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Biomedical subjects

Janet Grant

Publications and source records attributed to Janet Grant.

6 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2003

Clinical supervision of SpRs: where does it happen, when does it happen and is it effective? Specialist registrars.

OBJECTIVES: To establish what supervisory methods are used in postgraduate medical education and to determine how effective, particularly in relation to patient care, these methods are perceived to be. DESIGN: We carried out a national validated questionnaire survey of medical directors (MDs) of National Health Service (NHS) trusts (both community and hospital), educational supervisors (ESs) and specialist registrars (SpRs). SAMPLE: Seven specialties were selected to represent the potential range of supervisory practices: anaesthesia, general practice, laboratory science, medicine, paediatrics, psychiatry and surgery. These involved 15 ESs and 15 SpRs from each specialty (n = 210) and 100 MDs. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Quantitative data were analysed using the following tests when appropriate: frequency counts, cross tabulations, descriptives, Kruskal-Wallis, Mann-Whitney, chi-square and Fisher exact tests. Qualitative data were also obtained. RESULTS: A total of 91% of SpRs had a formally designated ES. There was evidence of change in perceptions of the roles of supervising consultants. Supervisory practice is highly variable and there are significant differences between ESs and SpRs in perceptions of frequency and effectiveness of supervision. None of the supervisory activities, including ensuring patient safety, were rated as receiving significant or full coverage. CONCLUSIONS: Supervision is considered to be both important and effective but there is inadequate coverage and frequency of supervision activities. At the least this indicates a need for more explicit guidance for ESs and SpRs.

Clinical Competence↗
PubMed2002

Learning needs assessment: assessing the need.

Learning needs assessment is a crucial stage in the educational process that leads to changes in practice, and has become part of government policy for continuing professional development. Learning needs assessment can be undertaken for many reasons, so its purpose should be defined and should determine the method used and the use made of findings. Exclusive reliance on formal needs assessment could render education an instrumental and narrow process rather than a creative, professional one. Different learning methods tend to suit different doctors and different identified learning needs. Doctors already use a wide range of formal and informal ways of identifying their own learning needs as part of their ordinary practice. These should be the starting point in designing formalised educational systems for professional improvement.

Education, Medical, Continuing↗
PubMed2002

Sci45: the development of a specialty choice inventory.

OBJECTIVE: To devise a valid career selection instrument to help doctors in training choose from a range of specialties that match their attributes and aspirations and to help selection interviewers focus on the key issues pertaining to the suitability of candidates for particular training opportunities. DESIGN: A psychometric instrument of 130 4-response choice items was developed to match individual personal and professional preferences to possible career specialty choices. The development process involved semi-structured interviews with consultants in 35 specialties, a national postal survey of consultants in 45 specialties, factor analysis of the results, design of the pilot instruments, testing on 450 senior house officers (doctors in basic specialist training within 2-5 years of leaving medical school), and further item analysis to derive the final instrument. A scoring system and software were developed to indicate the best and worst fit specialties for the respondent. PARTICIPANTS: The participants were hospital consultants, general practitioners and senior house officers (SHOs) in basic specialist training. OUTCOME MEASURE: The successful construction of a valid and accessible career choice instrument (Specialty Choice Inventory/Sci45). CONCLUSIONS: This project has yielded a psychometrically valid computer- or paper-based instrument that can be used by doctors at any stage of training to assist in career choice. It can be used as part of the selection process, for careers guidance, for analysis of career problems, for research or to validate a particular range of career options.

Career Choice↗
PubMed2002

What is effective supervision and how does it happen? A critical incident study.

OBJECTIVES: To identify the key features of supervision from the perspectives of educational supervisors and specialist registrars. DESIGN: Critical incident study. Telephone interviews were conducted with selected informants representing a range of specialties. The sample comprised educational supervisors with an identified interest in supervision, specialist registrars and GP trainees in the Yorkshire region. RESULTS: Educational supervisors and specialist registrars were generally agreed on what constitutes effective supervision: direct supervision was seen as very important. Educational supervisors and specialist registrars had very different concerns in relation to ineffective supervision: specialist registrars were concerned with inadequate supervision whilst educational supervisors were concerned with failures in direct supervision and poorly performing trainees. Supervision practices varied between specialties; in this study there seemed to be particular problems in anaesthesia, medicine and paediatrics. CONCLUSIONS: Direct supervision and the quality of the supervisory relationship are key to effective supervision. There is a need for clear guidance on supervision and the establishment of appropriate procedures and mechanisms to resolve difficulties relating to inadequate supervision for trainees and performing trainees. Insufficient numbers of supervisors have received training in supervision.

Attitude of Health Personnel↗
PubMed2000

Best Evidence Medical Education.

There is a need to move from opinion-based education to evidence-based education. Best Evidence Medical Education (BEME) is the implementation, by teachers in their practice, of methods and approaches to education based on the best evidence available. It involves a professional judgement by the teacher about their teaching taking into account a number of factors - the QUESTS dimensions. The Quality of the research evidence available - how reliable is the evidence?, the Utility of the evidence - can the methods be transferred and adopted without modification?, the Extent of the evidence, the Strength of the evidence, the Target or outcomes measured - how valid is the evidence? and the Setting or context - how relevant is the evidence?The evidence available can be graded on each of the six dimensions. In the ideal situation the evidence is high on all six dimensions, but this is rarely found. Usually the evidence may be good in some respects, but poor in others. The teacher has to balance the different dimensions and come to a decision on a course of action based on his or her professional judgement.The QUESTS dimensions highlight a number of tensions with regard to the evidence in medical education: quality v relevance; quality v validity; and utility v the setting or context. The different dimensions reflect the nature of research and innovation. Best Evidence Medical Education encourages a culture or ethos in which decision making takes place in this context.

Journal Article↗