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Biomedical subjects

P M Barham

Publications and source records attributed to P M Barham.

9 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1997

The validity of general practitioners' self assessment of knowledge: cross sectional study.

OBJECTIVE: To determine whether general practitioners can make accurate self assessments of their knowledge in specific areas. DESIGN: 67 general practitioners completed a self assessment of their level of knowledge over a variety of topics using a nine point semantic differential scale. An objective assessment of their knowledge was then made by administering true-false tests on two of the topics: thyroid disorders and non-insulin dependent diabetes. The study was repeated with another group of 60 general practitioners, using sexually transmitted diseases as the topic. SETTING: General practices in New Zealand. SUBJECTS: Random sample of 67 general practitioners in Auckland. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: Test scores for self assessment and for actual knowledge. RESULTS: Correlations between self assessments and test scores were poor for all three topics studied (r = 0.19 for thyroid disorders, 0.21 for non-insulin dependent diabetes, 0.19 for sexually transmitted diseases). CONCLUSIONS: As general practitioners cannot accurately assess their own level of knowledge on a given topic, professional development programmes that rely on the doctors' self perceptions to assess their needs are likely to be seriously flawed.

Clinical Competence↗
PubMed1994

Attitudes of general practitioners in New Zealand to pharmaceutical representatives.

BACKGROUND: Pharmaceutical representatives are a vital component of the marketing of pharmaceutical products and an important source of prescribing information for general practitioners. AIM: A study was undertaken to explore the attitudes of New Zealand general practitioners to pharmaceutical representatives. METHOD: A questionnaire survey of 100 general practitioners was undertaken to which 67 general practitioners responded. RESULTS: The provision of practical prescribing advice by representatives and gifts relevant to medicine were seen as desirable activities by many respondents. However, gifts of value considerably greater than suggested acceptable in recent guidelines for general practitioners were also highly favoured by some practitioners. CONCLUSION: Current ethical guidelines setting out the relationship between pharmaceutical representatives and medical practitioners are inadequate and should be based on the need for the general practitioner to become an unbiased promoter of patient health.

Adult↗
PubMed1993

The effect of a warning about putative adverse events on drug prescribing in general practice.

Many studies have looked at factors influencing doctors' prescribing. None have done this during a time when prescribers have been just made aware of potential serious adverse events that might be caused by a commonly prescribed medication. A controversy over the safety of Fenoterol (Boehringer Ingelheim) in 1989 provided an opportunity for such a study in general practice. Practitioners were exposed to conflicting and changing views from authoritative sources, patient concerns raised by the coverage of the issue in the news media, and a need to maintain patients on effective therapy. The study demonstrated that the majority of general practitioners would act promptly and conservatively when faced with uncertainty about the safety of the medication they prescribed.

Attitude of Health Personnel↗
PubMed1985

Recommendations for routine cervical screening.

Because of concern about the rising incidence of cervical cancer in young women, the Department of Health and the Cancer Society invited a working group to make recommendations on cervical screening. There is now compelling evidence that cytological screening is an effective preventive measure. All women who have had sexual intercourse should be offered screening. They should be screened as soon as possible after commencing sexual activity, or when first receiving contraceptive advice, antenatal care, or treatment of a sexually transmitted disease. If the first smear is negative, it should thereafter be repeated at least every three years. A special effort must be made to reach women who have never been screened, including those who are middle-aged, or elderly. The cervical smear test should be part of the assessment of women with gynaecological symptoms regardless of whether there has been a negative smear within the previous three years. The three-yearly schedule also does not apply to women who have had an abnormal smear.

Adult↗
PubMed1984

Participation in continuing medical education of general practitioners in New Zealand.

Continuing professional education has become increasingly recognized as an essential element of a professional's working life. Because participation in continuing education is usually on a voluntary basis, it is essential that organizers of continuing education understand the patterns of participation among their prospective clientele. Such an understanding can help identify areas of deficiency in program provisions as well as indicate possible ways of rectifying them. The study reported here surveyed approximately one-third of all general practitioners in New Zealand on their present participation in continuing medical education (CME), their attitudes toward continuing learning, and their specific preferences for future CME programs. Although overall rates of CME participation are very high, there are nonetheless significant variations in the amount of continuing education that general practitioners undertake. The rate of CME participation appears to be linked with the general practitioner's degree of involvement in a wide range of professional activities, and those general practitioners who are only minimally involved have lower rates of CME participation.

Attitude of Health Personnel↗
PubMed1984

Coping with information overload: the development and evaluation of a journal review service.

With the publication of an ever-increasing quantity of professional reading general practitioners world-wide are confronted with problems of information overload. To help overcome these difficulties for general practitioners in New Zealand, a 'Journal Review Service' has been developed. The service is used by a wide cross-section of general practitioners and is seen as a very positive form of continuing medical education.

Education, Medical, Continuing↗
PubMed1983

Determining continuing medical education curricula for general practitioners--a survey of self-perceived needs.

Determining the curriculum content of continuing medical education programmes is an important, but problematic element of all programme planning in continuing professional education. Surveying the participants' (self-perceived) needs has the advantage over most other methods in guaranteeing accompanying high levels of learner motivation because of perceived relevance. A study of 474 general practitioners' perceived needs of five general topic areas of continuing medical education is reviewed, showing the degrees of interest in the eighty-seven topics and the ways in which such results can be utilised in future educational planning.

Curriculum↗