Flipping the Training in Health Professions Education

Background: To study the flipping  or inverted method of teaching in health professionals involved in medical education  Method: A cross sectional study was conducted to collect data about perception of faculty regarding flipped method as a faculty training method. Convenient method of sampling was done to collect data from 31 participants. Specific objective for this purpose was to determine if there was a significant difference from the normal in perception of faculty trained by flipping the classroom? We hypothesized that there will be a significant difference in perception of faculty trained in a flipped classroom as compared to normal. The average score on the questionnaire was taken as a reference for normal. Results: The results of the study were statistically significant at 95% confidence interval, t (30) = 7.43, p = 0.000<0.05. Conclusion: Faculty had a positive perception about flipped method of training. This method is useful and feasible for faculty trainin

Perception of Medical Students Regarding Case Based Learning

oai:supp:article/14Background: To determine perception of first yearmedical students about Case Based Learning (CBL)in a modular curriculum.Methods: In this cross sectional quantitative studyconvenient method of sampling was used to collectdata from seventy-nine participants on a reliablesurvey tool (Cronbach alpha reliability=.87). Ethicalapproval was obtained and consent for the study wastaken from study participants. The data wasanalyzed on SPSS version 22.Results: The eight questions asked in the surveyyielded a statistically significant result withFriedman’s chi square=85.84 (df=7) p=.000<0.5, forperception of students in CBL session. We acceptedthe alternate hypothesis.Conclusion: Most of the students agree that CBL isuseful. It promotes group discussions, interpersonalskills, feedback by students and teachers and helpsthem to correlate clinical data

Perceived Effectiveness of Professional Development Programs of Teachers at Higher Education Level

The major purpose of the study was to assess the perceived effectiveness of professional development programs of teachers at higher educational level.   The objectives of the study were: to assess university level teachers’ opinion about effectiveness of professional development training with reference to quality teaching, to measure university level teachers’ opinion about the effectiveness of the content  applicability in classroom settings in taught  professional development programs, to find out the effectiveness of  professional development programs in leading to tackle with students  related problems in classroom, to assess the effectiveness of  professional development in introducing innovative teaching strategies.  Data for the study was collected from teachers of Public Sector University.   Major findings of the study were that university teachers were not satisfied with the effectiveness of content of professional development programs. The respondents were not satisfied with the professional development programs with reference to classroom related problems of students; follow-up of training, innovative teaching strategies and reflective practice aspects of professional development programs.    On the basis of present study we   recommended that the content of the professional development programs may be designed to address daily classroom problems of students,    providing practical training in innovative teaching strategies, using innovative teaching strategies that are helpful in effective teaching and proper follow-up of every professional development program may be made mandatory through implementation of rules. In current era reflective practice is an important component of effective teaching. Therefore it is suggested that special programs may be design for training of university teachers in doing reflective practice. The result of the study may lead to redesigning of professional development courses of teachers. Keywords: Professional developments, university teachers, effectiveness, reflective practice, follow u

TELE ENT: A Step Forward in Providing Specialist Services in Far Remote Areas

To study the utility of tele medicinein providing ENT services to far remote areasMethods: In this descriptive study 2 hourlyweekly consultations were given by ENT consultantson every friday in Tele Medicine office. Four remoteareas were connected through strong satelliteConnectivity of 512 Kbs and 1 MB to Pindi throughvideo conferencing with real time imaging modalitywas used. The tools used to diagnose the patientswere video Otoscope to examine the ear, videoendoscope and tongue depressor for oral cavityexamination. Routine blood and urine examinationalong with required other specific tests like x-Ray,pure tune audiometry were advised accordingly,then patients were given treatment for their specificproblem and given dates for follow up visit. Somepatients were booked for surgery and given date ofadmission in our hospital. Only some patients withlaryngeal and nasal problems were asked to visit theOPD for a clearer and better diagnosis as nasal andlaryngeal examination could not be done throughvideo conferencing. Patients who were given timefor surgery got their investigations done in theirhome town and were admitted straightaway as theyarrived in our hospital. These patients werescheduled for surgery on the next list, and weresuccessfully operated and followed up postoperatively.Results: A total of 2159 patients were included inour study, two third of which were females and restmale. Majority of our patients had ear problemfollowed by throat and nasal problems 1287 of ourpatients were successfully managed conservativelythrough video conferencing. A total of 792 patientswere referred to us in Holy Family Hospital out ofwhich 661 were successfully operated and out ofthese patients 459 were followed up postoperativelythrough video conferencing. The major operationsdone were Tonsillectomy, Septoplasty, Endoscopies(direct laryngoscopies and esophagoscopies),mastoidectomies, and thyroidectomy. A fewemergency cases like foreign body nose and earremoval along with foreign body throat removal,incision of peritonsillar abscess and mastoid abscesswere also done.Conclusion: Video conferencing in ENT is aneffective tool and method of assessing and treatingENT conditions. Through Tele ENT potentialsurgical admissions can be screene

Comparison of effectiveness of 7.5% Povidone-iodine with 1% Clotrimazole ear drops and lignocaine in Otomycosis

Objectives: Our study is comparing the effectiveness of 7.5% Povidone-iodine with 1% Clotrimazole ear drops and lignocaine in the management of Otomycosis to highlight the importance of replacing conventional antifungals in routine practice. Setting: Department of ENT and Head and Neck Surgery, Holy Family Hospital, Rawalpindi, Pakistan. Study design: A prospective randomized control trial Methodology: This study was conducted for 12 months in our institute from July 2014 to June 2015. A total number of 148 patients with clinically diagnosed Otomycosis between the age group 15 to 55 years were studied. All patients with a clinical diagnosis of Otomycosis presenting with all four features of earache, itching, ear-blockage, and ear discharge in ENT OPD were included. Ear swabs were taken and sent for fungal culture. Patients were divided into A and B groups each comprising of 74 patients. Group A received 1% Clotrimazole ear drops and lignocaine and group B received 7.5% Povidone-iodine for 14 days after the results of cultures were received. At the end of 14 days, patients of both groups were compared based on the resolution of symptoms and signs. Results: At the end of 14 days, 32 out of 74 patients (43%) in group A receiving 1% Clotrimazole ear drops and lignocaine reported resolution of all symptoms, and 52 out of 74 patients(70%) showed complete resolution of all signs, while in group B,68 out of 74 patients(91%) showed complete resolution of symptoms and 69 out of 74 patients (93%) showed complete resolution of signs. Our study showed significant improvement in signs and symptoms of Otomycosis achieved by treatment with 7.5% Povidone-iodine compared to that achieved by 1% Clotrimazole ear drops and lignocaine. Conclusion: 7.5% Povidone-iodine is a more effective antifungal agent in the treatment of Otomycosis as compared to 1% Clotrimazole ear drops and lignocaine

Dexamethasone Versus Ondansetron in Preventing Postoperative Nausea and Vomiting In Laparoscopic Surgery

Objective: To compare the efficacy of dexamethasone 8mg versus ondansetron 4mg in preventing postoperative nausea and vomiting (PONV) in patients undergoing laparoscopic cholecystectomy Methodology: This quasi-experimental study was conducted at the Department of Anaesthesia and Intensive Care, Holy Family Hospital from 29th July 2018 to 28th January 2019.  Anesthesia was induced with propofol (2mg/kg IV) and Atracurium (0.5 mg/kg IV) was given to facilitate tracheal intubation. Nalbuphine (0.2mg/kg) was used as analgesic.Patients were randomly divided into two groups. Patients in Group A received 4mg ondansetron at end of surgery and Group B received 8mg dexamethasone at induction. Results: A total of 90 patients were included according to the inclusion criteria of the study. The mean age (years) in the study was 37.11+10.60 years. Frequency and percentage of nausea (up to 24 hours) among both the groups was 28 (62.2) and 28 (62.2) respectively (p-value = 1.0) while the frequency and percentage of vomiting (within 24 hours after extubation) was 28 (62.2) and 27 (60.0) respectively (p-value = 0.829) Conclusion: The study concluded that there was no significant difference dexamethasone and ondansetron in preventing postoperative nausea and vomiting

Morphological characterization of potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) germplasm under rainfed environment

In this study, 11 potato cultivars were assessed based on their genetic variability of different morphological parameters, including emergence percentage (%), date of flowering, plant height (cm), number of leaves per plant, average leaf area, number of flowers per plant, number of stems per plant, and number of fruits per plant. All of these characters showed a high level of variation among all the varieties. Locally developed advanced line SH-19 showed maximum emergence percentage (92.33%). Among other characters, Asterix, Smeengi and SH-19 produced considerable amount of flowers per plant (37.39). Romeo touched the line, indicating three stems per plant and was grouped into a separate group ‘A’. Cultivars Smeengi and Aziza, Leonardo and Avalanche carried 2.67 and 1 stem per plant respectively. Moreover, the 11 cultivars were ranked and grouped into 5 groups (A to E). For number of fruits/plant, means were not very much different from one another. The pyramid of variety Asterix was the highest, indicating that this genotype is efficient in bearing fruits. Variation was observed for tuber yield among all the cultivars and was not significantly high between replications of all varieties. Overall, there was highly significant variation for this character among all the potato cultivars. All the 11 varieties were grouped into seven homogeneous groups (A to G) in which the means are not significantly different from one another. Almost every variety was in a different group. Average yield for all the varieties ranged from 22 to 7 kg. Pyramid height for Desiree was highest, indicating that maximum yield (22 kg) was produced by this variety.Keywords: Germplasm, potato, Solanum tuberosum L. Rawalakot, Azad KashmirAfrican Journal of Biotechnology Vol. 12(21), pp. 3214-322

Antimicrobial Activity of Aloe Vera against Pathogenic Bacteria

Present study was conducted to determine the antimicrobial activity of Aloe Vera with ethanol against gram positive (Staphylococcus aureus) and gram negative (Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae and Pseudomonas aeruginosa). The Agar well diffusion method was used to test the antimicrobial activity. The result shows that maximum inhibition observed against Staphylococcus aureus and Klebsiella pneumoniae (1mm---4mm), minimum inhibition was observed against Pseudomonas aeruginosa while negligible activity observed against Escherichia coli. This is important to used Aloe Vera for cosmetic and food purpose