Perceptions of interventional radiology amongst international medical graduates.

AIM: To determine perceptions of interventional radiology (IR) amongst international medical graduates (IMGs) in the UK. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A survey was undertaken of Trust-grade IMGs at a hospital in the UK. The data were collected using Google Forms and analysed using Microsoft Excel, with free-text responses grouped to mentorship, teaching, exposure, and taster-week themes. RESULTS: Thirty-two percent of the respondents were likely to pursue a career in IR. Eighty-four percent did not have a radiology rotation after graduation, with 20% having a taster week in radiology. Of those likely to pursue a career in IR, 31% had completed a taster week in radiology. Respondents described IR exposure as minimal at 54%. Mentorship, teaching, exposure, and taster week were the themes of the free-text responses. CONCLUSION: A targeted approach is needed to raise awareness and knowledge of IR as a career choice amongst IMGs. Trusts and departments must remove obstacles to organising taster weeks. IR needs to do a better job of educating IMGs and explaining the IR training pathway. Mentorship of IMGs is a simple tool for introducing and recruiting talent to the IR speciality.

AUDIT OF BLOOD TRANSFUSION PRACTICES IN THE PAEDIATRIC MEDICAL WARD OF A TERTIARY HOSPITAL IN SOUTHEAST NIGERIA.

OBJECTIVES: To determine the indications, practices and outcomes of transfusion on children. DESIGN: A descriptive retrospective study. SETTING: Paediatric wards of University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital, Enugu, Nigeria. SUBJECTS: Children one month to 18 years that received blood transfusion. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Indications for the transfusion, haemoglobin rise, vital signs, duration of transfusion and adverse events. RESULTS: The two hundred and thirty eight transfusions reviewed were given amongst 95 patients, at a ratio of 2.5 transfusions per patient. The indicators of the transfusion were: malignancy (31.7%), sepsis (15.1%), sickle cell anaemia (12.1%), malaria (10.0%), hyperbilirubinaemia (10.0%), HIV/AIDS (8.3%), nephrotic syndrome (7.2%) and malnutrition (5.4%). Whole blood (56.4%) and sedimented cells (36.3%) were the main types of blood transfused. About 96.4% were transfused appropriate volume of blood. The mean Haemoglobin concentration (Hb) increase was 3.1g/dl and 12.8% of the recipients recorded an Hb increase of 5g/dl. The mean duration of transfusion was 4.6 hours and 59.7% of the transfusions exceeded the recommended four hours. Pulse and respiratory rates returned to normal post transfusion in 26.1 and 21.8% of the recipients respectively. In 10% of the transfusions there were minor adverse events; chills/fever (5.1%), itching (3.4%), hypothermia (1.0%) and vomiting (0.5%). CONCLUSION: Blood transfusion in this tertiary institution is not common and mainly due to non-communicable diseases. The expected optimal rise in Hb and normalising of vitals sign are not always the case. The duration of most transfusions was unduly prolonged and transfusion-related adverse events are rare.