Thursday, April 19, 2012

The COMET Initiative Works to Improve the Potential Power of Healthcare Research

The Cochrane Library has just published [April 2012, Issue #4] an interesting editorial entitled: The COMET (Core Outcome Measures in Effectiveness Trials) Initiative: its role in improving Cochrane Reviews, by Paula Williamson & Mike Clarke. To find out more – read the complete Editorial here.
"When people making decisions about health care look for guidance from research, the outcomes reported by that research are key; however, there is a general lack of consensus regarding the choice of outcomes in particular clinical settings, which affects trial design, conduct, analysis, and reporting. Measuring outcomes that will not change healthcare decisions leads to a waste of resources and a failure to capitalize on the potential power of research to improve health care and health..."

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AAMC reports 20% of Medical Students are Mistreated

One of this months top stories from the AMA MedEd Update News was about the mistreatment of medical students and the move to more accurately gather information on the prevelance of this problem in order to raise awarness and to better address the issue.
"...the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) has made significant changes to its annual questionnaire of graduating medical students to improve collection of data on medical student mistreatment."
In the current 2012 survey, questions regarding mistreatment will be more visible.
"Current data from previous questionnaires show that approximately one in five medical students report that they have experienced mistreatment. Data from the 2012 questionnaire, which is currently in the field, will be available for release by the fall."

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Tuesday, April 03, 2012

When the Printed Word Is Art

Have you been wondering how to repurpose those outdated medical textbooks? Or maybe you are seeking a little revenge after final exams? This dual purpose method allows you to chuck them out a window!! But maybe you shouldn't try this at home, remember it is brought to you by the same country who's hero is famous for assaulting innocent windmills....


Thank you Alicia Martín for your amazing book sculptures! Click on the post title to view some of Ms. Martín's other structures, while the video is showing the one in Córdoba, Spain.
TAKE NOTE: no matter how old some of our library books may be, they are off limits!!

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Student Attitudes to e-Books

According to recent studies of student usage of electronic book resources, the evidence is growing that students are rapidly becoming "technologically dependent", however print textbooks are not dinosaurs yet. In one study done by an e-textbook provider in the US, it was found that
"...85% of the 500 students surveyed reported that technology saved them time when studying. 63% of students who owned a device said they had read an e-text book this way at least once – and 46% said they would be more likely to complete their reading if it was in a digital format. 61% said that e-books are easier to search."
Meanwhile a study from the UK discovered that
"...printed books remain the most used resource. 48% of students are using the library to access printed books and 38% are borrowing e-books from the library. Only 9% are buying e-books and price remains an issue."
 Click on the link for more information from the 'Information Today: Europe Blog'.

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