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Biomedical subjects

W K Davis

Publications and source records attributed to W K Davis.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1992

Effects of expert and non-expert facilitators on the small-group process and on student performance.

At the University of Michigan Medical School in 1990, the authors investigated the effects of faculty facilitators' levels of content expertise on the educational process and learning outcomes of small-group teaching sessions. The study was conducted in a microbiology course for second-year students in which four small-group sessions were used to replace 38 hours of lecture and laboratory time. The interactions between 11 expert and ten non-expert faculty facilitators and 156 students were observed and coded. The students' levels of knowledge and satisfaction were measured. The results indicate that, although significant differences in faculty-student interactions were not observed, the students in the 11 groups led by the content experts had higher levels of satisfaction and higher examination scores.

Attitude↗
PubMed1992

Controversial beliefs about diabetes and its care.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to identify specific beliefs that differentiate health-care professionals whose attitudes toward diabetes agreed most strongly with a group of national diabetes experts from those whose attitudes disagreed most strongly. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: The sample for this study included 271 physicians, 834 nurses, and 546 dietitians who completed a Diabetes Attitudes Survey. The sample included specialists in diabetes care and nonspecialists. Controversial beliefs about diabetes and its care were determined by comparing the beliefs of the 10% of the sample whose attitudes were most concordant (with the national panel) with the beliefs of the 10% of the sample whose attitudes were the most discordant. Ten beliefs met the criteria for being defined as controversial. RESULTS: The most controversial beliefs concerned whether the patient or the physician should be the primary decision maker in diabetes care, the meaning of patient noncompliance, and the seriousness of non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus. The 10% of the sample with the most discordant attitudes contained a disproportionately large number of physicians, nonspecialists in diabetes, and health-care professionals who had been in practice longer than the other members of the sample. CONCLUSIONS: This study identifies some important differences in beliefs between younger health-care professionals who specialize in diabetes and older nonspecialists. Such beliefs should be addressed in continuing education programs with the aim being to foster the widespread adoption of a contemporary approach to diabetes care.

Attitude of Health Personnel↗
PubMed1991

Learning to empower patients. Results of professional education program for diabetes educators.

The patient empowerment approach to diabetes education is intended to enable patients to make informed decisions about their own diabetes care and to be fully responsible members of the health-care team. Facilitating patient empowerment requires a specific set of skills and attitudes on the part of diabetes educators. A professional education program designed to facilitate the acquisition and enhancement of the requisite skills and attitudes was designed, implemented, and evaluated. The program involved adhering to a simulated diabetes care regimen for 3 days followed by a 3-day intensive skills-based workshop. The 23 educators who participated in the first two offerings of this program made significant gains in their counseling skills and demonstrated a positive change in attitude.

Attitude↗
PubMed1990

Comparing information-gathering strategies of medical students and physicians in diagnosing simulated medical cases.

Using a broad range of written patient management problems (PMPs), this study examined (1) how each of three medical information-gathering processes (history-taking, physical examination, and diagnostic studies) influenced 175 second-year medical students' formulations of the differential (i.e., plausible) and the principal (i.e., most probable) diagnoses for each of 14 PMPs, and (2) the extent to which these results paralleled the emphases that experienced clinicians placed on these same information-gathering processes regarding each of the same PMPs. The results suggest that in ten of the 14 PMPs the students appeared to rely on specific information-gathering strategies in formulating their diagnoses, and that both similarities and differences existed between the levels of emphasis placed by the students and physicians on each of the three processes. In general, the physicians placed greater emphasis on the importance of the history, whereas the students relied more on diagnostic studies. These variations have implications for selecting medical problems for purposes of instruction and evaluation of students.

Diagnostic Techniques and Procedures↗
PubMed1989

What do statistics really tell us about the quality of the data from self-monitoring of blood glucose?

Recently a number of studies have examined the quality of the data obtained from various systems used in the self-monitoring of blood glucose. Many of these studies have used parametric statistical techniques such as the Pearson product-moment correlation (r) and linear regression to evaluate the errors associated with self-monitoring results. These statistical methods, while well known and easily computed on modern computers, are often inappropriate for evaluating either the amount of error associated with self-monitoring or the clinical significance of these errors. For example: 1. a correlation of 1.00 does not necessarily mean that the measurements from a self-monitoring system agree with the true values and are without error; 2. a correlation close to 0.00 does not necessarily mean that the measurements from self-monitoring differ widely from the true values and possess large amounts of error; 3. a slope of 1.0 and a y-intercept of 0.0 in a linear regression equation do not necessarily mean that the self-monitoring measurements agree with the true values; 4. a slope and y-intercept that deviate significantly from 1.0 and 0.0, respectively, do not necessarily mean that such measurements differ widely from the true values. The present paper illustrates some of the limitations and common misconceptions concerning these statistics, and shows that a reliance on these techniques alone can, in certain circumstances, lead to misleading estimates of the amount of error associated with self-monitoring systems and inappropriate descriptions of the clinical significance of these errors.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Blood Glucose Self-Monitoring↗
PubMed1988

Case differences in the problem solving strategies of medical students and physicians.

Using a broad range of written patient management problems, this study examined 1) the influences of three medical information-gathering processes (history-taking, physical examination, and diagnostic studies) on the formulation of the differential and principal diagnosis by 175 medical students and 2) the extent to which the information-gathering processes used by the students paralleled the emphasis that experienced clinicians placed on these same processes. Results suggested that in 11 of 14 cases, the students appeared to be relying on specific information-gathering strategies in the formulation of the differential diagnosis, and that there were both similarities and differences in the relative emphases that these processes received from students and physicians.

Clinical Competence↗
PubMed1987

Psychosocial adjustment to and control of diabetes mellitus: differences by disease type and treatment.

The relationship of diabetic patients' psychosocial adjustment to disease type, treatment mode, and indexes of control was examined in a representative community population. The psychometric properties of the Diabetes Educational Profile (DEP) and its application to psychosocial research in diabetes were also investigated. Findings support the reliability and validity of the DEP. Various measures of psychosocial adjustment were related to diabetes control but the specific relationships depended on the particular aspect of adjustment, the specific measure of diabetes control, and the type of disease and treatment. The findings suggest that analyses that aggregate dissimilar patient groups are subject to misinterpretation due to ecological masking and supressor effects. The results indicate that clinicians and researchers must recognize that patients with different disease types and treatment modes have different norms for psychological adjustment and diabetes control. Further, the particular aspects of psychosocial adjustment associated with diabetes control differ across patient groups.

Adaptation, Psychological↗
PubMed1985

Oral examinations: actual and perceived contributions to surgery clerkship performance.

Controversy persists regarding the validity, utility, and practicality of oral examinations. This study of a recent 3-year experience at the University of Michigan Medical School was undertaken to determine the value of the oral examination in the required junior year surgery clerkship. Multiple regression analysis of the relationship between the oral examination and ward grades, written examination grades, and the final grades for the clerkship years 1980 to 1981 (n = 198), 1981 to 1982 (n = 234), and 1982 to 1983 (n = 215) (classes of 1982, 1983, and 1984) revealed significant correlation between the oral examination and other evaluation parameters. Stepwise regression analysis revealed that the oral examination contributed unique information to final grade determination. Two surveys identified faculty and student opinion regarding the oral examination. The results were consistent during the 3-year period of study. Faculty and student opinion regarding the examination as an evaluation process and motivational device were positive, as was opinion regarding the breadth and depth of knowledge tested and the examination as a learning experience and an accurate reflection of students' performance. Both faculty and students agreed that the examination was worth the time and effort invested by faculty, was an appropriate evaluation process, and was a source of worthwhile faculty and student interaction.

Attitude of Health Personnel↗
PubMed1984

Computed tomography of gestational trophoblastic disease.

Twenty-two patients with gestational trophoblastic neoplasia (GTN) were examined by CT of the abdomen and pelvis to assess the usefulness of CT in the detection and staging of GTN. The most common manifestations of GTN by CT were an enlarged uterus in 16 of 20 patients (80%) with bilateral adnexal cysts in 12 of 22 patients (54%). Contrast enhancement of the uterus was inhomogeneous and the cysts were usually unilocular, ranging in size from 1.0 to 6.0 cm. Metastases were found in 13 of 22 cases (59%). Local extension into the broad ligament was present in 5 of 22 cases (23%). Pelvic or periaortic adenopathy or both was not present. Only one patient had liver metastases. We conclude that CT is a valuable tool in the evaluation of patients with GTN.

Adnexal Diseases↗