BACKGROUND Developments of new, ultra-light diagnostic ultrasound systems (UTS) and modern satellite telecommunication networks are opening new potential applications for diagnostic sonography. One such area is maritime medicine. It is our belief that ship officers can be trained to use diagnostic ultrasound systems with the aim to generate ultrasound images of sufficient quality to be interpre...

BACKGROUND Laboratory tests are routine examinations in general practice and are associated with increasing costs in industrialized countries. AIM The objective of this collaborative study was to determine the differences in general practitioners' use of blood tests in different European countries and to evaluate the relationship between these differences and organizational aspects of the hea...

The incidence of vaginal septum is rare. The infrequency of this anomaly makes accurate estimates of the true incidence very difficult to obtain. Diagnosis is based on careful historyand examination. This is the case of a patient who presented with transverse vaginal septum in labour and breech presentation. The septum was resected and the foetus delivered normally. Careful vaginal examination ...

How and where do you begin to trace up to 150 medical graduates, firm friends and daily companions for six years, but now scattered world wide? How to inform, inspire, and then encourage them to travel miles-all for an evening, a day, or a weekend's immersion in nostalgia for the time before mortgages, children, and on call began? The initial answer is simple-start early and form a committee, i...

OBJECTIVE To determine the clinical effectiveness of ultrasound tailored treatment in patients with acute subacromial disorders. DESIGN Pragmatic randomised controlled trial. SETTING Dutch general practice. PARTICIPANTS Patients aged 18-65 years with acute (duration <3 months) unilateral shoulder pain and no previous treatment, in whom the general practitioner suspected a subacromial diso...

WHAT WE NEED TO KNOW: How is breathlessness perceived and defined in older people? What impact does breathlessness have on quality of life? Can history taking and physical examination be tailored to efficiently cover all the organ systems associated with breathlessness? Can a self- or carer-rated questionnaire be used to identify asthma in patients with breathlessness? WHAT WE NEED TO DO: Devel...

In writings that preceded the creation of our College, Dr Victor Johnston, our first Executive Director, detailed the need to encourage GPs to be active in hospital care, to create proper postgraduate training for general practice, and to enhance research in general practice.1 Fast forward to today: family medicine is much better defined as a discipline, and we have robust standards of training...

The recommendations of a working party set up to ensure that the procedure for UK specialist certification complied with European law (the Calman report) have had implications that extend beyond the immediate concerns over abbreviated training into every area of paediatric practice—hospital and community, district general hospital, and tertiary centre. Proponents of the reforms promised that mo...

Selection into GP speciality training is based on results of a multi-method job analysis study. Six key competency domains were identified as priorities to assess through the current national selection process, including empathy, communication, integrity, clinical expertise, problem-solving, and resilience. Each applicant is assessed using clinical problem-solving and situational judgement mach...

BACKGROUND Changes in medical education require a rethinking of our training paradigm. We implemented a protected block curriculum for postgraduate year (PGY)-1 and PGY-2 surgery residents. HYPOTHESIS A protected block curriculum promotes adult learning consistent with the 6 competencies. DESIGN Prospective static-group comparison with pretesting and posttesting. SETTING Medical College o...