ABSTRACT
Objective:To explore the application of Balint group activities in the doctor-patient communication skills training for standardized residency training of internal medicine.Methods:The students from Batch 2018 and some from Batch 2019 participating in the standardized residency training in Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University were selected as the research subjects. SPSS 22.0 was used to perform paired t test for comparison before and after training, and the SEGUE scale was used to evaluate the doctor-patient communication ability of the physicians before and after the training of the Balint group. A questionnaire survey was performed to collect their understanding of doctor-patient communication status and evaluate the training activities. Results:All the residents recognized the importance of doctor-patient communication and clarified the main reasons for the communication of doctors and patients. After receiving the training of doctor-patient communication focusing on group activities, the total score of SEGUE scale increased from (15.40±5.65) to (19.84±1.92), and the residents significantly improved their ability in such five dimensions as stopping inquiry, understanding patients, passing information, collecting information and ready to start ( P<0.001), with a satisfaction rate of 92.00% (69/75) for training methods and contents. Conclusion:The doctor-patient communication ability of the residents needs to be further improved. Balint group activities have enriched the form of doctor-patient communication training, which is helpful for doctors to strengthen their professional confidence and build a harmonious doctor-patient relationship.
ABSTRACT
Recent studies have shown that individuals with shorter telomeres present a higher prevalence of arterial lesions and higher risk of cardiovascular disease mortality. As a group, patients with high blood pressure are at an increased risk for cardiovascular diseases. However, some hypertensive patients are more prone than others to atherosclerotic lesions. The main objective of this study was to examine the relationship between telomere length, as expressed in white blood cells, and carotid artery atherosclerotic plaques in hypertensive males. Data from 163 treated hypertensive men who were volunteers for a free medical examination were analyzed. Extracranial carotid plaques were assessed with B-mode ultrasound. Telomere length was measured from DNA samples extracted from white blood cells. The results of this study show that telomere length was shorter in hypertensive men with carotid artery plaques versus hypertensive men without plaques (8.17+/-0.07 kb versus 8.46+/-0.07 kb; P<0.01). Multivariate analysis showed that in addition to age, telomere length was a significant predictor of the presence of carotid artery plaques. The findings from this study suggest that in the presence of chronic hypertension, which is a major risk factor for atherosclerotic lesions, shorter telomere length in white blood cells is associated with an increased predilection to carotid artery atherosclerosis.
