A Low-Cost Highly Configurable Phantom for Simulation of Imaging-Guided Endocavitary Procedures.

We developed a method to create customizable phantoms suitable for endocavitary imaging and interventional research, based on the fabrication of an acrylic phantom mold, and development of a phantom matrix composed of gelatin, agar, graphite particles, and propanol. Our phantom was mechanically stable, easily fabricated, and highly adjustable, and its ultrasound (US) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans showed the qualification for the procedure guidance compared with the human prostate image using the same US system. To test the feasibility of the phantom for the research, the seeds placement guided by MRI/US fusion was performed, and the overall test error (distance from the seed center to the virtual lesion center in olives) was 2.59 ± 0.59 mm. We have created a simple, low-cost, configurable, gelatin-based phantom and tested its feasibility for simulating endorectal interventional US procedures. The design of the phantom mold and matrix is likely to be useful to the broader medical training community, and the preliminary data from the experiment of MRI/US-guided seeds placement showed its potential to test the clinical hypothesis in US research.

The Gap of Cigarette and Hookah Smoking Between Socioeconomic Groups in Iran: Effect of Inequalities on Socioeconomic Position.

BACKGROUND: Hookah and cigarette smoking have adverse effects on individuals' health and therefore place a great burden on public health. The aim of this study was to measure inequalities in socioeconomic position to determine contributing factors on cigarette and hookah smoking in Iran. METHODS: In this study, secondary analysis of the Iran's sixth national Surveillance of Risk Factors of Non-Communicable Diseases (SuRFNCD-2011) was conducted for 10,572 individuals aged 15 to 70 years old. Subjects were categorized into three groups according to their socioeconomic status (low, middle and high) in order to assess their inequalities using principal component analysis. At the end, the gap between the low and high socioeconomic groups was decomposed using Blinder-Oaxaca decomposition technique. RESULTS: The prevalence of cigarette and hookah smoking in high, middle, and low socioeconomic groups was 11.8%, 13.2%, and 13.1% (P=0.158), and 2.6%, 3.3% and 4.3%, (P<0.001), respectively. Blinder-Oaxaca decomposition technique showed a lower prevalence of hookah smoking in high socioeconomic group compared to low socioeconomic group (P<0.001). The gap between the two mentioned groups was measured to be 1.7%. However, this gap for cigarette smoking (1.5%) was not significant (P=0.093). CONCLUSION: The finding indicates the importance of socioeconomic status in hookah smoking. After decomposition of the gap between the 2 socioeconomic groups, age, gender and education level were reported to be the major contributors to the differences observed between the 2 groups.

Video observation of procedural skills for assessment of trabeculectomy performed by residents.

PURPOSE: The efficacy and sufficiency of a healthcare system is directly related to the knowledge and skills of graduates working in the system. In this regard, many different assessment methods have been proposed to evaluate various skills of the learners. Video Observation of Procedural Skills (VOPS) is one newly-proposed method. In this study we aimed to compare the results of the VOPS method with the more commonly used Direct Observation of Procedural Skills (DOPS). METHODS: In this prospective study conducted in 2012, all 10 ophthalmology residents of post graduate year 4 were selected for participation. Three months into training in the glaucoma ward, these residents performed trabeculectomy surgery on patients, and their procedural skills were assessed in real time by an expert via the DOPS method. All surgeries were also recorded and later evaluated via the VOPS method by an expert. Bland-Altman plot also was used to compare the two methods and calculating the mean and 95% limit of agreement. RESULTS: Residents have been done a mean of 14.9 ± 3.5 (range 10-20) independent trabeculectomy before the assessments. DOPS grade was positively associated with number of independent trabeculectomy during glaucoma rotation (ß=0.227, p = 0.004). The intra-observer reproducibility of VOPS measurements was 0.847 (95% CI: 0.634, 0.961). The mean VOPS grade was significantly lower than the mean DOPS grade (8.4 vs. 8.9, p = 0.02). However, a good correlation was observed between the grades of VOPS and DOPS (r = 0.89, p = 0.001). Bland-Altman analysis demonstrated that all data points fell within the 95% limits of agreement (-1.46, 0.46). CONCLUSION: The present study showed that VOPS might be considered a feasible, valid, and reliable assessment method for procedural skills of medical students and residents that can be used as an alternative to the DOPS method. However, VOPS might underestimate DOPS in evaluating surgical skills of residents.