Surgeon assessment
The da Vinci robort is a devise that scales down a surgeons hand movement in order to allow him to perform operations using tiny incisions. This innovation allows for less tissue damage and a much quicker recovery period for patients. There are over 200,000 being used for surgical procedures today.
The newest innovation to the da Vinci Robot is the MScore which assesses the robot to more reliably predict whether new surgeons are ready to operate on patients. MScore compares the skills of novice surgeon to that of an experiences surgeon. This is a great tool for surgeon’s own assessment and continuing growth and skill.
3-D virtual anatomy
NYU School of Medicine designed a new and a more innovative approach for studying organs in cadavers. This approach involves a virtual cadaver projected on a screen in 3-D. With a simple click, all organs and veins are projected, allowing the capability to instantaneously navigate through the human body. The reviews of the virtual cadavers were mixed. Some students stated that dealing with a real human cadaver was difficult and often time neglects to cover all organs. The example given is dealing with a cadaver who has undergone multiple surgeries during its lifetime and is now missing its appendix and spleen. In this case the student is left without the knowledge of vital organ parts, while a virtual cadaver will always cover all organs and systems. Other students state that they believe that no computer will ever replace real cadavers. NYU administrators state that as of right now there are no plans to eliminate real cadavers as part of the curriculum but to simply use virtual cadavers to assist in the learning process.
Medical schools embrace social media
Social networking has altered medical school admissions in many ways. While not all medical schools have yet declared their roles in social media, many are participating in everyday interactions with potential students through the use of social networks. Communications between potential students have gained great popularity amongst medical schools through application statuses and updates via text message or social media sites. Some medical schools have utilized tools such as Facebook to conduct orientation for incoming students; this prevents costly coordination fees and provides convenience for students and staff. With proper regulation around privacy and professionalism; the use of social media in an academic setting has great potential for student engagement and health education improvement.
Diversity 3.0
Here is an interesting commentary regarding what the "next phase" of diversity strategy should be for US medical schools. The AAMC is now focused on a different side of increasing diversity within med schools - where before there was a push to educate those in medical education as to why diversity is important and beneficial (and to increase the actual numbers of under-represented students in matriculating classes) , now the push is to integrate diversity into the core values and goals of each institution.
The article ends with this thought: "This DOS 3.0 transformation will be a realization of an upgrade in our thinking, one that is not limited to compositional diversity but also incorporates diversity of thought, expression, desires, and goals and, ultimately, enhances the experience of all medical students, faculty, and, most important, patients."
I appreciate this shift in focus, and think that a thoughtful and in-flux definition of "diversity" is both adventageous and productive.
Breakthrough medical gadgets: The future of healthcare hardware
In today’s society, our technological abilities advance on a daily basis and health technology is no exception. A group of developers gathered for a meeting to present some of the new innovative gadgets and healthcare hardware. The gadgets have potential to changemedical training and improve health with a simple click of a button. Some of the gadgets described in the article include the Xiaflex Injection Trainer-rubber dummy models that assist in training physicians with procedures such as injecting enzymes into diseased tendons, the AccuVien AV 300 which scans for thick blood vessels and projects them onto a patient’s skin allowing professionals to easily locate vessels, the EarlySense Monitoring system which is a bed that monitors your vital signs and alert nurses when someone who is not allowed up has gotten out of bed, and many others
Many of these items are already present in hospitals and have begun to assist health professionals. It is interesting to watch the progression of these gadgets as well as the production of new ones and how they will change our healthcare system.
More on humanities & medical education
In a nice follow-up to the post last week about integrating arts and humanities into medical school curricula, here is a story about the collaboration between Yale University School of Medicine and University College London Medical School to hold a poetry contest for medical students. The winner received $1500, which was donated by an anonymous patient who wanted the money to go to an initiative involving health care and literature. The contest received 160 poems for consideration, a fact that indicates the current generation of physician trainees are very interested in forms of artistic expression regarding their work.
Creative writing isn't necessarily something most people associate with their doctors, but there are a number of physicians who are also wonderful writers: Michael Crichton, Atul Gawande, William Carlos Williams and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle are just a few.
There was such a flood of interest (and quality poetry) in response to the contest, that it is being planned again next year, with another $1500 top prize being donated by the same patient. I hope it becomes an annual event for Yale and University College London, and that other medical schools and academic health centers consider art and writing events as well.
The winners of the poetry contest, along with another excellent example of medical poetry entitled "Cancer Winter" by Marilyn Hacker, can be read here.
New social media tool for students and surgeons
Surgery Theater is the first online social media educational portal for all surgical procedures. The site can be used to watch live surgical procedures and conferences, medical document sharing, exploring new surgical techniques, and receiving information on the most up-to-date surgical innovations. This is a great medical education resource for students but can also be used for patients looking to get more information on upcoming surgical procedure. This is a great new educational tool for surgeons, students, and patients.
Integrating the humanities into medical education
Hand and Leaf Vasculature, by Ryan James Bender
At the AAMC annual meeting this year, I attended a session put on by two faculty members from the Anschutz School of Medicine at the University of Colorado in Denver. They were discussing the integration of humanities education into their med school curiculum: the required and elective courses, sample lesson plans, and examples of the students' writings and projects. My interest in this topic was twofold: first, I have a personal love for the arts and humanities; and second, I had never heard of a med student who would gladly and gratefully take a required art, film or creative writing course. But they convinced me that such students exist, and that they are both talented and prolific!
Many of the lesson plans discussed had only peripherally to do with medicine; but instead focused on teaching the students how to deal with difficult emotions, how to craft quality narration and self expression, how to continue to develop their imaginations well into adulthood, and how to craft a set of core values based in humanism and compassion. When framed in that way, how could anyone doubt that the humanities have a place in health care? At its core, medicine is the interaction of two or more humans, with the goal of health or healing. A more human experience can scarcely be imagined, and the in-depth exploration of the intellectual, emotional and creative facets of that experience should not be ignored.
You can read a summary of the Anschutz Humanities program here. Some other links worth checking out:
- Some examples of stories written by Anschutz med students, based on their Anatomy course cadaver as "first teacher"
- An open lecture series involving the arts in medicine
- The school publishes a journal entitled the Journal of Medical Humanities, which you can read online
- They publish an annual curated anthology of medicine-related art and writing
- The medical school library includes a collection of medical humanities books and film
- Lists of the elective and required humanities courses
As a patient, I would be pleased to find a doctor who had studied this kind of curriculum in medical school, and if I knew there were a number of humanities-oriented doctors out there, I may even seek them out. I can imagine that a physician who thinks about patients and medicine in this way would be an innovative, creative and thoughtful provider.
New approach to medical school education
Western Michigan University is seeking to carry out a new approach to medical school education. The dean suggests that the traditional two year classroom and two year clinical training is no longer the appropriate path to take in terms of educating the best physicians. The dean suggested that more hands-on clinical experience, starting with the first year of medical school, will give future physicians a better medical education than spending half of their education in a lecture hall. The plan is to receive their accreditation from the LCME and then begin the application process for the class of 2013. While this approach seems logical in terms of the hands-on experience medical students will be receiving, the assessment of such a program is vital to test whether this is in fact a better approach to medical education.
Do “nice” doctors make better doctors
Downside of Doctors Who Feel Your Pain
Do "nice" doctors make better doctors
The relationship between a physician and a patient is a crucial factor for health improvement. When physicians possess certain skills, chances are patient will be more inclined to communicate with the doctor and be more involved in their treatment. This article debates whether communication skills can be one of the requirements of medical school entrance and if so, how can it even be measured. Assessing potential medical student’s communication skills is not easy and there is no existing evidence that states that physicians with expert communication skills are better doctors than those lacking the skill. The question is how much of a factor this is and how much emphasis should be placed on communication skills in future physicians.