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Biomedical subjects

C S Hodgson

Publications and source records attributed to C S Hodgson.

14 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2001

Maternity leave: existing policies in obstetrics and gynecology residency programs.

OBJECTIVE: To survey program directors in obstetrics and gynecology regarding maternity leave and to determine how programs are dealing with maternity leave coverage. METHODS: Questionnaires regarding impact and policy on maternity leave were mailed to accredited obstetrics and gynecology residency programs. RESULTS: A total of 188 of 274 (69%) questionnaires were returned completed. Respectively, 80% and 69% of respondents indicated that they have a formal maternity (maximum mean 8.7 weeks) and paternity (mean 5.27 days) leave policy. Approximately 75% of programs require residents to make up time if their leave exceeds 8 weeks during the first 3 years. Eighty-five percent of programs require residents to make up time if their leave exceeds 6 weeks during the fourth year. Ninety-three percent of programs require residents to make up time if their leave exceeds 20 weeks over the 4 years. Seventy-seven percent of respondents have other residents in their program cover for the absent resident. Thirty-seven percent of programs have schedules flexible enough to allow rearrangement so that some rotations go uncovered. Eighty-three percent of programs surveyed stated that maternity leave has a somewhat to very significant impact on the residents' schedules. CONCLUSION: Most residency programs have written maternity/paternity leave policies. A more flexible curriculum may help to accommodate the residents on leave without overburdening the residents who are left to cover.

Canada↗
PubMed2000

Changes in nutrition knowledge among first- and second-year medical students following implementation of an integrated nutrition curriculum.

Existing studies suggest that many of the objectives called for by the National Academy of Sciences in its 1985 report are not being addressed in medical student education. Members of the Nutrition Curriculum Working Group at the UCLA School of Medicine prepared a list of proficiencies in nutrition and developed a coordinated, vertically integrated, two-year nutrition education curriculum to address those objectives. To assess the impact of the curriculum on students' knowledge, the authors tested a cohort of students at repeated intervals over a two-year period using a Nutrition Progress Survey drawn from the Nutrition Test-Item Bank developed at the University of Alabama. There was a significant increase in knowledge over the three administrations of the Progress Survey as measured by total score. This was largely accounted for by an increase in the number of correct responses, which rose from 39% at pre-test to 62% at delayed follow-up. In spite of a significant increase in nutrition knowledge, the low percentage correct indicates that nutritional content should be threaded throughout the core clerkship curriculum as well.

Curriculum↗
PubMed1997

Evaluating GPAs and MCAT scores as predictors of NBME I and clerkship performances based on students' data from one undergraduate institution.

PURPOSE: To examine the relationships among undergraduate student characteristics, standardized indicators of medical school academic performance, and clinical performances in an institution where the undergraduate grading system was not a confounding factor. METHOD: In 1993 data were collected retrospectively for the classes of 1990-1993 in the University of California, Riverside (UCR)/University of California, Los Angeles, Biomedical Sciences Program, in which all the students completed their undergraduate studies at UCR. Data were collected on the students' demographic characteristics, undergraduate grade-point averages (UGPAs), Medical College Admission Test (MCAT) scores, National Board of Medical Examiners Part I (NBME I) scores, and clinical performances as measured by core clerkship grades. Regression analyses were used to evaluate (1) the relationship between clinical performances and data available at admission and (2) the relationship between NBME I scores and the same variables. The top and bottom 25% of each class were identified by UGPAs and compared by their NBME I scores and clinical performances to determine whether differences noted at admission continued to separate the students. Differences were tested using independent two-tailed t-tests. RESULTS: Of the 92 students, data were available for 88 (96%); 39% were female and 38% were foreign-born. The sample was fairly heterogeneous in terms of UGPAs, MCAT scores, clinical performance grades, and NBME I scores. Results of the first regression analysis indicated that mean clinical performance was not related to any of the undergraduate predictors of performance or to the students' demographics. The second regression analysis indicated that MCAT scores and cumulative science UGPAs were related to performance on the NBME I, as were country of origin and sex. The students in the top and bottom 25% differed significantly in their scores on the NBME I, but not in their clinical performances. CONCLUSION: Although UGPAs and MCAT scores are good indicators of NBME I performance, they are still not useful in predicting clinical performance, even when the students' data are taken from the same undergraduate institution.

California↗
PubMed1997

Outcome measures for routine use in dementia services: some practical considerations.

OBJECTIVES: To work with specialist community teams to assess the practicality and acceptability of identified outcome measures for routine use in dementia services. SETTING: Seven specialist dementia services: four multidisciplinary teams, a specialist service for carers, a community psychiatric nurse team, and a day hospital. SUBJECTS: 20 members of staff from the specialist dementia services including psychiatry, community psychiatric nursing, social work, occupational therapy, Admiral nursing, ward management, geriatric nursing. MAIN MEASURE: A questionnaire designed to assess staff views on the use of six outcome measures in routine practice in terms of practicality, relevance, acceptability, and use in improving care. RESULTS: Each of the outcome measures took 15 to 30 minutes to administer. All were rated as easy to use and as relevant to dementia services and to carers. Staff commented that the measures could be useful in routine practice for structured assessment and service evaluation, but highlighted the need for sensitive use of measures with carers. CONCLUSIONS: These measures consider the main domains of functioning for people with dementia and their carers. The measures are suitable for use in routine practice in dementia services and are acceptable to staff and carers. The project underlined the need for management support, staff ownership of measures, and training in using outcome measures. Staff concerns about service evaluation need to be acknowledged.

Aged↗
PubMed1997

Evaluation of the module on domestic violence at the UCLA School of Medicine.

Physicians and other hospital staff have a unique opportunity to assist victims of abuse. It is imperative that they develop the skills necessary to identify and diagnose cases and provide the support and referral services needed to help victims end the cycle of violence. This paper describes a comprehensive evaluation of the instructional design, implementation, and learning outcomes of the Domestic Violence Module at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) School of Medicine to determine the effectiveness of this curriculum in helping medical students develop such skills. Expert reviewers found it to be an innovative, well-planned curriculum, and students and faculty tutors expressed a great deal of interest in and satisfaction with the course as a whole. However, the different evaluation components identified the same areas for improvement: (1) students need more opportunity to practice skills and receive feedback during the module, (2) there is inconsistency across classes in what is learned, and (3) tutors need better preparation sessions. The student outcomes reflected these needs and therefore suggest that the study may be useful in determining the components of an effective curriculum. After the training, the students reported significant increases in their feelings of self-efficacy and in their intentions, especially in comparison with a group of control students. Therefore, the module seems to be successful in inspiring medical students to work with victims of abuse.

California↗
PubMed1995

Reactions of family medicine community preceptors to teaching medical students.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: In 1993, the University of California, Los Angeles introduced an interdisciplinary course called ¿Doctoring¿ for all first-year medical students in which students visited family physicians' offices once a month for a total of four visits. The study's objectives were to ascertain preceptors' attitudes about having students in their offices and determine if this experience resulted in professional growth. METHODS: A survey was mailed to the 101 preceptors recruited to teach in the ¿Doctoring¿ course. Thirty of the respondents were selected randomly for a follow-up telephone interview. In addition, a second survey was mailed to the 31 preceptors who chose not to participate in the course the following year. RESULTS: More than 75% of the preceptors surveyed reported that the medical students had positive effects on their patients' satisfaction with their care. However, interviews with some respondents revealed worries about balancing time with the student vs maintaining a busy practice. Preceptors reported professional growth in the teaching process and greater knowledge and skills in the specific medical content areas of the ¿Doctoring¿ course. Preceptors who did not participate in the course during the subsequent year reported that their decision was based on issues other than satisfaction with the course. CONCLUSIONS: Based on the results of the study, preceptors experience professional growth through students' direct presence in their offices. Time management while precepting is the greatest challenge reported by preceptors.

Adult↗
PubMed1994

Health care reform as perceived by first year medical students.

Our study objective was to evaluate the attitudes of first year medical students toward the health care system using a self administered questionnaire to all first year medical students at the medical schools in the University of California system. Of 631 students surveyed, 94% completed the instrument. Students were asked about their attitudes toward and familiarity with concepts in health services, access to care, and managed care. Our findings indicated that most students were unfamiliar with concepts related to health services. Students were concerned about access to care; sixty-six percent of students favor a national health insurance plan. A majority of students supported allowing patients access to the current health care system regardless of the cost or utility of a medical test or procedure. Thirty-nine percent felt that rationing health care in any form (transplants, access to the intensive care unit, etc.) is contrary to the way medicine should be practiced. 72% felt that practicing physicians had a major responsibility to help reduce health care costs. When asked about specific changes intended to control health costs, students identified reform of medical malpractice system (63%) and increased spending on preventive health (60%) as the two proposals most likely to be effective. Students generally held negative attitudes toward managed care organizations; only 10% would chose to receive their care in HMOs. We conclude that first year medical students generally have little understanding of the health care system. Despite this, they hold strong opinions about access to care, managed care organizations and strategies intended to reduce health care spending. It is up to medical educators to find creative methods of introducing these content areas into an already bulging curriculum.

Attitude of Health Personnel↗
PubMed1994

Entering first-year medical students' attitudes toward managed care.

PURPOSE: To study the attitudes of entering first-year medical students toward reform of the U.S. health care system. METHOD: All 631 first-year medical students at the five medical schools in the University of California System were asked during orientation (late summer of 1992) to complete a self-administered questionnaire regarding their attitudes toward and knowledge about health care reform. Statistical methods used were chi-square tests and factor analyses. RESULTS: Of the 631 students, 594 (94%) responded. Of the respondents, 392 (66%) felt that there should be a national health insurance plan, and 428 (72%) felt that practicing physicians had a major responsibility to help reduce health care costs. When asked about specific changes intended to control health care costs, the students identified reform of the medical malpractice system (374, 63%) and increased spending on preventive health (356, 60%) as the most likely to be effective. The students generally held negative attitudes toward managed care organizations; only 59 (10%) indicated they would choose to receive care in health maintenance organizations. CONCLUSION: The students held strong opinions about access to care, managed care organizations, and strategies intended to reduce health care spending. Medical educators not only need to find creative methods of introducing these content areas into medical school curricula but should also anticipate the need for strategies to deal with negative attitudes held by students.

Adult↗
PubMed1993

Project Towards No Tobacco Use: implementation, process and post-test knowledge evaluation.

This paper describes the curricula contents, and presents data to evaluate the implementation, process and immediate post-test knowledge of Project Towards No Tobacco Use (Project TNT). Four different school-based tobacco use prevention curricula were developed to counteract the effects of three types of tobacco use acquisition variables typically addressed within a comprehensive social influences program: (1) peer approval for using tobacco (normative social influence), (2) incorrect social informational provided about tobacco use (information social influence) and (3) lack of knowledge or misperceptions about physical consequences resulting from tobacco use. Three curricula were designed to counteract the effects of single acquisition variables, whereas a fourth curriculum was designed to counteract the effects of combined social and physical consequences-related influences. These curricula were delivered to seventh grade students by trained project health educators to maximize implementation. 'Program' schools, those schools that received one of these curricula, were compared to 'control' schools that provided asystematic health education delivered by school personnel. A total of five conditions were contrasted through use of a randomized experiment involving 48 southern California junior high schools. This paper documents high levels of implementation in all program conditions. Also, favorable process ratings were obtained across the four program conditions, using multiple measures and sources of ratings (students, health educators and classroom teachers who observed curricula delivery). Finally, knowledge item sets completed by the students demonstrated discriminant validity across all five conditions. Because the program conditions were discriminable, yet were quite similar in implementation and process ratings, planned future study of behavioral outcomes can be interpreted as relatively uncontaminated by delivery or credibility confounds.

Adolescent↗