Extending the concept of the ALPS CETL competency mapping and interprofessional assessments processes to enhance student learning and employability skills beyond Health and Social Care

This paper discusses how the development of the ALPS common competency maps for communication, teamwork and ethical practice has led to the adoption of this process by other Faculties and how associated interprofessional assessment and e portfolios have been accepted by practice educators and institution

Medical graduates’ early career choices of specialty and their eventual specialty destinations: UK prospective cohort studies

Objective To report on doctors’ early choices of specialty at selected intervals after qualification, and eventual career destinations

ORTHOSES CONTROL OF FRONTAL AND SAGITTAL PLANE MOTION IN THE INJURED AND UNINJURED LEGS OF SUBJECTS WITH CHRONIC ACHILLES TENDON INJURY DURING RUNNING

This study is part of a larger study examining the effectiveness of orthoses in relieving symptoms of injury. Nine subjects with unilateral chronic Achilles tendon injury ran on a treadmill under three conditions: barefoot, with orthoses and without orthoses. Threedimensional rearfoot and lower leg kinematic data was obtained using eight ProReflex Qualisys MCU240 cameras operating at 200 Hz. An SPSS repeated measures ANOVA was used to examine differences between injured and uninjured legs. Results indicated considerable between SUbject variation even in this carefUlly controlled SUbject group. Orthoses restored the injured leg to a more neutral frontal plane position at heel strike and decreased sagittal plane maximum and ROM angles by more than 2° compared to the no orthoses condition. There was a significant leg'condition interaction effect for Achilles tendon angle at heel strike (p =0.003) illustrating different effects of conditions for both legs

Early career choices and successful career progression in surgery in the UK: prospective cohort studies

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Changes to the structure of medical training worldwide require doctors to decide on their career specialty at an increasingly early stage after graduation. We studied trends in career choices for surgery, and the eventual career destinations, of UK graduates who declared an early preference for surgery.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Postal questionnaires were sent, at regular time intervals after qualification, to all medical qualifiers from all UK medical schools in selected qualification years between 1974 and 2005. They were sent in the first year after qualification, at year three and five years after qualification, and at longer time intervals thereafter.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Responses were received from 27 749 of 38 280 doctors (73%) at year one, 23 468 of 33151 (71%) at year three, and 17 689 of 24 870 (71%) at year five. Early career preferences showed that surgery has become more popular over the past two decades. Looking forward from early career choice, 60% of respondents (64% of men, 48% of women) with a first preference for a surgical specialty at year one eventually worked in surgery (p < 0.001 for the male-female comparison). Looking backward from eventual career destinations, 90% of responders working in surgery had originally specified a first choice for a surgical specialty at year one. 'Match' rates between eventual destinations and early choices were much higher for surgery than for other specialties. Considering factors that influenced early specialty choice 'a great deal', comparing aspiring surgeons and aspiring general practitioners (GPs), a significantly higher percentage who chose surgery than general practice specified enthusiasm for the specialty (73% vs. 53%), a particular teacher or department (34% vs. 12%), inclinations before medical school (20% vs. 11%), and future financial prospects (24% vs. 13%); and a lower percentage specified that hours and working conditions had influenced their choice (21% vs. 71%). Women choosing surgery were influenced less than men by their inclinations before medical school or by their future financial prospects.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Surgery is a popular specialty choice in the UK. The great majority of doctors who progressed in a surgical career made an early and definitive decision to do so.</p

Health impacts of flooding in Lewes: a comparison of reported gastrointestinal and other illness and mental health in flooded and non-flooded households

Severe flooding may become more frequent due to global warming. A historical cohort study was conducted by telephone interview for new episodes of illness in all age groups, and for psychological distress in adults, following severe river flooding on 12 October 2000 in the town of Lewes in Southern England. Two hundred and twenty-seven residents of 103 flooded households and 240 residents of 104 non-flooded households in the same postal district were recruited by random selection of addresses from a post flooding survey and a commercial database respectively. Having been flooded was associated with earache (RR 2.2 [1.1,4.1] p = 0.02), and a significant increase in risk of gastroenteritis with depth of flooding (RR 1.7 [0.9,3.0] p = 0.09, p for trend by flood depth = 0.04). Adults had a four-times higher risk of psychological distress defined as a score of > 4 in response to the 12- item General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12) (RR 4.1 [2.6, 6.4] p < 0.0005, p for trend by flood depth = 0.01). Associations between flooding and new episodes of physical illness in adults diminished after adjustment for psychological distress. Flooding remained highly significantly associated with psychological distress after adjustment for physical illnesses. Psychological distress may explain some of the excess physical illness reported by flooded adults and possibly by children as well. Policies to promote population resilience to flooding where flood prevention has failed must include practical support for flood victims and provision of appropriate psychological support. Associations with physical illnesses affirm the need for advice and assistance with individual, household and environmental hygiene and access to medical services

Development and evaluation of prefabricated antipronation foot orthosis

Our aim was to develop and evaluate a new antipronation foot orthosis that addressed problems perceived by clinicians and users with existing foot orthoses. Clinicians and users were engaged to develop a user specification for the orthosis, and orthotic geometry and materials were developed using clinical reasoning. The orthotic material properties were tested and the ability of the orthosis to reduce foot pronation evaluated on 27 individuals. Clinicians expressed concern that current prefabricated orthoses often did not offer sufficient support to the foot because of a combination of the shape and materials used, and users concurred but also highlighted issues of durability and hygiene. The geometry of the new orthosis was, therefore, adjusted to enable individual foot size orthoses to be produced. A material was selected that was harder and more durable than materials used in many prefabricated orthoses. When the new orthosis was being worn, maximum rearfoot eversion was reduced in both walking (mean reduction 3.8 degrees, p < 0.001) and running (mean reduction 2.5 degrees, p < 0.001). Through a structured process, orthotic design decisions were made that addressed the specific concerns of clinicians and users and the new orthosis was proven to reduce rearfoot pronation