Medical leadership training varies substantially between UK medical schools: Report of the leadership in undergraduate medical education national survey (LUMENS).

BACKGROUND: Doctors are increasingly expected to demonstrate medical leadership and management (MLM) skills. The Faculty of Medical Leadership and Management (FMLM) has published an indicative undergraduate curriculum to guide the development of MLM content at UK medical schools. METHOD: Students from 30 medical schools were surveyed to determine their understanding of MLM teaching at their school. Timetables for 21 schools were searched for MLM-related keywords. Student-reported teaching and timetabled teaching were coded according to predefined themes. Aggregated demographic and postgraduate performance data were obtained through collaboration with the Medical Student Investigators Collaborative (msico.org). RESULTS: Whilst 88% of medical students see MLM teaching as relevant, only 18% believe it is well integrated into their curriculum. MLM content represented ∼2% of timetabled teaching in each 5-year undergraduate medical course. Most of this teaching was dedicated to teamwork, performance/reflection and communication skills. There was minimal association between how much of a topic students believed they were taught, and how much they were actually taught. We found no association between the volume of MLM teaching and performance in postgraduate examinations, trainee career destinations or fitness to practice referrals. CONCLUSION: Our findings demonstrate limited and variable teaching of MLM content. Delivery was independent of broader teaching and assessment factors.

Potential Maladaptive Sleep-Related Cognitions in Depression with Comorbid Hypersomnolence: An Exploratory Investigation.

Objective/Background: Dysfunctional sleep-related cognitions (SRCs) have been demonstrated in both insomnia and depression, but have not been evaluated in patients experiencing depression with co-occurring hypersomnolence. Given the prominence of maladaptive thinking in depression with comorbid insomnia, dysfunctional SRCs may also exist in depressed persons experiencing hypersomnolence. Identifying potentially maladaptive SRCs may assist development of cognitive-behavioral strategies to alleviate hypersomnolence and its related impairment, particularly when comorbid with depression. Participants: Twenty-two unmedicated persons with major depressive disorder (MDD) with comorbid hypersomnolence (MDD+/HYP+), as well as age- and sex-matched persons with MDD without hypersomnolence (MDD+/HYP-) and healthy controls (HC). Methods: Participants completed the Dysfunctional Beliefs and Attitudes About Sleep-16-item (DBAS-16) and underwent overnight polysomnography. Groups were compared across clinical and sleep domains, as well as DBAS-16 global, subscale, and individual item scores. Additional analyses evaluated DBAS-16 components while controlling for depression severity. Results: Groups significantly differed across all collected sleep and mood metrics consistent with diagnostic classification. MDD+/HYP+ DBAS-16 global score was significantly elevated, relative to HC, and was comparable to MDD+/HYP-. A DBAS-16 global score significant group effect was maintained while controlling for depression symptom severity, however only individual DBAS-16 items related to quantity and quality of sleep demonstrated particular relevance to MDD+/HYP+ compared to other groups. Conclusions: Results suggest potentially maladaptive SRCs in MDD+/HYP+. Further efforts are needed to clarify whether these beliefs and attitudes about sleep in persons with hypersomnolence are in fact dysfunctional, as well as identify relevant content for development of a novel hypersomnolence-related SRC metric.

The role of community healthcare workers in head and neck cancer: A systematic scoping review of the literature.

It is estimated that Head and Neck Cancer (HNC) will cause over 500,000 deaths worldwide by 2030. This is coupled with a shortage of trained healthcare professionals to manage HNC. An alternative cadre of workers - community healthcare workers (CHWs) - could be deployed to address this shortage. A systematic scoping review was conducted. Seven major databases were searched from inception to 30 June 2021. Studies were included from across the globe and excluded if the focus was not on HNC or CHWs. We identified 13 studies for inclusion. Twelve were based in India. CHWs were deployed in education and awareness raising initiatives, community screening, and ensuring compliance with treatment and follow-up. CHWs were compared to specialists for effectiveness in four studies with one reporting sensitivity of 94·3% and specificity 99·3% for HNC screening. This review highlights ways in which CHWs can be deployed to meet the growing demand for HNC services. The existing evidence suggests that CHWs can have potential roles in screening for HNC, therefore facilitating an earlier diagnosis. It is important this screening is implemented where there is appropriate capacity to manage HNC. Further research needs to be carried out to explore barriers and facilitators to these programmes.