6 research outputs found
A National Survey of Undergraduate Clinical Education in Internal Medicine
BACKGROUND: In the present milieu of rapid innovation
in undergraduate medical education at US medical
schools, the current structure and composition of clinical
education in Internal Medicine (IM) is not clear.
OBJECTIVE: To describe the current composition of undergraduate
clinical education structure in IM.
DESIGN: National annual Clerkship Directors in Internal
Medicine (CDIM) cross-sectional survey.
PARTICIPANTS: One hundred twenty-nine clerkship
directors at all Liaison Committee on Medical Education
accredited US medical schools with CDIM membership as
of September 1, 2017.
MAIN MEASURES: IM core clerkship and post-core clerkship
structure descriptions, including duration, educational
models, inpatient experiences, ambulatory experiences,
and requirements.
KEY RESULTS: The survey response rate was 83% (107/
129). The majority of schools utilized one core IM clerkshipmodel
(67%) and continued to use a traditional block
model for a majority of their students (84%). Overall 26%
employed a Longitudinal Integrated Clerkship model and
14% employed a shared block model for some students.
The mean inpatient duration was 7.0 ± 1.7 weeks (range
3–11 weeks) and 94% of clerkships stipulated that students
spend some inpatient time on general medicine. IM-specific
ambulatory experiences were not required for
students in 65% of IM core clerkship models. Overall
75% of schools did not require an advanced IM clinical
experience after the core clerkship; however, 66% of
schools reported a high percentage of students (> 40%)
electing to take an IM sub-internship. About half of
schools (48%) did not require overnight call or night float
during the clinical IM sub-internship.
CONCLUSIONS: Although there are diverse core IM clerkship
models, the majority of IM core clerkships are still
traditional block models. The mean inpatient duration is
7 weeks and 65% of IM core clerkship models did not
require IM-specific ambulatory education
Legislation on direct-to-consumer genetic testing in seven European countries
An increasing number of private companies are now offering direct-to-consumer (DTC) genetic testing services. Although a lot of attention has been devoted to the regulatory framework of DTC genetic testing services in the USA, only limited information about the regulatory framework in Europe is available. We will report on the situation with regard to the national legislation on DTC genetic testing in seven European countries (Belgium, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Portugal, France, Germany, the United Kingdom). The paper will address whether these countries have legislation that specifically address the issue of DTC genetic testing or have relevant laws that is pertinent to the regulatory control of these services in their countries. The findings show that France, Germany, Portugal and Switzerland have specific legislation that defines that genetic tests can only be carried out by a medical doctor after the provision of sufficient information concerning the nature, meaning and consequences of the genetic test and after the consent of the person concerned. In the Netherlands, some DTC genetic tests could fall under legislation that provides the Minister the right to refuse to provide a license to operate if a test is scientifically unsound, not in accordance with the professional medical practice standards or if the expected benefit is not in balance with the (potential) health risks. Belgium and the United Kingdom allow the provision of DTC genetic tests