ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Competency based medical education (CBME) is outcome based teaching methodology where a student learns a set of measurable competencies for early clinical exposure. Inspite of ample resources on CBME, there are limited studies on its implementation. This study will try to demonstrate improvement in the performance of students using CBME as a teaching tool over the traditional structured method (TS). METHODS: Forty student volunteers were chosen and divided into two groups. The crossover design exposed the group of students to CBME and TS spread over two periods with a wash out period in between. The intervention group was exposed to selected list of competencies in living Anatomy with feedbacks and formative assessments. The summative assessments were held at the end of each period. RESULTS: The mean scores of CBME and TS in group 1 is 130.625 and 113.65 while in group 2 is 139.425 and 112.075 respectively. The treatment and period effect is significant. Estimate of treatment effect is 22.1625. The average improvement in treatment scores is by 11%. Two tailed paired sample T test reveals significant improvement in the scores post intervention. CONCLUSION: CBME method produces better performance of the students in the competencies of living anatomy.
ABSTRACT
Considerable improvements and advancements have been made in the treatment of infertility but poor ovarian reserve whether due to prematurely or a physiologically ageing ovary, continues to be one of the few unresolved problems of modern infertility care. Fertility researchers had been active for quite some time to find a way to help reverse the effects of ageing on the ovaries but none made an impact till the introduction of Dehydroepiandrosterone [DHEA]. DHEA a mild, and therapeutically well tolerated, male hormone has emerged as a real potential candidate to reverse the effects of ageing on ovaries. Apart from this, DHEA has also been postulated to improve egg and embryo quality, pregnancy rates and time to conception and reduces miscarriage rates. This review attempts to highlight the mechanism of action of this drug, its indications and its current status for treating women with decreased ovarian reserve.
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Infertility is an important issue in women with Premature Ovarian Failure (POF). With no conclusive treatment available to enhance fertility in these women, it is the use of donor eggs with In-Vitro Fertilization (IVF) which can fulfil their desire to become a mother in a novel way. Hormone replacement therapy (HRT) in POF apart from correcting the endocrine defect also helps in improving the milieu of the uterus by improving its vascularisation and the sub endometrial blood flow. We thus aimed to carry out a study to find out whether hormone replacement therapy if administered prior to the oocyte donation cycle in patients of premature ovarian failure improves the pregnancy rate. METHODS: A comparative study was carried out incorporating 46 subjects with 23 in each group. Group A received HRT prior to their oocyte donation cycle while the second group entered into the oocyte donation programme directly after an artificially induced menstruation. RESULTS: It was observed that, although the HRT group had a slightly higher pregnancy rate, with a better mean endometrial thickness as compared to the non HRT group it was not statistically significant. CONCLUSIONS: Institution of hormone replacement therapy does improve the vascularisation of the uterus, corrects the histologic features of the uterine lining and makes the endometrium receptive but whether it enhances the pregnancy rate needs to be elucidated with further studies.