A Study of Diabetes Teaching in Canadian Medical Schools.

PURPOSE: To assess the current status of diabetes teaching in Canadian medical schools. METHODS: Faculty primarily responsible for teaching undergraduate diabetes education were identified at all 17 Canadian medical schools and were asked to provide their undergraduate diabetes curricula. The curricula were analyzed by method of teaching. RESULTS: Reponses were obtained from14 of 17 (82%) medical schools. The average number of teaching hours in the entire undergraduate program was 15.4 and ranged from 7 to 22.5 hours. Formats included lectures, small groups, workshops, assigned readings, problem-based learning and laboratory studies. Lectures made up 48% of the curriculum, followed by small groups at 26%. CONCLUSIONS: There has been an increased use of small group sessions in undergraduate diabetes education, in keeping with generalized changes in medical school curricula. Future study is warranted in assessing the impact of differing undergraduate teaching methods on eventual competency.

Urinary Iodine Clearance following Iodinated Contrast Administration: A Comparison of Euthyroid and Postthyroidectomy Subjects.

Purpose. To compare iodine clearance following iodinated contrast administration in thyroidectomised thyroid cancer patients and euthyroid individuals. Methods. A convenience population (6 thyroidectomised thyroid cancer patients and 7 euthyroid controls) was drawn from patients referred for iodinated contrast-enhanced computed tomography (CT) studies. Subjects had sequential urine samples collected up to 6 months (50 samples from the thyroidectomised and 63 samples from the euthyroid groups). t-tests and generalised estimating equations (GEE) were used to test for group differences in urinary iodine creatinine ratios. Results. Groups had similar urinary iodine creatinine ratios at baseline, with a large increase 2 weeks following iodinated contrast (P = 0.005). Both groups had a return of urinary iodine creatinine ratios to baseline by 4 weeks, with no significant group differences overall or at any time point. Conclusions. Thyroidectomised patients did not have a significantly different urinary iodine clearance than euthyroid individuals following administration of iodinated contrast. Both had a return of urinary iodine creatinine ratios to baseline within 4 weeks.