Evaluating the Impact of an Innovative Public Speaking Competition to Promote Psychiatry as a Career Option for Ghanaian Medical Students.

OBJECTIVE: The psychiatrist workforce has been identified as an area in need of development, especially in low- to middle-income countries. The purpose of this project is to assess the perceptions of Ghanaian medical students of a novel mental health inter-medical school speaking competition on career interest in psychiatry and mental health education and advocacy. METHODS: The study employed quantitative and qualitative methods in a cross-sectional design. A paper-based survey was administered to medical students from four schools in Ghana, and focus groups were conducted. RESULTS: A 52% response rate (545/1041 fifth- and sixth-year medical students from the four public medical schools in Ghana) was achieved. The competition was successful in stimulating interest in psychiatry as a subject (25%) and as a career (14%) and was viewed as serving an important public health and mental health advocacy function (65% and 66% respectively). The competition stimulated interest in students who were undecided or had previously ruled out psychiatry specialization, in both those who had and had not already completed a psychiatry clerkship (23% and 13% before and after completing a clinical rotation in psychiatry, respectively). Overall, 29% of respondents who participated in at least one competition-related activity reported that the competition stimulated their interest in psychiatry, compared to 4% who did not participate in any competition-related activity (Ó¼2 = 80, p = 0.0). Analysis of focus group content echoed these themes and highlighted opportunities for improvement. CONCLUSION: The innovative public speaking competition was successful in stimulating interest in psychiatry and furthering mental health education and advocacy. Implications are discussed.

Comparability of oscillometric to simultaneous auscultatory blood pressure measurement in children.

OBJECTIVE: Uncertainty exists regarding the accuracy of automated blood pressure (BP) measurement in children. We recorded oscillometric waveforms in children, derived oscillometric BPs using two standard algorithms, and compared the results to simultaneous auscultation. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Twenty children aged 2-12 years were recruited from a tertiary-care Pediatric Nephrology Clinic. Sex, height, weight, arm circumference, history of hypertension, and clinic BP were recorded. Two, simultaneously measured, oscillometric and auscultatory BP readings were obtained 30-60 s apart. The first reading was discarded and, the second, used for analyses. Fixed-ratio and slope-based algorithms were used for BP derivation. RESULTS: Mean age was 7.95±2.82 years, 40% were female, mean arm circumference was 21.86±4.06 cm, and 50% had hypertension or a history of hypertension. Mean auscultatory BP for all participants (systolic±SD/diastolic±SD) was 93.40±11.80/50.50±9.04 mmHg, oscillometric fixed-ratio BP was 99.20±11.90/57.35±7.15 mmHg and oscillometric slope-based algorithm was 91.60±13.94/60.65±7.71 mmHg. Compared to auscultation, the fixed-ratio method differed by 5.80±12.72/6.85±7.51 mmHg (P=0.06 and <0.01) and the slope-based method differed by -1.80±13.59/10.15±8.07 mmHg (P=0.56 and <0.01). Differences from auscultation were statistically significant for diastolic BP with both fixed-ratio and slope-based methods for all age categories but of greatest magnitude in the youngest children. CONCLUSION: Oscillometric BP derived using two commonly used algorithms differed by more than 5 mmHg in either systolic BP or diastolic BP from simultaneous auscultatory BP in children aged 2-11. These findings emphasize the need for greater understanding of the functionality and accuracy of oscillometry in children.