Posts Tagged ‘problem’
Healthcare Costs a Problem? Visit a Community Health Center or Free Clinic
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Community Health Centers
Community health centers that are regulated by the federal government can be found in many parts of the country. These clinics provide care to people without health insurance and have sliding fee scales based on income. Many of these clinics have pharmacies on site or have contracts with community pharmacies.
Find a health center in your community.
Free Clinics
Free clinics are community clinics that provide health care for free or very little cost to uninsured people. These clinics help their patients get low cost or free medications. Some free clinics have pharmacies on site or have arrangements with local pharmacies, and some rely on samples and pharmaceutical company patient assistance programs.
Find a free clinic in your community.
Healthcare Costs a Problem? Visit a Community Health Center or Free Clinic originally appeared on About.com Drugs on Tuesday, February 3rd, 2009 at 08:04:30.
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Job requirements compared to medical school education: differences between graduates from problem-based learning and conventional curricula
Background:Problem-based Learning (PBL) has been suggested as a key educational method of knowledge acquisition to improve medical education. We sought to evaluate the differences in medical school education between graduates from PBL-based and conventional curricula and to what extent these curricula fit job requirements.Methods:Graduates from all German medical schools who graduated between 1996 and 2002 were eligible for this study. Graduates self-assessed nine competencies as required at their day-to-day work and as taught in medical school on a 6-point Likert scale. Results were compared between graduates from a PBL-based curriculum (University Witten/Herdecke) and conventional curricula.Results:Three schools were excluded because of low response rates. Baseline demographics between graduates of the PBL-based curriculum (n=101, 49% female) and the conventional curricula (n=4720, 49% female) were similar. No major differences were observed regarding job requirements with priorities for “Independent learning/working” and “Practical medical skills”. All competencies were rated to be better taught in PBL-based curriculum compared to the conventional curricula (all p<0.001), except for "Medical knowledge" and "Research competence". Comparing competencies required at work and taught in medical school, PBL was associated with benefits in "Interdisciplinary thinking" (Delta +0.88), "Independent learning/working" (Delta +0.57), "Psycho-social competence" (Delta +0.56), "Teamwork" (Delta +0.39) and "Problem-solving skills" (Delta +0.36), whereas "Research competence" (Delta -1.23) and "Business competence" (Delta -1.44) in the PBL-based curriculum needed improvement.Conclusion:Among medical graduates in Germany, PBL demonstrated benefits with regard to competencies which were highly required in the job of physicians. Research and business competence deserve closer attention in future curricular development.
Lack Of Evidence A Problem For Policymakers, Doctors And Patients
One category of medical mysteries that stumps expert doctors and policymakers alike falls under the heading: What works? News reports on two new studies – and one that was never completed – offer insight into that issue. It turns out that “one of the first things you do at a doctor’s visit” may not do much to improve your health, the Chicago Tribune reports.
A descriptive study of medical educators’ views of problem-based learning
Background:
There is a growing amount of literature on the benefits and drawbacks of Problem-Based Learning (PBL) compared to conventional curricula. However, it seems that PBL research studies do not provide information rigorously and formally that can contribute to making evidence-based medical education decisions. The authors performed an investigation aimed at medical education scholars around the question, “What are the views of medical educators concerning the PBL approach?”
Methods:
After framing the question, the method of data collection relied on asking medical educators to report their views on PBL. Two methods were used for collecting data: the questionnaire survey and an online discussion forum.
Results:
The descriptive analysis of the study showed that many participants value the PBL approach in the practice and training of doctors. However, some participants hold contrasting views upon the importance of the PBL approach in basic medical education. For example, more than a third of participants (38.5%) had a neutral stance on PBL as a student-oriented educational approach. The same proportion of participants also had a neutral view of the efficiency of traditional learning compared to a PBL tutorial. The open-ended question explored the importance of faculty development in PBL. A few participants had negative perceptions of the epistemological assumptions of PBL. Two themes emerged from the analysis of the forum repliers: the importance of the faculty role and self-managed education.
Conclusions:
Whilst many participants valued the importance of the PBL approach in the practice and training of doctors and agreed with most of the conventional descriptions of PBL, some participants held contrasting views on the importance of the PBL approach in undergraduate medical education. However there was a strong view concerning the importance of facilitator training. More research is needed to understand the process of PBL better.
GAO Finds That A Federal Program Is Missing Problem Nursing Homes
The Associated Press reports: Federal investigators report that a government-run program designed to bring “extra scrutiny to poorly performing nursing homes” is missing “hundreds of troubled facilities” that could qualify the closer look.
A comparison of course-related stressors in undergraduate problem-based learning (PBL) versus non-PBL medical programmes
Background:Medical students report high levels of stress related to their medical training as well as to other personal and financial factors. The aim of this study is to investigate whether there are differences in course-related stressors reported by medical students on undergraduate problem-based learning (PBL) and non-PBL programmes in the UK.MethodA cross-sectional study of second-year medical students in two UK medical schools (one PBL and one non-PBL programme) was conducted. A 16-question self-report questionnaire, derived from the Perceived Medical Student Stress Scale and the Higher Education Stress Inventory, was used to measure course-related stressors. Following univariate analysis of each stressor between groups, multivariate logistic regression was used to determine which stressors were the best predictors of each course type, while controlling for socio-demographic differences between the groups.Results:A total of 280 students responded. Compared to the non-PBL students (N=197), the PBL students (N=83) were significantly more likely to agree that: they did not know what the faculty expected of them (Odds Ratio (OR)=0.38, p=0.03); there were too many small group sessions facilitated only by students resulting in an unclear curriculum (OR=0.04, p<0.0001); and that there was a lack of opportunity to explore academic subjects of interest (OR=0.40, p=0.02). They were significantly more likely to disagree that: there was a lack of encouragement from teachers (OR=3.11, p=0.02); and that the medical course fostered a sense of anonymity and feelings of isolation amongst students (OR=3.42, p=0.008).Conclusions:There are significant differences in the perceived course-related stressors affecting medical students on PBL and non-PBL programmes. Course designers and student support services should therefore tailor their work to minimise, or help students cope with, the specific stressors on each course type to ensure optimum learning and wellbeing among our future doctors.
Legislation Introduced To Tackle California’s GPCI Problem, Raise Medicare Rates In Certain High-Cost Counties
U.S. Rep. Sam Farr (D-Calif.) and Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) introduced legislation sponsored by the California Medical Association to eliminate one of the biggest barriers for seniors to get access to health care – low Medicare reimbursement rates in several counties. The low rates have forced many doctors to opt out of Medicare or limit the patients they take through the program.
Students and tutors’ social representations of assessment in problem-based learning tutorials supporting change.
Background:Medical programmes that implement problem based learning (PBL) face several challenges when introducing this innovative learning method. PBL relies on small group as the foundation of study, and tutors facilitate learning by guiding the process rather than teaching the group. One of the major challenges is the use of strategies to assess students working in small groups. Self-, peer- and tutor-assessment are integral part of PBL tutorials and they’re not easy to perform, especially for non experienced students and tutors. The undergraduate PBL medical programme was introduced in 2003, and after two years the curriculum committee decided to evaluate the tutorial assessment in the new program.Methods:A random group of ten students, out of a cohort of sixty, and ten tutors (out of eighteen) were selected for semi-structured interviews. The social representations’ theory was used to explore how the students and tutors made sense of “assessment in tutorials”. The data were content analyzed using software for qualitative and quantitative processing of text according to lexicological distribution patterns.Results:Even though students and tutors are aware of the broader purpose of assessment, they felt that they were not enough trained and confident to the tutorial assessment. Assigning numbers to complex behaviors on a regular basis, as in tutorials, is counter productive to cooperative group learning and self assessment. Tutors believe that students are immature and not able to assess themselves and tutors. Students believe that good grades are closely related to good oral presentation skills and also showed a corporative attitude among themselves (protecting each other from poor grades).Conclusions:Faculty training on PBL tutorials’ assessment process and a systematic strategy to evaluate new programs is absolutely necessary to review and correct directions. It is envisaged that planners can make better-informed decisions about curricular implementation, review and reform when information of this nature is made available to them.
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