and chest circumference measurements. We revealed more considerable preclinical shifts in the health status of the residents in terms of the functional state of the cardiovascular system (diastolic blood pressure at rest and after exercise, heart rate and diastolic blood pressure after exercise, mean dynamic pressure after a period of rest, endurance coefficient, Robinson index) and the index of functional changes. Conclusions: Changes in the synergistic factors of learning and lifestyle of medical residents at the beginning of their professional career cause more significant preclinical alterations in the body compared with students, which necessitates raising their awareness of a healthy lifestyle.

The Impact of Medical Students Teaching Basic Life Support to Laypersons.

Basic life support (BLS) courses for laypersons, including cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) training, is known to improve outcomes of out-of-hospital cardiac events. We asked medical students to provide BLS training for laypersons as a part of their emergency medicine education and evaluated the effects of training on the BLS skills of laypersons. We also used a questionnaire to determine whether the medical students who provided the BLS training were themselves more confident and motivated to perform BLS compared to students who did not provide BLS training. The proportions of laypersons who reported confidence in checking for a response, performing chest compressions, and automated external defibrillator (AED) use were significantly increased after the BLS training. The proportions of medical students who reported increased confidence/motivation in terms of understanding BLS, checking for a response, chest compression, use of AED, and willingness to perform BLS were significantly greater among medical students who provided BLS instructions compared to those who did not. BLS instruction by medical students was associated with an improvement in laypersons' CPR accuracy and confidence in responding to cardiac arrest. The results indicate that medical students could gain understanding, confidence, and motivation in regard to their BLS skills by teaching BLS to laypersons.

Attractiveness of medical disciplines amongst Swiss first-year medical students allocated to different medical education tracks: cross-sectional study

BackgroundAs most countries, Switzerland is experiencing a shortage of physicians especially in general practice and new medical education tracks with respective focusses have been started in response. This study investigated Swiss medical students’ career openness and attractiveness of different medical disciplines as well as the concordance of students’ career intentions with assigned medical education tracks.MethodsCross-sectional study surveying first year medical students assigned to four different Swiss medical education tracks with distinctive additional education focuses (ETH Zurich: medical technology and engineering, University of St. Gallen and University of Lucerne: primary healthcare and University of Zurich: no distinctive focus).ResultsWe surveyed 354 medical students (response rate across all included medical education tracks 71.1%), 64.8% female, mean age 20 years. Regarding career openness, we found that 52.8% of medical students had neither a strong commitment nor a strong reservation for any of the proposed career options and 17.0% had a strong commitment. Among medical disciplines, medical subspecialties were attractive to the largest part of students (inpatient subspecialties attractive for 71%, outpatient for 58%), attractiveness of general practice was moderate (30%), academic (22%) and industrial sector (17%) careers were least attractive. Proportions of medical students attracted to general practice were similar at medical education tracks with focus on primary healthcare compared to other medical education tracks (32.2% vs. 25.8%, p = 0.391). Conversely, proportions of medical students attracted to academic or industry careers were significantly higher at the ETH Zurich compared to other medical education tracks (37.2%, vs. 13.1%, p < 0.001 and 31.9%, vs. 8.8%, p < 0.001 respectively).ConclusionWhile most first-year medical students were open to careers in many medical disciplines, attractiveness of disciplines varied strongly. Students attracted to academic or industrial careers accumulated at the medical education track with concordant teaching focus but students attracted to general practice did not accumulate at medical education tracks focused on primary healthcare. For medical education tracks with primary care teaching focus this is both a challenge and an opportunity to specifically counteract the shortage of general practitioners in Switzerland.

Perception and attitude of clinical medical students to COVID-19 containment measures

Background: The strain put on the health systems by the COVID-19 pandemic is very significant. Measures of containment includes closure of schools, wearing of face mask, use of hand sanitizers, etc. Objectives: To determine the perception and attitude of clinical medical students to COVID-19 containment measures. Materials and Methods: This study was a cross-sectional study which utilized an online survey protocol. A self-selecting sampling method was used to select students. Data were analyzed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences, version 20, Chicago (Ill., USA). Results: Medical students hazarded wearing of face mask 154(87.0%) and the use of hand sanitizers 59(89.8%) as the most useful containment measures against COVID-19 pandemic. Sixty six participants (37.3%) had good preventive practices. The age range of 20–25 years and male gender “disagreed” that government stoppage of medical education is an appropriate measure against COVID 19 pandemic. (p = 0.01, and 0.02, respectively). Only 10.2% of participants believed that the government is also affected by this containment measure. Age range of 20–25 years and being a catholic are predictors of good preventive practices (P = 0.05, and 0.04, respectively). Conclusion: A little proportion of medical students had good preventive practices against COVID-19. And a good proportion repudiated the policy of closure of schools during the pandemic. Factors such as male gender, and being within the 20–25 years age bracket were predictors of students’ rejection of the government’s policy on closure of schools as a containment measure for COVID pandemic.

Prevalence of depression among medical students during the COVID-19 pandemic. A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Medical students frequently have depressive symptoms. Thus, the psychological impact of COVID-19 on them should be high. To conduct a systematic review and meta-analysis on the prevalence of depression in medical students during the COVID-19 pandemic. MEDLINE via PubMed, Embase and Web of Science were searched for studies reporting the prevalence of depression in medical students, published from December 1, 2019 to December 27, 2020. Eleven studies were included, most of them from Asia. The estimated overall prevalence of depression in medical students was 31% (95% CI: 23%-40%), with lower prevalence rates reported in studies from Asia in general, and China in particular. Our findings indicate that the proportion of medical students with depression during the pandemic was high, and comparable with that reported in other university students.

Latent tuberculosis infection in medical students in the Northeast of Mexico

BackgroundMedical students are considered to be personnel with a high level of risk for developing latent tuberculosis infection (LTBI). One possible reason is lack of knowledge about the transmission, prevention, and biosafety standards for tuberculosis disease. ObjectiveThis research aimed to determine the rate of LTBI among medical students studying in a private School of Medicine in Monterrey, Mexico. MethodsIn this cross-sectional study, we obtained blood samples from 174 medical students. LTBI was diagnosed using the QuantiFERON®-TB Gold Plus test. The prevalence of LTBI was compared with the socio-demographic data of the students and their level of knowledge and use of personal protective equipment (PPE). ResultsThe proportion of LTBI in the students was 20.6%. Medical students in their first few years of medical school had a lower prevalence of LTBI than students in their final years of medical school. Additionally, students with a low level of knowledge on LTBI and low use of proper PPE had a higher prevalence of LTBI. ConclusionsIn a School of Medicine in Monterrey, Mexico, the proportion of medical students with LTBI was low but the proportion increased in advanced students. Students who demonstrated adequate knowledge and use of respiratory protective masks had lower prevalence rates for LTBI.

Magnitude and correlates of sleep quality among undergraduate medical students in Ethiopia: cross \u2013sectional study

PurposePoor quality of sleep has a negative effect on academic performance of medical students. Quantity and quality of sleep in addition to average sleep time are strongly linked with students’ learning abilities, poor academic performance and poor interpersonal relationship which predispose them to mental illnesses. This study is aimed to assess magnitude and correlates of sleep quality among medical students in Ethiopia.MethodAn institutional based cross-sectional study was conducted among 576 undergraduate medical students. Data was collected by using interviewer administered structured questionnaires. Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) was used to assess sleep quality. The collected data were entered in to Epi-data version 3.1and analyzed using SPSS version 20. Logistic regression was used to identify the potential determinants of quality of sleep among undergraduate medical students. P-values less than 0.05 were considered statistically significant and strength of the association was presented by adjusted odds ratio with 95% C.I.ResultThe prevalence of poor sleep quality among undergraduate medical students was 62% (95%CI, 57.9, 65.3). The mean age (±SD) of the respondents was 21.5(±2.4), with age ranging from 18 to 28 and about 310 (53.8%) were males. Factors like, being depressed (AOR = 1.92,95%CI 1.16,3.19), poor social support (AOR = 5.39,95%CI 2.33,2.49), being stressed (AOR = 2.04,95%CI 1.26,3.31), and poor sleep hygiene (AOR = 3.01,95%CI 1.75,5.18) were associated with poor sleep quality at p-value < 0.05. Findings also showed that, one unit increase in grade point average was associated with 81.5% decrease (AOR = 0.185, 95%CI 0.13, 0.28) in poor sleep quality.ConclusionA substantial proportion of medical students are affected by poor sleep quality. Routine screening of sleep quality, sleep hygiene, depression and stress is warranted. Moreover, it is better to educating medical students about proper sleep hygiene and the consequences of poor sleep.

Correlation between Stress and Empathy in Medical Students As Compared To General Population

Background: Medical students are exposed to numerous internal and external pressures exerted by the environment which may affect their empathy towards patients. This study was conducted to find association between perceived stress and empathy.&#x0D; Methodology: The study was conducted in Surat, Gujarat, India from August 15 2021 to September 15 2021 among 225 participants using perceived stress score and using the Toronto Empathy Questionnaire. Two groups -Undergraduate medical students and general population were compared.&#x0D; Results: Out of 160 medical undergraduates and 65 people from general population below average empathy was noted in total 51.1%. High empathic attitude was noted in general population in comparison to other medical undergraduates. 24.4% reported low stress, 64% moderate stress and 11.6% high stress and we can appreciate that low stress scores were calculated in general population in comparison to medical undergraduate students. A weak negative correlation between empathy and perceived stress was calculated in medical students whereas strong positive correlation between empathy and perceived stress was calculated in general population.&#x0D; Conclusion: A significant proportion of medical students had a comparatively higher stress scores and decreased empathy hence their stress is considered distress whereas general population’s high stress scores were corelating to high empathic attitude, therefore their stress can be considered eustress.

Eight-hour medication-assisted treatment waiver training for opioid use disorder: integration into medical school curriculum

ABSTRACT Background: The opioid epidemic is a growing problem in the USA. Use of medication-assisted treatment (MAT) has been effective in treating patients with opioid use disorders (OUD) and maintaining sobriety; however, there is a significant shortage of physicians formally trained in MAT. Objective: Wayne State University School of Medicine integrated the 8-hour MAT waiver training into its Internal Medicine clerkship curriculum. The objectives of integrating this into the curriculum were to (1) introduce opioid use education during students’ Internal Medicine clerkship and (2) assess whether the curriculum prepares students to feel more comfortable evaluating and treating patients with OUD. Design: MAT training specifically for medical students was provided free online by the Providers Clinical Support System (PCSS). All students on the Internal Medicine clerkship were required to complete the training. A 7-question pre-survey and post-survey assessed students’ comfort in evaluating and treating OUD. Significant changes were assessed with a paired McNemar Bowker Test. Results: Medical students (n = 141) completed the pre-survey and post-survey. After the MAT training, students’ perspective of their clinical knowledge about OUD, familiarity with MAT, and likelihood to utilize MAT for their patients significantly differed, with increased proportions of medical students in agreement across 6 of 7 pre-post survey items (p <.0001). Conclusions: Online MAT waiver training is a low-cost (free) way to introduce MAT education into the undergraduate clinical curriculum. Upon completing of the training, medical students self-reported improvements in their knowledge and attitudes about OUD and the different treatment options. Our hope is that MAT waiver training will allow for graduation of medical students who are ready to care for patients with OUD during residency and as practitioners upon completion of their residency.

Update on Workforce Diversity in Vascular Surgery: What Has Changed in 20 Years?

Creating a diverse workforce is paramount to the success of the surgical field. A diverse workforce allows us to meet the health needs of an increasingly diverse population and to bring new ideas to spur technical innovation. The purpose of this study was to assess trends in workforce diversity within vascular surgery (VS) and general surgery (GS) compared with orthopedic surgery (OS), a specialty that instituted a formal diversity initiative more than a decade ago. Data on the trainee pool for VS (fellowships and integrated residencies), GS, and OS were obtained from the U.S. graduate medical education reports for 1999 through 2017. Medical student demographic data were obtained from the Association of American Medical Colleges U.S. medical school enrollment reports. The proportion of each group (female, Hispanic, and black) in medical school was compared with their proportion of the surgical trainee populations. The proportion of female trainees increased significantly between the two time periods for the three surgical disciplines examined (P < .001), although the increase was less robust in OS. Hispanic trainees also represented an increasing proportion of all three disciplines (P < .001). The proportion of black trainees did not significantly change in any discipline between the two periods (Table). Relative to their proportion in medical school, Hispanics were well represented as surgical trainees in all surgical specialties studied (relative ratio [RR], 0.95-1.52; 0.95 OS, 1.00 GS, 1.52 VS fellowship, and 1.23 VS residency). Compared with their representation in medical school, women were under-represented as surgical trainees (RR: 0.32 OS, 0.82 GS, 0.56 VS fellowship, and 0.78 VS residency) as were blacks (RR: 0.63 OS, 0.90 GS, 0.99 VS fellowship, and 0.81 VS residency). The lack of increase in black trainees across all specialties was particularly discouraging. Whereas there were significant increases in the number of women and Hispanic trainees in these three surgical disciplines during the study period, only Hispanics enter the surgical field at a rate similar to their proportion of medical students. Women and black trainees were under-represented in all specialties compared with their representation in medical school. The data presented suggest potential problems with recruitment at multiple levels of the pipeline. Particular attention should be paid to increasing the pool of qualified undergraduate students who are under-represented in medicine.TableProportion of women, black, and hispanic trainees in each surgical discipline between the two time periods1999-20052013-2017P valueWomen Vascular residencyN/A36.7%– Vascular fellowship13.8%27%<.001 General surgery24.7%38.5%<.001 Orthopedic surgery10.1%14.6%<.001Blacks Vascular residencyN/A5.1%– Vascular fellowship4.3%5.4%NS General surgery5.9%5.7%NS Orthopedic surgery4%4%NSHispanics Vascular residencyN/A7.3%– Vascular fellowship5.2%8.7%<.001 General surgery6.1%8.4%<.001 Orthopedic surgery3.3%5.3%<.001 Open table in a new tab

Knowledge regarding antibiotic use among students of three medical schools in Medellin, Colombia: a cross-sectional study

BackgroundThe objective of the present study was to describe the knowledge regarding the antibiotic therapy of students of three medical schools in Medellín, Colombia.MethodsThe study population comprised medical students who were enrolled in three universities. The instrument contained questions regarding their current academic term, the university, the perceived quality of the education received on antibiotic therapy and bacterial resistance, and specific questions on upper respiratory tract infections, pneumonia, urinary tract infections, and skin and soft tissue infections. The information was analyzed by calculating frequencies and measures of dispersion and central tendency. Knowledge regarding the treatment for each type of infection was compared using the Mann–Whitney U test and the Kruskal–Wallis H test.ResultsWe included 536 medical students, of which 43.5% students consider that the university has not sufficiently trained them to interpret antibiograms and 29.6% students consider that the quality of information received on the subject at their university ranges from regular to poor. The mean score for knowledge regarding antibiotic therapy for upper respiratory tract infections was 44.2 (9.9) on a scale from 0 to 100. The median score with regard to the treatment of pneumonia was 52.9 (14.7), that of urinary tract infection was 58.7 (14.8), and that of skin and soft tissue infections was 63.1 (19.4). The knowledge regarding antibiotic therapy for upper respiratory tract infections, pneumonia, and urinary tract infection does not improve with the academic term, the university, or perceived quality of the education received.ConclusionA large proportion of medical students perceive that the training received from the university is insufficient with regard to antibiotic use and bacterial resistance, which is consistent with the limited knowledge reflected in the selection of antibiotic treatment for respiratory, urinary tract, and skin and soft tissue infections. Overall, the situation was identical among all universities, and it did not significantly increase with the completion of an academic term.

Self-reported attitudes, knowledge and skills of using evidence-based medicine in daily health care practice: A national survey among students of medicine and health sciences in Hungary.

In order to map attitudes, knowledge and skills related to evidence-based medicine (EBM) in students of medical and health sciences faculties, we performed an online survey during the spring semester 2019 in all medical and health sciences faculties in Hungary. In total, 1080 students of medicine and 911 students of health sciences completed the online questionnaire. The attitude towards EBM was generally positive; however, only a small minority of students rated their EBM-related skills as advanced. There were large differences in the understanding of different EBM-related terms, with 'sample size' as the term with the highest (65%) and 'intention-to-treat analysis' with the lowest (7%) proportion of medical students being able to properly explain the meaning of the expression. Medical students who already participated in some EBM training rated their skills in searching and evaluating medical literature and their knowledge of EBM-related terms significantly better and had a more positive attitude towards using EBM in the practice than students without previous EBM training. EBM trained medical students were more likely to choose online journals (17.5% compared to 23.9%, p<0.05) and professional guidelines (15.4% compared to 6.1%, p<0.001) instead of printed books (33.6% compared to 52.6, p<0.001) as the main source of healthcare information retrieval and used Pubmed/Medline, Medscape and the Cochrane Library to a significant higher rate than students without any previous EBM training. Healthcare work experience (OR = 1.59; 95% CI = 1.01-2.52), conducting student research (OR = 2.02; 95% CI = 1.45-2.82) and upper year university students (OR = 1.65; 95% CI = 1.37-1.98) were other factors significantly influencing EBM-related knowledge. We conclude that the majority of students of medical and health sciences faculties are keen to acquire EBM-related knowledge and skills during their university studies. Significantly higher EBM-related knowledge and skills among EBM trained students underline the importance of targeted EBM education, while parallel increase of knowledge and skills with increasing number of education years highlight the importance of integrating EBM terminology and concepts also into the thematic of other courses.

\u201cA doctor who really knows \u2026\u201d: a survey of community perspectives on medical students and practitioners with disability

BackgroundIn Australia, the proportion of medical students with disability remains low compared to students with disability in other university courses and to the prevalence of disability in society. Arguments for inclusion include medical school obligations to respond to community values in their programs, and that doctors with disabilities can offer valuable insights for patient care from their experiences. This study aimed to inform inclusive and socially accountable medical programs by investigating community views on doctors and medical students with disability.MethodsA concurrent mixed methods study was conducted, simultaneously collecting quantitative fixed responses, and qualitative free text responses to provide in-depth and triangulated data on community views. Frequency and thematic analysis within and across response categories was used to identify patterns and relationships, providing context and meaning to the quantitative data for the integrated findings.ResultsOf 207 respondents aged 17 to 71 years, 71% were female, and 60.2% had university level education. Most (92.3%) knew someone with a long standing disability, illness, mental health condition or learning difficulty, 74.7% agreed that a person with a disability should be encouraged to study medicine, 79.7% agreed that a person with a disability should be accepted into medical school, and 81.4% that including people with disability would be an advantage in the medical profession. Five integrated themes explained these views: 1) Fair selection, support and monitoring is expected of medical schools, 2) Life experiences of disability promotes real empathy in doctors, 3) Career considerations for those with disability, 4) Medical role models to address disabling social barriers, and 5) Responsibility to monitor own health and ability to perform.ConclusionsThis study indicates Australian community support for inclusion of people with disability as medical students and practitioners. Findings also suggest community expectations and trust in medical schools to effectively select and graduate only those who will be capable doctors, and to support health and development of all students towards being competent graduates. These findings provide support for medical schools to develop inclusive practices in medical education and training relevant to the health services and communities they serve.