[Dealing with death--a workshop for improved preparedness levels and competence of medical students].

Physicians are needed to deal with death and dying patients on a daily basis. Research has shown that physicians find that this part of their clinical work is conceived of as exceptionally challenging. Numerous educational programs have been developed in order to address this problem. However, these programs have mainly targeted residents rather than medical students, even though experts in the field have advocated their implementation early on in the course of medical training. In response to this, our medical school has developed a focused workshop intended to prepare medical students to form a better understanding of these issues, and to improve their ability to cope with these situations. The current study aimed to assess the willingness of 6th year medical students participating in a workshop entitled "Death and the dying patient" to address these issues and their opinions on the preferred/most effective teaching modalities for these issues. The students completed anonymous questionnaires which evaluated their sense of preparedness and readiness to cope with death and dying patients, before and after the workshop. We have found that there are better and more efficient ways to teach these subjects and this article aims at summarizing these methods.

Acute-phase trauma intervention using a videoconference link circumvents compromised access to expert trauma care.

In order to effectively reduce the risk of developing acute stress disorder (ASD) and/or posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in the aftermath of traumatic stress exposure, interventions must be offered early on. Therefore, access to expert assistance can have significant effects on prognosis. Conditions which compromise accessibility and prevent direct physical access, such as existed in the Gush Katif settlements in the Gaza Strip during the El-Aqsa Intifada, render the provision of expert care in real-time difficult. These problematic conditions led to an attempt to offer acute trauma care using videoconference (VC) telemedicine. This paper presents two cases in which a VC link was used to provide specialist care in cases of acute sequelae of trauma rapidly and in a safe and accessible environment. The authors discuss the potential benefits and some limitations of early trauma interventions using a VC link to access civilian population whose access to care is compromised by prevailing conditions.