Medical School Rankings-Bad for the Health of the Profession and the Public.

This Viewpoint discusses the limitations of medical school ranking in attracting a diverse student population and urges administrators to holistically communicate their mission, goals, and learning environment as an alternative strategy.

Can lifecycle management safeguard innovation in the pharmaceutical industry?

The pharmaceutical industry invests enormous amounts of resources (>€1 billion and >10years) in the development of new products. External factors such as intensifying foreign competition and greater regulatory demands can negatively affect the profit margin, whereas the R&D productivity diminishes. To stay competitive and to maintain high R&D capabilities for developing new medicinal products, companies must make smart investment decisions to maximize their return on investment. Consequently, the entire lifecycle of a medicinal product must be effectively managed to ensure a sustained development through commercialization. This review critically assesses the current situation and the associated management strategies throughout the lifecycle of a medicinal product.

Frequency of medical malpractice claims: The effects of volumes and specialties.

A medical malpractice occurs when a physician or healthcare personnel, because of lack of skill or negligence, causes injury to a patient, who can decide to claim for the damages suffered by suing the facility and/or healthcare personnel. In this paper we analyze the frequency of medical malpractice insurance claims in an Italian region, in order to estimate the presence of significant trends and to identify volume effects at both department and healthcare organization levels. We rely on a unique dataset reporting the universe of 2144 injuries caused by medical or surgical errors that resulted in a request to the insurer for coverage over the years 2004-2010 in ten public healthcare organizations. Results show the presence of positive volume effects, as the number of malpractice claims grows less than proportionally with respect to department volumes. Volume effects are particularly relevant for orthopedics and general surgery. We also find the presence of significant positive volume effects at the level of healthcare organizations. Finally, the joint observation of the results on the frequency of malpractice claims and on the time lag between the occurrence of the malpractice event and the filing of the related claim, suggests that the number of malpractice claims has increased over time. Results indicate that organizational and managerial actions concerning the increase in volumes of specific departments or health organizations are context specific and must be specifically tailored.

Are Allopathic and Holistic Medicine Incommensurable?

The shift from the Aristotelian to the Newtonian scientific paradigm gave birth to progresses in the natural, hard sciences and contributed to the emergence of modernity. Allopathic medicine gradually implemented those progresses, transforming itself into contemporary biomedicine. In the early 20th century, replacement of Newtonian physics by quantum mechanics and Einstein's theory of relativity resulted in a new paradigm shift in the natural, hard sciences. This shift gave birth to post-modern perceptions, which attempt to put those changes in context. Within this new context, holistic therapeutic approaches are considered more compatible with the new paradigm. Different paradigms in the natural, hard sciences are considered to be incommensurable (in the Kuhnian sense). This incommensurability is also transferred to the different societal contexts, the different «Weltanschauungen¼ that rely on different scientific paradigms. However, drawing on arguments that range from historical and philosophical to practical and sociological ones, we argue that, although based on different scientific paradigms, allopathic and holistic medicine are not incommensurable, but rather complementary. This may be related to the inherent attributes of medicine, a fact that reinforces the debate on its epistemological status.

[About standardization of specialized medical care].

The article presents materials of studying of such important problem of health care as standardization of specialized medical care provided in conditions of hospital and modernization of regional health care. The issues of standardization of specialized medical care are considered in medical, economic and social aspects. The implementation of medical standards was determined as one of main tasks of the regional program of modernization of health care. The program was developed with direct involvement of the authors of article. The comparative analysis of classes of diseases and nosologic forms on main indices of hospitalized morbidity and lethality was used for substantiation of priority of implementing medical standards in the region. The questionnaire survey was carried out on sampling of 510 patients of hospitals. The sociological questionnaire survey was applied to sampling of 8732 patients comprised by system of mandatory medical insurance. Such an approach determined reliability of derived results. The expertise of medical standards was implemented by 124 experienced and competent physicians participating in implementation of medical standards. The results of expertise confirmed expediency of implementation of medical standards. Kepy following shortcomings were established: inadequate financing; lacking of modern equipment and analysis techniques in hospitals, etc. The article presents evidences of effectiveness of process of standardization of specialized of medical care provided in hospital conditions. The basis of such an assumption was reliable increasing of level of satisfaction of quality of its organization and achievement of planned indices of "road map" in the section of increasing of salary of medical workers and decreasing of mortality of population because of controllable causes.

Desempeño del examen clínico objetivo estructurado como instrumento de evaluación en la certificación nacional como reumatólogo / Performance of an objective structured clinical examination in a national certification process of trainees in rheumatology

Objetivo. Determinar la validez de constructo y la confiabilidad de un examen clínico objetivo estructurado (ECOE) en la evaluación de una certificación nacional como reumatólogo. Método. En 2013 y 2014, se aplicaron sendos ECOE y evaluación teórica (ET) a 32 y 38 residentes aspirantes a la certificación de reumatólogo, respectivamente. Se incluyeron 12 y 15 estaciones calificadas mediante lista de cotejo validada. Previamente, 3 reumatólogos certificados realizaron sendas pruebas piloto. Se calculó la puntuación global del ECOE y se evaluó su desempeño. Resultados. En 2013, la media ± DE del ECOE fue de 7,1 ± 0,6) y ningún aspirante tuvo calificación reprobatoria (CR); la media de la ET fue de 6,5 ± 0,6 y 7 aspirantes (21,9%) tuvieron CR (< 6). En 2014, la media del ECOE fue de 6,7 ± 0,6) y 3 aspirantes (7,9%) tuvieron CR, de los cuales 2 reprobaron la ET; la media de la ET fue de 6,4 ± 0,5) y 7 aspirantes (18,5%) tuvieron CR, 2 de los cuales reprobaron el ECOE. En 2013, la correlación entre el ECOE y la ET fue de r = 0,44, p = 0,006. En ambos años, los reumatólogos certificados obtuvieron mejores calificaciones en el ECOE que los residentes. El porcentaje de aprobados en la ET fue mayor entre quienes aprobaron el ECOE que entre quienes lo reprobaron: 86% vs. 67%, p = 0,02. Se aplicaron 9 estaciones en ambos años y sus puntuaciones mostraron correlación de 0,81 a 0,95, p ≤ 0,01. Conclusión. El ECOE es una herramienta adecuada para evaluar las competencias clínicas de los aspirantes a la certificación (AU)

Objective. To assess reliability and validity of the objectively-structured clinical examination (OSCE) applied in postgraduate certification processes by the Mexican Board of Rheumatology. Method. Thirty-two (2013) and 38 (2014) Rheumatology trainees (RTs) underwent an OSCE consisting of 12 and 15 stations respectively, scored according to a validated check-list, as well as 300-multiple-choice 300 question examination (MCQ). Previously, 3 certified rheumatologists underwent a pilot-OSCE. A composite OSCE score was obtained for each participant and its performance examined. Results. In 2013, OSCE mean score was 7.1 ± 0.6 with none RT receiving a failing score while the MCQ score was 6.5 ± 0.6 and 7 (21.9%) RTs receiving a failing (< 6) score. In 2014, the OSCE score was 6.7 ± 0.6, with 3 (7.9%) RTs receiving a failing score (2 of them also failed MCQ) while the MCQ score was 6.4 ± 0.5 and 7 (18.5%) RTs were disqualified (2 of them also failed OSCE). A significant correlation between the MCQ and the OSCE scores was observed in the 2013 (r=0.44; P=0.006). Certified rheumatologists performed better than RTs at both OSCE. Overall, 86% of RTs obtaining an OSCE passing score also obtained a MCQ passing score, while this was only 67% (P=.02) among those who obtained an OSCE failing score. Nine stations were applied at both consecutive years. Their performance was similar in both certification processes, with correlation coefficients ranging from 0.81 to 0.95 (P≤0.01). Conclusion. The OSCE is a valid and reliable tool to assess the Rheumatology clinical skills in RTs (AU)

Mind the gap! Lay and medical perceptions of risks associated with the use of alternative treatment and conventional medicine.

BACKGROUND: Studies on the widespread use of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) demonstrate that CAM users base their treatment decisions on both subjective, experience-based knowledge and medical knowledge. The aim of this study was to explore lay and medical risk perceptions associated with CAM and conventional medicine. PATIENTS AND METHODS: In this explorative qualitative study, we conducted in-depth interviews with 25 Norwegian CAM users with cancer or multiple sclerosis and 12 doctors. RESULTS: The interviews revealed fundamental differences in risk perceptions influencing treatment decisions and risk communication in a clinical setting. While CAM users considered conventional medicine as potentially risky and related this to experiences of severe adverse effects, CAM was perceived as natural and safe. Doctors' risk perceptions were quite the contrary, mainly because of lack of scientific evidence for CAM as a safe and beneficial treatment option. CONCLUSION: For the safety of CAM users, such divergent risk perceptions may have far-reaching consequences. CAM users should be taken seriously with their self-perception as decision-makers considering their approaches to experiences, knowledge, and science. An awareness of differing lay and medical risk perceptions associated with CAM and conventional medicine in research, doctor-patient communication, and education of patients and doctors is thus important to optimize patient safety in complex health care systems.