Physicians and medical education

Article Abstract:

Modern medical education, unlike education in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, focuses on the acquisition of a large number of facts. The importance of contact with patients and their families is downplayed as is the value of interpersonal skills. Nor are students encouraged to hone their analytic abilities; rather, they spend their time committing to memory scientifically derived wisdom. However, in order to make the best use of modern scientific knowledge, physicians need to be able to communicate with their patients and approach clinical problems analytically. Medical education needs to change, and it can change. At present, students are not prepared to pursue the independent practice of medicine when they graduate. It is assumed that they will undergo further training, yet nowhere in the curriculum have interpersonal skills or critical thinking been stressed. Medical school faculty members are usually researchers first, clinicians second, and their clinical duties are often interrupted by the demands of teaching and research. As patient care shifts more and more from the inpatient to the ambulatory setting, students lose more opportunities to observe patients over a longer time and to discuss their impressions with faculty. The author argues in favor of giving practicing physicians a larger role in medical education. This could lead to a more balanced emphasis on education, research, and teaching the humane practice of medicine. Community physicians can serve as models in ''typical'' settings where medicine is practiced. Such involvement would require that medical faculty members change their perceptions of what constitutes optimal education, and that practicing physicians be recruited for the new role. The experience of the University of Texas Medical School at Galveston is cited as an example of the ways faculty perceptions can change. This medical school, however, has not been innovative in recruiting physicians into the program. Some ways such participation could be encouraged are discussed. Involvement of practicing physicians entails a certain level of challenge, but the opportunity exists for humanizing the current medical school curriculum. (Consumer Summary produced by Reliance Medical Information, Inc.)

Medical care, Medical students, Education, Physicians, Medical professions, Curricula, Study and teaching, Medical colleges, Medical schools, editorial

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Critical care medicine

Article Abstract:

Proper attention to infection control procedures can reduce the incidence of infections acquired in the intensive care unit. These infections are often acquired from the hospital staff and can double the risk of death in ICU patients. Drug trials for septic shock have been disappointing because physicians believed a single cause was responsible. In reality, patients may alternate between pro-inflammatory and anti-inflammatory states. Noninvasive ventilation using a face mask may be a safe and effective method for treating acute respiratory failure.

Health aspects, Research, Nosocomial infections, Cross infection, Critical care medicine

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