Effectiveness of implementation of formative assessments as a part of competency-based medical education on summative assessment: A pilot study

Background: Assessment is an essential part of each and every education, which represents the learning of a student. If the assessments are performed regularly, it inspires active study habits and inevitably enhance learning. Aim and Objectives: Formative assessments, which are performed regularly, increase the effectiveness of the learning. Hence, we aimed to observe the effectiveness of spaced formative assessments on the performance of students in summative assessments. Materials and Methods: We selected 250 first-year medical students from the 21 to 22 batch. The students were categorized into three groups on the basis of formative assessment performance. Group I did not appear in the formative assessment, Group II scored <50% in the formative assessment, and Group III scored more than 50% in the formative assessment. Multiple comparisons of scores of summative assessments between different groups were done using ANOVA. Scores of formative assessments and summative assessment were correlated using Pearson correlation. Results: We got a statistically significant difference (P < 0.05) in mean summative assessment scores in different groups. Again, the analysis showed formative assessments had a significant (P < 0.05) relationship with summative assessment performance. Conclusion: The performance of formative assessments is predictive of summative examination scores. Academically poor medical students will be benefited from formative assessments.

Impact of yoga on lipid parameters in different age groups

Background: Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) rise first among the causes of death occurring due to non-communicable diseases in the world. The majority of cardiovascular deaths are due to ischemic heart disease and cerebrovascular disease. Among the major risk factors, dyslipidemia is an important risk factor. Hence, the prevention of dyslipidemia results in the prevention of ischemic heart disease. Dyslipidemia can be corrected by drugs but more importantly, it can be prevented by lifestyle modification. Aim and Objectives: Our aim is to observe the impact of yoga on lipid parameters in different age groups. Materials and Methods: We included 54 subjects between the age group of 30 and 60 years for this study. They were categorized into two groups: Group I having ages between 30 and 45 years (n = 23) and Group II having ages between more than 45 years and <60 years (n = 31). The lipid parameters were measured afore of yoga training, at the end of 2 months and after 6 months of yogic practices. Statistical analysis was done using the SPSS version of 20.0. A P value of less than 0.05 is considered as statistically significant. Results: Our study revealed that yoga induces a decrease in total cholesterol, triglycerides, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and very LDL cholesterol and an increase in high-density lipoprotein cholesterol in both Group I and Group II subjects which were statistically significant. Conclusion: Yoga tends to improve dyslipidemia, a major risk factor for CVDs. A yoga lifestyle can be considered a preventive measure for CVDs.

Management of complex surgical wounds of the back: identifying an evidence-based approach

Background@#Postoperative dehiscence and surgical site infection after spinal surgery can carry serious morbidity. Multidisciplinary involvement of plastic surgery is essential to minimizing morbidity and achieving definitive closure. However, a standardized approach is lacking. The aim of this study was to identify effective reconstructive interventions for the basis of an evidence-based management protocol. @*Methods@#A retrospective review was performed at a single tertiary institution for 45 patients who required 53 reconstruction procedures with plastic surgery for wounds secondary to spinal surgery from 2010 to 2019. Statistical analysis was performed for demographics, comorbidities, and treatment methods. Primary outcomes were postoperative complications, including dehiscence, seroma, and infection. The secondary outcome was time to healing. @*Results@#The overall complication rate was 32%, with dehiscence occurring in 17%, seroma in 15% and infection in 11% of cases. Median follow-up was 10 months (interquartile range, 4–23). Use of antibiotic beads did not affect rate of infection occurrence after wound closure (P=0.146). Use of incisional negative pressure wound therapy (iNPWT) was significant for reduced time to healing (P=0.001). Patients treated without iNPWT healed at median of 67.5 days while the patients who received iNPWT healed in 33 days. Demographics and comorbidities between these two groups were similar. @*Conclusions@#This data provides groundwork for an evidence-based approach to soft tissue reconstruction and management of dehiscence after spinal surgery. Timely involvement of plastic surgery in high-risk patients and utilization of evidence-based interventions such as iNPWT are essential for improving outcomes in this population.