Objective To investigate the current status of higher education of allied health professions (AHPs), professional human resource as well as the career development of allied health professionals, and to provide references for the planning of higher education of AHPs in China. Methods Literature was reviewed in relation to the current status of higher education of AHPs and professional human resource in China. A questionnaire survey was conducted to determine the career development conditions of allied health professionals. Results a) Currently, the higher education of AHPs in China was faced with such problems as a limited scale, a lower structural level, and an absent degree system. b) The number of allied health professionals was small with lower qualifications. Higher-end professionals were in shortage. C) The professionals saw multiples glass ceilings over career orientation, academic advancement, and professional entitlement. Conclusion Efforts should be made to expand the scale of higher education of AHPs, elevate degree structure, and to construct a professional education system with multiple layers and categories. The professional education should be combined with the career development for planning and collaboration to provide assurance for the career development of the professional in China.
The teaching of Clinical Pharmacology plays a very important role in medical education. In this article, we introduce our exploration and practice in Clinical Pharmacology course in West China Hospital of Sichuan University, which combines Good Clinical Practice with teaching methods such as problem-based learning and case-based learning. Furthermore, we analyze the actual effects in optimizing teaching content, renewing teaching mode, and improving teachers’ teaching ability, etc. We hope this article could provide new ideas for the teaching reform of undergraduate Clinical Pharmacology course.
In West China Medical School of Sichuan University, the practice and exploration of the medical curriculum construction of "inquiry-class" teaching mode has been implemented with the support of the school since the spring semester of 2013. As a result a series of achievements have been made through the recruitment of graduate assistants to participate in auxiliary teaching in the mode of "large class teaching - small group discussion", as well as the reform of assessment methods and implementation of formative evaluation plus building effective assessment and management mechanism for curriculum.
診斷學是臨床醫學的基礎和入門，是習得臨床執業風格最重要的環節。如何在診斷學學習階段，夯實學生基本理論和技能，培養其科學縝密的臨床思維能力，是各醫學院校共同面對的課題和挑戰。互動參與式教學摒棄傳統單一的被動式、灌輸式的教學模式，強調以學生為主體，賦予學生協作性、參與性的教學訴求，加強內在激勵，激發其主觀能動性和創造力。根據診斷學不同教學模塊的課程目標、內容和知識結構，有機地將互動參與式教學法應用于診斷學教學中：問診-角色扮演，查體-示教與實踐學習，癥狀學-小講課、小組討論、床旁實踐，臨床思維-案例分析，職業素養-小組討論、角色扮演、床旁實踐、辯論演講等。策略得當地將互動參與式教學的理念、元素、方法應用于診斷學教學中，符合臨床醫學教學實踐性強的特點，遵循個體認知規律，符合外部和內在發展并重的教學效果的深層考量，具備良好的教學容量和一定的普適性，值得在臨床醫學教學中推廣運用。
Objectives To establish a course evaluation model for overseas medical students in West China Medical School of Sichuan University, to identify problems in teaching and to solve problems based on evidence so as to futher improve the quality of teaching. Methods We conducted a preliminary course evaluation to determine the limitations of our evaluation methods and to convey our intention to related stakeholders. Firstly, we identified problems in teaching according to the feedback from our students using a questionnaire. Secondly, we proposed an initial list of possible solutions to these problems based on evidence from literature searching and discussion within the Department of Teaching Affairs. We submitted the initial list to the administrative departments, teaching departments (teachers) and students to identify applicable solutions through two rounds of formal consensus. Their attitudes to this procedure of evaluation and decision-making were collected. Finally, incentives were given out by administrative departments and teaching departments to facilitate the implementation of applicable solutions. Results Teachers’ English ability and the didactic teaching methods were the most concerned problems. In addition, some semesters and courses were not well arranged and there was not enough practice time. An initial list of 14 items was submitted to teaching departments and students. They all agreed with the procedure of evaluation and decision-making. We also found that some aspects of the evaluation methods and styles need to be improved. An additional paper would report further results. Conclusion This preliminary evaluation was helpful for improving teaching and formal evaluation in the future. We need to strengthen the English language skills of younger faculty and gradually adopt a model of student-centered and enquiry-based teaching. This process of evaluation and improvement should be applied as a long-term policy and an evidence-based research group should be established to work together with our quality assurance unit.
The evaluation of student performance is an important but difficult part of the implementation of problem-based learning (PBL). This article introduces the background to the reform of evaluation in PBL, analyzes the principles of such evaluation, and gives a critical review of the methods applied in the reform of student evaluation in PBL, so as to help medical schools adopt practical and efficient evaluation methods.
In the context of collaboration between healthcare and education systems, in order to promote competency-oriented medical education reform and improve the clinical capabilities of medical students at all levels, it is urgent to enhance the organizational guarantee to establish a stable teaching team in university-affiliated hospitals. As the National Clinical Teaching and Training Demonstration Center, West China School of Medicine / West China Hospital of Sichuan University has taken the lead to explore the building of a full-time teaching team for clinical practice teaching, innovating and implementing the system of “Full-time Practice Teaching Post”. This innovative measure ensures the whole-process management, teaching, and assessment of medical students, strengthens teacher training and top-level design of teaching and research, improves the incentive mechanism for teachers, applies multiple teaching resources and novel teaching methods, and finally improves the quality and culture of clinical practice teaching.
目的 探討診斷學床旁見習教學中學患關系現狀，為提高診斷學床旁教學質量提供應對策略。 方法 采用自行設計問卷，于2010年5月-2011年6月對80名臨床醫學專業三年級本科生以及同期在內科住院的100例患者分別進行不署名學患關系問卷調查（有效問卷率分別為91.3%和67%），同時對8名帶教教師和7名臨床主管醫生進行個別訪談。 結果 學生問卷調查顯示，79.5%的學生曾在床旁教學中遭遇患者不同程度的拒絕或不配合，大多數學生認為有被拒的心理準備和承受力。患者調查顯示，82.1%的患者不愿意接受學生問診查體，58.2%的患者表示即便給予一定經濟補償，也不愿配合教學。而對帶教教師及臨床主管醫師訪談結果顯示，當前床旁帶教難度大大增加，學患關系緊張。 結論 現階段學患關系緊張，根據其涉及原因，提出提升醫務人員及醫學生人文觀念，推進醫療、教育體制改革，建立媒體監督機制，開展公眾教育等多層面的應對策略，同時提出課程設置、教學模式、師資培養等具體教學應對舉措。Objective To explore the present status of the relationship between students and patients in diagnostic bedside teaching, in order to promote the teaching quality. Methods From May 2010 to June 2011, self-made questionnaires were adopted to carry out an anonymous survey among 80 medical students in grade three or above and 100 inpatients to investigate the relationship between the students and the patients(with an effective questionnaire rate of 91.3% and 67% respectively). Eight tutors and 7 physicians concerned were taken in the individual interview. Results The survey showed that 79.5% of the students encountered refusal from patients in bedside teaching, and most of them believed that they had psychological preparation and endurance for the refusal. A total of 82.1% of the patients expressed their unwillingness to accept examination by clinical students, and 58.2% of the patients were unwilling to cooperate in the teaching even with an amount of economic compensation. The tutors and physicians concerned stated that the student-patient relationship was undesirable at present. Conclusions The relationship between students and patients in bedside teaching is strained at present. Based on the complicated reasons, we propose such coping strategies as promoting humanism among medical workers and students, pushing forward the medical and educational reform, building media supervision, developing public education, perfecting course design, teaching style, and cultivation of teachers, and so on.
Objective To assess the efficacy and safety of Rhubarb and adjunvent drugs for chronic renal failure. Methods Electronic database searching including Medline, Cochrane Library and CBM from 1980 to Dec., 2000 was performed. Handsearching was applied to 15 kinds of nephrological and traditional Chinese medicine journals such as Chinese Journal of Nephology. Randomised and quasi-randomised trials concerning Rhubarb treatment for CRF were selected. The selected studies were assessed for their methodological quality and the data were extracted to perform the Meta-analysis. Results Eighteen randomised and quasi-randomised trials including 1 322 patients met the inclusion criteria, but their methodological quality was low. Compared to non-specific treatment, Rhubarb showed significant positive effects on relieving symptoms, lowering serum creatinine, improving HGB and adjusting disturbance of lipid metabolism. The effect of Rhubarb on reducing the number of death [OR 0.15, 95%CI (0.06 to 0.36), P=0.000] and the number of progressing into end-stage renal disease [OR 0.38, 95%CI (0.09 to1.64), P=0.19] was not confirmed because of the small sample size. Conclusions Rhubarb may have the same effect on CRF in the short-term observation. But its long-term effect of delaying the progression of CRF is still unclear. Well designed, randomised, double-blinded, placebo-controlled trials with long-term follow up and clinical related outcomes are warranted.
Objective To explore teaching effects of case-based learning (CBL) in abdominal physical examination in diagnostics. Methods Among 83 undergraduates in grade 2007 and in major of 8-year clinical medicine were randomly divided into two groups. Under the same conditions, 41 in the CBL group were taught with CBL method, while the other 42 in the control group were taught with traditional teaching method. Their scores in standard patient (SP) practice assessment of abdominal physical examination, examination of abnormal abdominal signs, ability to analyze and write medical records, and right answers to abdominal examination in final exam were compared. Meanwhile, questionnaire surveys were distributed to them after class. Results There was no significant difference between the two groups in the scores of SP practice assessment or medical record writing and analyzing, but the CBL group was obviously superior to the control group in the tests of abnormal abdominal signs and the right answers to abdominal examination in final exam (Plt;0.05). The questionnaire surveys revealed that the CBL group obviously scored higher in the following 3 items: increase the learning interest and commitment, strengthen the ability to analyze and solve problems, and improve the ability to combine theory and practice (Plt;0.05). Conclusion CBL method has an obvious advantage to improve the teaching quality in abdominal physical examination in diagnostics.