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Biomedical subjects

J Sargeant

Publications and source records attributed to J Sargeant.

11 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2001

Lifelong learning in ethical practice: a challenge for continuing medical education.

BACKGROUND: Formal education in the identification, analysis, and resolution of ethical issues in clinical practice is now an essential component of undergraduate and postgraduate medical education. Physicians educated before the 1980s have had little or no formal education in ethics. This article describes a project for assessing the content and format appropriate for the continuing education needs of practicing physicians. METHODS: A questionnaire and follow-up facilitated small-group discussions with a physician ethicist around case-based problems were used to identify the ethical issues in practice where participants felt the need for continuing education. RESULTS: The project confirmed that practitioners had very little formal ethics in medical school and less since starting practice despite encountering ethical issues. The most frequently used method of learning about ethics was informal discussion among those who have the same lack of formal education. Physicians did not feel that they needed a "very high" level of confidence and competence in handling ethical issues, even those commonly encountered. Participants indicated strongly that they lacked a systematic approach to the identification and analysis of ethical issues and suggest incorporation of the ethical component into regular CME. FINDINGS: In spite of the small study population and the volunteer nature of the participants, the project demonstrated the identification of ethics content for CME similar to that used in medical education. Further work is needed to assess objective needs for ethics education in addition to the perceived needs of clinicians.

Education, Medical, Continuing↗
PubMed2001

Faculty attitudes towards medical communication and their perceptions of students' communication skills training at Dalhousie University.

SETTING: Faculty of Medicine, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. OBJECTIVES: (1) To assess the attitudes of full-time clinical faculty members towards medical communication using the newly developed Attitudes Towards Medical Communication Scale; (2) to determine faculty members' perceptions of communications training for students and residents. METHODS: An anonymous self-completion survey was sent to 233 full-time clinical faculty members. The questionnaire asked about faculty attitudes towards medical communication, and assessed faculty members' views of student and resident training in communication. RESULTS: Faculty scored highly in the Attitudes Towards Medical Communication Scale, with a mean score of 51.5 (SD 4.1) out of a possible 60. In univariate analysis, rating of personal enjoyment of teaching, rating of the importance of teaching, and having attended at least one faculty communications workshop in the previous 5 years were significantly associated with higher scale scores. When these factors were assessed using linear regression, only having attended a workshop and higher rating of the importance of teaching remained significant. Faculty assessed student training in communications skills poorly overall. When assessing seven specific communications areas, more than 20% rated this training as poor for six of the areas for third- and fourth-year students and for five of the areas for residents. CONCLUSIONS: Clinical faculty at Dalhousie have very positive attitudes towards medical communication, and more highly positive attitudes are found in those who have attended a communications workshop. Despite this evidence that faculty appreciate the importance of medical communication skills, many assessed students' training in this curriculum area as poor.

Analysis of Variance↗
PubMed2000

Self-reported effects of computer workshops on physicians' computer use.

BACKGROUND: The need for physicians to be proficient in the use of computers is undeniable. As computers have become easier to use and more widespread, their use in medicine is expanding. Several organizations have produced continuing medical education programs to teach physicians about the use of computers in medicine but little has been reported on the effects of such programs. METHOD: We present the self-reported effects of a series of workshops that taught physicians about basic computer skills: information retrieval, the Internet, CD-ROMs, electronic mail, and computer-aided learning. RESULTS: A questionnaire mailed to 65 workshop participants yielded a response rate of 46% (n = 30). Of the 30 respondents, 27% (n = 8) had bought new hardware or software because of attending the workshops, with the most common purchase being a new computer. Fifty-seven percent (n = 17) had increased their use of computers, with the most common applications being use of the Internet for information retrieval and electronic mail.

Computer User Training↗
PubMed1999

Testing a rating scale of video-taped consultations to assess performance of trainee nurse practitioners in general practice.

BACKGROUND: Nurse practitioners (NPs) in the United Kingdom are taking on some of the consultation work previously done by general practitioners (GPs) without there being any established professional standards that they must achieve before doing so. There is a need to develop and test methods of assessing their consultation performance for reasons of professional accreditation and patient safety. AIMS: 1. To make independent summative assessments of trainee nurse practitioners' (TNPs) consultation performance. 2. To assess the validity and reliability of an existing video-taped assessment tool. METHOD: Four TNPs taking part in the EROS (extended roles of staff) study video recorded seven or eight consecutive consultations with typical patients during one surgery. Each consultation was rated nine times by members of a panel comprising eight independent GP trainers, four NPs and the GPs and TNPs in the EROS practices. A rating scale developed by Cox & Mulholland was used for the purpose. RESULTS: Eight of the 37 items and four consultations had more than 10% missing data, mean = 7.7 items per rater. Factor analysis yielded a single factor solution explaining 32.6% of the variance and indicated that items could be summed to provide a single score. Internal consistency was high, alpha coefficient = 0.92. Individual differences between raters in scoring consultations were taken into account in providing a score for each consultation. Scores obtained were found to cluster at the positive end of the distribution indicating a high level of performance. Greater differences were found between scorers than between consultations. CONCLUSIONS: This instrument is appropriate for scoring NP consultations and this small sample was rated as showing a uniformly high standard of performance. Some items could be deleted since they do not feature in the range of consultations currently performed. If this or a similar tool was to be adopted more widely for summative rating purposes then it should be tested rigorously for validity and reliability, training should be given to raters and criteria provided by which to make judgements.

Employee Performance Appraisal↗
PubMed1998

Nurse practitioners.

Explore the source record for details and available documents.

Education, Nursing, Continuing↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Prescribing exercise for cardiac patients: knowledge, practices, and needs of family physicians and specialists.

PURPOSE: To determine the following about prescribing exercise for cardiac patients: physicians' present and needed knowledge; their present practices; barriers that hinder them; and perceived need for and content of a protocol for prescribing exercise. METHODS: (1) Questionnaire mailed to 371 family physicians (FPs), 31 internists, and 25 cardiologists; and (2) four focus groups consisting of 25 FPs, 1 internist, and 3 cardiologists. RESULTS: Questionnaire response rate was 45% (n = 192). Because responses were similar and the group was small, internists and cardiologists were combined as "specialists." Generally, questionnaire data agreed with focus group data, with the latter providing more detail. Family physicians perceived they know little about prescribing a specific exercise program while specialists perceived they know little about motivating patients to begin an exercise program. The method most frequently used by both physician groups to increase exercise is providing general advice. The main barriers to prescribing exercise were inadequate knowledge (FPs only), patient education materials, and community resources. Both groups rated highly the need for a protocol for prescribing exercise and indicated it should: (1) include identification of patient's stage of change; (2) include indications and contraindications for exercise; (3) provide guidelines for developing a specific exercise prescription; (4) contain patient education materials, and (5) be simple and short. CONCLUSIONS: Family physicians perceive they know little about prescribing a specific exercise program for cardiac patients while specialists perceive they know little about motivating patients. Physicians rate highly the need for a protocol to help them prescribe exercise for cardiac patients.

Adult↗