The medical licensing assessment in the UK: Knowledge, attitudes and preparedness of medical schools

BackgroundFrom academic year 2024/25, medical graduates who wish to practice in the United Kingdom must pass the new Medical Licensing Assessment (MLA). This exam has been introduced to ensure a common standard of practice for all graduating doctors, and UK medical schools have a major role to play in its development and implementation and in preparing their students to pass it. This study explores knowledge, attitudes and preparedness of medical school staff with respect to the MLA.MethodsMembers of staff, who are involved with MBBS/MBChB programmes, at medical schools across the UK were invited by email to complete a 35-item anonymous online questionnaire. Four items asked about the respondent’s professional role and time in post; 10 asked about knowledge of the MLA; 20 asked about perceptions of the MLA; and a single item asked about the school’s preparedness to help its students pass the MLA.ResultsA total of 75 responses were received from 16 UK medical schools. Staff knowledge levels of the MLA were high, with an average of 67% correct answers for the 10 knowledge items, and higher scores for those whose roles directly related to assessment. Attitudes tended to be negative, particularly with regard to concerns about increased workload and inter-school competition associated with the introduction of the MLA. Positive aspects were also recognised, particularly regarding standardisation for entry into the UK medical register. Despite their misgivings, respondents were optimistic about their schools’ preparedness to help their students pass the MLA.ConclusionsUK medical schools may benefit from reinforcing positive attitudes and taking steps to mitigate the negative attitudes of staff to help ensure a smooth transition to the new licensing assessment

The medical licensing assessment in the UK: Knowledge, attitudes and preparedness of medical schools

BackgroundFrom academic year 2024/25, medical graduates who wish to practice in the United Kingdom must pass the new Medical Licensing Assessment (MLA). This exam has been introduced to ensure a common standard of practice for all graduating doctors, and UK medical schools have a major role to play in its development and implementation and in preparing their students to pass it. This study explores knowledge, attitudes and preparedness of medical school staff with respect to the MLA.MethodsMembers of staff, who are involved with MBBS/MBChB programmes, at medical schools across the UK were invited by email to complete a 35-item anonymous online questionnaire. Four items asked about the respondent’s professional role and time in post; 10 asked about knowledge of the MLA; 20 asked about perceptions of the MLA; and a single item asked about the school’s preparedness to help its students pass the MLA.ResultsA total of 75 responses were received from 16 UK medical schools. Staff knowledge levels of the MLA were high, with an average of 67% correct answers for the 10 knowledge items, and higher scores for those whose roles directly related to assessment. Attitudes tended to be negative, particularly with regard to concerns about increased workload and inter-school competition associated with the introduction of the MLA. Positive aspects were also recognised, particularly regarding standardisation for entry into the UK medical register. Despite their misgivings, respondents were optimistic about their schools’ preparedness to help their students pass the MLA.ConclusionsUK medical schools may benefit from reinforcing positive attitudes and taking steps to mitigate the negative attitudes of staff to help ensure a smooth transition to the new licensing assessment

Demographics and Epidemiology of Hepatitis B in the State of Qatar: A Five-Year Surveillance-Based Incidence Study

Background: Expatriates represent >80% of Qatar’s population, mostly arriving from countries in Africa and Asia that are endemic with many diseases. This increases the risk for introducing new pathogens into the country and provides a platform for maintenance of endemic pathogen circulation. Here, we report on the incidence and epidemiological characteristics of hepatitis B in Qatar between 2010 and 2014. Methods: We performed a retrospective epidemiological data analysis using the data available at the surveillance system of the Ministry of Public Health (MOPH) in Qatar. Data were collected from distinctive public and private incorporates around the nation. Reported cases of hepatitis B patients represent those who met the stringent case definition as per World Health Organization (WHO) and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidelines and eventually reported to MOPH. Results: The annual incidence rates of hepatitis B cases were 30.0, 34.2, 30.5, 39.4, and 19.8 per 100,000 population in 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, and 2014, respectively. There was no specific trend or seasonality for the reported cases. The incidence rates were higher in females compared to males between 2010 and 2012, but similar in 2013 and 2014. The highest incidence rates were reported among individuals between 25 and 34 years of age. No cases were reported in children younger than five years in 2013 and 2014. Rates of hepatitis B cases declined dramatically in 2014, in both Qataris and non-Qataris, as compared to the previous years. Conclusion: Our results indicate a dramatic decline of hepatitis B cases in Qatar but mandate improved surveillance and vaccination efforts in expatriates in the nation. View Full-TextMOP

Open access for operational research publications from low- and middle-income countries: who pays?

Open-access journal publications aim to ensure that new knowledge is widely disseminated and made freely accessible in a timely manner so that it can be used to improve people's health, particularly those in low- and middle-income countries. In this paper, we briefly explain the differences between closed- and open-access journals, including the evolving idea of the 'open-access spectrum'. We highlight the potential benefits of supporting open access for operational research, and discuss the conundrum and ways forward as regards who pays for open access

The mitochondrial DNA T16189C polymorphism and HIV-associated cardiomyopathy: a genotype-phenotype association study

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) T16189C polymorphism, with a homopolymeric C-tract of 10–12 cytosines, is a putative genetic risk factor for idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy in the African and British populations. We hypothesized that this variant may predispose to dilated cardiomyopathy in people who are infected with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV).</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>A case-control study of 30 HIV-positive cases with dilated cardiomyopathy and 37 HIV-positive controls without dilated cardiomyopathy was conducted. The study was confined to persons of black African ancestry to minimize confounding of results by population admixture. HIV-positive patients with an echocardiographically confirmed diagnosis of dilated cardiomyopathy and HIV-positive controls with echocardiographically normal hearts were studied. Patients with secondary causes of cardiomyopathy (such as hypertension, diabetes, pregnancy, alcoholism, valvular heart disease, and opportunistic infection) were excluded from the study. DNA samples were sequenced for the mtDNA T16189C polymorphism with a homopolymeric C-tract in the forward and reverse directions on an ABI3100 sequencer.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The cases and controls were well matched for age (median 35 years versus 34 years, P = 0.93), gender (males 60% vs 53%, P = 0.54), and stage of HIV disease (mean CD4 T cell count 260.7/μL vs. 176/μL, P = 0.21). The mtDNA T16189C variant with a homopolymeric C-tract was detected at a frequency of 26.7% (8/30) in the HIV-associated cardiomyopathy cases and 13.5% (5/37) in the HIV-positive controls. There was no significant difference between cases and controls (Odds Ratio 2.33, 95% Confidence Interval 0.67–8.06, p = 0.11).</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>The mtDNA T16189C variant with a homopolymeric C-tract is not associated with dilated cardiomyopathy in black African people infected with HIV.</p

Excision of sympathetic ganglia and the rami communicantes with histological confirmation offers better early and late outcomes in Video assisted thoracoscopic sympathectomy

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Video-Assisted Thoracoscopic Sympathectomy (VATS) is an established minimally invasive procedure for thoracic sympathetic blockade in patients with hyperhidrosis, facial flushing and intractable angina. Various techniques using clips, diathermy and excision are used to perform sympathectomy. We present our technique of excision of the sympathetic chain with histological proof and the analysis of the early and late outcomes.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>We evaluated 200 procedures in 100 consecutive patients, who underwent Video Assisted Thoracoscopic Sympathectomy by a single surgeon in our centre between September 1996 to March 2007. All patients had maximum medical therapy prior to surgery and were divided into 3 groups based on indications, Group 1(hyperhidrosis: 48 patients), Group 2 (facial flushing: 26 patients) and Group 3(intractable angina: 26 patients). The demography and severity of symptoms for each group were analysed. The endpoints were success rate, 30 day mortality, complications and patient's satisfaction.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>99 patients had bilateral VATS sympathectomy and 1 had unilateral sympathectomy. The conversion rate to open was 1(1%). All patients had successful removal of ganglia proven histologically with no perioperative mortality in our series. The complications included pneumothorax (5%), acute coronary syndrome (2%), transient Horner's syndrome (1%), transient paraesthesia (1%), wound infection (4%), compensatory hyperhidrosis (18%), residual flushing (3%) and wound pain (5%). There were five late deaths in the intractable angina group at a mean follow up of 36.7 months. Overall success rates of abolishing the symptoms were 96.3%, 87.5% and 95.2% for Group 1, 2 and 3 respectively.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Excision of the sympathetic chain with histological confirmation during VATS sympathectomy is a safe and effective method in treating hyperhidrosis, facial flushing and intractable angina with good long term results and satisfaction.</p

Utilisation of an operative difficulty grading scale for laparoscopic cholecystectomy

Background A reliable system for grading operative difficulty of laparoscopic cholecystectomy would standardise description of findings and reporting of outcomes. The aim of this study was to validate a difficulty grading system (Nassar scale), testing its applicability and consistency in two large prospective datasets. Methods Patient and disease-related variables and 30-day outcomes were identified in two prospective cholecystectomy databases: the multi-centre prospective cohort of 8820 patients from the recent CholeS Study and the single-surgeon series containing 4089 patients. Operative data and patient outcomes were correlated with Nassar operative difficultly scale, using Kendall’s tau for dichotomous variables, or Jonckheere–Terpstra tests for continuous variables. A ROC curve analysis was performed, to quantify the predictive accuracy of the scale for each outcome, with continuous outcomes dichotomised, prior to analysis. Results A higher operative difficulty grade was consistently associated with worse outcomes for the patients in both the reference and CholeS cohorts. The median length of stay increased from 0 to 4 days, and the 30-day complication rate from 7.6 to 24.4% as the difficulty grade increased from 1 to 4/5 (both p < 0.001). In the CholeS cohort, a higher difficulty grade was found to be most strongly associated with conversion to open and 30-day mortality (AUROC = 0.903, 0.822, respectively). On multivariable analysis, the Nassar operative difficultly scale was found to be a significant independent predictor of operative duration, conversion to open surgery, 30-day complications and 30-day reintervention (all p < 0.001). Conclusion We have shown that an operative difficulty scale can standardise the description of operative findings by multiple grades of surgeons to facilitate audit, training assessment and research. It provides a tool for reporting operative findings, disease severity and technical difficulty and can be utilised in future research to reliably compare outcomes according to case mix and intra-operative difficulty

COVID-19 Vaccine Safety Monitoring Studies in Low- and Middle-Income Countries (LMICs)-A Systematic Review of Study Designs and Methods

BACKGROUND: Post-marketing vaccine safety surveillance aims to monitor and quantify adverse events following immunization in a population, but little is known about their implementation in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). We aimed to synthesize methodological approaches used to assess adverse events following COVID-19 vaccination in LMICs. METHODS: For this systematic review, we searched articles published from 1 December 2019 to 18 February 2022 in main databases, including MEDLINE and Embase. We included all peer-reviewed observational COVID-19 vaccine safety monitoring studies. We excluded randomized controlled trials and case reports. We extracted data using a standardized extraction form. Two authors assessed study quality using the modified Newcastle-Ottawa Quality Assessment Scale. All findings were summarized narratively using frequency tables and figures. RESULTS: Our search found 4254 studies, of which 58 were eligible for analysis. Many of the studies included in this review were conducted in middle-income countries, with 26 studies (45%) in lower-middle-income and 28 (48%) in upper-middle-income countries. More specifically, 14 studies were conducted in the Middle East region, 16 in South Asia, 8 in Latin America, 8 in Europe and Central Asia, and 4 in Africa. Only 3% scored 7-8 points (good quality) on the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale methodological quality assessment, while 10% got 5-6 points (medium). About 15 studies (25.9%) used a cohort study design and the rest were cross-sectional. In half of them (50%), vaccination data were gathered from the participants' self-reporting methods. Seventeen studies (29.3%) used multivariable binary logistic regression and three (5.2%) used survival analyses. Only 12 studies (20.7%) performed model diagnostics and validity checks (e.g., the goodness of fit, identification of outliers, and co-linearity). CONCLUSIONS: Published studies on COVID-19 vaccine safety surveillance in LMICs are limited in number and the methods used do not often address potential confounders. Active surveillance of vaccines in LMICs are needed to advocate vaccination programs. Implementing training programs in pharmacoepidemiology in LMICs is essential