This paper deals with the evaluation of the effectiveness of individual psychotherapy by students on patients' subjective symptomatic improvement and the therapeutic benefits to medical students. The results of the study indicated that student psychotherapy was of significant benefit to psychoneurotic patients, but was of dubious value in the clinical teaching of psychotherapy in the psychiatric curriculum of the medical course at the University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur.
In a study during 1972 of smoking habits of Malaysian medical students, smoking rates of medical students was seen to be higher than that of students in four other faculties in the University of Malaya. Male Malaysian medical students had higher smoking rates than their counterparts in Glasgow in 1971 (UM 20.3%, Glasgow 19.1%) but Malaysian females had very low smoking rates (male 25.2%, female 1.6%). Despite the fact that in the medical curriculum students are made aware of the scientific evidence on the health hazards of smoking, smoking rates were higher in students int their later years of study. Ethnicity was associate with smoking rates although father's smoking habit was not - and Malays had the highest smoking rates (malay 28.2%, chinese 16.3%, indian and others 23.5%).
Several medical schools in Southeast Asia have identified deficiencies in their undergraduate medical education that result in inappropriate training of students for the health-care problems that exist in their respective countries. Curriculum changes have been made that take students out of the laboratory and the subspecialty-oriented university hospital and place them in extramural programs in the community. Both the deficiencies identified and the solutions developed merit study by North American medical educators, especially those teaching primary care in family practice.
Behavioural self-analysis projects were introduced into the second year medical curriculum in behavioural sciences at the University of Malaya. Students performance and evaluation of the experience were compared with those of American medical students. It was concluded that receptivity of medical students to principles of behaviour therapy is relatively similar in the two societies.
The sexual identity of 65 Malaysian male medical students was investigated by anonymous questionnaire. Of these students, 40% were aware of homosexual feelings prior to age 15 years, and 16% were so aware currently. There were correlations between current homosexual feelings and feminine sex dimorphic behavior during childhood and between current homosexual feelings and feminine gender identity. The results are discussed in light of results of a similar questionnaire completed by 138 male medical students in Sydney, Australia.
Study site: National University of Malaysia (Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia), Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
A double-antibody radioimmunoassay technique has been used to investigate the serum prolactin (hPRL) level in Malay females from premenarche to the postmenopause. The results showed that the hPRL level (mena ± SEM) in the premenarchal, postmenarchal and late pubertal/reproductive subjects were 23.6 ± 2.3, 19.1 ± 2.0 and 22.7 ± 1.9 ng/ml respectively. In premenopausal women, hPRL level (11.8 ± 2.4 ng/ml) was significantly reduced (p < 0.01) compared to that of late pubertal group; the level declined even further after menopause (9.5 ± 1.7 ng/ml). Although the difference in the mean prolactin levels between premenopause and postmenopause were not significant, 73% of the postmenopausal women had serum prolactin concentrations below 10 ng/ml compared to 44% of the premenopausal and 10% in late pubertal group.
The Middlesex Hospital Questionnaire (later known as The Crown - Crisp Experiential Index) was used on medical students of the Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur. It was found that Year II medical students scored the highest; the female students scored higher than male students in all classes. The female students were more anxious, phobic, obsessional, hypochondriacal and depressive than male students.
In recent years, female enrollment into medical faculties almost all over the world has increased tremendously. In the UKM, female medical students constitute 47.6% of the total enrollment for 1985; in the first year, they form 61.1% of the medical class. Once accepted, a woman has an equal if not better chance of graduation. However, it is during the later years of the career of female doctors that cause most concern because it has been shown that fewer women than men acquire additional qualifications. In view of their increasing enrollment, career aspirations of female doctors will have an important impact on the health services. A survey was conducted among 149 final-year medical students in 1985. This study revealed that irrespective of sex, the majority of medical students do wish to pursue postgraduate education. However, of those who do not wish to undergo further training, the majority are female students. The pattern of choice of speciality also differs in that females do not choose surgical-based disciplines.
On the basis of a questionnaire on smoking behaviour, knowledge and attitudes administered to medical students in the University of Malaya in July 1987, the prevalence of smoking was found to be low (10%) among medical students. Smokers and non-smokers were equally well informed about common smoking complications. Most students, irrespective of smoking status, felt that they would as future doctors, often advise sick smokers against smoking. In contrast, less than half would do so for healthy smokers who do not themselves raise the question of smoking. The students' personal smoking behaviour also influenced their view of their professional role. Appropriate values, attitudes and a preventive approach towards smoking need to be further developed in the medical students' thinking and behaviour.
Fifty medical students were screened for hepatitis B serological markers of whom 42 students entered the study. Those who were found to be negative for all markers were vaccinated with 1.0 ml (20 mcg HBsAg) Engerix-B vaccine intramuscularly in the deltoid region according to the 0, 1, 6 month schedule. Blood samples were taken at 1, 2, 3, 6, 9 months. One month following the first dose, 7% showed detectable AntiHBs with a GMT of 11 IU/I. By the sixth month, just before the third dose was given, 79% seroconverted with a GMT of 2952 IU/I. Three months following the third dose all had seroconverted with a GMT of 18,381 IU/I. No serious adverse reactions were noted and none of the subjects showed evidence of hepatitis B infection during the study. This study thus confirms the high immunogenicity and safety of recombinant yeast-extract hepatitis B vaccine.
Three years ago the Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia medical school changed its curriculum from the traditional discipline based curriculum to the integrated organ-system approach. Once change was effected a process of 'refreezing' had to be initiated whereby new responses had to be reintegrated into the ongoing personality or emotional relationships of important people so that the change process will endure and become stable. During this refreezing process the faculty encountered several problems which could thwart further development of the new curricula if left unresolved. The nature of the problems seemed to indicate that curricular change involves more than just efforts at bettering the what and ways of student learning and assessment. A lot of energy was also spent on keeping things going, keeping people motivated, making sure the work was done (at least as well as it has in the past), looking for better ways to do things, weighing new solutions and to be alert to new problems. In ensuring the continuance of change it was important to ensure, from the outset the institutionalization of policies, programmes, procedures and practices for continuing reward, routinization, structural integration into the system, continuing evaluation and providing for continuing maintenance.
One hundred and twenty-eight medical students who had experienced a traditional-style preclinical curriculum completed three self-report questionnaires. Using factor analysis of students' responses this study explores interactions between study orientation, preferences for different kinds of learning environment, and evaluations of the physiology course. Such interactions can provide insight into the reasons why students fail to adopt effective learning strategies. Although many students had the intention to understand, they did not adopt a deep approach. Achievement motivation was strong, test anxiety high, and the course was perceived to be competitive. The meaning orientation merged with the achieving orientation; students were thus performance rather than task oriented. These students perceived the course to have been challenging, as did students within the reproducing orientation and who had 'surface' preferences. Students within the non-academic orientation had difficulty coping with the course. The findings suggest that conventional teaching and assessment methods are preventing students from developing appropriate criteria and internal standards for evaluating performance. An illusion of comprehension may prevent students from seeing the need to adopt more effective learning strategies and cause 'good' students with the ability to adopt a deep approach to abort the pursuit of deep understanding. Students' preferences and evaluations of teaching and assessment indicate that students within the different learning orientations have different educational needs. The implications for instruction and evaluation are discussed.