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Postgraduate dental education in Nigeria: professional knowledge self assessed in relationship to skills among resident dental surgeons in Nigerian teaching hospitals.

BACKGROUND: Improvement in any professional calling demands periodic assessment. The purpose of this study was to assess the professional knowledge in relation to skills of the resident dental surgeons in Nigeria in an attempt to contribute to their training needs analysis. METHOD: A 33-item, self-evaluation one-page questionnaire focussing on their knowledge and skills in the different aspects of clinical dentistry was distributed to the residents in Nigerian teaching hospitals. Sixty-six residents consisting of 38 (57.6%) males and 28 (42.4%) females with age range of 27-46 years (mean 31.3 +/- 3.4 SD) completed and returned the questionnaires giving a 91.7% response rate. RESULTS: The overall means for knowledge and skills of the residents were 70.1 +/- 13.8 (SD) and 67.3 +/- 12.0 (SD) respectively. Residents whose claims of professional knowledge and skills were found below average were 30 (45.5%) and 29 (43.9%) respectively. No statistically significant sex differences were found in the claimed knowledge and skills of the residents as well as in terms of their professional status (P > 0.05). The lowest grand means for knowledge and skills were found for orthodontics/paedodontics. CONCLUSION: The study has shown that the resident dental surgeons in Nigeria claimed better professional knowledge than skills and needed most attention in orthodontics/paedodontics.

Adult↗

An exploratory study to assess the computer knowledge, attitude and skill among nurses in health care setting of a selected hospital in Ludhiana, Punjab, India.

Explorative study conducted to assess and identify deficit areas of computer knowledge, attitudes and skills among nurses working in the hospital and to examine the relationship among these factors. 120 staff nurses were surveyed by systematic random sampling. Computer knowledge, attitudes and skills were measured by a self-structured computer knowledge questionnaire, computer attitude and skill scale respectively. Data analysis showed that the majority 75% staff nurses had good computer knowledge. 100% of nurses had positive attitudes towards computer utilization. 50.8% and 30.8% had average and fair computer skills respectively. No significant correlation was found between nurses' computer knowledge, attitude and skills. The relationships of computer knowledge, attitude and skill were analyzed among nurses with the selected variables like age, sex, designation, years of nursing service, professional qualification, area of nursing service, type of computer training received, frequency of computer usage and monthly family income. Strategies to enhance nurses' computer knowledge, attitudes and skills were proposed.

Attitude of Health Personnel↗

Employee knowledge of a managed pharmacy benefit in a large corporation.

Knowledge about prescription drug benefits is necessary for consumers to choose appropriate health benefits plans in a consumer-directed health plan market. The objective of this study was to describe employees' knowledge of their prescription drug benefits. A one-group, cross-sectional survey of full-time university employees with a tiered pharmacy benefit was performed. Correct responses to knowledge questions were described individually and as an aggregate index score. Respondent understanding of pharmacy benefits was low to moderate. Specifically, knowledge of pharmacy benefits was most limited with respect to formulary management, cost sharing, and financial implications of out-of-network use and the selection of a branded or generic medication. Future research should refine methods for assessing knowledge of pharmacy benefits, explore knowledge of pharmacy benefits in diverse samples, and assess the consequences associated with variations in knowledge of prescription drug benefits.

Adult↗

Retention of basic sciences knowledge at clinical years of medical curriculum.

AIM: To explore the association between the knowledge of basic (physiology and biochemistry) and clinical sciences (internal medicine) among medical students, and determine the level of retained basic science knowledge at the fifth year of medical studies. METHODS: Medical students attending the second (n=145, response rate 60%) or the fifth year (n=176, response rate 73%) of medical studies at the Zagreb University School of Medicine in Croatia were given an anonymous knowledge test with 15 pairs of questions developed specifically for this purpose. Each pair consisted of a basic and clinical question, with the correct answer to the basic question explaining the physiological or biochemical background of the clinical question. Three pairs of questions were excludes from the analysis due to poor psychometric characteristics. RESULTS: We found statistically significant correlation between basic and clinical tests scores for both groups of students (r=0.47, P<0.001 for the second year and r=0.45, P<0.001 for the fifth year). 2x2 within-between measures ANOVA revealed a significant interaction effect for knowledge test and study year (Wilks lambda=0.55, F(1, 319)=262.7, P<0.001; effect size=0.45), showing that fifth year students scored lower on the basic test than second year students but obtained higher scores on the clinical test. CONCLUSION: The core basic science knowledge is lost during the clinical years of medical studies. Although remembering and understanding basic science concepts as a background of clinical statements at the clinical years does not directly affect clinical knowledge, there is a positive correlation between retained basic science concepts and clinical knowledge.

Croatia↗

Knowledge representation in pharmacology. A possible application area for the Arden Syntax?

In 1990 the Arden Syntax was proposed as a first version of a standardized syntax for the representation of medical knowledge. For the evaluation of the practicability of this first release we have analyzed the medical and pharmacological knowledge applied in the process of drug prescription. The separation of declarative (e.g. in a semantic network) and procedural knowledge is a basic issue of our research. We therefore propose to further extend the Arden syntax with declarative knowledge representation facilities. One way to do this may be the incorporation of a standardized medical data dictionary (e.g. the UMLS Metathesaurus) which promotes the representation of medical terms in a semantic network. Furthermore the problem of 'institution-specific knowledge', which is especially important for the issue of knowledge sharing between different institutions, is analyzed based on examples of knowledge modules for monitoring drug allergies and drug-drug-interactions.

Artificial Intelligence↗

Knowledge-based support for a physician's workstation.

We describe knowledge-based support for a Physician's Workstation prototype. Our knowledge base uses a qualitative simulation model of patient physiology. We present the motivation behind our design, discuss the components of the knowledge base, and show how the knowledge base supports a physician's workstation in the patient management process. We describe a graphical knowledge base editor used by the domain expert for knowledge acquisition, and a graphical knowledge base presenter which monitors the qualitative simulation during patient event processing.

Artificial Intelligence↗

[Alcohol and health: attitudes, habits and knowledge of a group of young physicians].

By means of a set of questions the Authors analyze the habits, the attitudes and the knowledge of a group of young medical doctors, concerning the problem of alcohol and health. People interviewed are 873 Medical Reserve Officer Cadets who attended the propedeutic course at the Military Medical School of Florence from September 1987 to May 1988. These people formed a considerable part of the young male medical doctors who had graduated in Italy the previous year. This set of questions is based on the multiple choice system, with 37 questions divided in 4 sections: 1. access to the set of questions with personal information and previous studies; 2. habits and attitudes of the person concerning the consumption of alcoholic drinks; 3. general knowledge of some legal and epidemiological aspects; 4. specific knowledge of the alcohol as a risk factor and of the diagnosis and the prevention of the alcohol related pathologies. The central role of the university in acquiring the knowledge of people interviewed, clearly results from the analysis of the answers. Only few young people assert they got their knowledge from scientific publications. The belief that drinking alcohol with the meals is healthy, is more evident in the South than in the North of Italy; at the same time the prevalence of alcohol related diseases seems to increase moving from Southern to Northern Italy. The more moderate attitude of parents in Northern Italy, seems to be somehow affected by the prevalence of alcohol related diseases in this area. Most young doctors do not drink either light alcoholic drinks or spirits to excess, however 9 people claim to drink wine both with the meals and between, and some 20 claim to drink spirits once a day or even more. A remarkable part of people interviewed seems not to have a full understanding of self-definitions as "abstemious", "moderate drinker", "normal drinker", "heavy drinker". These definitions often do not fit with the quantities declared. The knowledge about metabolism and immediate effects of alcohol is not always proper: it is particularly surprising that more than a third of doctors think that alcohol warms the body and helps to bear low temperature. The poor knowledge of the epidemiological aspects of alcohol consumption is not acceptable, testifying the remarkable difficulty in having a global vision and a right dimension of the problem. In particular an inadequate evaluation of the seriousness of the alcohol related pathologies, considered insufficiently represented among the death causes by one fifth, emerges from the answers.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

Age Factors↗

[Diagnosis and treatment in general practice. 4. General practitioners' knowledge of their patients].

The object of this work is to describe aspects of general practitioners' knowledge of their patients and to analyse the connection between this knowledge and certain activities involving the patients in the practice (examination in the practice, prescription of medicine, information and referral). Fifty-five practices with a clientele of 81,600 patients in the lower income group of the Danish National Health Insurance over the age of 15 years participated. A random sample of 1/30 of the insured persons were characterized by the practice prior to a period of observation of three months on the basis of the doctors' knowledge of the persons. During the period of observation, all practice-patient contacts were registered. The characteristics of the patients included: curation of attachment to the practice, degree of knowledge, previous problems etc. Contact data included information about diagnoses, symptoms, patient's wishes, prescriptions, referrals, information given and examinations in the practice. During the three months, a total of 1,974 episodes of medical care occurred. We did not find any connection between the duration of knowledge (as a measure of knowledge) and the number of abovementioned activities in the practice. This investigation, however, cannot exclude such a connection. Information is still required to illustrate the significance of the knowledge of the patients for the solution of their problems and, in particular, for the course of their health problems.

Denmark↗

Knowledge, attitudes, and dietary practices of female athletes.

The relationship between the nutrition knowledge and attitudes and dietary practices of adolescent female athletes was studied, using a 24-hour recall and a 48-hour food record with a modified version of the self-administered knowledge and attitude questionnaire of Werblow et al. Analysis indicated that the diets were similar to those of other teenage girls in the United States. The calculated mean values for vitamins A and C were more than 100% of the RDAs, while those for calcium and iron were less than 67% of the allowances. The mean energy value was less than recommended and may have been inadequate for the active subjects. Food consumption analysis showed that of total servings, the milk and meat groups accounted for only about 10% each and that more than 30% came from the "others" group. Although the subjects had some common misconceptions about nutrition, they were generally knowledgeable as well as positive in their attitudes toward nutrition. Nutrition knowledge and attitudes were positively correlated, indicating that the more nutrition knowledge a subject had, the more positive was the attitude toward nutrition, and vice versa. However, no significant correlation was found between nutrition knowledge or attitudes and dietary intake, suggesting that factors other than nutrition knowledge and attitudes, such as a concern for weight and a dependence on others for food selection, played a role in determining the food practices of the subjects.

Adolescent↗

Residents' knowledge of behavioral pediatrics.

Four groups of residency programs (4433 residents) were compared regarding performance on the In-Training Exam of the American Board of Pediatrics and a 30-item addendum assessing behavioral knowledge: 10 programs funded to provide mandatory training, 6 not funded but requiring training, 4 control programs not requiring training but participating in an evaluation of behavioral training, and all other programs (221) whose residents took the exam. Three measures were calculated for each resident: percent correct on "organic" items; percent correct on "behavioral" items; and a ratio (behavioral to organic). Moderate positive correlations were found between organic and behavioral scores. There were no significant differences in organic performance related to program type. Ratio scores were higher for PL-1-funded residents than for any other PL-1 group. For PL-2s, Funded, Not Funded, and Control residents performed better than the All Other group. By the 3rd year, Funded residents performed better than All Other residents; Not Funded and Control scores fell in between. These data suggest that: (1) behavioral knowledge is only moderately related to organic knowledge; (2) requiring behavioral training increases behavioral knowledge but does not decrease the level of organic knowledge; and (3) funded programs attract residents more knowledgeable about behavior who, during their training, remain more knowledgeable than residents in programs not participating in an evaluation of behavioral training.

Child Behavior↗

New from nursing research: the basic knowledge assessment tool (BKAT) for critical care nursing.

The BKAT is a valid and reliable test of basic knowledge in critical care nursing. Validity was established through a panel of nine experts in critical care nursing practice and education. Reliability was established at the alpha coefficient of 0.86 for the total test during the pilot study on a sample of 100 nurses working in CCUs . The BKAT , which is a 90-item test, has been used on both a supervised and an unsupervised basis. Findings from the pilot study included a statistically significant difference in basic knowledge between new graduates and nurses with 6 months to more than 5 years of experience in critical care nursing, and that the length of critical care experience is the best predictor of basic knowledge. No statistically significant differences were found in basic knowledge in the following groups of nurses: (1) ICU, SICU , and coronary care unit nurses, (2) those working in university or teaching hospitals, community hospitals, and government hospitals, and (3) nurses with an associate degree, diploma, or baccalaureate degree. The BKAT -2, a revision of the BKAT , indicates that the basic knowledge assessment tool can be updated as new technologies and new knowledge become part of the body of nursing knowledge related to safe practice in critical care nursing.

Costs and Cost Analysis↗

Objective evaluation of clinical performance and correlation with knowledge.

In certifying competence of anesthesiologists who have finished residency training, knowledge and judgment are evaluated objectively using written and oral examinations. Clinical motor skills, however, are not routinely assessed by objective techniques. This implicitly assumes that knowledge and judgment correlate with performance of motor skills. This study was designed to evaluate whether performance of a particular motor skill correlates with performance on a knowledge test related to that skill. To do this, we developed a criterion-referenced Spinal Anesthesia Skill Test and a knowledge test using multiple-choice questions related to spinal anesthesia. Both the skill and knowledge tests were administered to 44 residents at various levels of training at five major anesthesia teaching programs. Scores on the skill test were significantly higher than in the knowledge test, suggesting that proficiency in this essential motor skill is achieved earlier in training. There was no correlation between scores on the skill test and knowledge test. There were institution-linked differences in the scores on the skill test, suggesting that teaching of motor skills is not uniform. The advantages of developing criteria of performance of motor skills is discussed.

Anesthesia, Spinal↗

The development of knowledge about visual perception.

This chapter describes recent theory and research in one limited area of social-cognitive development, namely, the childhood acquisition of knowledge about visual perception. The author and his co-workers have hypothesized that there are two developmental levels of such knowledge. At earlier-developing Level 1, the child understands that others as well as the self see objects, and is also able to infer correctly what objects they do or do not currently see if provided with adequate cues. At later-developing Level 2, the child understands not only that people can see objects, but also that they can have differing visual experiences while seeing the same object; most notably, they can have different spatial perspectival views of it when looking at it from different positions. Arguments and evidence for the developmental distinction between Level 1 and Level 2 knowledge are briefly presented in Section I. A more detailed model of Level 1 knowledge is presented in Section II, together with an account of several studies of its development during the first four years of life. During these early years, children appear to learn a great deal about how to produce visual percepts in others (showing and pointing to things), how to deprive others of percepts (hide objects), and how to diagnose the percepts they currently have (follow others' direction of gaze and pointing gestures). Section III similarly reviews recent theory and research on the development of Level 2 perspective-taking knowledge in older children. This work is focused mainly on the acquisition and use of very general perspective-taking rules, such as the rule that two observers who look at an object array from the same spatial position must on that account necessarily have identical perspectival views of the array. Section IV described further developmental research that could be or is being done on Level 2 knowledge, Level 1 knowledge, and on the Level 1-Level 2 distinction.

Age Factors↗

Comparing contents of a knowledge base to traditional information sources.

Physicians rely on the medical literature as a major source of medical knowledge and data. The medical literature, however, is continually evolving and represents different sources at different levels of coverage and detail. The recent development of computerized medical knowledge bases has added a new form of information that can potentially be used to address the practicing physician's information needs. To understand how the information from various sources differs, we compared the description of a disease found in the QMR knowledge base to those found in two general internal medicine textbooks and two specialized nephrology textbooks. The study shows both differences in coverage and differences in the level of detail. Textbooks contain information about pathophysiology and therapy that is not present in the diagnostic knowledge base. The knowledge base contains a more detailed description of the associated findings, more quantitative information, and a greater number of references to peer-reviewed medical articles. The study demonstrates that computerized knowledge bases, if properly constructed, may be able to provide clinicians with a useful new source of medical knowledge that is complementary to existing sources.

Artificial Intelligence↗

[A survey on sex knowledge and medical demand of the cases in Kaohsiung city adolescent health clinic].

The purpose of this survey is to study the sex knowledge of adolescents, and to analyze their need in sex consultation and related health problem in Kaohsiung city. A total of 1,000 study subjects were recruited from May 1991 to May 1994. A self-administered questionnaire and medical records were used to obtain related information. The results were as follows: 1. The male to female ratio of study subjects was 1:2. Half of them were students, 44.1% had sexual experience, and the mean +/- standard deviation of age at first sex experience was 19.1 +/- 2.8 years. 2. The average percentage of correct knowledge was as low as 67.6%. It indicated an inadequacy of sex knowledge in adolescents. Females had better knowledge than males. Subjects who had graduated from senior high schools had better knowledge than those graduated from middle schools. No association was found between the score of sex knowledge and occupation. 3. 12.5% of study subjects believed that "masturbation" might cause neurasthenia, kidney malfunction and loss of memory, while 11.9% recognized that "nocturnal emission" might result in abnormal ejaculation, mental aberration and guilty feelings. Furthermore, 3.8% considered that kissing, hugging or sleeping together might cause pregnancy. 4. Most adolescents felt that "guidance on sex knowledge" was the major reason for them to visit the adolescent clinic and "obstetric and gynecological problems" was the second most important. 5. Males and females have the same prevalence of sex experience, and 50.6% of them did not practice contraception. 88.9% subjects had a high risk of getting pregnancy. 6. Males had a higher percentage of more than one heterosexual partner than females did. There was a higher percentage of people with a high education level having a fixed heterosexual partner than that of those with a low education level.

Adolescent↗

Aspects of moral knowledge in nursing.

The purpose of the article is to identify and clarify different aspects of moral knowledge in nursing and to discuss the relevance of these aspects to nursing practice, nursing ethics, and education. Moral action knowledge, theoretical-ethical, personal, and situational moral knowledge are identified as different aspects of moral knowledge in nursing. Moral integration refers to the coordination of the four aspects. Some controversies in contemporary nursing ethics are discussed in the light of the proposed notion of moral knowledge. The ethics of caring is discussed as a form of personal and situational moral knowledge. The notion of moral integration requires knowledge of abstract principles as well as virtue and caring as the foundation of nursing ethics.

Education, Nursing↗

Differences in pain knowledge in cancer patients with and without pain.

PURPOSE: The authors determined: 1) whether there were differences in knowledge about pain between oncology outpatients with and without cancer-related pain and 2) whether there were relationships between selected patient characteristics (age, gender, education, Karnofsky performance status, pain intensity, and pain duration) and the knowledge about pain of oncology outpatients with cancer-related pain. DESCRIPTION OF STUDY: Three hundred sixty-nine oncology outpatients completed several self-report questionnaires including a demographic questionnaire, a pain experience scale that measured knowledge about pain and pain management, the Karnofsky performance scale, and descriptive numeric rating scales that measured pain intensity and pain duration. RESULTS: Patients with cancer-related pain knew significantly more about pain and its management than pain-free patients (P < 0.004). However, in both groups, mean knowledge scores were below 60%. Older patients with cancer-related pain had less knowledge about pain than younger patients (P < 0.0001). In addition, patients with cancer pain who had more education and those with higher reported pain intensity scores had more knowledge about pain and pain management. Finally, women with cancer pain had more knowledge than men about pain and pain management. CLINICAL IMPLICATIONS: Results of this study suggest that oncology patients with and without pain need more education about pain and effective pain management strategies.

Adult↗

[Changes in knowledge of HIV/AIDS and attitudes for PWA in Tokyo: 1992-1995].

In order to assess changes in knowledge of HIV/AIDS and attitude for People With HIV/AIDS (PWA), interview surveys (Dec. 1992, Jan. 1994, Jan. 1995) were carried out annually on random samples of the general public in Tokyo, age between 15-69 years. In total, 4,270 individuals were sampled, with an average response rate of 63.2%. Answers were scored and classified in 12 sex and age sub-groups. Additionally, correlations between scores of questions and social indices were analyzed. The results of the study are as follows: 1) The 15-19, 20-29 and 30-39 age groups showed higher scores on knowledge about HIV transmission modes. During the entire study period, the score increased in 7 groups, but decreased in 5 groups. 2) The 30-39 and 40-49 age groups showed higher scores on knowledge about HIV antibody test. During the period, the score increased in 11 groups, and among them 6 groups showed statistically significant (p < 0.05) increases. However, the score decreased in 9 groups at the third survey. 3) The 15-19, 20-29 and 30-39 age groups showed higher scores on acceptable attitudes for PWA. During the period, the score increased in all groups, and among them 3 groups showed statistically significant (p < 0.05) increases. 4) Rank correlations between two scores-knowledge quantity about the transmission modes and acceptable attitudes for PWA-were positive (0.2 < R) and statistically significant (p < 0.05) in 11 groups at the first survey, 9 groups at the second, and 6 groups at the third. 5) During the entire study period, 6 groups showed positive correlations (0.7 < R) between two changes: (1) score of knowledge about the transmission modes and (2) score of acceptable attitudes. 6) During the entire study period, 10 groups showed positive correlations (0.7 < R) between two changes: (1) score of acceptable attitudes and (2) number of newspaper articles regarding acceptance or discrimination of the PWA. 7) Knowledge about HIV/AIDS in the general public in Tokyo showed increase in younger generation, but there is concern of decrease in the older generation. These result indicate that acceptable attitude forward PWA are affected by related knowledge about the transmission modes and mass-media information, and must be considered in HIV/AIDS programs.

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome↗