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Biomedical subjects

M Boohan

Publications and source records attributed to M Boohan.

6 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2000

Basic clinical skills: don't leave teaching to the teaching hospitals.

OBJECTIVE: To compare student perception of teaching in general practice (GP), district general hospitals (DGHs) and teaching hospitals (THs) and their examination results. SETTING: The medical school at Queen's University, Belfast. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: A total of 161 medical and 34 dental students completed an objective structured clinical examination and questionnaire at the end of their second semester of basic skills teaching. They scored the course for teaching style, educational value and enjoyment. Teaching attributes of the tutors were similarly recorded. Students were also asked to quantify how time was used and to comment on the course. INTERVENTIONS: A new programme for teaching first- and second-year students basic clinical skills in the community. RESULTS: Teaching in GP and DGHs was reported to be more educational and enjoyable than in the TH. In GP most time was spent being lectured, in DGHs most time was spent with the patient, and in THs, waiting for the tutor. General practitioners and doctors in DGHs were more likely to model positive teaching attitudes such as showing interest in students and providing feedback. The most common complaints related to insufficient time spent with patients in GP and poor tutor preparation in THs. All teaching sites achieved similar examination results. CONCLUSION: Clinical skills can be taught to medical students early in their curriculum using GP tutors. Student preference was strongly for being taught by GPs rather than in THs. Simple steps such as prior preparation and the locating of a suitable patient could markedly improve student experience both in GP and in hospitals.

Clinical Competence↗
PubMed1998

A survey of communication skills training in UK schools of medicine: present practices and prospective proposals.

It is now widely accepted that effective interpersonal communication is at the heart of quality health care delivery but that current standards in medicine must be improved (Numann 1988; Cowan et al. 1992). One approach acknowledged by the General Medical Council (1991) devotes more attention during training to the theme of communication, and quite significant modifications of the undergraduate medical curriculum are presently taking place. This article documents the results of a postal survey of the 26 UK Schools of Medicine, designed to illuminate current practices and future plans in respect of communication skills training (CST). As such, it takes advantage of the present period of ongoing curricular innovation and change to extend and update earlier reviews (Whitehouse 1991; Frederikson & Bull 1992). A total of 19 responses was received. Following preliminary analysis, the four schools who had already implemented their new curriculum were selected for further in-depth investigation by means of telephone interviews. In addition to reporting frequencies and percentages for responses to questions, cross-tabulations were carried out to explore relationships between certain of the findings. Apart from some consistency in CST teaching methods adopted, the overall picture to emerge is one of considerable variability in such areas as course content, timing, duration and assessment. Foremost among the difficulties encountered in implementing CST appeared to be lack of adequate physical resources and suitably trained staff. Future plans were often sketchy and inchoate. Results are discussed and tentative recommendations for the further development of CST in the medical curriculum proffered.

Clinical Competence↗
PubMed1998

Teenage mothers and their peers: a research challenge.

Recent reports have highlighted the adverse health experience of teenage mothers. The question of how these mothers' perceptions of their own health status and social networks differ from those of their nulliparous peers is explored in this pilot study, which highlights some practical problems associated with research in this important field.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1997

The implications of teenage pregnancy and motherhood for primary health care: unresolved issues.

Teenage pregnancy and motherhood have implications for several different aspects of primary health care. First, the provision of health education and contraceptive services is obviously relevant to the prevention of unplanned teenage pregnancy. Secondly, appropriate obstetric care should be provided for teenagers, who are at high risk of developing complications in pregnancy and childbirth. Thirdly, and perhaps even more significantly, there is the implication of care required to deal with longer-term adverse health consequences associated with teenage pregnancy. In each of these areas, certain issues remain unresolved. This paper identifies key questions that remain unanswered, including the possibility of long-term adverse physical and psychological health consequences for teenage mothers and their children. The conclusion is that further research addressing these unresolved issues is necessary in order to inform health professionals and allow the implications for primary care to be assessed.

Adolescent↗