Experience of Perinatal Death From the Father's Perspective.

BACKGROUND: Although perinatal deaths are still a common pregnancy outcome in developing countries, little is known about the effect perinatal death has on fathers. OBJECTIVE: The aim of the study was to understand and describe the meaning of perinatal death in a sample of fathers from northeastern Colombia. METHODS: Using purposive and snowball sampling approaches, we identified 15 participants from northeastern Colombia who agreed to participate. We used a descriptive phenomenological design. Data were collected through in-depth, semistructured interviews. RESULTS: Men suffer in solitude and hide their emotions as they feel the need to be the main supporters of their partners. Three major themes emerged: experience of loss, coming to terms with an irreparable loss, and overcoming the loss. DISCUSSION: While women are receiving care, health staff may neglect or forget men. Men suffer alone while seeking ways of attunement with their partners' emotions to support them during the grieving process. Fathers can overcome and adjust to the loss when they transcend it and find new meaning. Men felt neglected and marginalized at hospitals while their partners were receiving treatment. Health professionals should recognize and acknowledge the pain of fathers who face perinatal death and include them as much as possible in the standard of care. The results identify opportunities for healthcare providers in clinical and outpatient settings to acknowledge the importance of men within the context of pregnancy and to learn about their pain and suffering when they face a perinatal death.

Efficacy and tolerability of artesunate plus sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine and sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine alone for the treatment of uncomplicated Plasmodium falciparum malaria in Peru.

To assist the Peruvian Ministry of Health in modifying the malaria treatment policy for their north Pacific coastal region, we conducted an in vivo efficacy trial of sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine (SP) and SP plus artesunate (SP-AS) for the treatment for uncomplicated Plasmodium falciparum infections. A total of 197 patients were randomized to therapy with either SP (25 mg/kg of the sulfadoxine component in a single dose on day 0) or a combination of SP plus AS (4 mg/kg on days 0, 1, and 2) and were followed for 28 days for symptoms and recurrence of parasitemia. No statistically significant differences between the two groups were observed on enrollment with respect to age, sex, history of malaria, or geometric mean parasite density. A total of 185 subjects completed the 28-day follow-up. Of the 91 subjects treated with SP alone, two had recurrences of parasitemia on day 7 and one on day 21. Of the 94 subjects treated with SP-AS, one had a recurrence of parasitemia on day 21. Fever and asexual parasite density decreased significantly more rapidly and the proportion of patients with gametocytemia on days 3-28 was significantly lower in subjects treated with combination therapy than in those who received SP alone. No severe adverse drug reactions were observed; however, self-limited rash and pruritus were significantly more common and an exacerbation of nausea, vomiting, and abdominal pain were observed significantly more frequently among patients who had received SP-AS. These results have contributed to a National Malaria Control Program decision to change to SP-AS combination therapy as the first-line treatment for uncomplicated P. falciparum malaria in northern coastal Peru in November 2001, making Peru the first country in the Americas to recommend this combination therapy.

Intervención para el aprendizaje en clases didácticas prolongadas de asignaturas clínicas / Intervention for learning in lengthened didactic lessons of clinical subjects

Introducción: las clases didácticas o magistrales son utilizadas frecuentemente en educación médica, aunque se sabe que la atención de los estudiantes disminuye progresivamente y la retención de la información es limitada. Las clases interactivas reducen estos inconvenientes, pero su efecto sólo se ha evaluado en clases de una hora o menos de duración y predominantemente en el ciclo básico de medicina. Objetivo: evaluar la intervención implementada para el alcance de un mayor aprendizaje en clases didácticas prolongadas de asignaturas clínicas. Método: la intervención se realizó en un módulo educativo del ciclo clínico de la carrera de medicina de una universidad privada chilena. Participaron 60 estudiantes de 5to año. Las clases de la unidad intervenida se impartieron en 4 h académicas sucesivas de 45 min cada una. Al inicio de cada clase, los estudiantes respondieron un cuestionario con sentencias en formato verdadero o falso referidas a los objetivos centrales de cada temática. Las clases se estructuraron con el método clásico y el estilo docente predominante fue proveedor visual de información. La evaluación se realizó después de 3 meses mediante un test de conocimientos con 40 preguntas de opción múltiple (11 de cardiología). Se incluyó una selección de sentencias de verdadero y falso de aquellas utilizadas durante las clases y una encuesta de satisfacción en formato Likert. Además, se aplicó una escala diferencial semántica para recolectar información sobre las clases de las demás unidades con el propósito de controlar el efecto halo atribuido a preferencias de docentes participantes. Resultados: el promedio de las calificaciones en las preguntas de cardiología del test de conocimientos fue significativamente superior al promedio de las otras unidades de geriatría [t(59)=-28,3; p< 0,001]. El porcentaje promedio de aciertos del post-test fue 45,2 por ciento superior al pretest [t(59)= -24,9; p< 0,001]. La metodología fue bien evaluada: 100 por ciento de estudiantes estimó que mantuvo su atención durante las clases. La apreciación de las clases impartidas por los diferentes docentes del módulo de geriatría fue positiva, sin diferencias entre ellos. Conclusiones: el uso de cuestionarios con sentencias de verdadero y falso, referidas a los objetivos educacionales, antes de cada sesión de clases prolongadas es una estrategia que permite mantener la atención de los estudiantes y favorece el rendimiento cognitivo en asignaturas clínicas del pregrado de Medicina(AU)

Introduction: didactic or master classes are frequently used in medical education, although the students' attention is known to decrease progressively and information retention is limited. Interactive classes reduce these disadvantages, but their effect has only been evaluated in one-hour or less lessons and predominantly during the basic medical cycle. Objective: to evaluate the intervention implemented for attaining greater knowledge in extended didactic classes on clinical subjects. Method: the intervention was carried out in an educational module of the clinical cycle of the medical major of a Chilean private university. Sixty fifth-year students participated. The lessons of the intervened unit were taught in four consecutive academic hours of 45 minutes each. At the beginning of each lesson, the students answered a questionnaire with statements for the true/false format and referring the central objectives of each subject. The lessons were structured with the classical method and the predominant teaching style was visual information provider. The evaluation was carried out after 3 months through a knowledge test with 40 multiple-choice questions (11 about cardiology). It included a selection of true/false statements from those used during the lessons and a satisfaction survey in the Likert format. In addition, a differential semantic scale was applied to collect information about the lessons of the other units with aim at controlling the halo effect attributed to the preferences of participating teachers. Results: the average of the scores in the cardiology questions of the knowledge test was significantly higher than the average of the other geriatric units (t (59)= -28.3, p< 0.001). The average percentage of correct answers in the post-test was 45.2 percent, higher than the pretest (t (59)= -24.9, p< 0.001). The methodology was evaluated well: 100 percent of students considered that they kept their attention during the lessons. The appreciation of the lessons given by the different teachers of the geriatric module was positive, without differences between them. Conclusions: the use of questionnaires with true/false statements and referring the educational objectives, before each session of extended lessons, is a strategy that allows to keep the students' attention and favors the cognitive performance in undergraduate medical-clinical subjects(AU)

Otitis externa maligna: revisión de literatura; presentación de tres casos / Malignant external otitis: review of the literature; presentation of 3 cases

El presente trabajo incluye a tres pacientes con diagnóstico de Otitis externa Maligna (O.E.M>) estudiados y tratados en el Servicio de ORL del Hospital Universitario de Caracas entre octubre y diciembre de 1989. Los tres pacientes reunieron criterios clínicos suficientes para ingresar con el diagnóstico de O.E.M. y los cultivos fueron todos positivos para P. aeroginosa. Sólo un paciente presentó afectación pasajera del VII par craneal. Todos los pacientes fueron sometidos a intervención quirúrgica y la ciprofloxacina por vía oral permitió obtener una evolución satisfactorioa en los tres pacientes