A study to assess the knowledge of female medical students on polycystic ovary syndrome in NRI Institute of Medical Sciences

Background: Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a hyperandrogenic disorder with an approximate prevalence of 15% to 20%; despite being a common disease in women, an estimated 68% of the total cases remain undiagnosed. Long-term consequences of PCOS on psychological health have been underestimated and disregarded. Even though the disorder has a wide spectrum of symptoms affecting a female's life from early teenage to later in life, it is not given as much importance as other chronic diseases like diabetes mellitus, hypertension, or a thyroid disorder. The need to address this syndrome both as a burden to the healthcare system, as well as on an individual basis right now, is of paramount importance. Previous studies have found that there was a gap in the knowledge of medical students about PCOS and its symptoms and signs, and that lifestyle preferences may predispose to PCOS. Delay in the diagnosis of PCOS may lead to metabolic and reproductive abnormalities associated with it. This study was mainly aimed at assessing the knowledge of female medical students on PCOS in NRIIMS, Sangivalasa.Methods: This was an online questionnaire based cross sectional study conducted on 550 female medical students of NRIIMS from March 2022 to September 2022 after taking approval from the institute ethics committee. The completely filled questionnaires (500) were analysed for the results.Results: In the present study though the female medical students had good knowledge regarding the causes and risk factors associated with PCOS, their knowledge about the complications of PCOS was found to be significantly less. The main source of knowledge regarding PCOS was from the treating doctor and browsing the internet being the next source.Conclusions: Effective educational intervention can significantly increase the level of knowledge on PCOS in female medical students

A morphomertic study of dry human typical thoracic vertebral body in coastal region, Andhra Pradesh

Background: The frequent surgical interventions of the thoracic spine are more common due to a wide array of traumatic, degenerative, and neoplastic diseases. For successful surgical management of these conditions, detailed anatomical knowledge of the thoracic vertebrae is required. Previous studies in the past about morphometry of thoracic vertebrae mainly focused on pedicle diameters and their angulations. The vertebral body was not studied particularly in the coastal region, Andhra Pradesh which is the reason the present study has given importance to the morphometry of the vertebral body. Aim was to measure the various parameters of the vertebral body in typical thoracic vertebrae.Methods: 82 dry human typical thoracic vertebrae from the department of anatomy, Andhra Medical College, Visakhapatnam were studied for the various morphometric parameters.Results: The antero posterior distance of the vertebral body in typical thoracic vertebrae ranged from 14.5-27.5 mm with a mean of 21.77 mm. The vertebral body superior transverse diameter ranged from 18.1-38.7 mm with a mean of 28.22 mm. The vertebral body inferior transverse diameter ranged from 22.6-41.2 mm with a mean of 31.3 mm. The anterior height of the body ranged from 10.2-24.1 mm with a mean of 18.17 mm. The right and left lateral height of the body ranged from 9.0-24.7 mm with a mean of 18.4 mm.Conclusions: The results provide information for more accurate modelling and design of vertebral body implants and instrumentations for the Indian population

Traditional method or online teaching; which method students prefer: an observational study

Background: An unexpected global pandemic broke out in initial months of 2020 i.e., COVID-19 which drastically brought a difference in the progress of education in various institutions, especially the medical field where we study about life was also made online. This study aims to conduct a comparative analysis of students ‘opinion regarding which is the better, traditional teaching or online live teaching.Methods: Survey was conducted among two group of students, 2019 (both online and offline teaching) and 2020 (online teaching with offline practical) batches of Andhra Medical College, Visakhapatnam. A questionnaire was circulated to students regarding the class experience, interest of attending the class, learning effect and clarity of the lecture. Results: Students expressed their views that overall teaching experience and learning effect of offline methodology is superior to online approach, so the traditional offline style or the blend of online and offline modes are apt for teaching.Conclusions: The study is focused on the way in which the teaching and learning approach is delivered which is favoured by the medical practitioners, the qualitative data suggesting required modifications for further improvement in the delivering method to produce qualified medical practitioners to meet the current and imminent situations. This study suggests that a intermingled learning approach is an effective method for anatomy learning, and this approach mainly inculcates self-directed study through online learning