scholarly journals Medical School Education on Myalgic Encephalomyelitis

Medicina ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 57 (6) ◽  
pp. 542
Author(s):  
Nina Muirhead ◽  
John Muirhead ◽  
Grace Lavery ◽  
Ben Marsh

Background and objectives: Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS) is a complex multi-system disease with a significant impact on the quality of life of patients and their families, yet the majority of ME/CFS patients go unrecognised or undiagnosed. For two decades, the medical education establishment in the UK has been challenged to remedy these failings, but little has changed. Meanwhile, there has been an exponential increase in biomedical research and an international paradigm shift in the literature, which defines ME/CFS as a multisystem disease, replacing the psychogenic narrative. This study was designed to explore the current UK medical school education on ME/CFS and to identify challenges and opportunities relating to future ME/CFS medical education. Materials and methods: A questionnaire, developed under the guidance of the Medical Schools Council, was sent to all 34 UK medical schools to collect data for the academic year 2018–2019. Results: Responses were provided by 22 out of a total of 34 medical schools (65%); of these 13/22 (59%) taught ME/CFS, and teaching was led by lecturers from ten medical specialties. Teaching delivery was usually by lecture; discussion, case studies and e-learning were also used. Questions on ME/CFS were included by seven schools in their examinations and three schools reported likely clinical exposure to ME/CFS patients. Two-thirds of respondents were interested in receiving further teaching aids in ME/CFS. None of the schools shared details of their teaching syllabus, so it was not possible to ascertain what the students were being taught. Conclusions: This exploratory study reveals inadequacies in medical school teaching on ME/CFS. Many medical schools (64% of respondents) acknowledge the need to update ME/CFS education by expressing an appetite for further educational materials. The General Medical Council (GMC) and Medical Schools Council (MSC) are called upon to use their considerable influence to bring about the appropriate changes to medical school curricula so future doctors can recognise, diagnose and treat ME/CFS. The GMC is urged to consider creating a registered specialty encompassing ME/CFS, post-viral fatigue and long Covid.

2018 ◽  
Vol 26 (6) ◽  
pp. 659-661 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jeffrey CL Looi ◽  
Katrina J Anderson

Objectives: We explore the relative roles of student evaluation of teaching (SET) and teachers’ assessment of student performance (ASP) in medical school education in psychiatry. Conclusions: We conclude that SET and ASP need to be better researched as outcome measures, and input from both processes needs to be balanced in evaluating psychiatric medical education.


2021 ◽  
pp. 155982762110081
Author(s):  
Jennifer L. Trilk ◽  
Shannon Worthman ◽  
Paulina Shetty ◽  
Karen R. Studer ◽  
April Wilson ◽  
...  

Lifestyle medicine (LM) is an emerging specialty that is gaining momentum and support from around the world. The American Medical Association passed a resolution to support incorporating LM curricula in medical schools in 2017. Since then, the American College of Lifestyle Medicine Undergraduate Medical Education Task Force has created a framework for incorporating LM into medical school curricula. This article provides competencies for medical school LM curriculum implementation and illustrates how they relate to the Association of American Medical College’s Core Entrustable Professional Activities and the LM Certification Competencies from the American Board of Lifestyle Medicine. Finally, standards are presented for how medical schools may receive certification for integrating LM into their curriculum and how medical students can work toward becoming board certified in LM through an educational pathway.


2015 ◽  
Vol 2 ◽  
pp. JMECD.S17496 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jonathan J. Wisco ◽  
Stephanie Young ◽  
Paul Rabedeaux ◽  
Seth D. Lerner ◽  
Paul F. Wimmers ◽  
...  

A series of three annual surveys of David Geffen School of Medicine (DGSOM) at UCLA students and UCR/UCLA Thomas Haider Program in Biomedical Sciences students were administered from 2010 to 2012 to ascertain student perceptions of which anatomy pedagogy—prosection or dissection—was most valuable to them during the first year of preclinical medical education and for the entire medical school experience in general. Students were asked, “What value does gross anatomy education have in preclinical medical education?” We further asked the students who participated in both prosection and dissection pedagogies, “Would you have preferred an anatomy curriculum like the Summer Anatomy Dissection during your first year in medical school instead of prosection?” All students who responded to the survey viewed anatomy as a highly valued part of the medical curriculum, specifically referring to four major themes: Anatomy is (1) the basis for medical understanding, (2) part of the overall medical school experience, (3) a bridge to understanding pathology and physiology, and (4) the foundation for clinical skills. Students who participated in both prosection and dissection pedagogies surprisingly and overwhelmingly advocated for a prosection curriculum for the first year of medical school, not a dissection curriculum. Time efficiency was the dominant theme in survey responses from students who learned anatomy through prosection and then dissection. Students, regardless of whether interested in surgery/radiology or not, appreciated both pedagogies but commented that prosection was sufficient for learning basic anatomy, while dissection was a necessary experience in preparation for the anatomical medical specialties. This suggests that anatomy instruction should be integrated into the clinical years of medical education.


2020 ◽  
Vol 25 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. S29-S33
Author(s):  
Laurent Elkrief ◽  
Julien Belliveau ◽  
Tara D’Ignazio ◽  
Philippe Simard ◽  
Didier Jutras-Aswad

Abstract The legalization of recreational cannabis across Canada has revealed the importance of medical education on cannabis-related topics. A recent study has indicated that Canadian physicians report a significant gap in current versus desired knowledge regarding the therapeutic use of cannabis. However, the state of education on cannabis has never been studied in Canadian medical schools. This article presents the preliminary findings of a survey conducted to understand the perceptions of Quebec’s medical students regarding cannabis-related teachings in their current curriculum. Overall, students reported very low to low levels of exposure to, knowledge of, and comfort levels with cannabis-related subjects. The majority of students reported that they felt that their medical curricula did not prepare them to face cannabis-related issues in their future practices. Strategies need to be developed for improving medical school curriculum regarding cannabis-related issues. These findings provide potential key strategies to improve curricula.


Author(s):  
Michael J. Field

The Australian Medical Council (AMC) is an independent company for quality assurance and quality improvement in medical education in Australia and New Zealand. Accreditation procedures for the 20 medical schools in these two countries are somewhat different for three different circumstances or stages of school development: existing medical schools, established courses undergoing major changes, and new schools. This paper will outline some issues involved in major changes to existing courses, and new medical school programs. Major changes have included change from a 6 year undergraduate course to a 5 year undergraduate course or 4 year graduate-entry course, introduction of a lateral graduate-entry stream, new domestic site of course delivery, offshore course delivery, joint program between two universities, and major change to curriculum. In the case of a major change assessment, accreditation of the new or revised course may be granted for a period up to two years after the full course has been implemented. In the assessment of proposals for introduction of new medical courses, six issues needing careful consideration have arisen: forward planning, academic staffing, adequate clinical experience, acceptable research program, adequacy of resources, postgraduate training program and employment.


Author(s):  
William G. Rothstein

After shortages of physicians developed in the 1950s and 1960s, federal and state governments undertook programs to increase the number of medical students. Government funding led to the creation of many new medical schools and to substantial enrollment increases in existing schools. Medical schools admitted larger numbers of women, minority, and low-income students. The impact of medical schools on the career choices of students has been limited. Federal funding for medical research immediately after World War II was designed to avoid politically controversial issues like federal aid for medical education and health care. The 1947 Steelman report on medical research noted that it did not examine “equally important” problems, such as financial assistance for medical education, equal access to health care, continuing medical education for physicians, or “the mass application of science to the prevention of many communicable diseases.” The same restraints prevailed with regard to early federal aid for the construction of medical school research facilities. Some medical school research facilities were built with the help of federal funds during and after World War II, but the first federal legislation specifically designed to fund construction of medical school research facilities was the Health Research Facilities Act of 1956. It provided matching grants equal to 50 percent of the cost of research facilities and equipment, and benefited practically all medical schools. In 1960, medical schools received $13.8 million to construct research facilities. This may be compared to $106.4 million for research grants and $41.5 million for research training grants in the same year. Federal grants for research and research training were often used for other activities. As early as 1951, the Surgeon General's Committee on Medical School Grants and Finances reported that “Public Health Service grants have undoubtedly improved some aspects of undergraduate instruction in every medical school,” with most of the improvements resulting from training rather than research grants. By the early 1970s, according to Freymann, of $1.3 billion given to medical schools for research, “about $800 million was 'redeployed' into institutional and departmental support. . . . The distinction between research and education became as fluid as the imagination of the individual grantees wished it to be.”


2017 ◽  
Vol 53 (04) ◽  
pp. 179-193
Author(s):  
Shridhar Sharma ◽  
Gautam Sharma

ABSTRACTIndia, a country with rich cultural and health care heritage has progressed by leaps and bounds since independence. The health indices have improved and mortality and morbidity have come down significantly. The health care system of India is a mix of public and private sector. In 2017, there are 479 medical colleges in India with admission capacity of over 60,000 at the undergraduate level. The pattern of modern medical education is modeled after the British system and the first few medical schools were established in 19th century. Medical Council of India (MCI), the government-mandated regulatory agency for medical education, was formed in 1934. The Government of India is regularly reviewing the existing medical education policy to give it a new direction so as to make the curriculum relevant and responsive to the national needs. The MCI has also recognized the need to reduce the artificial compartmentalization of the curriculum into preclinical, para-clinical and clinical disciplines. Horizontal and vertical integration is being promoted but not practiced in most medical colleges. Instruction remains teacher-based and not much emphasis has been laid on self-directed learning. There is a paucity of innovative approaches and lack of adapting the recent technology into most medical schools in India. Skills such as related to communication and managerial domains, and professionalism are not imparted in the current curriculum. While the level of knowledge in the medical sciences is highly unsatisfactory, medical graduates are often found to be lacking in the clinical skills. So far, attempts to introduce innovations in medical education have been limited to certain institutions. Also, there is lack of adequate motivation and opportunities for faculty development. It is strongly felt that there is a need to redefine the goals of medical education in India depending upon the needs of the society. MCI has recently attempted designing a need-based curriculum. At present, medical education in India is at a significant juncture with initiatives coming from both external and internal influences, and the political will to attain the goal of health for all, India hopes to be in a better position to prepare physicians for the 21st century.


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