Child ; Humans ; Neuropsychological Tests ; Psychology, Clinical

PURPOSE: This study analyzed the correlation between grade point average (GPA) of medical school and the score of Korean Medical Licensing Examination (KMLE). METHODS: This study based on the results of 67th KMLE applicants who graduated from a college of medicine in 2003. We also gathered data of these applicants from the college of medicine: gender, age, type of entrance, GPA of basic medicine, clinical medicine, clinical clerkships and final test scores. We analyzed whether there was discrimination between achievement of KMLE passed and that of KMLE failed, which of variables affected the results of KMLE. RESULTS: 173 applicants passed KMLE among 189. There were significant correlations between basic medicine, clinical medicine, final test score and the score of KMLE (respective p-value; < 0.0001). There were also significant differences of GPA between KMLE passed applicants and failed. Final test scores were the most correlated with those of KMLE. If the GPA of 2nd grade was below 2.5 and the GPA of 3rd year grade was below 2.3, they was a high-risk group for failing KMLE (sensitivity 100%, specificity 90%). CONCLUSION: There were significant correlations between the GPA of medical school and the score of KMLE, and significant differences between KMLE passed applicants and failed. A high-risk group of failing KMLE was the students that the GPA of 2nd grade was below 2.5 and the GPA of 3rd grade was below 2.3.
Clinical Medicine ; Discrimination (Psychology) ; Humans ; Licensure* ; Schools, Medical* ; Sensitivity and Specificity

PURPOSE: Even though many studies have indicated that the personality of medical students affects learning style and academic achievement, the effect of personality types on the performance skill tests has not been well known in the medical field due to the rarity of published papers. Thus, the aim of this study was to reveal the effect of personal traits on clinical skill performance tests. METHODS: Fifty-seven fourth-grade medical students were enrolled in this study. They had all completed clinical performance tests. To assess personality types, we used the Korean version of the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI). RESULTS: Fifty-five of 57 senior medical students responded completely to the MBTI questionnaire. The proportion of four paired MBTI dimensions was Introversion (I)-Extroversion (E) (67.3% vs. 32.7%), Sensing (S)-Intuition (I) (76.4% vs. 23.6%), Thinking (T)-Feeling (F) (61.8% vs. 38.2%), and Judging (J)-Perception (P) (56.4% vs. 43.6%). The dominant personality types were ISTJ (23.6%), ESTJ (14.5%), and ISTP (10.9%). The first objective structured clinical examination (OSCE) test showed higher scores in Extraversion, Judging, and Sensing-Judging types compared to the counterparts (p<0.05), but this effect was not observed in the second OSCE test. On the clinical performance examination, Extraversion, Sensing, and Judging types had a higher score, as measured by standardized patients. CONCLUSION: Specific personal traits affect the test scores of the clinical performance skill examinations. So, personality measurement might be a useful tool for understanding a student who has difficulty in performance tests. We hope this study will give valuable information to examiners when they instruct and counsel students about clinical performance tests.
Achievement ; Clinical Competence ; Extraversion (Psychology) ; Humans ; Introversion (Psychology) ; Learning ; Personality Inventory ; Students, Medical ; Thinking ; Surveys and Questionnaires

Differences and relations between effects of acupuncture therapy and sham acupuncture are systematically analyzed in this article through the influential factors of acupuncture effect. And it is held that sham acupuncture effect is not exactly equal to placebo effect. The effects of both acupuncture and sham acupuncture are composed by specific effects and non-specific effects, and the differences of non-specific effects between acupunc ture and sham acupuncture can be minimized furthest with blinding and randomized method. Therefore, the difference of acupuncture and sham acupuncture treatment rests with the degree of differences of the specific effects. Only when both of the specific effect of acupuncture and the effect of acupuncture are minimized, can it be applied as the ideal placebo control. Consequently when placebo acupunture are setted up, factors such as the body condition, site of stimulation and stimulation parameters which can influence the specific effect of acupuncture should be taken into consideration to produce the relatively minimum specific effect.
Acupuncture Therapy ; psychology ; Controlled Clinical Trials as Topic ; methods ; psychology ; Humans ; Placebo Effect ; Research Design ; Treatment Outcome

The number of people living with dementia is increasing globally as a result of an ageing population. General practitioners (GPs), as the front-line care providers in communities, are important stakeholders in the system of care for people with dementia. This commentary describes a study conducted to understand GPs' attitudes and self-perceived competencies when dealing with patients with dementia and their caregivers in Singapore. A set of study information sheet and survey questionnaires were mailed to selected GP clinics in Singapore. The survey, comprising the "GP Attitudes and Competencies Towards Dementia" questionnaire, was administered. A total of 400 GPs returned the survey, giving the study a response rate of 52.3%. About 74% of the GPs (n=296) were seeing dementia patients in their clinics. Almost all the GPs strongly agreed that early recognition of dementia served the welfare of the patients (n=385; 96%) and their relatives (n=387; 97%). About half (51.5%) of the respondents strongly agreed or agreed that they felt confident carrying out an early diagnosis of dementia. Factor analysis of questionnaire revealed 4 factors representing "benefits of early diagnosis and treatment of patients with dementia", "confidence in dealing with patients and caregiver of dementia", "negative perceptions towards dementia care" and "training needs". GPs in Singapore held a generally positive attitude towards the need for early dementia diagnosis but were not equally confident or comfortable about making the diagnosis themselves and communicating with and managing patients with dementia in the primary care setting. Dementia education and training should therefore be a critical step in equipping GPs for dementia care in Singapore. Shared care teams could further help build up GPs' knowledge, confidence and comfort in managing patients with dementia.
Attitude of Health Personnel ; Caregivers ; psychology ; Clinical Competence ; Dementia ; diagnosis ; therapy ; General Practitioners ; psychology ; Humans ; Self Efficacy ; Singapore ; Surveys and Questionnaires

PURPOSE: To examine how pediatricians in private practices are affected by the process of training medical students in their clinics as part of a community-based clerkship program. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In 2007, a questionnaire was sent to 35 pediatricians who had provided private clinical settings for clerkship training for the previous 3 years. The questionnaire covered a number of points, including the pediatricians' motivation to join and/or reasons to quit the program; if there were changes seen in their stress levels while supervising students; changes in their treatment procedures or attitudes because of the students' presence; responses of patients and/or their guardians in regard to have medical students treating them, and whether the doctors were inspired to grow professionally by participating in the program. RESULTS: Of the 35 pediatricians, 31 (88.5%) responded. Eighteen respondents (58%) selected 'responsibility to cooperate with medical school' as a reason to participate. Fifteen physicians (48.3%) answered that the clerkship program had a positive impact on their treatment procedures and their attitude towards patients. CONCLUSION: Based on the pediatricians' responses, the community-based clerkship program may instill intellectual inspiration and promote professional growth among the pediatricians in private practices, resulting in potentially better treatment for patients.
Attitude of Health Personnel ; *Clinical Clerkship ; Humans ; Motivation ; Pediatrics/*education ; Physicians/*psychology ; *Teaching

A prescriptive model approach in decision making could help achieve better diagnostic accuracy in clinical practice through methods that are less reliant on probabilistic assessments. Various prescriptive measures aimed at regulating factors that influence heuristics and clinical reasoning could support clinical decision-making process. Clinicians could avoid time-consuming decision-making methods that require probabilistic calculations. Intuitively, they could rely on heuristics to obtain an accurate diagnosis in a given clinical setting. An extensive literature review of cognitive psychology and medical decision-making theory was performed to illustrate how heuristics could be effectively utilized in daily practice. Since physicians often rely on heuristics in realistic situations, probabilistic estimation might not be a useful tool in everyday clinical practice. Improvements in the descriptive model of decision making (heuristics) may allow for greater diagnostic accuracy.
Clinical Decision-Making ; Decision Making ; Diagnosis ; Heuristics ; Problem Solving ; Psychology ; Thinking*

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of psychosocial interventions on pain in cancer patients. METHODS: Eight studies published between 1980 and 2012 in Korean and ten studies published between 2002 and 2012 in English met the inclusion criteria with a total of 1539 participants. Methodological quality assessed by Cochrane's Risk of Bias for randomized studies and Risk of Bias Assessment tool for non randomized studies. The data were analyzed by the RevMan 5.2 program of Cochrane library. RESULTS: Overall, study quality was moderate to high. Effect sizes were heterogeneous and subgroup analysis was done. Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) were effective for pain (ES= -0.35; 95% CI= -0.56, -0.13). Pain education studies measured with NRS and VAS were effective for pain (ES= -0.77; 95% CI= -1.01, -0.52). Publication bias was not detected. CONCLUSION: This study support the use of psychosocial interventions administered to cancer patients for their pain management. However, more well-designed studies are needed.
Clinical Trials as Topic ; Cognitive Therapy ; Databases, Factual ; Humans ; Neoplasms/*complications/*psychology ; Pain/*etiology ; *Pain Management ; Questionnaires

This study evaluated the Comparison of the Effectiveness of Pelvic Floor Muscle exercise and Biofeedback treatment for Genuine Stress Incontinence I assigned 60 participants to 2 groups : 30 to the pelvic floor muscle exercise group and 30 to the biofeedback group. Treatment protocol lasted for 6 weeks. Peak pressure, and duration time of pelvic muscle contraction were evaluated by a perineometer. Lower urinary symptoms, sexual matter and life style scores were achieved by using Jackson's scale. The treatment efficacy of the pelvic floor muscle exercise is compared with the biofeedback group and the main results of the comparison are as follows: 1. Pelvic muscle contraction 1) The peak pressure in the biofeedback group was significantly increased(P=0.000). 2. The frequency and quantity of incontinence 1) The frequency of incontinence in the biofeedback group was significantly decreased(P=0.000). 2) The quantity of incontinence in the biofeedback group was significantly decreased(P=0.000). 3. The lower urinary symptoms Daily frequency(P=0.000), nocturia(P=0.000), urgency(P=0.000), bladder pain(P=0.000), unexplained incontinence(P=0.048), wearing protection(P=0.022), changing outer clothing(P=0.005), hesitancy(P=0.008), intermittent stream(P=0.000), abnormal strength of stream(P=0.004), retention(P=0.000), incomplete emptying(P=0.000), and inability to stop mid steam(P=0.006) of the lower urinary symptoms in the biofeedback group were significantly decreased. 4. The sexual matters The dry vagina(P=0.004) and pain during sexual intercourse(P=0.002) in the biofeedback group was significantly decreased. 5. The life style. The fluid intake restriction(P=0.007), affected daily task(P=0.003), avoidance of places & situation(P=0.003), interference in Physical activity(P=0.002), interference in relationship with other people(P=0.01), and feeling about the rest of life with urinary symptom(P=0.000) in the biofeedback group were significantly decreased. In conclusion, the biofeedback treatment was more effective than the pelvic floor muscle exercise in genuine stress incontinence.
Biofeedback, Psychology* ; Clinical Protocols ; Female ; Humans ; Life Style ; Muscle Contraction ; Pelvic Floor* ; Treatment Outcome ; Urinary Bladder

This study evaluated the Comparison of the Effectiveness of Pelvic Floor Muscle exercise and Biofeedback treatment for Genuine Stress Incontinence I assigned 60 participants to 2 groups : 30 to the pelvic floor muscle exercise group and 30 to the biofeedback group. Treatment protocol lasted for 6 weeks. Peak pressure, and duration time of pelvic muscle contraction were evaluated by a perineometer. Lower urinary symptoms, sexual matter and life style scores were achieved by using Jackson's scale. The treatment efficacy of the pelvic floor muscle exercise is compared with the biofeedback group and the main results of the comparison are as follows: 1. Pelvic muscle contraction 1) The peak pressure in the biofeedback group was significantly increased(P=0.000). 2. The frequency and quantity of incontinence 1) The frequency of incontinence in the biofeedback group was significantly decreased(P=0.000). 2) The quantity of incontinence in the biofeedback group was significantly decreased(P=0.000). 3. The lower urinary symptoms Daily frequency(P=0.000), nocturia(P=0.000), urgency(P=0.000), bladder pain(P=0.000), unexplained incontinence(P=0.048), wearing protection(P=0.022), changing outer clothing(P=0.005), hesitancy(P=0.008), intermittent stream(P=0.000), abnormal strength of stream(P=0.004), retention(P=0.000), incomplete emptying(P=0.000), and inability to stop mid steam(P=0.006) of the lower urinary symptoms in the biofeedback group were significantly decreased. 4. The sexual matters The dry vagina(P=0.004) and pain during sexual intercourse(P=0.002) in the biofeedback group was significantly decreased. 5. The life style. The fluid intake restriction(P=0.007), affected daily task(P=0.003), avoidance of places & situation(P=0.003), interference in Physical activity(P=0.002), interference in relationship with other people(P=0.01), and feeling about the rest of life with urinary symptom(P=0.000) in the biofeedback group were significantly decreased. In conclusion, the biofeedback treatment was more effective than the pelvic floor muscle exercise in genuine stress incontinence.
Biofeedback, Psychology* ; Clinical Protocols ; Female ; Humans ; Life Style ; Muscle Contraction ; Pelvic Floor* ; Treatment Outcome ; Urinary Bladder