Rural health and human rights - summary of a submission to the truth and reconciliation commission health sector hearings, 17 June 1997

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Fit for purpose? The appropriate education of health professionals in South Africa

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Do South African medical students of rural origin return to rural practice?

OBJECTIVES: To investigate the career choices of medical graduates of rural origin in the South African context, and to determine what proportion of rural-origin graduates are currently practising in a rural area. DESIGN: This is a retrospective descriptive study. Doctors' addresses at the time of graduation were compared with their current addresses in terms of rural/urban classification, and a questionnaire survey was done. SUBJECTS: Sample A consisted of a cohort of doctors who graduated in 1991 and 1992. Sample B consisted of the 1994-1996 graduates of two medical schools. OUTCOME MEASURES: Percentage of rural-origin graduates in rural practice. RESULTS: In sample A 14.4% were rural-origin students. When comparing addresses, it was found that 38.4% of rural-origin graduates are currently practising in rural areas, compared with 12.4% of urban-origin graduates (p < 0.001). The questionnaire data showed that 45.9% of the rural-origin respondents are in rural practice, compared with 13.3% of the urban-origin respondents (p = 0.001). In sample B, 41.61% of the rural-origin graduates are in rural practice compared with 5.08% of urban-origin graduates (p < 0.001). CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS: The findings suggest that the South African situation is similar to that in other countries, with rural-origin medical students more likely to choose rural careers than urban-origin students. Rural-origin graduates are also more likely to choose general practice. It is recommended that the selection criteria of the medical faculties be reviewed with regard to rural origin, and that the career aspirations of applicants to medical school be taken into account in selection, particularly with regard to primary care or general practice

Great Bay Coast Watch: A Citizen Water Monitoring Program Volunteer Water Quality Monitoring Manual, 2004

The Great Bay Coast Watch is citizen volunteers, working within the UNH Cooperative Extension/NH Sea Grant Program, protecting the long-term health and natural resources of New Hampshire’s coastal waters and estuarine systems through monitoring and education projects. The purpose of this document is to present step-by-step instructions for conducting water quality testing in support of the Great Bay Coast Watch (GBCW)

Gender differences in ADHD adults during clinical trials with atomoxetine

posterIntroduction: Patients with ADHD exhibit several consistent gender differences, a male preponderance and more males with externalizing disorders (conduct and oppositional defiant disorder). Objective: To examine gender differences in a very large clinical trial of adults with ADHD. Methods: Data from two identical placebo-controlled studies of atomoxetine in adult ADHD using 535 subjects at 31 sites were combined1. The studies lasted 8 weeks and both showed positive medication-placebo differences. Most current Axis-I diagnoses were exclusionary criteria. Results: The male/female ratio of this self-referred population was 2.4:1, lower than in child studies2. In contrast to a predominance of an inattentive ADHD diagnosis subtype in female children, these adult females were more frequently combined type versus the males. Females were rated as more impaired on every measure of ADHD symptoms including total CAARS-INV, total WRAADDS3, and subscales of both measures. Females were rated as having more emotional symptoms on the WRAADDS emotional dimension, lifetime SCID-P psychiatric diagnoses, HAM-A, and HAM-D. Females exhibited significantly greater improvement on the WRAADDS emotional dimension but not on similar items in the Psychological Well-Being Scale. There were no significant gender by treatment effects in the CAARS-INV or CGI-S scores. Conclusion: These females with ADHD displayed significantly greater ADHD symptoms and emotional impairment on multiple measures. On the WRAADDS emotional dimension they responded better to treatment, than their male counterparts. Past research shows that ADHD is much more common in males particularly in pediatric samples. Children exhibit few gender differences on a consistent basis except in the area of associated symptoms. The present study addresses whether ADHD adults displayed gender differences at screening or in treatment response using data from the largest studies ever conducted in ADHD adults