Introduction: Greater needs of medical doctors to provide appropriate care for both genders related diseases, however men face more problem since their problems have less been recognized. Objective: The objective was to determine the level of men’s health knowledge among final year medical students in USM and MU. Method: A total of 199 final year medical students from Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM), Kelantan, Malaysia and Monash University, Melbourne, Australia (75 students from USM and 124 students from MU) were enrolled in the study and completed self-administered questionnaire on the topics related to male sexual and reproductive health. Result: The response rate for USM and MU was 44% and 68.9% respectively. Out of 52 items, 17 items were significantly had higher percentage in answering correctly (p
Background: Reflection on the process of learning is an essential ingredient in transforming novice into expert learners. Learning to compile portfolio encourages reflective skills, which help students to work systemically in translating metacognition into self-regulatory control in order to adjust their action and monitor their learning objectives. Introducing to compile portfolio in the early years of postgraduate training is an effective tool to stimulate students’ reflective abilities. Reflective learners are better motivated than the conventional learners to take the responsibilities as researcher in future. Reflective skills achieve both learning in right direction and learning for whole life. However, use of formal methods of reflective portfolio to monitor the learning objectives is an uncommon practice in postgraduate training, primarily due to intensive time and labor required. Challenged with those constraints in Master’s of Surgery Program of Otolaryngology and Head-Neck Surgery in School of Medical Sciences at Universiti Sains Malaysia, a structured self-reflective portfolio was introduced to determine its feasibility and acceptance among supervisors and trainees. Portfolio was practiced as one of the tool for formative assessment and for making recommendations to certify independent thyroid surgery allowed to practice in future. Methodology: A self-reflective structured portfolio was introduced to monitor the learning objectives in trainees of 2007 cohort, using a model as "mentor-system for authentic and structured learning with self-reflective assessment" (MASSRA). Initially a semi-structured portfolio comprising of 12 items and guidelines to compile a portfolio was followed by a structured format in training of thyroid module in sub-specialty of Head and Neck Surgery. Mentoring was organized by putting one-mentor verses 9 students to provide general pastoral guidance to compile portfolio as two entries a year. Mentors held the counseling session with student twice a year after evaluating the portfolios to monitor their progress. Besides, candidates were also observed for their performance in thyroid surgery during a 4-years training program. Those identified with problems for their level of training were referred to "Joint Committee for Surgical Training" comprising of 3 supervisors from Head and Neck Surgery Sub-specialty and a chairman supposedly the head of the department. 7 randomly selected students were also interviewed for direct feedback to evaluate this model. Result: 28 trainees at different level of their training compiled a self-reflection structured portfolio minimum twice a year with instructional feedback from the mentor, which was used as a tract for their personal development plan (produced by each trainee) for training in thyroid surgery. Initial analysis of portfolio revealed interesting feedback from the trainees reflecting on their knowledge, surgical skills and attitude towards thyroid surgery seen in tables 2-4. Conclusion: Self-reflections about each structured items in portfolio-helped trainees to identify their problems, seek mentors guidance and work systemically to help adjust their actions by revising learning objectives. Though time and labor intensive, portfolio was rated as feasible and practical.
Objective: To determine the sensitivity, specificity and internal consistency of the Malay version GHQ-30 among medical student population. This study also determined the level of agreement between GHQ-30 and M-BDI.
Methods: The Malay version GHQ-30 and Malay version Beck Depression Inventory (M-BDI) were administered to 190 medical students. ROC curve analysis was applied to determine the sensitivity and specificity of the GHQ-30 by testing against the M-BDI diagnoses. Reliability and Kappa analysis were applied to test internal consistency of the GHQ and to determine the level of agreement between GHQ-30 and M-BDI respectively.
Results: 141 (74.2%) medical students participated in this study. The GHQ-30 sensitivity and specificity at cut-off point of 5/6 was 87.5% and 80.6% respectively with positive predictive value (PPV) of 70% as well as area under ROC curve was 0.84. The Cronbach’s alpha value of the GHQ-30 was 0.93. The Kappa coefficient was 0.64 (p<0.001).
Conclusion: This study showed the Malay version GHQ-30 is a valid and reliable screening tool in detecting distressed medical students. The GHQ-30 score equal to or more than 6 was considered as significant distress. The GHQ-30 showed a good level of agreement with M-BDI in detecting distressed medical students.
Keywords: Kelantan; Malaysia; medical student
Objective: BigSib Students' Peer-Group Mentoring Programme was implemented as an innovative, interactive and integrated instructional method in the Universiti Sains Malaysia medical school curriculum designed to enhance and strengthen medical students training in soft skills and professional development. This study was conducted to evaluate first- and second-year medical students’ perceptions of and attitudes towards the Programme.
Methodology: A cross sectional study was carried on 314 medical students. Questionnaires assessing medical students' perceptions and attitudes towards the Programme were administered. Data were analysed by using SPSS version 12.
Results: 45.9 % of the students perceived the BigSib Students' Peer-Group Mentoring Programme as successful. More than 50% of the students are willing to participate in the Programme. About 60% of the students perceived it as an effective Programme in developing their soft skills and professionalism.
Conclusion: Medical students have positive attitudes toward the Programme and it is perceived as a successful and effective Programme in developing students' personal attributes. Similar peer-group mentoring programme may be considered relevant to be incorporated into the medical curriculum in the future.
Kajian ini mengukur kesan pembawaan semula jadi, punca tekanan dan reaksi tekanan ke atas kesihatan mental di kalangan juvana. Ia melibatkan 55 orang juvana dari pusat pemulihan akhlak dari lingkungan umur 15 hingga 18 tahun. General Health Questionnaire (GHQ28), Student Life Stress Inventory (SLSI), dan Dimensions of Temperament DOTSR-Child (Self) digunakan sebagai alat kajian. Manakala analisis regresi dan korelasi telah dikendalikan untuk menganalisis data. Keputusan kajian menunjukkan punca tekanan, reaksi tekanan dan pembawaan semula jadi tidak memberi kesan yang signifikan ke atas kesihatan mental juvana. Namun punca tekanan secara tunggal didapati menjadi peramal yang signifikan kepada kemurungan juvana dengan menyumbang sebanyak 14.6% daripada varian. Punca kekecewaan menyumbang sebanyak 18.1% daripada varian dalam meramal kemurungan. Reaksi emosi menyumbang sebanyak 10.6% kepada kesan anxieti dan insomnia. Punca tekanan dan pembawaan semula jadi pula menyumbang sebanyak 31% kepada reaksi emosi. Punca tekanan mempunyai korelasi positif yang sederhana dengan reaksi emosi (k = 0.55) dan mempunyai korelasi positif yang rendah dengan pembawaan semula jadi (k = 0.11) dan kesihatan mental (k = 0.23). Kesimpulannya punca tekanan memainkan peranan yang penting dalam mempengaruhi reaksi terhadap tekanan. Faktor pembawaan semula jadi tidak mempunyai pengaruh yang kuat dalam mempengaruhi reaksi tekanan dan kesihatan mental juvana. Faktor kekecewaan pula merupakan peramal yang signifikan kepada kemurungan.
Objective: This study assesses the impact of prescribed undergraduate psychiatry training program on medical students’ attitudes to psychiatry. It is hypothesized that training may cause positive attitude changes towards the discipline and status perceptions of the profession of psychiatry. Methods: A 23 item questionnaire was administered to 89 medical students before and after prescribed training in psychiatry as per the medical curriculum. Results: Participation in psychiatry training enhanced students’ belief that it is a rapidly expanding frontier of medicine and that psychiatry can be viewed as precise and scientific. Psychiatric referrals were seen as useful to medical and surgical patients. However there was less agreement that psychiatric treatment is helpful to most people. Support for choice of psychiatry as a career was less as students were more negatively influenced by family. Poor income prospects and perceived low status among other medical disciplines were also endorsed following the completion of training.Conclusion: There is a pressing need to revise the psychiatric training for medical students. A total attitude change is difficult to achieve and hence, the curriculum has to identify focal areas for emphasis. A multidisciplinary, bio-psychosocial model through liaison with other disciplines like medicine and surgery is a definite option. Psychiatrists have to be role models to alter the image of psychiatry among other medical professionals.
Objective: To study the prevalence of social anxiety problem and potential risk factors that may be associated with social anxiety among medical students. Methods: Social Phobia Inventory (SPIN) and a questionnaire assessing gender, religion, number of siblings, type of school and partner status were given to 167 final year medical students. Results: There were 101 respondents of which 56% of the medical students scored > 19 in the Social Phobia Inventory (SPIN) suggesting that they were having social anxiety problem. None of the variables analysed were significantly associated with social anxiety. Conclusion: More than half of the medical students have significant social anxiety symptoms. No specific variables were found to be significantly associated with those at risk of developing social anxiety disorder.
There have been significant achievements in research at IMU as indicated by the increasing amount of external funds obtained, and number of publications and postgraduate students produced since it started its research activities in the year 2000. However, it is a great challenge indeed to ensure sustainability of our research, which is currently heavily dependent on internal funding. There is a need to realign our strategies to further enhance our competitiveness in securing external funding for research. In line with this, the Institute for Research, Development and Innovation (IRDI) was officially established on 18 September 2012. The Institute will serve as a platform to support all research activities at IMU. There are four Centres of Excellence based on the identified thrust areas under
IRDI, namely 1) Centre for Bioactive Molecules and Drug Discovery; 2) Centre for Environmental and
Population Health; 3) Centre for Cancer and Stem Cell Research, and 4) Centre for Health Professional Education Research. Major findings based on research in these four thrust areas are reviewed in this paper. With the strategic planning and establishment of IRDI, it is our aspiration to bring research at IMU to a higher level.
Introduction: Undergraduate medical education should be broad-based, holistic, integrated and should promote a framework for the development of higher order cognitive skills like communication, professionalism and teamwork to prepare the student for a life-long challenging medical career. Recent calls for a competency-based medical education require, in addition, competency in clinical and procedural skills prior to graduation. This study investigates how often opportunities exist for medical students to perform four common ward procedures prior to graduation.
Method: A prospective cross-sectional study to assess the opportunities a medical student have in performing four common ward procedures, comprising intravenous cannulation, nasogastric tube insertion, urinary catheterisation and chest tube insertion, in a State General hospital in Malaysia was done.
Results: A medical student has sufficient opportunity to perform only intravenous cannulation prior to graduation. He has a remote chance to insert a urinary catheter and is unlikely to have the opportunity to insert a nasogastric tube or insert a chest tube prior to graduation.
Conclusion: Although competency in clinical skills and procedural skills prior to graduation are desirable, this is increasingly difficult to achieve due to shortage of clinical material, teachers to supervise, the large numbers of medical students and house officers, the short time spent on the main disciplines and the failure of many universities to invest heavily in skills laboratories staffed by full time clinicians. The calls to introduce competency-based medical education in undergraduate medical education, particularly in procedural competence, should take into account the challenges in delivery and the realities in the hospitals today. This is necessary to avoid demoralising students who are unable to achieve their quota of procedures through no fault of theirs.
Keywords: procedural competency, medical education, Malaysia
The incidence of cancer in Malaysia is rising alarmingly and newly qualified doctors will be expected
to be competent in the basic management of cancer patients. However, the opportunity to gain experience in oncology management will remain limited unless these students are stationed in an oncology unit which is solely dedicated to the treatment of such patients. Therefore, it is essential that undergraduate medical school training equips students with a sound knowledgebase, so that they can confidently manage basic oncological conditions appropriately. With the many private and local medical universities across the country, it is important that oncology training be standardized
and reflective of the local resources available, and government health policies. As a result, having a
standardized curriculum would help create a framework whereby competencies in cancer management would be accurately assessed.
Background: The Malay short version of Depressive Anxiety and Stress Scale (DASS-21) has been widely used as a tool to measure psychological parameters in studies in Malaysia. The version has been found to be reliable for clinical and non-clinical populations. Objectives: To analyse and establish the psychometric properties of the Malay version of the DASS 42-item (BM DASS-42) among medical students. Methods: Concurrent forward and backward translations of original English DASS-42 were completed. Construct validity of the DASS-42 was established by looking at its exploratory factor analysis. Malay DASS-42 and Malay HADS were administered to a total of 411 medical students. Results: Reliability of DASS-
42 revealed excellent Cronbach’s alpha values of 0.94, 0.90 and 0.87 for depressive, anxiety and stress domains respectively. Construct validity yielded 38 items out of 42 items (90%) had good factor loadings of 0.4 and more. DASS and HADS were strongly correlated for both anxiety (r=0.87) and depression (r=0.68) domains. Conclusions: The BM DASS-42 had admirable psychometric properties among the tested population. Further studies are needed to verify these preliminary outcomes in other Malaysian subjects.
Introduction: Self-awareness and reflective-skill are important components of personal and professional development of medical students.
Objective: The objective of this study was to determine whether self awareness and reflective skill could be improved by direct teaching intervention.
Method: This was a cross sectional intervention study conducted among 75 third year medical students of UKM Medical Centre Malaysia in 2010. Malaysian Emotional Quotient Inventory (MEQI) was used to measure self-awareness and reflective writing scripts were used to measure the reflective skills of the respondents before and after teaching intervention. Experimental group comprised of 30 students while the control group constituted the rest 45 students selected randomly. The factors contributing to self awareness with gender and learning styles were determined.
Result: There was no significant improvement observed in self-awareness of the respondents but reflective skills was significantly improved (p=0.007) following intervention. A non-significant relationship between self-awareness and gender (p=0.588) as well as self-awareness and learning styles (p=0.435) was also noticed.
Conclusion: It is concluded that intervention programs improved students' reflective skills but not their self-awareness. Effectiveness of the intervention programme is an important factor. Continuous effort should be focused to train students in an effective way in order to be more self-reflective, self-regulative as well as self-corrective, to ensure a high level of personal and professional development in their daily practices.
Objective: To determine the perception of medical students towards mentor-mentee system in Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences of UNIMAS. Method: It was a cross-sectional study involving all 104 second year and 80 fifth year medical students. A self-administered questionnaire consisting of socio-demographic details, general perceptions on mentor-mentee system, academic support, personal development, and emotional and psychological support was distributed. The data was analysed using the SPSS version 19. Result: Majority of the subjects had a positive outlook towards the mentor-mentee system with a range of 45.6% to 57%. Three of the top rated perceptions were ‘mentor analyses mentee’s examination results and provides constructive feedback’, ‘mentor advises how to improve academic performance’, and ‘mentor gives encouragement and support for the challenges faced’ (66.8%, 68.0% and 62.9% respectively). Pre-cinical medical students had significantly better perception on mentor-mentee system than clinical students (p≤0.002) while those with non-clinician mentors significantly had better perceptions than those with clinician mentors (p≤0.003) on the system. No significant difference was found between the perceptions of males and females for all components (p=0.234 to 0.722). Conclusion: The mentor-mentee system was found to be successful as more than half of the respondents had posititve perception on the system and its aspects. However, pre-clinical students benefited more compared to clinical students, which reflects the need to look at the support given to clinical students. It was recommended that future studies should incorporate the perceptions of mentors.
Introduction: There is lacking of evidence available in literatures on faking good in personality and emotional intelligent (EI) tests among medical school applicants. Thus more research is required to address the faking good issues in medical context specifically related to student admission. Objective: This study aimed to estimate the prevalence of faking good in personality and EI tests during a high stake situation which was during student selection process. Method: A one-year prospective study was carried out on a cohort of medical school applicants. Data collection was carried out at five different intervals; one measurement at pre-selection (Time 1) and four measurements at post-selection (Time 2 to Time 5). The USMaP-i and USMEQ-i were used to measure personality and EI. Faking good was positive if the scores at Time 1 beyond the 95% CI of average scores of Time 2 to Time 5.Result: The highest prevalence of faking good among personality traits was in conscientiousness (83.1%) and the lowest was in openness (74.1%). The highest prevalence of faking good among EI constructs was in emotional conscientiousness (77%) and the lowest was in emotional awareness (51.7%). About 1.7% of applicants were not faking good at any of the personality dimensions while 11.5% of them were not faking good at any of the EI constructs. About 47.4% faked good at all the personality dimensions and 33.9% faked good at all the EI constructs. Conclusion: The prevalence of faking good in the self-reporting personality and EI tests was high. Certain personality traits and EI constructs were more susceptible to faking good. The personality test was more susceptible to faking good than the EI test. Considering the potential positive impacts of personality and EI on individual performance, alternative ways should be designed to address the faking good issues.
Psychological stress among undergraduate students is associated with poor academic results, physical ill-health and psychiatric disorders. The objectives of the study were to determine the prevalence of psychological stress and its associated factors among undergraduate students attending a health programme in a local university. This is a cross-sectional study among undergraduate students attending a health programme in a local university. The 12-item General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12) was used to determine the presence of psychological stress at a cut-off point of 4 and above. Analysis was conducted to determine any association between gender, ethnicity, year of study in the university, recent health-seeking contact with a doctor, and psychological stress among the participants. The prevalence of psychological stress among undergraduate students attending a health program in a Malaysian University was 49.3%. There was no significant association with any of the socio-demographic factors studied (p>0.05). The prevalence of psychological stress in this study was significantly high, and irrespective of gender, ethnicity, year of study in the university, and recent health-seeking contact with a doctor. Hence, the findings of this study show that it may be a useful strategy to integrate such health programs regularly in activities of colleges and universities, with the aim of promoting mental health and wellness among the students.
The objective of this study is to determine the prevalence of dysmenorrhoea, its associated factors and its effects on school activities among adolescent girls in a secondary school in a rural district of Selangor, Malaysia. This is a cross-sectional study conducted in a public secondary school. A stratified random sampling of 300 female students (12 to 17 years old) from Form one to Form five classes were selected. A self-administered questionnaire consisting of 20-items was used to collect sociodemographic and menstrual data. Pain intensity for dysmenorrhoea was measured by numerical rating scale. The prevalence of dysmenorrhoea was 62.3%. It was significantly higher in the middle adolescence (15 to 17 years old) age group (p=0.003), girls with regular menstrual cycle (p=0.007) and a positive family history (p
Collaborative learning: a peer group teaching in oral hygiene instructions activity
Introduction: The objectives of this survey were to investigate whether an oral health education activity through collaborative learning and peer group teaching by students would give a positive impact and to evaluate its effectiveness, sufficiency and relevancy of the activity content.
Methods: Three third year dental students in each group were assigned to demonstrate to their group mates the myriad of oral hygiene device for plaque removal and how they are used. Fifteen students were appointed each as a ‘toothbrushing specialist’, ‘flossing specialist’ and interdental toothbrush specialist’ respectively. The others acted as participants in the group. The students then teach each other in the group on how to use these oral hygiene measures. A self-administered questionnaire assessing the activity outcome was given to fifty-two third year dental students who attended the demonstration. The data were entered in the computer using the SPSS version 12.0 for analysis.
Results: Overall response rate was 100%. Slightly more than half of the students felt confident to teach their patients effective toothbrushing and flossing and able to indicate the usage of interdental toothbrush. Most of the students preferred a small group teaching rather than a larger one. The result shows that student’s knowledge, attitudes and practices on effective oral hygiene has gained.
Conclusion: Collaborative learning in the clinical environment appears to give positive impact on the dental student’s ability to impart oral health education to their patients.
Muslim doctors are those qualified doctors who practise their professional knowledge and skills in line with Islam and upholds the highest standards of ethical and professional behaviour. The medical curriculum of the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences of Universiti Sains Islam Malaysia (USIM) was designed with the integration of Islamic input which aims at producing doctors who are able to practise medicine that is integrated with Islamic, moral and ethical values. Halaqah Studies and Fundamental Islamic Knowledge (FIK) courses such as History of Medicine in Islam, Science and Medicine in Quran and Sunnah, Akhlak and Tasawuf, Islamic Jurisprudence and Medical Ethics and Fiqh Issues are taught to students during the pre-clinical and clinical phases. Memorization of selected Quranic verses throughout the programme aim to get the students to apply the verses of the al-Quran into practice in everyday life and especially in their clinical practice. Islamic values are emphasised during doctor-patient interactions in all clinical postings. Islamic knowledge and values integrated in the curriculum are assessed in written and clinical examinations. The outcome of the integration of the Naqli component in the medical curriculum has been demonstrated positively by the students in the patient management problems and clinical consultations. Studies on the outcome of the integrated Islamic input in the medical curriculum among the clinical students and graduates are being carried out.
We report a case of factitious dermatitis in a 17 year female student who presented with recurrent pain .swelling and subcutaneous crepitations of the forearm. A thorough investigation was done. Full blood count, erythrocyte sedimentation rate was normal. Plain radiographs revealed the presence of subcutaneous emphysema. MRI showed similar findings and revealed normal muscles. Colonoscopy and OGDS were normal. except for a small polyp at the gastro-esophageal junction. Based on the clinical findings and lack of correlation with the investigations a diagnosis of factitious subcutaneous emphysema was made.
Background: Misinterpretation of abbreviations by healthcare workers has been reported to compromise patient safety. Medical students are future doctors. We explored how early medical students acquired the practice of using abbreviations, and their ability to interpret commonly used abbreviations in medical practice.
Method: Eighty junior and 74 senior medical students were surveyed using a self-administered questionnaire designed to capture demographic data; frequency and reasons for using abbreviations; from where abbreviations were learned; frequency of encountering abbreviations in medical practice; prevalence of mishaps due to misinterpretation; and the ability of students to correctly interpret commonly used abbreviations. Comparisons were made between senior and junior medical students.
Results: Abbreviation use was highly prevalent among junior and senior medical students. They acquired the habit mainly from the clinical notes of doctors in the hospital. They used abbreviations mainly to save time, space and avoid writing in full sentences. The students experienced difficulties, frustrations and often resorted to guesswork when interpreting abbreviations; with junior students experiencing these more than senior students. The latter were better at interpreting standard and non-standard abbreviations. Nevertheless, the students felt the use of abbreviations was necessary and acceptable. Only a few students reported encountering mishaps in patient management as a result of misinterpretation of abbreviations.
Conclusion: Medical students acquired the habit of using abbreviations early in their training. Senior students knew more and correctly interpreted more standard and non-standard abbreviations compared to junior students. Medical students should be taught to use standard abbreviations only.