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Biomedical subjects

William F Miser

Publications and source records attributed to William F Miser.

9 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2006

Finding truth from the medical literature: how to critically evaluate an article.

With Internet access available to all, patients are increasingly gaining access to medical information, and then looking to their primary care physician for interpretation. Physicians encounter an "information jungle"--there were 682,121 articles recorded in PubMed in 2005. If clinicians read two articles per day, in 1 year they would be over nine centuries behind in their reading! Although several excellent services that sift and critically assess medical literature are available to physicians, they are not helpful when a patient brings in the latest article. Physicians must have basic skills in judging the validity and clinical importance of these articles. This article provides an overview of a systematic, efficient, and effective approach to the critical review of original research.

Evaluation Studies as Topic↗
PubMed2006

An introduction to evidence-based medicine.

Incorporation EBM into one's practice will not only make one a better clinician, it also allows one to provide the best possible quality of medical care to his or her patients. Becoming a medical information master is a task that all can learn [8,9]. In a primary care specialty that, by definition, is broad in scope, and with the seemingly overwhelming amount of medical literature that is produced on a daily basis, this task is essential. One constantly should be o the look out for validated evidence that is relevant to everyday practice, focusing on those POEMs that address issues that are common to primary care practice. Using the tools and steps that are outlined in this article, along with taking the Web-based courses that are mentioned in Box 1, will allow the primary care physician to develop the essential skills that are required in today's practice of medicine.

Evidence-Based Medicine↗
PubMed2002

Management of the acute migraine headache.

As many as 30 million Americans have migraine headaches. The impact on patients and their families can be tremendous, and treatment of migraines can present diagnostic and therapeutic challenges for family physicians. Abortive treatment options include nonspecific and migraine-specific therapy. Nonspecific therapies include analgesics (aspirin, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, and opiates), adjunctive therapies (antiemetics and sedatives), and other nonspecific medications (intranasal lidocaine or steroids). Migraine-specific abortive therapies include ergotamine and its derivatives, and triptans. Complementary and alternative therapies can also be used to abort the headache or enhance the efficacy of another therapeutic modality. Treatment choices for acute migraine should be based on headache severity, migraine frequency, associated symptoms, and comorbidities.

Acute Disease↗
PubMed2002

The other half of the whole: teaching patients to communicate with physicians.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: A wide body of research suggests that the nature of communication between patients and physicians is strongly related to health outcomes. Interventions that involve teaching patients to communicate with physicians are important to assess in this context. METHODS: We conducted a review of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) in the outpatient setting from 1975 to 2000. Patient communication interventions were classified as high, medium, or low intensive, depending on the length of the intervention, use of personnel, and estimated cost. Characteristics of 16 studies were examined, including sample populations, types of interventions, and the nature of health outcomes. RESULTS: Patient improvement in a variety of outcomes as a result of communication training was demonstrated. Positive change variables included patient communication, medical outcomes, functional status, and adherence to treatment. Studies revealed mixed findings on the outcome of patient satisfaction. All US studies suggested that pre-visit training had no effect on the overall length of the medical visit. CONCLUSIONS: Studies indicated improvement in a variety of patient outcomes. However, the wide variation in study design, interventions, and outcomes hinders the ability to draw well-founded conclusions. Future research needs to further address biopsychosocial outcomes, cost-effectiveness, and their relationship.

Communication↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Teaching the outstanding medical learner.

Medical students and residents are typically prescribed a standardized curriculum. Learners who have difficultly meeting requirements of this curriculum often require extra attention and an individualized program of remediation. Outstanding medical learners, on the other hand, are rarely given an individualized learning program, even if they can easily master the standardized curriculum. These learners are likely to belong to a group that educators call "gifted adults." No literature on this group of medical learners currently exists, and no research has been conducted on them. This article is designed to begin a dialog on the best approach to educating outstanding medical learners using the framework of the gifted adult. Gifted adults possess a unique set of characteristics and have needs that set them apart from the majority of medical learners. There are also well-described pitfalls that these learners encounter. Gifted adults can best exercise their talents and maximize their potential when they receive an individualized educational approach that focuses on providing intellectual challenges with permission to explore interest areas. Research, publishing, teaching opportunities, and leadership roles are some examples of ways to challenge these learners. They should be strongly encouraged to extensively pursue individual interests. Effort should be made to ensure that these learners have contact with peers and mentors of equal intellectual abilities. Gifted adults who are not intellectually stimulated on a routine basis and are not able to interact with other talented individuals may get bored and frustrated with their education. Medical educators who understand the characteristics and drives of gifted adults will be better able to ensure that these learners are regularly challenged, with needed assistance to avoid common pitfalls.

Adult↗