scholarly journals The Status of Interventional Radiology as a Specialty among Medical Students in India—Knowledge, Interest, and Exposure

Author(s):  
Bibin Sebastian ◽  
Shyamkumar N. Keshava ◽  
Raghuram Lakshminarayan

Abstract Purpose Interventional radiology (IR) is a young medical specialty where image guidance is utilized in minimally invasive procedures as a treatment option and/or as a diagnostic tool. There is an exponential increase in awareness and interest in IR amongst medical students. This trend is continuing despite lack of proportionate representation of IR in the current medical curriculum. This study aims to understand the exposure to IR as a specialty amongst medical students in India. Materials and Methods Anonymous, voluntary, online questionnaire was sent to medical students from different parts of the country. The survey comprised 15 questions regarding exposure and awareness on IR. Results The responses were obtained from 1,024 medical students from 98 medical colleges across the country, majority (57.0%) in the clinical years of their training. Thirty-six percent of them were interested in an IR career. Lack of awareness was the most (61.6%) cited reason for not choosing an IR career. Majority (57.9%) would consider IR as a clinical management option and believe that IR holds an important place in medical practice (68.4%). Conclusion There is an evident under-representation of IR in the medical curriculum. However, an increasing awareness and interest among medical students toward IR as a specialty is demonstrated. Incorporation of IR into current medical curriculum in a systematic way is the need of the hour. This would ultimately benefit a wide cohort of patients across multiple specialties.

2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Pierre Auloge ◽  
Julien Garnon ◽  
Joey Marie Robinson ◽  
Sarah Dbouk ◽  
Jean Sibilia ◽  
...  

Abstract Objectives To assess awareness and knowledge of Interventional Radiology (IR) in a large population of medical students in 2019. Methods An anonymous survey was distributed electronically to 9546 medical students from first to sixth year at three European medical schools. The survey contained 14 questions, including two general questions on diagnostic radiology (DR) and artificial intelligence (AI), and 11 on IR. Responses were analyzed for all students and compared between preclinical (PCs) (first to third year) and clinical phase (Cs) (fourth to sixth year) of medical school. Of 9546 students, 1459 students (15.3%) answered the survey. Results On DR questions, 34.8% answered that AI is a threat for radiologists (PCs: 246/725 (33.9%); Cs: 248/734 (36%)) and 91.1% thought that radiology has a future (PCs: 668/725 (92.1%); Cs: 657/734 (89.5%)). On IR questions, 80.8% (1179/1459) students had already heard of IR; 75.7% (1104/1459) stated that their knowledge of IR wasn’t as good as the other specialties and 80% would like more lectures on IR. Finally, 24.2% (353/1459) indicated an interest in a career in IR with a majority of women in preclinical phase, but this trend reverses in clinical phase. Conclusions Development of new technology supporting advances in artificial intelligence will likely continue to change the landscape of radiology; however, medical students remain confident in the need for specialty-trained human physicians in the future of radiology as a clinical practice. A large majority of medical students would like more information about IR in their medical curriculum; almost a quarter of students would be interested in a career in IR.


2019 ◽  
Vol 101 (2) ◽  
pp. 76-76
Author(s):  
Mr Slop

Our resident scribe speculates whether the current medical curriculum offers students the necessary learning opportunities.


Author(s):  
Salha Al Bahkali ◽  
Ali Al Harbi ◽  
Fatimah Kamili ◽  
Ibrahim Al Rashidi

Abstract Context Lack of awareness among the students in the medical field is the greatest challenge to overcome in the emergence of contemporary interventional radiology (IR). Objectives We aimed to conduct a survey among medical students of Jazan University to explore their knowledge about IR, interest in IR as a future career, and preferred methods of training in IR. Materials and Methods This was a cross-sectional, self-directed questionnaire study. The target population was all medical students at Jazan University. Surveys were sent to 600 students. The questionnaire consisted of 11 closed and open-ended questions. Statistical Analysis We calculated the size of the sample using the Raosoft Sample Size Calculator Web site. Data analysis was performed using SPSS statistics. Results A total of 270 students responded (45%); more than half of the respondents (58.5%) were in the preclinical stage, while the rest were in the clinical stage. About 62.5% of clinical students and 66.4% preclinical students reported that their perception regarding the terminology of IR was good or excellent. Regarding the identification of interventional radiologists, 50.9% from the clinical students thought them to be radiologists and 50% from preclinical students also identified them as such.About 29.5% from the clinical students and 27.8% from the preclinical students thought them special surgeons, and 31.3% clinical students compared with 30.4% preclinical students believed they are vascular surgeons working with X-rays. About 19.6% clinical students compared with 17.7% preclinical students said they are general surgeons working with X-rays, and 48.2% clinical students compared with 45.6% preclinical students said they are special radiologists who work with percutaneous techniques. There was a significant difference (p = 0.041) in the responses between preclinical and clinical students regarding knowledge about what this medical specialty does. About 60.8% of clinical students reported that their knowledge and information regarding IR are efficient in comparison to 39.2% of preclinical students. Conclusion This study demonstrated that the basic knowledge among Jazan medical students is poor. About half of the respondents were clinical students who understood the radiology specialty, compared with one-third of preclinical students. This could impact the student’s decision toward IR as a future career.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peri Fenwick ◽  
Alyson Colborne ◽  
Olga Theou ◽  
Leah Cahill

Abstract Background: Physicians are relied upon as knowledgeable sources of nutrition information; however, many report low nutrition knowledge.Objective: The present study assessed first and second-year medical students’ perceptions of nutrition education within the medical curriculum, in terms of their attitudes, learned body of knowledge, and satisfaction.Methods: An online questionnaire was administered to Dalhousie University medical students completing their first or second years (N=125). Mann-Whitney U tests compared the responses of first-year to second-year students and those with and without previous nutrition education.Results: 97.6% of respondents agreed that nutritional counselling can positively influence patient outcomes, with 91.2% agreeing that physicians play a key role in nutritional counselling. Compared to second-year students, first-year students had greater self-perceived knowledge of basic nutrition concepts (p<0.001) and nutrition in the treatment of disease (p=0.005), as did students with previous nutrition education compared to those without (p=0.019 and 0.018 respectively). Satisfaction was <30% agreement, with first-year students more satisfied with their nutrition education than second-year students (p<0.05).Conclusions: First and second-year medical students regard nutrition as an important component of medical practice that can positively impact patient outcomes. However, low satisfaction with their nutrition education suggests that additional nutrition curriculum would better prepare them for future practice.


Author(s):  
Deodatt M. Suryawanshi ◽  
Raghuram Venugopal

Background: Following the imposition of the nationwide lockdown on 24th March 2020, many medical institutions adopted E-learning as a method to ensure continuity in medical education. Understanding perceptions and preferences of medical students and addressing their barriers are essential for a seamless learning experience.Methods: Data was collected using a semi-structured online questionnaire after obtaining informed consent. A total of 296 students of the second year MBBS and pre-final year were recruited using non probability sampling. Data pertaining to 286 students who returned the questionnaire was entered in Microsoft excel and analysed using SPSS version 21.Results: Majority of the participants 179 (62.5%) were female. Only 18 (6.2%) had advanced computer and internet usage skills. 138 (48.2%) students showed preference for blended mode of teaching. 203 (71.0%) of students showed preferences for non-interactive learning methods like slide share and YouTube videos. 180 (62.9%) cited that lack of personal interaction with the teacher followed by access to internet 67 (23.4%) and lack of hardware 53 (18.5%) as barriers in the e-learning. Significant differences were observed between female and male students in the teaching methods with regards to ease of understanding (p=0.009) and use of non-interactive platforms for e leaning (p=0.03).Conclusions: The study identified blended learning as an acceptable method of learning medical curriculum. Schedule flexibility, ease of understanding and absence of monotony of classroom teaching made e-learning more acceptable. lack of teacher-student interaction, lack of accesses to high speed internet and hardware were barriers perceived to e-learning among medical students. 


2019 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 66-69
Author(s):  
Santosh Shah ◽  
Anand Kumar ◽  
Kailash Chandra

This is a perspective article about the status of undergraduate medical internship training in Nepal based on the learned experience and reflections on current practices on medical education in Nepal. The medical education in Nepal is facing myriad challenges. In order to keep up with the current demands and advances in medical education, adaptation and changes in current curriculum and its modalities are crucial. Current medical curriculum, specifically needs to focus on promoting communication skills, community based learning and medical ethics which may help to garner skills and motivate students for innovations and research in the field.


2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Emma Poynton-Smith ◽  
Erica Colwill ◽  
Opinder Sahota

Abstract BackgroundMedical students are expected to know how to function on hospital wards and to be at ease within the ward environment. Such ward-based knowledge indicates that a student is ‘ward smart’: levels of ward smarts vary between students (e.g. based on prior work experience and opportunities offered by placements). However, formal teaching in this area seems to be somewhat neglected, with students being left to ‘pick up’ this knowledge as they go along, which can have an impact on their clinical education. MethodsData were collected via an online questionnaire comprising both closed and open questions designed to assess students’ ward smarts, focusing on knowledge of the ward environment (routines, equipment, and terminology used), relevant clinical knowledge, and communication/roles of other members of the multi-disciplinary team. Multiple regression was used to identify factors influencing students’ scores (i.e. demographics, work experience). Thematic analysis was used to explore medical students’ opinions on how their ward understanding could be improved.ResultsIn our sample of 53 medical students, 96% did not know how to turn on a hearing aid and only 31% knew what a Waterlow score was. Furthermore, 88% did not know how to read an oxygen flowmeter, and only 57% knew where the CPR lever on the bed was situated.Multiple regression showed that ward smarts can be predicted by previous hospital-based work and year group, both of which may represent time spent on wards. Thematic analysis suggested that students felt their understanding of wards would benefit from more ward time and shadowing allied healthcare professionals on the wards.ConclusionsThis suggests that students may not be prepared to work in a ward environment. We propose, based on training implemented in other medical schools, that a specific ward-based interprofessional learning placement or experience should be added to the medical curriculum. As an initial step, specific teaching and/or practical sessions for students centred around patient communication and understanding the ward environment would be beneficial.


2021 ◽  
pp. 025764302110017
Author(s):  
Shaik Mahaboob Basha

The question of widow remarriage, which occupied an important place in the social reform movement, was hotly debated in colonial Andhra. Women joined the debate in the early twentieth century. There was a conservative section of women, which bitterly opposed the widow remarriage movement and attacked the social reformers, both women and men. Pulugruta Lakshmi Narasamamba led this group of women. Lakshmi Narasamamba treated widow remarriage (punarvivaham) with contempt and termed it as an affront to the fidelity (pativratyam) of Hindu women. According to her, widow remarriage was equal to ‘prostitution’, and the widows who married again could not be granted the status of kulanganas (respectable or chaste women). Lakshmi Narasamamba’s stand on the question of widow remarriage led to the emergence of a fiery and protracted controversy among women which eventually led to the division of the most famous women’s organization, the Shri Vidyarthini Samajamu. She opposed not only widow remarriage but also post-puberty marriage and campaigned in favour of child marriage. This article describes the whole debate on the widow remarriage question that took place among women. It is based on the primary sources, especially the woefully neglected women’s journals in the Telugu language.


2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (Suppl 3) ◽  
pp. A422-A422
Author(s):  
Ravi Murthy ◽  
Rahul Sheth ◽  
Alda Tam ◽  
Sanjay Gupta ◽  
Vivek Subbiah ◽  
...  

BackgroundImage guided intra-tumor administration of investigational immunotherapeutic agents represents an expanding field of interest. We present a retrospective review of the safety, feasibility & technical nuances of real-time image guidance for injection & biopsy across a spectrum of extracranial solid malignancies utilizing the discipline of Interventional Radiology.MethodsPatients who were enrolled in image guided intratumoral immunotherapy injection (ITITI) clinical trials over a 6 year period (2013–19) at a single tertiary care cancer center were included in this analysis. Malignancy, location, imaging guidance utilized for ITITI & biopsy for injected (adscopal) & non-injected (abscopal) lesions were determined and categorized. Peri-procedural adverse events were noted.Results262 pts (146 female, 61 yrs median) participating in 29 immunotherapeutic clinical trials (TLR & STING agonists, gene therapy, anti CD-40, viral/bacterial/metabolic oncolytics) met study criteria. Malignancies included melanoma 88, sarcoma 32, colorectal 29, breast 23, lung 17, head & neck 15, ovarian 8, neuroendocrine 7, pancreatic adenocarcinoma 6, 3 each (cholangioCA, endometrial, bladder, GI tract), 2 each (RCC, thymicCA, lymphoma, merkel cell, prostate) & others 1 each (CUP, GIST, dermatofibrosarcoma, DSRT, neuroblastoma, thyroid). All 169 & 93 patients received the intended 1371 ITITI in parietal (abdominal/chest wall, extremity, neck, pelvis) or visceral (liver, lung, peritoneum, adrenal) locations respectively; 83 patients received lymph node injections within either location. Imaging guidance was US in 68% of the cohort (US 161, CT+US 19); CT was used in 30% (81) & MRI in 1 patient. Median diameter of the ITITI lesion was 32 mm (8–230 mm). Median volume of the ITITI therapeutic material/session was 2 ml (1–6.9 ml). Lesions were accessed using a coaxial technique. ITITI delivery needles used at operator preference & tailored to lesion characteristics were either a 21G/22G Chiba, 21G Profusion (Cook Medical), 22G Morrison (AprioMed), 25G hypodermic (BD) & 18G Quadrafuse (Rex Medical). 2840 core biopsies (>18G Tru-cut core, Mission, Bard Medical) were performed in 237 patients during 690 procedures; biopsy sessions were often concurrent & of the ITITI site. 137 patients also underwent biopsy of a non-ITITI site (89 parietal location). Dimensions of the non-ITITI lesion were median 10 mm (7–113 mm); US image guidance was used in 97 patients (72%) to obtain a total of 1257, >18G Tru-core samples. 1.3% of injections resulted in SAE (NCI CTC AE >3) and 0.5% of 4097 biopsies developed major complications (SIR Criteria); both categories were manageable.ConclusionsUtilizing real time image guidance, ITITI to the administration of a myriad of investigational immunotherapeutic agents with concomitant biopsy procedures to date are associated with a high technical success rate & favorable safety profile.AcknowledgementsJoshua Hein, Mara Castaneda, Jyotsna Pera, Yunfang Jiang,Shuang Liu, Holly Liu and Anna LuiTrial RegistrationN/AEthics ApprovalThe study was approved by Institution’s Ethics Board, approval number 2020-0536: A retrospective study to determine the safety, feasibility and technical challenges of real-time image guidance for intra-tumor injection and biopsy across multiple solid tumors.Consent2020-0536 Waiver of Informed ConsentReferenceSheth RA, Murthy R, Hong DS, et al. Assessment of image-guided intratumoral delivery of immunotherapeutics in patients with cancer. JAMA Netw Open 2020;3(7):e207911. doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2020.7911


Author(s):  
Fatmah Alsharif ◽  
Wedad Almutairi ◽  
Faygah Shibily ◽  
Fatmah Alhothari ◽  
Fidaa Batwa ◽  
...  

Background: Lymphedema is a condition in which excessive fluid accumulates in soft tissues. It is a common complication of breast cancer treatments. It can lead to serious consequences and interfere with the activity of daily living. This study aimed to determine the level of awareness of breast-cancer-related lymphedema (BCRL) among women with breast cancer in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. This was a descriptive quantitative cross-sectional design that included a convenience sample of women diagnosed with breast cancer in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Data were collected by distributing a self-administrated online questionnaire consisting of four parts, including demographic data (five items), the status of education about BCRL (three items), basic medical history of breast cancer (six items), and BCRL level of awareness of risk factors and management (nine items). Results: In total, 95 out of 135 of participants did not know about lymphedema, 119 of the participants (88.1%) did not receive any explanation about the possibility of lymphedema from their medical team before surgery, and 121 of them (89.6%) did not receive it after surgery. The most significant factor affecting participants’ level of awareness regarding BCRL was the lack of information about the possibility of BCRL occurrence, which was not provided to them by the medical team. Recommendation: Early and continuous education for future management is essential to prevent problems related to BCRL and improve quality of life.


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