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Biomedical subjects

Boyd F Richards

Publications and source records attributed to Boyd F Richards.

6 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2005

The emergence of academies of educational excellence: a survey of U.S. medical schools.

PURPOSE: To identify existing organizations that recognize faculty members' excellence as educators (Academies) in the United States, and describe the organizations' characteristics. METHOD: A 31-item questionnaire inquiring about Academies or equivalent programs was sent to deans of medical education at all 125 U.S. medical schools in February of 2003. Variables examined were general Academy characteristics such as membership selection criteria, goals, benefits of membership, and budget, as well as, estimates of prestige of membership and influence on recruiting new and current faculty to educational activities. RESULTS: Twenty of 97 (21%) respondents reported an implemented Academy or equivalent program (eight begun prior to 2000 and 11 subsequently). Most Academies (75%) did not "cap" membership size, and most (65%) offered lifetime membership. Budgets ranged from 0 dollars to more than 100,000 dollars per year. Full-time faculty status (100%) and involvement in direct undergraduate teaching (95%) affected eligibility the most. Nominations for membership most often came from department or section chairs (89%) and from peers (74%), and learners were involved in the final selection process at 18 of the Academies. Benefits of membership included networking/collaboration, school-wide recognition, and mentoring for educational skills development. The benefit of protected time was offered at only three institutions and was associated with having a larger budget. Respondents believe Academies positively influence faculty participation in educational activities. CONCLUSIONS: Academies are formal organizations recognizing faculty contributions to medical education, and they are increasing in number. They offer important benefits to faculty members and the educational mission of an academic medical center.

Academic Medical Centers↗
PubMed2005

A comparison of in-class learner engagement across lecture, problem-based learning, and team learning using the STROBE classroom observation tool.

BACKGROUND: Having recently introduced team learning into the preclinical medical curriculum, evidence of the relative impact of this instructional method on in-class learner engagement was sought. PURPOSE: To compare patterns of engagement behaviors among learners in class sessions across 3 distinct instructional methods: lecture, problem-based learning (PBL), and team learning. METHODS: Trained observers used the STROBE classroom observation tool to measure learner engagement in 7 lecture, 4 PBL, and 3 team learning classrooms over a 12-month period. Proportions of different types of engagement behaviors were compared using chi-square. RESULTS: In PBL and team learning, the amount of learner-to-learner engagement was similar and much greater than in lecture, where most engagement was of the learner-to-instructor and self-engagement types. Also, learner-to-instructor engagement appeared greater in team learning than in PBL. CONCLUSIONS: Observed engagement behaviors confirm the potential of team learning to foster engagement similar to PBL, but with greater faculty input.

Behavior↗
PubMed2004

Advantages of focused helical computed tomographic scanning with rectal contrast only vs triple contrast in the diagnosis of clinically uncertain acute appendicitis: a prospective randomized study.

HYPOTHESIS: Focused helical computed tomographic (CT) scanning with rectal contrast only is a superior diagnostic modality compared with the traditional triple-contrast CT scan for the diagnosis of acute appendicitis. DESIGN: Prospective randomized analysis of both CT scan modalities. INTERVENTIONS: Only patients with uncertain diagnosis of acute appendicitis were entered in the study. The patients were then randomized to undergo the traditional triple-contrast CT scan or the new focused CT scan with rectal contrast only. Surgical management included operation or observation for 23 hours. RESULTS: Ninety-one patients participated in the study, including 52 in the triple-contrast group and 39 in the rectal-contrast group. The demographics of the triple-contrast vs the rectal-contrast groups were similar. The triple-contrast group had a sensitivity of 97%, specificity of 86%, positive predictive value of 90%, and negative predictive value of 93%. The rectal-contrast group had a sensitivity of 88%, specificity of 100%, positive predictive value of 100%, and negative predictive value of 100%. There were 4 false-positive findings and 1 false-negative finding in the triple-contrast group compared with none in the rectal-contrast group. In the triple-contrast group, there were 13 perforated appendixes compared with 1 in the rectal-contrast group. The cost of a triple-contrast scan was 620 US dollars compared with 305 US dollars for a focused rectal-contrast scan. The negative appendectomy rate for the study was 8.0% (4 of 48 patients in the triple-contrast group vs 3 of 39 in the rectal-contrast group). CONCLUSIONS: The demographics, sensitivity, specificity, and positive and negative predictive values were comparable in both groups. The focused rectal-contrast procedure was better tolerated by patients and demonstrated decreased morbidity, delay to diagnosis, perforation rate, and negative appendectomy rate with no missed diagnosis and decreased cost. Therefore, we believe that focused helical CT scanning with rectal contrast only is a superior diagnostic modality compared with the traditional triple-contrast CT scan for the diagnosis of acute appendicitis.

Adult↗
PubMed2004

A controlled trial of active versus passive learning strategies in a large group setting.

OBJECTIVE: To compare the effects of active and didactic teaching strategies on learning- and process-oriented outcomes. DESIGN: Controlled trial. SETTING: After-hours residents' teaching session. PARTICIPANTS: Family and Community Medicine, Internal Medicine, and Pediatrics residents at two academic medical institutions. INTERVENTIONS: We randomly assigned residents to two groups. One group received a didactic lecture on effective use of diagnostic tests; during this session, the teacher spent a full hour delivering content. The other group received the same content in a session structured to foster resident-to-resident interactions. In the latter session, the teacher spent only 30 minutes directly delivering content to residents. MEASURES AND MAIN RESULTS: We measured residents' knowledge about and attitudes toward the session content before, immediately after, and one month after each session. We measured residents' perceptions of engagement and session value immediately after each session. We employed blinded observers who used a structured instrument to observe residents' activities during each session. Both teaching methods led to improvements in residents' scores on both knowledge and attitude assessments. The amount of improvement was not statistically different between groups. Residents in the active learning session perceived themselves, and were observed to be, more engaged with the session content and each other than residents in the didactic session. Residents in the didactic session perceived greater educational value from the session compared to residents in the active session. CONCLUSIONS: We reduced the amount of time spent in teacher-driven content delivery by 50 percent and covered the same amount of content with no detrimental effects on knowledge acquisition or attitude enhancement. Teaching strategies that foster learner-to-learner interactions will lead to more active engagement among learners, however, these learners may value the session less. Further research is needed to explore learner perceptions of the teaching process and other outcomes of active learning in medical education.

Adult↗
PubMed2003

Team learning in medical education: initial experiences at ten institutions.

PURPOSE: In the midst of curricular reforms that frequently call for reducing lectures and increasing small-group teaching, there is a crisis in faculty time for teaching. This paper describes the initial experiences of ten institutions with team learning (TL), a teaching method which fosters small-group learning in a large-class setting. METHOD: After initial pilot studies at one institution, nine additional institutions implemented TL in one or more courses. RESULTS: Within 18 months, TL has been used in 40 courses (from.5% to 100% of the time) and all ten institutions will increase its use next year. CONCLUSIONS: We surmise that this relatively rapid spread of TL into the medical curriculum is due to the sound pedagogy and efficiency of TL as well as the modest financial resources and support we have provided to partner institutions.

Curriculum↗