PubMed Health⌕ Search

Biomedical subjects

L J Farquhar

Publications and source records attributed to L J Farquhar.

6 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1995

Medical student knowledge levels and performance in doing HIV risk assessment.

The primary purpose of the study was to develop and evaluate a training program for medical students in sexual history-taking and HIV risk assessment. Sexual-history-taking performance was evaluated in the semester subsequent to the one in which the students received the instruction. An additional purpose of the study was to determine whether students, following participation in a sexual-history training program, would take a sexual history when course instructions did not explicitly direct her/him to do so but the patient presented with HIV risk factors. A final goal was to find out whether direct participation in, versus only observation of, sexual-history interviews would improve performance. Adequate performance on measurement on knowledge and skills was defined as above 75% correct on content examinations and satisfactory performance of the sexual history. Results showed that, when course instruction directed students to take a sexual history, performance was excellent. When students were not specifically directed to take a sexual history, but the patient had an HIV risk factor, performance was not as consistent. Following participation in the training program, student attitudes about the importance of taking a sexual history were very positive. Finally, when a student conducted a sexual-history interview him/herself, compared with viewing other students taking a history, he/she showed no significant improvement in examination performance.

Clinical Competence↗
PubMed1988

A course component to teach interviewing skills in informing and motivating patients.

In the present study, the authors implemented and evaluated a course component to teach three types of interviewing skills: giving information to patients, handling emotions on the part of patients, and motivating patients. The authors developed a seven-week course for second-year students that included identification and demonstration of explicit interviewing skills, practice with simulated patients, and feedback in a small-group setting. Thirty of the 104 students in the course were randomly selected for evaluation before and after the course. They showed statistically significant increases in their interviewing skills, based on ratings of videotaped interviews with simulated patients after the course, but did not change significantly in self-assessment of their level of confidence in aspects of conducting the interviews.

Education, Medical, Undergraduate↗
PubMed1986

Effect of two preclinical curricula on NBME Part I examination performance.

The Michigan State University College of Human Medicine conducts two preclinical medical education programs. In Track I (lecture-based), students attend classes 24 hours per week, and lecture time totals 908 hours over a 50-week period. In Track II (problem-based), students attend classes only 12 hours per week, and lecture time totals 112 hours over the same 50-week period. Institution of the Part I examination of the National Board of Medical Examiners (NBME) as a graduation requirement provided an opportunity to compare the performances of students in both tracks. When students from each track with similar Science Problems subtest scores on the Medical College Admission Test were compared, no significant differences were observed in the students' total scores or pass rate on the NBME examination. However, there were significant differences in scores on the microbiology subtest of the NBME examination, with the Track I students achieving higher scores. The 1984 report of the Project Panel on the General Professional Education of the Physician and College Preparation for Medicine of the Association of American Medical Colleges stressed the need to examine critically and consider reducing the scheduled instructional and lecture hours in preclinical medical education programs. In the study reported here, the authors demonstrated that reduction of scheduled instructional time, when replaced by a guided problem-solving program, is not detrimental to students' performance on the NBME Part I examination.

Biology↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Residents' attitudes towards and skills in counseling: using undetected standardized patients.

OBJECTIVE: To identify the frequency and quality of certain prevention-oriented counseling skills of resident physicians and to compare these skills with the residents' attitudes towards and knowledge about primary prevention. DESIGN: Longitudinal descriptive study. PATIENTS/PARTICIPANTS: 54 PGY-1-3 internal medicine and family practice residents enrolled in three training programs affiliated with Michigan State University's College of Human Medicine. INTERVENTION: Trainees' attitudes towards and knowledge about certain prevention activities were captured by an instrument designed for this study using 127 Likert scales. Counseling skills were assessed with one of two standardized patients. Residents were unaware of the simulation, which occurred in their routinely scheduled ambulatory care setting. Audiotapes of the interactions were rated by blinded, independent raters. Residents had strong positive beliefs about the role of primary care physicians in counseling patients, high levels of knowledge about what the counseling should entail, and high self-assessment about the frequency and quality of their own counseling interventions. Skill levels, however, were at or below a level defined as minimally acceptable. CONCLUSION: Resident physicians' skill levels, as measured in this study, are inadequate to accomplish routine counseling interventions in the primary care setting. These results suggest that more reliance should be placed on direct observation of physicians, ideally in nonreactive settings, for purposes of drawing conclusions about physician performance. Further, these results have implications for the training of students and residents in the area of counseling for prevention.

Attitude of Health Personnel↗