What was retained? The assessment of the training for the peer trainers' course on short and long term basis

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>In Turkey, the studies have reported that the age at which sexual intercourse and sexual activity starts has been steadily declining. There is an urgent need to increase social and health services for young people in order to provide them with a healthy life by changing their risky behaviors, avoiding unwanted pregnancies and sexually transmitted diseases (STDs). Sexual and reproductive health training particularly for adolescents warrants special attention and consideration.</p> <p>The objective of our study is to find out the short and long term effectiveness of a training course on peer education.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>The study was conducted on 237 students who participated in a 40 hour Peer Trainer Training course. We utilized two types of evaluation methods to measure the effectiveness of the training on students' knowledge and attitude. The first method consisted of administering 3 tests comprised of the same 45 questions at 3 separate time intervals. Prior to the training a pre-test was given to obtain a measurement of base knowledge, and then an immediate post-test was given to evaluate the change in the knowledge and opinion of the participants.</p> <p>Finally, 6 months later the same test was administered to measure the retention of knowledge by the students. In the second type of evaluation, the participants' assessment of the training itself was sought by asking them to complete a Short Course Evaluation Form. We utilized SPSS 12.0 for descriptive analysis, and the Wilcoxon two related sample t-test were run.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>According to the pre and immediate post-test results, the training resulted in an increase in knowledge learned by an average of 21.6% (p < 0.05). Whereas, according to the immediate post test and the late post-test which was given six month later, there was a 1.8% decrease in the knowledge and attitude of the participants (p > 0.05). Participants thought that they had fun during training, and they became aware of what they knew and what they did not know.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Peer trainers with the training methods utilized, the knowledge and counseling acquired during training sessions will be able to provide counseling to their peers on reproductive health.</p

Is the use of videotape recording superior to verbal feedback alone in the teaching of clinical skills?

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>In recent times, medical schools have committed to developing good communication and history taking skills in students. However, there remains an unresolved question as to which constitutes the best educational method. Our study aims to investigate whether the use of videotape recording is superior to verbal feedback alone in the teaching of clinical skills and the role of student self-assessment on history taking and communication skills.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>A randomized controlled trial was designed. The study was conducted with 52 of the Dokuz Eylul University Faculty of Medicine second year students. All students' performances of communication and history taking skills were assessed twice. Between these assessments, the study group had received both verbal and visual feedback by watching their video recordings on patient interview; the control group received only verbal feedback from the teacher.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Although the self-assessment of the students did not change significantly, assessors' ratings increased significantly for videotaped interviews at the second time.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Feedback based on videotaped interviews is superior to the feedback given solely based on the observation of assessors.</p

Globalization of the pharmaceutical industry and the growing dependency of developing countries: The case of Turkey

In developing countries, the effect of globalization on the pharmaceutical sector has resulted in a decrease in exportation and domestic production, accompanied by an increase in importation of pharmaceuticals and a rise in prices and expenditures. As an example of a developing country, Turkey has been facing the long-standing and increasing pressure of global regulations placed on its pharmaceutical sector. This has led to an increasing dependency on multinational companies and a gradual deterioration of an already weakened domestic pharmaceutical sector. This case study of Turkey offers points to consider in the world of increasing globalization, as it offers lessons on ways of examining the effects of globalization on the pharmaceutical industry of developing countries

Globalization and the trends of medical technology trade in Turkey.

Medical technology trade is one of the most affected health areas by global regulations in the developing countries. The aim of the study is to examine recent changes in medical technology import and export and their results in Turkey. Data show that the total medical technology imports (MTI) increased from $34.6 million to$ 3427.9 million between 1970 and 2003. While MTI constituted 3.6% of total imports in 1970 and 1.3% in 1980, this ratio raised up to 4.9% in 2003. The ratio of MTI in total health expenditures were also increased from 7.6% in 1970 to 31.5% in 2003. Medical technology exports (MTE) have been increased from $0.9 million in 1970 to$ 303.2 million in 2003. The ratio of MTE to MTI increased from 2.7% to 13.9% between 1970 and 1990 and decreased after 1990, to 8.8%. Our study implied that the medical technology trade in Turkey has been negatively affected and in some respects differs from some other important industries in the globalization era. Nevertheless, detailed comparative studies in different developing countries such as China, Brazil, Mexico and India, are needed to explore the real state of medical technology trade, use and the effects of globalization on these topics. (c) 2006 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved

Use of Portfolios in Undergraduate Medical Training: First Meeting With a Patient

Objectives: Portfolios, as learning tools, are becoming increasingly important in medical education. Our aim was to evaluate the contents of portfolios used in medical education

Medical Students Visits to a Nursing Home: What Does it Add to Quality of Life?

Objective: Aging is a natural process with physical and physiological changes beginning at birth leading to limitations in daily living activities as time passes. For elderly, these limitations have great impact on their quality of life. Our aim was to determine the general characteristics and health status of elderly living in a state resting and nursing home and the effect of the visits of medical students to their quality of life. Material and Methods: A randomized controlled trial was planned; a questionnaire including sociodemographic characteristics, health status, and SF-36 quality of life questions were applied to 18 people allocated to study and 36 individuals in control group who had no disability to complete the interview. The study group was visited by third year medical students in every 15 clays for five times. During visits the students listened to their problems and talked about daily life. At the end of fourth month SF-36 was reapplied to all participants. SPSS 11.0 for Windows was used for data analysis including Chi-square (chi(2)) test or Fisher's exact test and Mann-Whitney U. Results: Cases and controls had no differences for SF-36 subscales at the beginning, but at the end of the study, there were statistically significant differences between group for physical functioning (p=0.040), general health (p=0.002), vitality (p=0.000), role-emotional (p=0.000), and mental health (p=0.010). Conclusions: Although they were not relatives or friends, medical students' regular visits to elderly living in nursing home increased their scores of quality of life

Direct-to-consumer advertising of pharmaceuticals: developed countries experiences and Turkey

While several major problems concerning drugs occur in the world, the attempts to direct-to-consumer advertising (DTCA) has gained a considerable impetus lately in both developed and developing countries. DTCA has increasingly become an appealing advertising alternative for the pharmaceutical industry as drug companies have come to wrestle with such problems as the expansion of the drug market; the decline of the medical representatives' work efficiency; drug reimbursement restrictions; and the escalating role of the Internet in the consumer market. Some of the main disadvantages of the DTCA are: increasing drug expenditures, unnecessary drug consumption and adverse effect risks. Even though the influence of pharmaceuticals on health services and the economy hold the same importance in the developed and developing countries, its negative consequences have increased by encompassing developing countries in its grip. Therefore, in this review, using Turkey as an example, the situation of direct-to-consumer advertisements in developing countries is analysed in relation with developed countries

Medical Students Visits to a Nursing Home: What Does it Add to Quality of Life?

Objective: Aging is a natural process with physical and physiological changes beginning at birth leading to limitations in daily living activities as time passes. For elderly, these limitations have great impact on their quality of life. Our aim was to determine the general characteristics and health status of elderly living in a state resting and nursing home and the effect of the visits of medical students to their quality of life. Material and Methods: A randomized controlled trial was planned; a questionnaire including sociodemographic characteristics, health status, and SF-36 quality of life questions were applied to 18 people allocated to study and 36 individuals in control group who had no disability to complete the interview. The study group was visited by third year medical students in every 15 clays for five times. During visits the students listened to their problems and talked about daily life. At the end of fourth month SF-36 was reapplied to all participants. SPSS 11.0 for Windows was used for data analysis including Chi-square (chi(2)) test or Fisher's exact test and Mann-Whitney U. Results: Cases and controls had no differences for SF-36 subscales at the beginning, but at the end of the study, there were statistically significant differences between group for physical functioning (p=0.040), general health (p=0.002), vitality (p=0.000), role-emotional (p=0.000), and mental health (p=0.010). Conclusions: Although they were not relatives or friends, medical students' regular visits to elderly living in nursing home increased their scores of quality of life

The effect of physical activity and body mass index on menopausal symptoms in Turkish women: a cross-sectional study in primary care

Background: Considering the fact that, due to recent evidence, many women no longer prefer hormone replacement therapy, it is especially important to develop intervention options to alleviate menopausal symptoms. Although there is conflicting evidence concerning effectiveness, there is an indication that physical activity and weight control may be useful for alleviating symptoms. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of physical activity and body mass index on menopausal symptoms among menopausal women in Turkey

Evaluation of functional constipation frequency and related factors

Background/Introduction The aim of this study is to determine the prevalence of functional constipation (FC) in Izmir using ROME IV criteria, as well as to investigate the relationship of FC with various factors, particularly obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and personality traits. Methods This study was designed as cross-sectional analytical research. The participants were those aged 18 and over who applied to Family Health Centers (FHC). Participants were randomly selected from 11 FHC. Data were collected via a face-to-face interview, a questionnaire designed by the researcher using ROME IV criteria, the OCD module in the Mini-International Neuropsychiatric Interview, and the Ten-Item Personality Inventory. Results The study included 990 participants, 502 (50.7%) women and 488 (49.3%) men. According to the ROME IV criteria, 7% (n = 69) of the participants in our study had FC. OCD was found to be present in 13% of the cases. This rate was found to be significantly higher (P = 0.003). The emotional stability scores of FC patients were found to be significantly lower (P = 0.038). Conclusions FC is a common gastrointestinal system complaint in primary care and emphasizes the importance of the diagnostic approach, particularly in patients presenting with constipation due to treatment differences. Individuals with FC diagnoses had a significantly higher incidence of OCD, and their emotional stability levels were significantly lower. It should be noted that psychiatric diseases and personality traits may also play a role in this situation in individuals diagnosed with FC