Auditing sex- and gender-based medicine (SGBM) content in medical school curriculum: a student scholar model

Background

Sex- and gender-based medicine (SGBM) aims to (1) delineate and investigate sex- and gender-based differences in health, disease, and response to treatment and (2) apply that knowledge to clinical care to improve the health of both women and men. However, the integration of SGBM into medical school curricula is often haphazard and poorly defined; schools often do not know the current status of SGBM content in their curricula, even if they are committed to addressing gaps and improving SGBM delivery. Therefore, complete auditing and accounting of SGBM content in the existing medical school curriculum is necessary to determine the baseline status and prepare for successful integration of SGBM content into that curriculum.

Methods

A review of course syllabi and lecture objectives as well as a targeted data analysis of the Curriculum Management and Information Tool (CurrMIT) were completed prior to a real-time curriculum audit. Subsequently, six “student scholars,” three first-year and three second-year medical students, were recruited and trained to audit the first 2 years of the medical school curriculum for SGBM content, thus completing an audit for both of the pre-clinical years simultaneously. A qualitative analysis and a post-audit comparative analysis were completed to assess the level of SGBM instruction at our institution.

Results

The review of syllabi and the CurrMIT data analysis did not generate a meaningful catalogue of SGBM content in the curriculum; most of the content identified specifically targeted women’s or men’s health topics and not sex- or gender-based differences. The real-time student audit of the existing curriculum at Texas Tech revealed that most of the SGBM material was focused on the physiological/anatomical sex differences or gender differences in disease prevalence, with minimal coverage of sex- or gender-based differences in diagnosis, prognosis, treatment, and outcomes.

Conclusions

The real-time student scholar audit was effective in identifying SGBM content in the existing medical school curriculum that was not possible with a retrospective review of course syllabi and lecture objectives or curriculum databases such as the CurrMIT. The audit results revealed the need for improved efforts to teach SGBM topics in our school’s pre-clinical curriculum.

     

Effects of residency training in family medicine v. internship training on professional attitudes and practice patterns.

OBJECTIVES: To determine whether the professional attitudes and practice patterns of physicians with residency training in family medicine differ from those of generalists with internship training. DESIGN: Mail survey conducted in 1985-86. SETTING: Province of Quebec. PARTICIPANTS: A stratified random sample of French-speaking family and general practitioners who graduated after 1972 (325 physicians with residency training and 304 with internship training) (response rate 82%). MAIN RESULTS: Physicians with residency training were 3 years younger on average than those with internship training, were more likely to be female (38% v. 18%, p less than 0.001) and were more likely to work on a salaried basis in CLSCs (public community health centres) (36% v. 14%, p less than 0.001). Even after these confounding factors were controlled for, physicians with residency training seemed to be more sensitive to the psychosocial aspects of patient care and tended to attach more importance to informing patients about useful materials and resources concerning their health problems. They were not, however, more likely to value health counselling or integrate it in medical practice. CONCLUSION: Our findings provide some evidence that the new requirement that physicians complete a residency in family medicine to obtain medical licensure in general practice in Quebec may foster a more patient-centred approach to health care.     

Improving outcomes for ill and injured children in emergency departments: protocol for a program in pediatric emergency medicine and knowledge translation science

Background

Implementation of evidence-based mental health assessment and intervention in community public health practice is a high priority for multiple stakeholders. Academic-community partnerships can assist in the implementation of efficacious treatments in community settings; yet, little is known about the processes by which these collaborations are developed. In this paper, we discuss our application of community-based participatory research (CBPR) approach to implementation, and we present six lessons we have learned from the establishment of an academic-community partnership.

Methods

With older adults with psychosis as a focus, we have developed a partnership between a university research center and a public mental health service system based on CBPR. The long-term goal of the partnership is to collaboratively establish an evidence-based implementation network that is sustainable within the public mental healthcare system.

Results

In building a sustainable partnership, we found that the following lessons were instrumental: changing attitudes; sharing staff; expecting obstacles and formalizing solutions; monitoring and evaluating; adapting and adjusting; and taking advantage of emerging opportunities. Some of these lessons were previously known principles that were modified as the result of the CBPR process, while some lessons derived directly from the interactive process of forming the partnership.

Conclusion

The process of forming of academic-public partnerships is challenging and time consuming, yet crucial for the development and implementation of state-of-the-art approaches to assessment and interventions to improve the functioning and quality of life for persons with serious mental illnesses. These partnerships provide necessary organizational support to facilitate the implementation of clinical research findings in community practice benefiting consumers, researchers, and providers.     

After the strike: using facilitation in a residency training program

Methods of alternative dispute resolution, including facilitation, can be used to identify and resolve areas of conflict. Facilitation was used by the University of Saskatchewan''s Department of Family Medicine (Saskatoon division) after the strike by residents in July and August 1995 so as to allow optimal use of the remaining educational time. Through facilitation, experiences of the strike and areas of potential conflict were explored. Participants had a broad range of responses to the strike. Specific coping strategies were developed to deal with identified concerns. Although outcomes were not measured formally, levels of trust improved and collegial relationships were restored. Because so many changes occur in health care and medical education, conflict inevitably arises. Facilitation offers one way of dealing with change constructively, thereby making possible the optimal use of educational time.     

Women in medicine: practice patterns and attitudes.

Increasing numbers of women are entering medicine in Canada. In 1959 women accounted for 6% of the medical school graduates, but by 1989 they accounted for 44%. Although there has been little systematic investigation of the impact of this increase on Canada''s health care system, there are grounds for believing that female physicians bring with them distinctive values and interests, which may be reflected in the way they conduct their professional practices. We used data from a recent national survey of 2398 Canadian physicians to examine differences between women and men in their practices and their attitudes toward health care issues. Significant differences were found in the organization and management of the practices. Women preferred group over solo practice and were overrepresented in community health centres, health service organizations and centres locaux de services communautaires in Quebec. One-third of the women, as compared with half of the men, were in specialties. Even after adjusting for differences in workloads the incomes of the women were significantly lower than those of the men. Only minor differences were observed in the assessment of the health care system and alternative modes of organizing health care services. We believe that the differences were due to the double workload of women as professionals and family caregivers and the powerful socialization effects of medical education. As women overcome their minority status in the medical profession, differences between the sexes may become more apparent. Thus, the extent and effects of the progressive increase in the number of women in Canadian medicine should be assessed on an ongoing basis.     

Teaching in accident and emergency medicine: 10 commandments of accident and emergency radiology.

One of the many attractions of accident and emergency medicine is the wide and varied opportunities it provides for education. This is because of the acute nature of the work, which necessitates prompt and accurate decision making. However, in many instances the decisions have to be made by inexperienced senior house officers. Departments therefore need a safe system of practice that can be remembered and adhered to under stress. The 10 commandments is one such system for analysing emergency radiographs of all the regions of the body. This system lays down guidelines to protect both staff and hospitals from the inevitable mistakes that inexperienced doctors will make.     

Pathology-important advances in clinical medicine: assessing fetal lung maturity

The Scientific Board of the California Medical Association presents the following inventory of items of progress in pathology. Each item, in the judgment of a panel of knowledgeable physicians, has recently become reasonably firmly established, both as to scientific fact and important clinical significance. The items are presented in simple epitome and an authoritative reference, both to the item itself and to the subject as a whole, is generally given for those who may be unfamiliar with a particular item. The purpose is to assist busy practitioners, students, research workers or scholars to stay abreast of these items of progress in pathology that have recently achieved a substantial degree of authoritative acceptance, whether in their own field of special interest or another.The items of progress listed below were selected by the Advisory Panel to the Section on Pathology of the California Medical Association and the summaries were prepared under its direction.     

An interactive data base system for assessing and managing outpatient experiences in residency training

A computerized system is described for assessing and managing a residency program's outpatient experience for its residents. The utilization of MUMPS hierarchical files allows rapid interactive searches, making this system an effective tool for its intended uses. The rationale behind the design of the data files and searches and the usefulness of the data in residency training are discussed.