The effects of adolescent cannabis use: How should the empirical evidence inform drug policy for young people? : Meeting abstract

Ethics as a subject is now consistently taught in medical schools within Australia. The theoretical Ethical models used, and the associated clinical discussions, vary between schools. Registrars have further theoretical Ethics teaching within Psychiatry Fellowship Training, and ongoing clinical work that is likely to provide exposure to complex and frequent Ethical dilemmas. As Psychiatry Trainees approach subspecialty training in Child and Adolescent Psychiatry they therefore have a rich experience of both theoretical Ethics teaching and clinical exposure to Ethical issues. In this symposium, the difficulties Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Trainees may have in the integration of multiple theoretical Ethical models are discussed. It is suggested that these difficulties make Ethics Teaching for Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Trainees particularly challenging. This is important given the complex Ethical issues often present when working with Children and their Families. The three main Ethical models of Deontology, Virtue Ethics and Consequentialism are described and their usefulness for the Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist examined. Limitations of these models, and “Four Principles” approaches (such as that of Beauchamp and Childress), for Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, are also considered. Clinical cases are included for discussion. Finally, the ways in which these models may be used to enhance Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Training, and subsequent clinical practice as a Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist, are discussed. The integration of different theoretical Ethical models is considered, with implications identified for clinical practice.

Teaching of medical ethics: Implications for an integrated curriculum

This paper reports on an investigation into the teaching of medical ethics and related areas in the medical undergraduate course at the University of Queensland. The project was designed in the context of a major curriculum change to replace the current 6 year course by an integrated, problem-based, 4 year graduate medical course, which began in 1997. A survey of clinical students, observations of clinical teaching sessions, and interviews with clinical teachers were conducted. Data obtained have contributed to curriculum development and will provide a baseline for comparison and evaluation of the graduate course in this field. A view of integrated ethics teaching is advanced in the light of the data obtained.

Issues in geriatric medicine

In Australia there has been rapid growth in the number of geriatricians and the provision of aged care services. This has been accompanied by increasing sophistication in the assessment and management of the common syndromes of old age: impaired cognition, incontinence, impaired mobility, impaired homeostasis and iatrogenic disease. Innovative systems of service delivery have been developed in diverse fields including dementia services and orthogeriatrics. Adequate planning and funding strategies are required to ensure that older people continue to have appropriate access to high quality services and that there is provision for education and research in ageing.

Emerging Issues Concerning the Education of Speech and Language Pathologists and Audiologists in Brazil and South America

Diversity is one of the major characteristics of Brazil and all South America. This paper presents an overview of the current situation of the education of speech and language pathologists (SLP) and audiologists in Brazil and in several other countries of South America. This paper also discusses the main challenges shared by these countries. The discussion is focused on the mutual interferences between education and the areas of professional practice, cultural diversity and continued education. There are many emerging issues about the education of SLP and audiologists in South America. The suggested conclusion is that, despite the many differences, the South American SLP and audiologists` education would benefit from joint efforts and collaborative experiences. Copyright (C) 2010 S. Karger AG, Basel

Cybertutor: a teaching tool in Dermatology

It was developed a teaching tool in Dermatology for undergraduate medical students, using an interactive website, the Cybertutor. Clinical cases, lectures and updated bibliography were selected. Photographies of dermatological lesions were taken from ambulatory patients. The topics of the lectures were based on the current curriculum of the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul. The Cybertutor is a dynamic and modern teaching tool, allowing constant innovation.

Women`s opinions about mode of birth in Brazil: a qualitative study in a public teaching hospital

Objective: to describe women`s feelings about mode of birth. Design: exploratory descriptive design. Semi-structured interviews were conducted using a questionnaire that had been developed previously (categorical data and open-and closed-ended questions). Qualitative analysis of the results was performed through a context analysis technique. Setting: the largest public university hospital in Brazil. Participants: 48 women in their third trimester of pregnancy. Findings: most women expressed a preference for vaginal birth, as they perceived that they would have a faster recovery. Women who expressed a preference for caesarean section did so because of lack of pain during the birth and the need for tubal sterilisation. The majority of women considered it important to have experience with a mode of birth in order to choose a preference. Complications associated with maternal illness were very influential in the decision-making process. Key conclusions: these results provide a useful first step towards the identification of aspects of women`s feelings about modes of birth. Most women expressed a preference for vaginal birth. Further exploration of women`s feelings regarding parturition and the decision-making process is required. (C) 2008 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.