Professionalism in residents of physical medicine and rehabilitation in Iran

Professionalism is the foundation of trust on which the doctor-patient relationship is built. This study was performed to measure professionalism in Iranian physical medicine and rehabilitation residents as a baseline assessment tool for future studies. This was a descriptive study. The Persian version of the American Board of Internal Medicine (ABIM) questionnaire was distributed among all the second and third-year residents of the medical state universities of Iran (n=43). Data were summarized as mean (SD), and independent samples t-test was used for comparison of means between genders, and also between the second and third-year residents. Forty questionnaires were analyzed. The mean (± SD) age of respondents was 29.95 (± 2.37) years. The mean score (SD) for the overall score was 115.15 (± 17.36) out of 150, and the mean score (± SD) for all items was 7.67 (± 1.15) out of 10. The respondents averaged 5.88 (± 1.69) for items forming the �excellence� factor, 7.98 (± 1.48) for items in �altruism/respect� and 8.92 (± 1.26) for items in the �honor/integrity� subscale. These data may serve as a baseline for future research in this field. The lowest score pertained to excellence, which needs more focus in future studies. © 2015 Tannaz Ahadi et al.; licensee Tehran Univ. Med. Sci

Comparison between Effectiveness of Ultrasound-Guided Corticosteroid Injection above Versus below the Median Nerve in Mild to Moderate Carpal Tunnel Syndrome: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Objective In this study, the clinical effectiveness of ultrasound-guided corticosteroid injection "above" versus "below" the median nerve for treatment of patients with mild to moderate carpal tunnel syndrome was compared. Design This prospective randomized double-blind clinical trial included 44 patients with mild to moderate carpal tunnel syndrome. The subjects were randomly assigned to two groups to receive ultrasound-guided injection of 40 mg of triamcinolone either "above" or "below" the involved median nerve. Outcome measures were the Boston Carpal Tunnel Questionnaire, visual analog scale, electrophysiological tests, and ultrasonographic measurement of the median nerve cross-sectional area at baseline, 6, and 12 wks after the injection. Results All outcome measures improved significantly in both groups at 6 wks after intervention, and these improvements were persevered up to 12 wks of follow-up (all P values <0.05). However, there was no significant difference in measured outcomes between the two groups. No adverse effects were observed. Conclusions Both above and under median nerve ultrasound-guided steroid injection techniques were effective in reducing the symptoms, improving the function, and improving electrodiagnostic and sonographic findings of carpal tunnel syndrome. However, the amount of improvement in the outcomes did not differ between groups, implying that none of technique has the superiority over another. © 2018 Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. All rights reserved

Comparison between Effectiveness of Ultrasound-Guided Corticosteroid Injection above Versus below the Median Nerve in Mild to Moderate Carpal Tunnel Syndrome: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Objective In this study, the clinical effectiveness of ultrasound-guided corticosteroid injection "above" versus "below" the median nerve for treatment of patients with mild to moderate carpal tunnel syndrome was compared. Design This prospective randomized double-blind clinical trial included 44 patients with mild to moderate carpal tunnel syndrome. The subjects were randomly assigned to two groups to receive ultrasound-guided injection of 40 mg of triamcinolone either "above" or "below" the involved median nerve. Outcome measures were the Boston Carpal Tunnel Questionnaire, visual analog scale, electrophysiological tests, and ultrasonographic measurement of the median nerve cross-sectional area at baseline, 6, and 12 wks after the injection. Results All outcome measures improved significantly in both groups at 6 wks after intervention, and these improvements were persevered up to 12 wks of follow-up (all P values <0.05). However, there was no significant difference in measured outcomes between the two groups. No adverse effects were observed. Conclusions Both above and under median nerve ultrasound-guided steroid injection techniques were effective in reducing the symptoms, improving the function, and improving electrodiagnostic and sonographic findings of carpal tunnel syndrome. However, the amount of improvement in the outcomes did not differ between groups, implying that none of technique has the superiority over another. © 2018 Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. All rights reserved