Are Belgian military students in medical sciences better educated in disaster medicine than their civilian colleagues?

INTRODUCTION: Historically, medical students have been deployed to care for disaster victims but may not have been properly educated to do so. A previous evaluation of senior civilian medical students in Belgium revealed that they are woefully unprepared. Based on the nature of their military training, we hypothesised that military medical students were better educated and prepared than their civilian counterparts for disasters. We evaluated the impact of military training on disaster education in medical science students. METHODS: Students completed an online survey on disaster medicine, training, and knowledge, tested using a mixed set of 10 theoretical and practical questions. The results were compared with those of a similar evaluation of senior civilian medical students. RESULTS: The response rate was 77.5%, mean age 23 years and 59% were males. Overall, 95% of military medical students received some chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear training and 22% took part in other disaster management training; 44% perceived it is absolutely necessary that disaster management should be incorporated into the regular curriculum. Self-estimated knowledge ranged from 3.75 on biological incidents to 4.55 on influenza pandemics, based on a 10-point scale. Intention to respond in case of an incident ranged from 7 in biological incidents to 7.25 in chemical incidents. The mean test score was 5.52; scores improved with educational level attained. A comparison of survey data from civilian senior medical master students revealed that, except for influenza pandemic, military students scored higher on knowledge and capability, even though only 27% of them were senior master students. Data on willingness to work are comparable between the two groups. Results of the question/case set were significantly better for the military students. CONCLUSIONS: The military background and training of these students makes them better prepared for disaster situations than their civilian counterparts.

Duration of cough, TB suspects' characteristics and service factors determine the yield of smear microscopy.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the efficiency of routine tuberculosis (TB) case detection by examining sputum smear positivity for acid-fast bacilli in relation to duration of cough, characteristics of TB suspects examined and health service factors. METHOD: We combined patient interviews with routine data from laboratory registers in 6 health care facilities in San Juan de Lurigancho district, Lima, Peru. A TB case was defined as a TB suspect with at least one positive sputum smear. We calculated adjusted odds ratios with 95% confidence intervals for the association between smear positivity and health service and patient's characteristics. RESULTS: Smear positivity was 7.3% (321/4376). Of the 4376 adults submitting sputa, 55.3% (2418) reported cough for <14 days. In this group, smear microscopy yielded 3.2% (78/2418) positive results vs. 12.4% (243/1958) in patients coughing for 14 or more days. Having cough for >2 weeks, being referred by health care staff, attending a secondary-level health care facility, male sex and age between 15 and 44 years were independent determinants of smear positivity. CONCLUSIONS: Routine case detection yields a low proportion of smear-positive cases because of the inclusion of a high proportion of patients without cough or coughing for <2 weeks. Adherence to the national TB control programme guidelines on the selection of TB suspects would have a positive impact on the smear positivity rate, reduce laboratory costs and workload and possibly improve the reading quality of smear microscopy.

Could clinical audit improve the diagnosis of pulmonary tuberculosis in Cuba, Peru and Bolivia?

OBJECTIVES: To assess the effectiveness of clinical audit in improving the quality of diagnostic care provided to patients suspected of tuberculosis; and to understand the contextual factors which impede or facilitate its success. METHODS: Twenty-six health centres in Cuba, Peru and Bolivia were recruited. Clinical audit was introduced to improve the diagnostic care for patients attending with suspected TB. Standards were based on the WHO and TB programme guidelines relating to the appropriate use of microscopy, culture and radiological investigations. At least two audit cycles were completed over 2 years. Improvement was determined by comparing the performance between two six-month periods pre- and post-intervention. Qualitative methods were used to ascertain facilitating and limiting contextual factors influencing change among healthcare professionals' clinical behaviour after the introduction of clinical audit. RESULTS: We found a significant improvement in 11 of 13 criteria in Cuba, in 2 of 6 criteria in Bolivia and in 2 of 5 criteria in Peru. Twelve out of 24 of the audit criteria in all three countries reached the agreed standards. Barriers to quality improvement included conflicting objectives for clinicians and TB programmes, poor coordination within the health system and patients' attitudes towards illness. CONCLUSIONS: Clinical audit may drive improvements in the quality of clinical care in resource-poor settings. It is likely to be more effective if integrated within and supported by the local TB programmes. We recommend developing and evaluating an integrated model of quality improvement including clinical audit.