Innovation in Learning: Critical Review of the Literature Is Absolutely Necessary for the Modern Medical Student.

The concept of a journal club has been around for decades and is a useful tool to help teach residents about evidence-based medicine. Although some students may be exposed to the concept during their third or fourth year of medical school, many do not have exposure to this until their residency. This innovation report describes a program to help introduce first and second-year medical students to a team-based approach to journal clubs so that they can apply principles of evidence-based practice early on in their medical school training. In the Fall of 2020, a faculty and student effort led by members of the internal medicine and family medicine interest groups met to form a team-based program approach to the journal club focusing on first and second-year students. Teams of students were formed, and they were allowed to pick an article to review. They presented their findings to a group of students and faculty members via online meetings (due to coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) restrictions). This program has been introduced and done for two academic years. During that time, over 50 students participated in the program along with six faculty members. Countless students and faculty have been an audience to the presentations that have been done. The program is entering its third year of providing an engaging avenue for students to gain experience in analyzing articles and making presentations. The journal club program has and continues to be praised by faculty and students for its unique approach and style to a decade-old tradition. We recommend that medical schools and other health-science programs across the country consider introducing a program like this to help stimulate critical discussions in an era of increasingly published medical literature. It is critical that students be given a chance to apply evidence-based practices early on in their medical education careers.

Research Using Social Media to Recruit Research Participants Should Proceed With Caution. Comment on “Telemanagement of Home-Isolated COVID-19 Patients Using Oxygen Therapy With Noninvasive Positive Pressure Ventilation and Physical Therapy Techniques: Randomized Clinical Trial”

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Milestone in Australian naturopathic education: Southern School of Natural Therapies celebrates 60 years

Southern School of Natural Therapies (SSNT) is Australia's longest standing school of natural therapies. Blending traditional knowledge with science resulted in an expanded curriculum including naturopathic philosophy, nutritional and botanic clinical medicine across the lifespan, pathology and diagnostics, biochemistry, homoeopathy, chiropractic, osteopathy, jurisprudence and sociology. A hallmark of being an SSNT alumni is not just achieving the highest standard of formal education, but also being supported by a strong network of colleagues, many of whom have gone on to become leaders in the health sector in Australia and around the world.

A REVIEW OF COVID-19 RECOVERY AND THE BENEFITS OF AN OSTEOPATHIC APPROACH

COVID-19 continues to be a major societal disruptor that threatens the wellness and health of millions of people worldwide. We rightfully celebrate the over 20 million survivors in the United States, yet, what constitutes actual recovery, as many face continuing repercussions of their illness? This paper reviews COVID-19, focusing on its sequela of acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) and the accompanying intensive care unit stay, treatment options and its increased morbidity. Outlined is the importance of long-term, comprehensive care for post-infection patients, as well as the numerous barriers to adequate care. We suggest looking to doctors of osteopathic medicine to bridge the gaps in multifactorial care, including psychological and physical dysfunction. Osteopathic medicine is discussed as a potential benefit during this pandemic by reviewing its effectiveness in a previous pandemic. However, additional work must be conducted to improve awareness of needed care and delivery of that care.

Clinical assessment during a global pandemic - Transitioning to a COVID safe hybrid OSCE.

Objective structured clinical examinations (OSCEs) are often used to assess the clinical competence of students in preprofessional osteopathy training. During the COVID-19 global pandemic, the final year OSCE in the RMIT University osteopathy program was redeveloped leveraging online technologies within COVID-19 guidelines such as hygiene and occupancy limitations. Final year osteopathy students were assessed using a hybrid ten station OSCE, comprising both online and face-to-face components. The examination was led by a pre-recorded narrated PowerPoint video. The video contained instructions, case information for five cases and prompts for the practical stations. A student model stepped into the room as needed for practical stations. The examiner assessed students from another room via video streaming, with limited interaction with students. The hybrid OSCE was conducted safely during Stage 4 restrictions adhering to COVID Safe guidelines, allowing robust competency assessment of final year students, enabling timely graduation and transition to practice. Institutional support, technology infrastructure, clear communication and stakeholder collaboration are key to successful implementation. The hybrid OSCE format offers a potential solution for institutions delivering high-stakes assessment in the continuing challenges of clinical assessment in the post COVID landscape. Adopting hybrid assessment formats may facilitate remote assessment of students in clinical placements.

Telemanagement of Home-Isolated COVID-19 Patients Using Oxygen Therapy With Noninvasive Positive Pressure Ventilation and Physical Therapy Techniques: Randomized Clinical Trial.

BACKGROUND: With the growing stress on hospitals caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, the need for home-based solutions has become a necessity to support these overwhelmed hospitals. OBJECTIVE: The goal of this study was to compare two nonpharmacological respiratory treatment methods for home-isolated COVID-19 patients using a newly developed telemanagement health care system. METHODS: In this single-blinded randomized clinical trial, 60 patients with stage 1 pneumonia caused by SARS-CoV-2 infection were treated. Group A (n=30) received oxygen therapy with bilevel positive airway pressure (BiPAP) ventilation, and Group B (n=30) received osteopathic manipulative respiratory and physical therapy techniques. Arterial blood gases of PaO2 and PaCO2, pH, vital signs (ie, temperature, respiratory rate, oxygen saturation, heart rate, and blood pressure), and chest computed tomography scans were used for follow-up and for assessment of the course and duration of recovery. RESULTS: Analysis of the results showed a significant difference between the two groups (P<.05), with Group A showing shorter recovery periods than Group B (mean 14.9, SD 1.7 days, and mean 23.9, SD 2.3 days, respectively). Significant differences were also observed between baseline and final readings in all of the outcome measures in both groups (P<.05). Regarding posttreatment satisfaction with our proposed telemanagement health care system, positive responses were given by most of the patients in both groups. CONCLUSIONS: It was found that home-based oxygen therapy with BiPAP can be a more effective prophylactic treatment approach than osteopathic manipulative respiratory and physical therapy techniques, as it can impede exacerbation of early-stage COVID-19 pneumonia. Telemanagement health care systems are promising methods to help in the pandemic-related shortage of hospital beds, as they showed reasonable effectiveness and reliability in the monitoring and management of patients with early-stage COVID-19 pneumonia. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT04368923; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT04368923.

Evidence-based assessment of potential therapeutic effects of adjunct osteopathic medicine for multidisciplinary care of acute and convalescent COVID-19 patients.

Although the COVID-19 pandemic affects predominantly the respiratory function, epidemiological studies show that multiple systems can be affected. The severe complications of SARS-CoV-2 infection seem to be induced by an inflammatory dysregulation ("cytokine storm"), which can also induce an immunodepression. Several studies highlight beneficial effects of osteopathic medicine on inflammation and immune regulation. A careful review of evidence-based literature brings to the fore significant improvements of osteopathic manipulative treatment (OMT) in adjunction to conventional care. OMT can improve the condition of infected patients by decreasing symptoms and boosting the efficiency of conventional care. OMT might also benefit surviving patients by reducing the long-lasting consequences of the infection as well as improving their quality of life during convalescence. This review should constitute an argument in favor of multidisciplinary care, although further biological and clinical research is essential to better assess the potential beneficial contributions of adjunct osteopathic medicine to conventional care in the fight against pandemics such as COVID-19.