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Biomedical subjects

Femi Oyebode

Publications and source records attributed to Femi Oyebode.

10 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2006

Standard setting: comparison of two methods.

BACKGROUND: The outcome of assessments is determined by the standard-setting method used. There is a wide range of standard-setting methods and the two used most extensively in undergraduate medical education in the UK are the norm-reference and the criterion-reference methods. The aims of the study were to compare these two standard-setting methods for a multiple-choice question examination and to estimate the test-retest and inter-rater reliability of the modified Angoff method. METHODS: The norm-reference method of standard-setting (mean minus 1 SD) was applied to the 'raw' scores of 78 4th-year medical students on a multiple-choice examination (MCQ). Two panels of raters also set the standard using the modified Angoff method for the same multiple-choice question paper on two occasions (6 months apart). We compared the pass/fail rates derived from the norm reference and the Angoff methods and also assessed the test-retest and inter-rater reliability of the modified Angoff method. RESULTS: The pass rate with the norm-reference method was 85% (66/78) and that by the Angoff method was 100% (78 out of 78). The percentage agreement between Angoff method and norm-reference was 78% (95% CI 69% - 87%). The modified Angoff method had an inter-rater reliability of 0.81-0.82 and a test-retest reliability of 0.59-0.74. CONCLUSION: There were significant differences in the outcomes of these two standard-setting methods, as shown by the difference in the proportion of candidates that passed and failed the assessment. The modified Angoff method was found to have good inter-rater reliability and moderate test-retest reliability.

Clinical Competence↗
PubMed2006

Auditory recognition memory, conscious recollection, and executive function in patients with schizophrenia.

BACKGROUND: Dual-process models propose that recognition memory (RM) involves two processes: conscious recollection and familiarity-aware memory. Studies investigating RM in schizophrenia report a selective deficit in conscious recollection and intact levels of familiarity-driven RM for stimuli presented in the visual and olfactory domains. It has been suggested that abnormalities in conscious recollection result from a breakdown in frontal strategic memory processes involved in encoding and retrieval and executive functions linked to reality monitoring and decision making. We investigated three predictions arising from these proposals. Firstly, if conscious recollection abnormalities arise from a central impairment, then these abnormalities should not be domain specific. Secondly, if the deficits in conscious recollection arise from a breakdown in executive processes, deficiencies should be correlated with executive dysfunction. Finally, the conscious recollection deficiencies are likely to be more severe in schizophrenia, a condition associated with marked executive dysfunction relative to Major Depressive Disorder, Recurrent (MDDR), in which executive dysfunction is less marked. METHODS: The remember/know paradigm was used to investigate RM for voices in three groups: patients with schizophrenia (n = 14), patients with MDDR (n = 16), and normal controls (n = 16). Executive function was assessed using the Wisconsin Card Sorting Task. RESULTS: Patients with schizophrenia made significantly fewer remember responses than normal controls (p < 0.01), despite normal levels of discrimination and familiarity-driven auditory RM. Patients with MDDR did not differ significantly from either normal controls or patients with schizophrenia. Executive dysfunction was limited to the schizophrenia group and was not correlated with conscious recollection deficiencies. CONCLUSIONS: Patients with schizophrenia exhibit a deficit in conscious recollection for auditory RM of voices. These findings, when considered alongside remember/know data collected from the same set of patients for olfactory and visual RM, support proposals that abnormalities in conscious recollection stem from a breakdown in central rather than domain-specific processes.

Auditory Perception↗
PubMed2005

Prevention of postnatal depression.

Postnatal depression is the most frequent psychiatric disorder seen after childbirth, with a prevalence rate of 10% to 15%. The women at risk need to be identified by a valid and reliable method, either using a screening instrument or an interview schedule. The preventive strategies need to have enough power to detect a clinically worthwhile effect to be considered useful in clinical practice. Many of the risk factors for developing postnatal depression are present during the pregnancy and immediate post-partum period. The risk factors for postnatal depression include depression or anxiety during pregnancy, experiencing stressful life events during pregnancy or the early puerperium, maternity blues, low levels of social support, past history of depression and poor marital adjustment. The antenatal and postnatal period provides an ideal opportunity to screen women for these risk factors. The women identified to be at risk can be identified, and preventive interventions can be implemented. Routine clinical practice can be improved to identify some of the women at risk by better communication between health professionals. There are no antenatal screening tools that have been shown to be of benefit in predicting postnatal depression. Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale is widely used in the postnatal period to screen for depression. The psychosocial interventions to prevent postnatal depression have not been shown to be beneficial and there is a dearth of psychopharmacological trials to make firm conclusions about their efficacy in preventing postnatal depression. Individualised psychosocial interventions aimed at the at-risk populations and initiated in the postnatal period appear to have some benefit in preventing postnatal depression. The focus of this article will be the risk factors associated with postnatal depression, screening methods and tools to identify those at risk of developing the disorder and the psychosocial, psychological and psychopharmacological interventions to prevent postnatal depression.

Depression, Postpartum↗
PubMed2005

Characteristics of perpetrators of homicide in independent inquiries.

An independent inquiry has been mandatory for all homicides committed by persons in contact with mental health services in England and Wales since 1994. The aim of this study is to provide a detailed description of the characteristics of the perpetrators of homicides covered by the independent inquiries between 1994 and 2002. Ninety-seven published inquiry reports were collected for analysis. Descriptive case data regarding the perpetrator was manually abstracted from each report using a structured questionnaire. Ninety-nine individuals committed 109 homicides. Most perpetrators of homicide were male, with a diagnosis of schizophrenia or other psychotic illness. Victims are most likely to be a family member or an acquaintance. Psychotic symptoms as well as alcohol or substance misuse were found to be present at the time of homicide. Comparisons with the National Confidential Inquiry into Suicides and Homicide by People with a Mental Illness suggest that independent inquiries appear to focus on high profile cases. Patient characteristics can be used to inform risk assessments that may improve current prediction of violence in mentally ill persons.

England↗
PubMed2004

An update on psychiatric disorders in relation to dental treatment.

Psychiatric disorders like depression and anxiety are commonly encountered in patients presenting to dental practitioners. The symptoms at presentation may not always be straightforward and, if not suspected and specifically explored, can often be missed. If unrecognized and hence subsequently untreated, this can have numerous adverse consequences to the patient and the health service. Hence, it is important that dental practitioners are more aware of the varying presentations, assessment and management of psychiatric disorders in their patients. In this paper, we focus on description of the common psychiatric disorders and their assessment from a dental practitioner's perspective. There is clearly a need for greater collaboration between dental practitioners and psychiatrists.

Adjustment Disorders↗
PubMed2003

Investigation of conscious recollection, false recognition and delusional misidentification in patients with schizophrenia.

BACKGROUND: Recognition memory (RM) is impaired in patients with schizophrenia, as they rely largely on feelings of familiarity rather than conscious recollection. It has been suggested that this abnormality may reflect a breakdown in strategic memory processes involved in both encoding and retrieval. By studying 2 patients with false recognition (FR; patient C.T.) and delusional misidentification (DM; patient B.C.), and a group of psychotic control patients, we examined proposals that FR and DM exist on a continuum of increasingly severe impairment in strategic memory function. METHODS: Executive function, autobiographical memory and verbal and facial RM were assessed using standard neuropsychological tests and the remember/know paradigm. RESULTS: The psychotic control group displayed a significantly reduced reliance on remember judgements and compensatory elevation in know judgements on both RM tasks compared with the normal control group. Patient B.C. also followed this trend, but in a much more pronounced manner. In contrast, patient C.T. displayed a qualitatively different performance profile, which was marked by an increased dependence on remember responses. CONCLUSIONS: We have presented evidence which support proposals that a breakdown in strategic memory and executive dysfunction are more pronounced in DM than FR. However, the small sample size precludes any firm conclusions being drawn.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Insight, social knowledge and working memory in schizophrenia.

BACKGROUND: There is evidence that insight and social judgements are impaired in schizophrenia. The influence of these factors on the decision to treat compulsorily in schizophrenia is poorly understood. AIMS: To investigate the contribution of insight, social knowledge, and working memory to the determination to treat coercively in schizophrenia. METHOD: Insight rating scale, social knowledge questionnaire and working memory tests were administered to detained patients with schizophrenia. Results were compared with those of a control group of voluntary in-patients with schizophrenia. RESULTS: Detained patients scored worse on insight and social knowledge, yet there was no significant correlation between these scores. There was no significant difference in severity of psychopathology between the experimental and control groups. Results for working memory were inconclusive. CONCLUSION: Insight and social knowledge are significantly, but independently, associated with the determination to treat coercively in schizophrenia. This suggests that insight and social knowledge are distinct skills. The contribution of working memory remains unclear.

Adolescent↗