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Biomedical subjects

J Rourke

Publications and source records attributed to J Rourke.

12 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2005

Implementing the CanMEDSTM physician roles in rural specialist education: the Multi-Speciality Community Training Network.

CONTEXT: Changing medical education to realign it with societal needs has become a renewed priority in many countries. Advanced training in rural settings to prepare physicians to better serve rural areas has received particular attention around the world. Such initiatives are usually targeted at primary care practitioners. Few initiatives have been designed to enhance specialist training in a rural setting, let alone adapt specialist competency frameworks such as the CanMEDSTM roles of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada to non-urban medical education. ISSUE: We describe an innovation in medical training for rural competence for specialist physicians using the CanMEDS framework near London, Ontario, Canada. Since 1997, the University of Western Ontario has established its Multi-Specialty Community Training Network (MSCTN) to provide rural and regional training opportunities for specialty residents in anaesthesia, general surgery, internal medicine, paediatrics, obstetrics and psychiatry. It became the first program in Canada to fully adapt the new CanMEDS roles into learning objectives and evaluations. LESSONS LEARNED: Competency-based frameworks like CanMEDS are important because they provide a comprehensive tool to organize outcome-based curricula. The CanMEDS roles framework has been very useful in developing educational goals for rural/regional specialty resident rotations as well as forming a constructive basis for resident, preceptor, and program evaluations. Our experiences with this program may provide lessons for others planning training for specialists in rural settings, and those adopting the CanMEDS competency framework.

Canada↗
PubMed2005

Combined research and clinical learning make Rural Summer Studentship Program a successful model.

CONTEXT: Many medical schools would like to provide students with opportunities to learn and perform practical research and to have positive rural learning experiences. Rural physicians often have research ideas, but may lack the skills or assistance to perform the research. PROGRAM DESCRIPTION: The unique Rural Summer Studentship Program (RSSP) at The University of Western Ontario (Western) places students with preceptors in small and mid-sized communities throughout Southwestern Ontario where they have an opportunity to perform rural health research, combined with clinical learning, for 8 weeks in the summer after the first or second year of medical school. Secretarial coordination, research assistant support and senior faculty supervision were provided. OUTCOMES: From 1999-2003 inclusive, 44 students have participated including eight who participated over two summers. Projects were carried out in more than 20 communities with over 30 preceptors. Already, two students have had their research published in peer-reviewed journals and six have presented at major conferences. Participating students indicated an increase in interest in rural and regional medicine and in their knowledge of rural and regional medicine and patient care. They rated the value of RSSP highly as part of their medical education, even compared with other electives/selectives. CONCLUSION: The RSSP model developed at Western provides a highly rated, successful combination of supported medical student research and clinical learning with preceptors in small and mid-sized communities.

Education, Medical, Undergraduate↗
PubMed2002

Research electives in rural health care.

PROBLEM BEING ADDRESSED: As academic medical institutions being to address the education and service needs of rural Canadians, research will make its way to the foreground. Rural physicians are well positioned to lead in this venture, but often have little time or energy to take on extra duties. Rural populations differ in essential ways from urban populations. Certainly, the limitations of geography, funding, and population density alter medical surveillance, treatment, and research in ways that are largely undocumented. OBJECTIVE OF PROGRAM: To undertake research projects of interest to our group of rural clinicians and to expose medical students to both research and rural practice. MAIN COMPONENTS OF PROGRAM: Seven rural family physicians welcomed medical students into their group practice for summer research electives. Topics were chosen in advance by the medical group, and one member was designated as supervisor for each student. A local nurse educator also provided support to students and to clinicians after the students' departure. Several projects were undertaken simultaneously each summer; the result was several published peer-reviewed articles and good teaching and learning experiences. CONCLUSION: Rural research electives provide a valuable experience for students and preceptors. Such initiatives deserve broad promotion and support.

Family Practice↗
PubMed1997

Food preferences predict eating behavior of very young Mohawk children.

OBJECTIVE: To collect baseline data on energy and nutrient intake and nutrition knowledge, attitudes, and behavior of very young Mohawk children to assist the community in planning an appropriate, targeted nutrition and exercise intervention. DESIGN: Energy and nutrient intake data were collected from 24-hour recalls conducted in the children's homes. Nutrition knowledge, attitudes, and behavior were assessed using a 38-item questionnaire that asked children to report on what foods they like the best, eat most of the time, and think are healthful. The questionnaire was completed in an elementary school on the reservation. Before data collection, we hypothesized that the average diet of the Mohawk children would not meet national dietary recommendations. SUBJECTS: One hundred forty-three children, prekindergarten through third grade (aged 4 to 9 years), completed the 24-hour recalls and the questionnaire. An additional 136 children, also prekindergarten through third grade, completed the questionnaire (n = 279). STATISTICS: Analysis of variance with a Scheffe's multiple-comparison test was used to test for differences among grades and genders for energy and nutrient intake and questionnaire scores. Multiple regression analysis was used to assess the relationship between eating behavior and selected variables. RESULTS: A mean daily energy intake of 1,980 kcal consisted of 34% fat, 13% protein, and 52% carbohydrate with 13 g fiber and 235 mg cholesterol. Food preferences were the strongest predictor of behavior, they explained 71% of the variation in the behavior score. APPLICATIONS: The major finding of this study, that food preferences are the strongest predictor of reported eating behavior in very young Mohawk children, has implications for behavior change interventions. Focusing on changing what children like to eat, through repeated exposure to new foods in a positive social context, is more likely to change what foods they choose than is simple nutrition education.

Child↗
PubMed1976

Platelets, foreign surfaces, and heparin.

These studies clearly indicate that heparin has 2 antagonistic effects in this platelet-foreign surface interaction; it acts directly on platelets to increase retention, while acting on the foreign surface to reduce platelet retention, perhaps by competing for cationic sites. This study also suggests that it is unlikely that heparin bonding confers reduced surface thrombogenicity by virtue of the ability to leach off that surface and that further studies in heparin bonding or other surface modification should consider the antiplatelet effect which can easily be studied in vitro.

Blood Platelets↗