Biomedical subjects

Sandra L Emmons

Publications and source records attributed to Sandra L Emmons.

5 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2006

The influence of physician gender on practice satisfaction among obstetrician gynecologists.

OBJECTIVE: A survey was conducted to investigate the hypothesis that female gender would positively affect job satisfaction among obstetrician gynecologists. STUDY DESIGN: A survey was sent to 500 randomized, age matched American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology members, 50% each men and women: 49.8% responded. Data were analyzed with the chi2 contingency test, Cochran's test for linear trends, Student t tests, and multiple regression. RESULTS: Women considered their gender an asset in deciding on a career in obstetrics and gynecology, in obtaining jobs, and in maintaining their practices. Men considered that their gender limited their practice options and were more likely to report that they would not choose a career in obstetrics and gynecology if they could choose again. The only significant difference between men and women in measures of obtaining and maintaining a practice was that men were more likely to practice in small urban or rural settings. Men reported higher incomes. Both genders were equally satisfied with their jobs. CONCLUSION: Although both genders considered female gender to be an asset in obstetrics and gynecology, this survey showed no difference in their ratings of overall career satisfaction.

Adult↗

PubMed2006

A comparison of different contraceptive curriculums and their impact on knowledge retention and learning skills of medical students.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study is to assess the long-term knowledge retention and learning skills among third year medical students who had been taught about contraception 1 year previously. STUDY DESIGN: In 2002-2003, 150 third-year medical students were taught contraception in either an interactive or a standard format. Students completed exams at 2-4 weeks and 1 year after sessions. Scores were compared to determine long-term knowledge retention (paired t test). At 1 year, students assessed the long-term impact of the contraceptive lecture (visual analogue scales). RESULTS: This study had a 40% response rate (60/150, interactive 34/77, standard 26/73). Overall, test scores decreased three points (8.6%), with an average test score of 22/35 (p<.01) at 1 year. Follow-up test scores were equivalent between lecture groups (p=.64). Use of a contraceptive resource tended to be higher in the interactive group (50% vs. 27%, p=.08). Students requested that more time be devoted to teaching contraception (78%). CONCLUSION: Both teaching formats are equivalent in their impact on long-term knowledge retention.

Adult↗

PubMed2005

Acupuncture for overactive bladder: a randomized controlled trial.

OBJECTIVE: To compare acupuncture treatment for overactive bladder with urge incontinence with a placebo acupuncture treatment. METHODS: Eighty-five women enrolled in this randomized, placebo-controlled trial. Women were randomly assigned to either receive an acupuncture treatment expected to improve their bladder symptoms, or a placebo acupuncture treatment designed to promote relaxation. They underwent cystometric testing, completed a 3-day voiding diary, and completed the urinary distress inventory and incontinence impact questionnaire, validated quality-of-life inventories, before and after 4 weekly acupuncture treatments. The primary endpoint was number of incontinent episodes over 3 days. Secondary endpoints included voiding frequency and urgency, cystometric bladder capacity, maximum voided volume, and the urinary distress inventory and incontinence impact questionnaire symptom scores. RESULTS: Seventy-four women completed all aspects of the study. Women in both treatment and placebo groups had significant decreases in number of incontinent episodes (59% for treatment, 40% for placebo) without a significant difference in the change between the groups. Women in the treatment group had a 14% reduction in urinary frequency (P = .013), a 30% reduction in the proportion of voids associated with urgency (P = .016), and a 13% increase in both maximum voided volume and maximum cystometric capacity (P = .01). Both groups also had an improvement in the urinary distress inventory and incontinence impact questionnaire scores (54% decrease for treatment, 30% decrease for placebo, P < .001 for the difference in change between the groups). CONCLUSION: Women who received 4 weekly bladder-specific acupuncture treatments had significant improvements in bladder capacity, urgency, frequency, and quality-of-life scores as compared with women who received placebo acupuncture treatments. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: I.

Acupuncture Therapy↗

PubMed2004

Teaching contraception: an interactive presentation using managing contraception.

OBJECTIVE: Our purpose was to determine whether an interactive medical student contraceptive teaching session results in improved knowledge gain or satisfaction when compared with a standard, didactic lecture. STUDY DESIGN: An interactive lecture was compared with a standard lecture among third-year medical students at Oregon Health and Science University School of Medicine and Medical College of Georgia. Knowledge gain was assessed by comparing correct responses to a posttest with the students' own responses to the same questions given as a pretest before the lecture. Satisfaction with the lecture was assessed on a visual analog scale. Scores and satisfaction ratings were compared within and between lecture groups. RESULTS: A total of 150 students participated. There was a significant increase in test scores within both the interactive and standard groups ( P < .0001 for both groups). The change in scores did not differ significantly between the groups ( P = .087). Although overall satisfaction was significantly greater with the standard lecture ( P = .004), it was high with both lectures. CONCLUSION: Knowledge gain with the interactive lecture was equivalent to that with the standard lecture. Satisfaction with both learning formats was high.

Adult↗

PubMed2004

The impact of perceived gender bias on obstetrics and gynecology skills acquisition by third-year medical students.

PURPOSE: To investigate the perceptions of third-year medical students about how their acquisition of skills during their obstetrics and gynecology clerkship may be affected by their gender. METHOD: From January 1999 to December 2001, all third-year students at one school completing their obstetrics and gynecology rotation were given an anonymous questionnaire addressing whether gender had a positive, negative, or neutral effect on their learning experience. Students were also asked to enumerate procedures they had performed (e.g., deliveries and speculum examinations) and to rate their ability to counsel women on several clinical problems. To further investigate the perceptions of gender discrimination, a focus group of 12 fourth-year students was held. RESULTS: A total of 263 questionnaires (95%) were returned. Of the respondents, 78% of the men felt their gender adversely affected their experience, and 67% of women felt gender had a positive affect. All but five of the remaining students were in the neutral group. Those students who reported a positive gender effect performed significantly more speculum examinations (15.5 versus 12.3), labor coaching (8.7 versus 6.2), and independent deliveries (3.4 versus 2.7) than did the negative gender-effect group. The positive gender-effect group felt more confident of counseling skills. The neutral group did not differ from the negative group. The overall numerical differences among groups were small, and all groups, on average, performed adequate numbers of skills to meet clerkship objectives. CONCLUSIONS: There is a strong perception among medical students that gender influences experience on their obstetrics and gynecology clerkship, but the differences are actually small. Possible reasons for such strong feelings are addressed and related to the history of sexism in reproductive health care and to the ethics of patients' preferences.

Clinical Clerkship↗