Assessment of an undergraduate psychiatry course in an African setting

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>International reports recommend the improvement in the amount and quality of training for mental health workers in low and middle income countries. The Scotland-Malawi Mental Health Education Project (SMMHEP) has been established to support the teaching of psychiatry to medical students in the University of Malawi. While anecdotally supportive medical educational initiatives appear of value, little quantitative evidence exists to demonstrate whether such initiatives can deliver comparable educational standards. This study aimed to assess the effectiveness of an undergraduate psychiatry course given by UK psychiatrists in Malawi by studying University of Malawi and Edinburgh University medical students' performance on an MCQ examination paper.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>An undergraduate psychiatry course followed by an MCQ exam was delivered by the SMMHEP to 57 Malawi medical students. This same MCQ exam was given to 71 Edinburgh University medical students who subsequently sat their own Edinburgh University examination.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>There were no significant differences between Edinburgh students' performance on the Malawi exam and their own Edinburgh University exam. (p = 0.65). This would suggest that the Malawi exam is a comparable standard to the Edinburgh exam. Malawi students marks ranged from 52.4%–84.6%. Importantly 84.4% of Malawi students scored above 60% on their exam which would equate to a hypothetical pass by UK university standards.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>The support of an undergraduate course in an African setting by high income country specialists can attain a high percentage pass rate by UK standards. Although didactic teaching has been surpassed by more novel educational methods, in resource poor countries it remains an effective and cost effective method of gaining an important educational standard.</p

Alternative uses for co-products: Harnessing the potential of valuable compounds from meat processing chains

peer-reviewedOpportunities for exploiting the inherent value of protein-rich meat processing co-products, in the context of increased global demand for protein and for sustainable processing systems, are discussed. While direct consumption maybe the most profitable route for some, this approach is influenced greatly by local and cultural traditions. A more profitable and sustainable approach may be found in recognizing this readily available and under-utilised resource can provide high value components, such as proteins, with targeted high value functionality of relevance to a variety of sectors. Applications in food & beverages, petfood biomedical and nutrition arenas are discussed. Utilization of the raw material in its entirety is a necessary underlying principle in this approach to help maintain minimum waste generation. Understanding consumer attitudes to these products, in particular when used in food or beverage systems, is critical in optimizing commercialization strategies.This work forms part of the ReValueProtein Research Project (Grant Award No. 11/F/043) which is supported by the Irish Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM) and the Food Institutional Research Measure (FIRM) both funded by the Irish Government under the National Development Plan 2007–2013.Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marin

Is it cost-effective to increase aspirin use in outpatient settings for primary or secondary prevention? Simulation data from the REACH Registry Australian cohort.

Aims: To describe aspirin use in primary and secondary prevention and to determine the incremental costs-effectiveness ratio (ICER) per life year gain (LYG) of aspirin use among subjects with, or at high risk of atherothrombotic disease. Design and Subjects: To project the cost-effectiveness of aspirin over 5 years of follow-up, a Markov state transition model was developed with yearly cycles and the following health states: "Alive" (post-CAD) and "Dead." The model compared current coverage observed among 2361 subjects using the prospective Australian subset of Reduction of Atherothrombosis for continued Health (REACH) registry, and hypothetical situation whereby all subjects assumed to be treated. Costs were calculated based on the Australian government reimbursed data for 2010. Main outcome measures: ICER per LYG for increased use of aspirin. Results: The use of aspirin in current group varied from 67% to 70%. The base-case analysis showed that increasing aspirin use among subjects with existing CAD in outpatient settings was cost saving, while increasing use of aspirin in primary prevention equated to an ICER of AUD 7126 per LYG. Conclusion: Among subjects with existing CAD aspirin use was shown to be a dominant choice of treatment. However, among patients without existing cardiovascular disease (primary prevention), increased uptake of aspirin was cost effective but with uncertain benefit, with two hemorrhagic bleeding events occurring for every life saved. © 2011 Blackwell Publishing Ltd