Academic family medicine in Canada.

Fifty years ago family practice in Canada had no academic presence. Stimulated by a number of general practitioners and with the support of the Canadian Medical Association, the College of General Practitioners of Canada (CGPC) was founded in 1954. In 1962, conferences on education for general practice attended by the Association of Canadian Medical Colleges and the CGPC led to pilot postgraduate residencies in family practice supported by Department of National Health and Welfare. The first certification examination was held in 1969 and, by 1974, all Canadian medical schools had a family medicine residency program. Today departments of family medicine contribute substantially to undergraduate education in all 16 schools. In Canada, the medical profession, governments and the medical schools have demonstrated the importance they place on appropriate education for family physicians.     

The Epidemiologist's Dilemma: A Position Paper on the Role of Epidemiology in Canadian Research

Canadian epidemiology is currently in transition from being primarily interested in infectious disease to becoming active in investigating causes of non-infectious disease. Generally, epidemiologists limit their work to “field”, “basic”, or “theoretical” epidemiology. In all three fields there appears to be a shortage of qualified personnel which is likely to become even more acute because of new roles that epidemiologists will probably play in the future. A minimum of 40 full-time epidemiologists is currently required in Canada.Departments other than departments of preventive medicine at medical schools and teaching hospitals are currently spending 79.5% of all funds allocated for non-microbiological epidemiological research in Canada. Since epidemiology is by its very nature population orientated, rather than clinically orientated, clinicians require consultative advice from epidemiologists at many stages of their research. Epidemiological facilities in departments of preventive medicine should therefore be strengthened in order to provide research training and didactic courses needed as the numbers of physicians, nurses and paramedical persons are increased.     

Medical grand rounds: alive and well and living in Canada.

Grand rounds have long been the principal educational activity of departments of medicine at teaching hospitals. Several recent articles have suggested that there has been a general deterioration in the quality of grand rounds. To evaluate their status in Canada we mailed a questionnaire to the chairmen of the departments of medicine at the 53 Canadian teaching hospitals; of the 48 responses received (91%), 38 were from chairmen, 5 were from senior department members, and 5 were from chief residents. The results indicated that grand rounds continued to be the principal teaching exercise of the departments. Of the respondents 98% felt that the quality had improved or stayed the same. The overall attendance was considered to have improved or remained unchanged for the past decade by 75%; 25% thought that it had declined. The diminished emphasis on patient-related topics concerned 10%. The respondents gave numerous suggestions, which should help organizers to improve the impact of grand rounds on learning.     

A Prospectus for Canadian Studies in Medical Education

The need for factual information on all phases of medical education is widely recognized. In the United States the Association of American Medical Colleges has initiated an extensive program of research in medical education. No comparable program exists in Canada.On the basis of studies of medical students at the University of British Columbia and the University of Saskatchewan, a prospectus for Canadian studies in medical education is suggested. Such studies might include an annual census of Canadian medical students as well as detailed studies of specific problems. Until such studies have been undertaken in Canada, only an incomplete picture of the various problems in medical education will be available.     

Undergraduate and postgraduate medical education in Canada

An overview of medical education at both the undergraduate and postgraduate levels in Canadian faculties of medicine is provided. Particular attention is focused on changes that have occurred in the 1990s and their effect on medical students and on educational programs. Also considered are the effects of reductions in the number of entry-level positions for residency training and the changes in educational requirements for licensure on senior medical students.     

EvoS: A Prescription for What Ails Pre-Medical Education?

Pre-medical students are certainly a widely varied group, with different motivations and experiences, different skills sets and interests. However, they often tend to approach their undergraduate education as a necessary evil that they must endure in order to achieve their ultimate goals. This article summarizes recent literature addressing some of the questions that have been raised regarding pre-medical education programs. Are students prepared for the intellectual, emotional, and even physical challenges of medical training? What deficiencies are commonly seen in entering medical students? What are students’ perceptions of how well their pre-medical studies helped them? Many of these studies have resulted in a call for more science training, while some have advocated for less, but with an enhanced focus on humanistic studies. We supply a brief outline of our Evolutionary Studies (EvoS) program and reflect upon how participation in this program can enhance pre-medical students’ education. Importantly, we argue that EvoS can expand students’ depth of understanding of science, as well as nurture their ability to think about the needs of their patients and the context of their medical practice.     

A Census of Residents in Canadian Hospitals Approved for Training by the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada,April 1965

A census taken in April 1965 revealed that there were 3162 residents training in Canadian hospitals approved by the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada. Thirty-one of the 151 approved hospitals had no residents in training, and another 43 hospitals each having 20 or more residents accounted for 85% of all residents training in Canada. Fifty-seven per cent of the residents in Canada were Canadian citizens, 19% were landed immigrants, and 24% were foreign trainees. Major teaching hospitals contained 65% of all residents; 70% of Canadian graduates and 60% of non-Canadian graduates were training in major teaching hospitals. Hospitals approved for full training in the specialty of the trainee contained 57% of all residents; 64% of Canadian graduates and 48% of foreign graduates were in such hospitals.     

Improving the preregistration experience: the New Zealand approach.

There is currently much debate about how to improve undergraduate medical education, and in particular on how best to prepare students for clinical responsibility. For 20 years a period of trainee internship has formed part of New Zealand medical students'' undergraduate training, and the model could have much to offer the United Kingdom. Students take their final examinations at the end of the second clinical year; they spend their final year in a series of eight clinical attachments, during each of which they shadow a preregistration house officer or senior house officer. As trainee interns they are paid 60% of a house officer''s salary for their clinical work, which is supervised by the firm''s registrars and consultants under the overall responsibility of the head of the academic department. The order of the attachments is determined on educational, not service, grounds, and trainees have to attend educational sessions and pass assessments on each attachment. The trainee internship, funded jointly by the education and health departments, offers a more seamless transition from student to house officer and aims at improving both general medical education and clinical training.     

A survey of postgraduate training for family practice.

The results of a survey of Canadian primary care physicians for the Canadian Medical Association (CMA''s) Task Force on Education for the Provision of Primary Care Services are reported. Recent Canadian medical school graduates in primary care practice reported that the three major training routes (rotating and mixed internships and family medicine residencies) each prepared them differently for practice. The graduates of 2-year family medicine residencies were more satisfied with their preparation than were the graduates of the other major training routes. A 2- or 3-year family medicine residency was preferred by 50% of the respondents, although only 33% of them had actually taken one of these routes. There was considerable agreement in the respondents'' assessments of the types of postgraduate education needed for primary care practice. The results of this survey were consistent with the recommendations in the final report of the CMA''s task force.     

Neonatal resuscitation in Canadian hospitals.

A survey of Canadian hospitals providing obstetric care was undertaken to assess preparation, protocols, training and staff availability for neonatal resuscitation. Of the 721 hospitals contacted 577 (80%) responded. The reported availability of written guidelines for resuscitation varied greatly, depending on hospital size and proximity to a tertiary care centre. Many hospitals, especially those with 300 births or fewer annually, reported that they depend on family physicians or nurses to start and to continue neonatal resuscitation. Approximately one third of the hospitals had written guidelines for summoning personnel for additional help, and one third used a list of maternal or fetal indications for the presence of a physician specifically for the care of the infant at birth. Of 200 hospitals 138 (69%) had to summon additional medical help from outside the institution, 60% at all times. A neonatal resuscitation team in which members'' roles were defined was established in 22% of the hospitals. Few hospitals held rehearsals for resuscitation. Nurses were permitted to perform intubation in 21 hospitals (4%), 7 of them in Alberta. National professional bodies should develop guidelines for training and skill maintenance, and hospitals should develop protocols for maintaining equipment and for neonatal resuscitation team activities, including regular practice. Training should be improved in family practice and obstetrics programs, and consideration should be given to training senior obstetric nurses and respiratory therapists in intubation of neonates.     

The Canadian general internist: education and future role.

Available manpower data indicate that for the forseeable future there will be a continuing requirement in Canada for specialists in general internal medicine. While these specialists will be located predominantly in community hospitals, they will also be needed in university medical centres. The major roles of the general internist will be (a) to provide consultative service to primary care physicians and to other specialists, (b) to provide continuing care to patients with complex serious illness and (c) to participate in intensive care, particularly in community hospitals. Therefore training programs in this specialty must provide adequate experience in consultative medicine in both university and community hospitals, an opportunity to follow up patients with chronic serious illness over long periods, and experience in a variety of intensive care settings including surgical intensive care units. In some university departments the organization and supervision of training programs in this discipline have been carried out by a division of internal medicine that has equal status with other specialty divisions within the department. This seems to have been a salutory development.     

A brief history of graduate medical education in Washington,Alaska, Montana,and Idaho.

Internships and hospital-based medical education preceded by more than 40 years the beginnings of a medical school in Washington State. Just after the turn of the 20th century, a few internships were begun by hospitals in Seattle and Spokane to help with the care of their sicker patients in the tradition of Eastern teaching hospitals. In the 1920s and 1930s, the number of hospitals with internship programs grew steadily as part of a nationwide effort at hospital standardization. Experiences in developing these programs and problems with intern recruitment contributed to the beginning of the University of Washington School of Medicine after World War II. Since the 1960s, intern and resident training has progressively become a cooperative effort of the school with many hospitals and clinics in Washington, Alaska, Montana, and Idaho contributing to the development of graduate medical education in this region.     

医院输血安全管理现状分析与对策

目的：通过对某省七家三级医院输血科管理现状调查,了解医院在输血管理制度的制定与实施、技术操作的规范性、输血流程的安全性、输血科人员配置等方面存在的问题,明确今后医院输血安全管理工作的重点,并提出相应的管理对策,旨在为医院及政府职能部门制订有关医院输血安全相关策略提供科学的佐证。方法：1、文献法：对CNKI、维普数据库近五年相关文献进行系统回顾;2、现场调查：对某省7家三级医院输血安全管理现况调查。结果：所调查的7家医院输血安全管理制度知晓率较低,储血冰箱未按照正确的时间进行监测,医务人员对病人输血反应观察不到位,输血前医患沟通较好,输血差错自愿报告系统超过60%的医院尚未建立,输血不良事件发生后,只有14%的医护人员愿意主动上报,输血科医务人员30岁以上的不到30%,专科以下学历占66%,专业背景37%为检验专业,无学历的占8%。结论：医院输血安全管理存在许多问题：管理制度知晓率低、执行不到位,储血过程未按相关要求进行监测,输血科医务人员过于年轻化,学历层次较低,专业背景单一。建议医院应根据存在的问题,采取应对策略。     

Sino-U.S. partnerships in research,education, and patient care: The experience of the University of Pittsburgh and UPMC

In 2011, the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine (UPSOM) and Tsinghua University formed a partnership to further the education of Tsinghua medical students. These students come to UPSOM as visiting research scholars for two years of their eight-year MD curriculum. During this time, the students, who have completed four years at Tsinghua, work full-time in medical school laboratories and research programs of their choice, essentially functioning as graduate students. In their first two months in Pittsburgh, the scholars have a one-week orientation to biomedical research, followed by two-week rotations in four labs selected on the basis of the scholars’ scientific interests, after which they choose one of these labs for the remainder of the two years. Selected labs may be in basic science departments, basic science divisions of clinical departments, or specialized centers that focus on approaches like simulation and modeling. The Tsinghua students also have a brief exposure to clinical medicine. UPSOM has also formed a similar partnership with Central South University Xiangya School of Medicine in Changsha, Hunan Province. The Xiangya students come to UPSOM for two years of research training after their sixth year and, thus, unlike the Tsinghua students, have already completed their clinical rotations. UPSOM faculty members have also paved the way for UPMC (University of Pittsburgh Medical Center), UPSOM’s clinical partner, to engage with clinical centers in China. Major relationships involving advisory, training, managerial, and/or equity roles exist with Xiangya International Medical Center, KingMED Diagnostics, First Chengmei Medical Industry Group, and Macare Women’s Hospital. Both UPSOM and UPMC are actively exploring other clinical and academic opportunities in China.     

Pondering the future.

Despite growing tensions as the Canadian health care system evolves, the system will survive over the next decade and strengthen its societal objectives, sometimes dragging physicians along. With the shift of the intellectual centre away from the universities, research and researchers will find funding security but career insecurity in the private sector. The independent investigator will become rare as "big science" becomes the norm, and basic science departments will have a decade of confusion as they struggle for a new place in the renewed medical schools. The move toward problem-based, community-oriented medical education will be completed, clinical faculty will become salaried and the smaller numbers of graduates will be more controlled in their practices. Medicine as a profession will adopt a renewed philosophical framework and will broaden in its scope to the benefit of Canadians.     

The status of medical physics in radiotherapy in China

PurposeTo present an overview of the status of medical physics in radiotherapy in China, including facilities and devices, occupation, education, research, etc.Materials and methodsThe information about medical physics in clinics was obtained from the 9-th nationwide survey conducted by the China Society for Radiation Oncology in 2019. The data of medical physics in education and research was collected from the publications of the official and professional organizations.ResultsBy 2019, there were 1463 hospitals or institutes registered to practice radiotherapy and the number of accelerators per million population was 1.5. There were 4172 medical physicists working in clinics of radiation oncology. The ratio between the numbers of radiation oncologists and medical physicists is 3.51. Approximately, 95% of medical physicists have an undergraduate or graduate degrees in nuclear physics and biomedical engineering. 86% of medical physicists have certificates issued by the Chinese Society of Medical Physics. There has been a fast growth of publications by authors from mainland of China in the top international medical physics and radiotherapy journals since 2018.ConclusionsDemand for medical physicists in radiotherapy increased quickly in the past decade. The distribution of radiotherapy facilities in China became more balanced. High quality continuing education and training programs for medical physicists are deficient in most areas. The role of medical physicists in the clinic has not been clearly defined and their contributions have not been fully recognized by the community.     

试析公立医院财务管理职能的转变

新医院财务制度、会计制度的实施,医改的深入以及医院经济绩效考评工作的开展,对公立医院财务部门提出了更高的要求,公立医院财务部门必须适应新的形势,实现从传统的记账职能到财务管理职能的转变。要加强财务信息系统一体化建设并注重系统的安全;通过预算、成本核算及绩效管理工作,加强财务分析职能;改变原有的工作方式,加强与临床科室的沟通;财务人员需及时更新现有知识,不仅要有专业的财务知识,还要有经济管理的知识和概念,才能胜任现有的财务工作。     

Physical management of muscular low back pain in the athlete.

The Canadian medical staff at the 1976 Olympic Games found that muscular low back pain was a common problem among the athletes. The problem had usually developed during training as a result of neglect of certain anatomic areas, particularly the abdominal region. A five-point treatment and prevention program was used with good results. It included (a) relief of spasm and pain, (b) stretching, (c) exercise, (d) alteration of the training program and (e) education to prevent future problems or worsening of the present problem.     

新时期我国医学院校与附属医院关系研究

临床医学教育作为高等医学教育的重要组成部分,对医学人才的培养、医疗水平的提高起到了至关重要的作用。通过梳理我国高等医学体制改革,对比我国和欧美发达国家高等医学教育管理体制差异,提出改革我国高等医学院校与附属医院关系的政策建议,以求更好地保障和提高临床医学教育质量。