Background: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‑19) pandemic has affected education systems worldwide. The disruption in education systems has impacted over 90% of the student population of the world (UNESCO, 2020). Electronic learning (e‑learning), a form of teaching which involves electronic equipment and tools permits interaction between people involved in the education process. An example of which is the webinars. Webinars allow large groups of participants to engage in online discussions or training events and share audio, documents, or slides. Objective: We aim to assess the perception of resident physicians on the use of webinars to support learning during COVID‑19. Methodology: This is a cross-sectional study. An adequately powered paper survey was conducted among 123 resident physicians of St. Luke’s Medical Center Global City. A 5‑point Likert Scale was used for each of the questions in the questionnaire patterned after that of Nagar (2020). Descriptive statistics was used to analyze the data. Results: Majority of the respondents gave favorable answers to questions on pace of learning/ flexibility (91.5%), cost (95.1%), convenience and comfort (95.1%), motivation (76.1%), ease of access (96.1%), visual perception (87.5%), visual difficulty (79.9%), audio perception (83.7%), Internet connection (61.8%), and navigation (83.7%), while Internet connection (28.5%) was seen with the highest disagreement. Conclusion: Our data support the acceptability of webinars among resident physicians in a tertiary private hospital as an alternative learning tool in this COVID‑19 era where face‑to‑face interaction or traditional learning is less likely to be employed. Recommendations We recommend future studies that can focus on the efficacy of the webinars in the improvement of knowledge and practice of medicine by doing pre- and posttests. We also recommend doing a similar study in government hospitals where facilities may not be on par with private hospitals.
COVID‑19 ; Perception ; Physicians

BACKGROUND

The Universal Health Care (UHC) Act (RA 11223) which basically restructured the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation and enhanced health financing mechanisms, looks like a total reform of the Philippine health system. As a preparation for these reforms, the Philippine Academy of Family Physicians has undertaken a developmental project designed to prepare its members for these reforms. This research is an attempt to provide additional information for this PAFP project in terms of the primary care orientation of family practice clinics.

The overall objective of this research is to determine the primary care orientation of family practice clinics among the members of the PAFP Batangas Chapter.

This cross-sectional study aimed to assess the primary care orientation of family practice clinics, focusing on active members of the PAFP Batangas Chapter. Using purposive sampling, participants completed a pilot-tested questionnaire, evaluating aspects like first-contact, comprehensive, continuing, and coordinated care. Emphasis was placed on organized medical records and quality improvement activities. Despite facing initial reluctance, the survey garnered 74 responses from 117 members, acknowledging a shortfall in reaching the target and a decrease in confidence level from 95% to 85%. The study provides insights into diverse demographics and practice characteristics of voluntary participants among active PAFP members in Batangas.

The survey encompassed various aspects of healthcare provision among members of the Philippine Academy of Family Physicians (PAFP) Batangas chapter. In First Contact Care, respondents exhibited a consistent practice of providing after-hours contact, obtaining informed consent, and allocating varied consultation times. Notably, mental and behavioral assessments showed room for improvement. The Comprehensiveness of Services highlighted variations, with Fellows extending services, but family planning services exhibited lower engagement. In Record Keeping, there was an inclination towards paper-based records, with Fellows leading in standardized systems. Continuing Care reflected a positive trend in consistent doctor-patient relationships, while awareness levels varied. Coordination of Care demonstrated varying strengths in referral agreements, with Fellows consistently adhering more. In Quality Improvement, all Fellows engaged, while others showed diverse participation rates, emphasizing the reliance on clinical guidelines. The survey underscores a commitment to ongoing professional development, as reflected in Continuing Professional Development points. Overall, the findings reveal both strengths and areas for improvement, emphasizing the need for standardized practices and continuous enhancement in the provision of healthcare services.

This study identified the overall primary care orientation of family and community physicians who were active members of the PAFP Batangas Chapter. Armed with this information, effective strategies could be developed to prepare PAFP members for the reforms in the UHC.

Objectives To learn the echocardiography skills of intensivists after receiving a basic critical care echocardiography training course, and investigate factors that may influence their performance. Methods We completed a web-based questionnaire that assessed the skills in ultrasound scanning techniques of intensivists who took a training course on basic critical care echocardiography held in 2019 and 2020. Mann-Whitney test was used to analyze the factors which might affect their performance on image acquisition, recognizing clinical syndrome, and measuring the diameter of inferior vena cava, left ventricular ejection fraction and left ventricular outflow tract velocity-time integral.Results We enrolled 554 physicians from 412 intensive care units across China. Among them, 185 (33.4%) reported that they had 10%-30% chance of being misled by critical care echocardiography when making therapeutic decision, and 34 (6.1%) reported that the chance was greater than 30%. Intensivists who performed echocardiography under the guidance of a mentor and finished ultrasound scanning more than 10 times per week reported significant higher scores in image acquisition, clinical syndrome recognition, and quantitative measurement of inferior vena cava diameter, left ventricular ejection fraction and left ventricular outflow tract velocity-time integral than those without mentor and performing echocardiography 10 times or less per week respectively (all P < 0.05).Conclusion The skills in diagnostic medical echocardiography of Chinese intensivists after a basic echocardiographic training course remain low, and further quality assurance training program is clearly warranted.
Humans ; Clinical Competence ; East Asian People ; Echocardiography/standards* ; Stroke Volume ; Ventricular Function, Left ; Self-Assessment ; Physicians/standards* ; Internal Medicine/standards*

Introduction: The coronavirus (CoVid-19) pandemic brought about a massive impact to the healthcare system, including disruption of patient follow-ups and consultations. Subsequently, an increase in physicians’ use of telemedicine was seen. While this technology has been documented to improve delivery of care, it has encountered varied acceptance among physicians. Gaps in specific national legislation, lack of established rules and accreditation standards, and ethical/legal implications add to the concerns. Anchored on the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology model, this study aimed to segment physicians according to their perspectives regarding telemedicine during the pandemic. Methods A mixed methods sequential explanatory design using Q-methodology was applied to identify distinct patterns and perceptions of physicians on the use of telemedicine during the pandemic. A Q-sample of 25 statements on perceptions of telemedicine was developed through literature review, and 24 physicians were purposively selected. Participants were instructed to sort statements into a distribution grid according to their degree of agreement/disagreement. Post-sorting interview was conducted to expound on their response. Data were analyzed using by-person factor analysis through the PQMethod software version 2.35.
Telemedicine ; Physicians ; Pandemic ; COVID-19

With the increasing availability of genetic tests, more doctors are offering and ordering such tests for their patients. Ordering a genetic test appears to be a simple process of filling in paperwork, drawing 3 mL of blood in an ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid tube and receiving a test report. This is identical to sending off a full blood count. However, it is far more complex than that. There are many potential pitfalls, as shown by the increasing number of complaints and lawsuits filed against doctors and allied health staff. Furthermore, clinical genetics involves more than just ordering tests; in fact, focusing on genetic tests alone is a potential pitfall. In this review, we discuss the common pitfalls in clinical genetics and how doctors can avoid these pitfalls to ensure patient safety and to safeguard their practice.
Humans ; Edetic Acid ; Fenbendazole ; Patient Safety ; Physicians

Obesity is a disease with a major negative impact on human health. However, people with obesity may not perceive their weight to be a significant problem and less than half of patients with obesity are advised by their physicians to lose weight. The purpose of this review is to highlight the importance of managing overweight and obesity by discussing the adverse consequences and impact of obesity. In summary, obesity is strongly related to >50 medical conditions, with many of them having evidence from Mendelian randomisation studies to support causality. The clinical, social and economic burdens of obesity are considerable, with these burdens potentially impacting future generations as well. This review highlights the adverse health and economic consequences of obesity and the importance of an urgent and concerted effort towards the prevention and management of obesity to reduce the burden of obesity.
Humans ; Obesity ; Overweight ; Physicians

BACKGROUND: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic may have increased the rate of presenteeism among front-line physicians. Presenteeism is the term used to describe attendance at work despite ill health that would normally prompt rest or absence from work. This study aimed to examine the associations between COVID-19 clinical practice and presenteeism among physicians. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted from December 2021 to January 2022. The questionnaires were distributed to 21,737 employed physicians who were members of the Japan Medical Association. Presenteeism was measured by the Work Functioning Impairment Scale. Multiple logistic regression analysis was used to evaluate the association between COVID-19 clinical practice and presenteeism. RESULTS: Overall, 3,968 participants were included in the analysis, and presenteeism was observed in 13.9% of them. The rate of presenteeism significantly increased with both the number of COVID-19 patients treated and the percentage of work time spent treating these patients (both P values for trend < 0.001). In comparison to those not currently engaged in the treatment of COVID-19 patients, presenteeism was significantly higher among front-line (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] = 1.71, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.16-2.53) and second-line physicians supporting those in the front-line (aOR = 1.45, 95% CI: 1.17-1.78). There was no association between involvement in COVID-19 vaccination services and presenteeism. CONCLUSIONS The burden on front-line and second-line physicians in COVID-19 clinical practice must be minimized. Employed physicians also need to recognize the importance of communicating with their workplaces about presenteeism.
Humans ; COVID-19/epidemiology* ; Presenteeism ; Japan/epidemiology* ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; COVID-19 Vaccines ; Physicians ; Surveys and Questionnaires

BACKGROUND: Internal medicine (IM) doctors in Japan play the role of primary care physicians; however, the shortage of rural physicians continues. This study aims to elucidate the association of age, sex, board certification, type of work, and main clinical work with the retention or migration of IM doctors to rural areas. METHODS: This retrospective cohort study included 82,363 IM doctors in 2010, extracted from the national census data of medical doctors. The explanatory variables were age, sex, type of work, primary clinical work, and changes in board certification status. The outcome was retention or migration to rural areas. The first tertile of population density (PD) of municipalities defined as rural area. After stratifying the baseline ruralities as rural or non-rural areas, the odds ratios (ORs) of the explanatory variables were calculated using generalized estimation equations. The analyses were also performed after age stratification (<39, 40-59, ≥60 years old). RESULTS: Among the rural areas, women had a significantly higher OR for retention, but obtaining board certification of IM subspecialties had a significantly lower OR. Among the non-rural areas, physicians who answered that their main work was IM without specific subspecialty and general had a significantly higher OR, but obtaining and maintaining board certification for IM subspecialties had a significantly lower OR for migration to rural areas. After age stratification, the higher OR of women for rural retention was significant only among those aged 40-59 years. Those aged under 40 and 40-59 years in the non-rural areas, who answered that their main work was IM without specific subspecialty had a significantly higher OR for migration to rural areas, and those aged 40-59 years in the rural areas who answered the same had a higher OR for rural retention. CONCLUSIONS Obtaining and maintaining board certification of IM subspecialties are possible inhibiting factors for rural work, and IM doctors whose main work involves subspecialties tend to work in non-rural areas. Once rural work begins, more middle-aged female IM doctors continued rural work compared to male doctors.
Middle Aged ; Humans ; Male ; Female ; Retrospective Studies ; East Asian People ; Certification ; Physicians ; Internal Medicine

OBJECTIVE: To preliminarily explore the applicable scenarios of an intraoral camera to assist oral anatomical landmarks recognition, so as to improve the clinical diagnosis and treatment mode, cultivate the concept of caring for patients, strengthen doctor-patient communication, assist experts to teach, and improve the clinical diagnosis and efficacy rate. METHODS: A new type of an intraoral camera was applied in the recognition of oral anatomy landmarks and four application scenarios were developed, namely: (1) clinical diagnosis and treatment scenarios, in which doctors used intraoral camera to conduct a comprehensive examination of patients in the mouth and take videos and photos; (2) doctor-patient communication scenarios, when the doctor told the patient about the treatment plan, the video or photo taken by the intraoral camera was displayed to the patient; (3) expert teaching scenarios, when the expert used an intraoral camera to teach in the patient's mouth, and the young doctor learned oral anatomical signs on the projection screen, with the study of theoretical lessons; (4) difficult case recording scenarios, in the process of clinical diagnosis and treatment, when encountering difficult cases, you could use intraoral camera to record and take photos for young doctors to discuss, and experts to comment and guide. RESULTS: The application of intraoral camera could: (1) improve the clinical diagnosis and treatment mode and raise the clinical diagnosis and efficacy rate; (2) stimulate young doctors' interest in learning, use intraoral camera in assessments, and skillfully combine theoretical knowledge of anatomical landmarks with clinical practice, so as to improve the teaching effect; (3) cultivate, through self or mutual use, the concept of caring for patients and reinforce the importance of gentle operation; (4) strengthen doctor-patient communication. Doctors could communicate with patients more visually, so that the patients could better understand their own situation, and strengthen the patients' trust in the doctors. CONCLUSION Intraoral camera can assist oral clinical diagnosis and treatment, such as the recognition of oral anatomical landmarks. It plays a certain role in promoting the improvement of clinical diagnosis and treatment mode, stimulating learning interest, cultivating the concept of caring for patients, and enhancing doctor-patient communication.
Humans ; Physician-Patient Relations ; Physicians ; Communication ; Mouth ; Learning

Humans ; East Asian People ; Asthma/drug therapy* ; Physicians ; Patients ; Physician-Patient Relations