Learning histology - dental and medical students' study strategies.

PURPOSE: Histology, the science of cells and tissues at the microscopic level, is an integral component of most dental and medical curricula and is often taught using both traditional and novel computer-based didactic approaches. The purpose of this study was to analyse the strategies used by dental and medical students when studying this very visual and challenging subject. METHODS: Data were collected from 75 dental and 143 medical students, who had almost identical histology learning resources at their disposal. RESULTS: When compared with their medical counterparts, dental students view histology as a more difficult subject and as less relevant for their future career. Whereas dental students, who are required to attend class unlike medical students, made more use of in-classroom learning opportunities, they did not take as much advantage of out-of-classroom resources. In addition, dental students reported a significantly higher tendency than medical students to work together, rather than to study alone. DISCUSSION: Small differences in the dental versus the medical learning environment associate with several observed differences in learning strategies that are adopted by dental and medical students. CONCLUSIONS: These differences should be considered when teaching the subject of histology to dental or to medical students.

Development and implementation of novel community outreach methods in women's health issues: the National Centers of Excellence in Women's Health.

Numerous outreach efforts have been employed to educate both lay and professional communities about many medical issues. As part of our contracts with the Public Health Service, Office of Women's Health, Department of Health and Human Services, the National Centers of Excellence (CoEs) in Women's Health have been charged with creating innovative and effective methods of educating these audiences about the major issues involved in women's health. This mission is particularly critical in the arena of women's health, as women are responsible for approximately 75% of the healthcare decisions made by and for American families, and past efforts to provide them with good, evidence-based information have been fraught with difficulties ranging from financial to cultural. We report herein some of our successful novel outreach efforts. A common thread throughout this account is that among the most successful of the outreach activities are those that involve or incorporate existing community groups committed to women's health.

Information technology and the National Centers of Excellence in Women's Health.

Women are increasingly turning to the Internet for health information. The National Centers of Excellence in Women's Health (U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services) have as one goal the use of information technology to improve care of women. Telemedicine, the Internet, and Resource Centers were used for patient consultation, patient support, support of women in academics, and clinician education regarding women's health. Access of the lay public to high-quality health information was achieved using the Internet as well as Resource Centers employing Internet educational modalities. Telemedicine, distance learning for clinicians and patient consultations for those far from medical care, has been used successfully. For clinicians, continuing medical education regarding women's health and calendars of opportunities for education in women's health were made available on-line. Creative new uses of information technology have been developed by the Centers of Excellence in Women's Health. These modalities may be adopted, tested, and adapted by others seeking to improve the care and health of women.

The Spacebridge to Russia Project: internet-based telemedicine.

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has been a pioneer in telemedicine since the beginning of the human spaceflight program in the early 1960s. With the rapid evolution in computer technology and equally rapid development of computer networks, NASA and the Department of Surgery in Yale University's School of Medicine created a telemedicine testbed with the Russia Space Agency, the Spacebridge to Russia Project, using multimedia computers connected via the Internet. Clinical consultations were evaluated in a store-and-forward mode using a variety of electronic media, packaged as digital files, and transmitted using Internet and World Wide Web tools. These systems allow real-time Internet video teleconferencing between remotely located users over computer systems. This report describes the project and the evaluation methods utilized for monitoring effectiveness of the communications. The Spacebridge to Russia Project is a testbed for Internet-based telemedicine. The Internet and current computer technologies (hardware and software) make telemedicine readily accessible and affordable for most health care providers. Internet-based telemedicine is a communication tool that should become integral to global health care.

Telemedicine: delivering medical expertise across the state and around the world.

Many aspects of medical care can now be delivered at a distance using telemedicine technology. Rapid video and computer-based communication of medical information makes it possible for a physician to "examine" a patient located in another city, to view highly detailed medical images, to consult with distant subspecialists, or to supervise complex medical procedures. This same technology can bring scattered health-care workers together for joint teaching conferences. The Yale Telemedicine Center has initiated a number of such programs ranging from providing consultations in real time to physicians in Saudi Arabia, to interpreting medical images across town or across the state. Telemedicine will become a powerful tool for managed health-care organizations which are responsible for the medical needs of widely distributed patients in a vertically integrated health-care delivery system. This paper reviews the evolution of telemedicine, its technical fundamentals, specific medical applications, and the activities of the Yale Telemedicine Center. Evolving uses for telemedicine in Connecticut are described.

Colorectal cancer presenting with a cutaneous metastatic lesion on the scalp.

Cutaneous metastases occur rarely with colorectal adenocarcinoma, accounting for approximately 5 percent of all cutaneous metastases. Cutaneous metastases from colonic cancer are most often located on the abdominal skin. The case we describe here is unusual because colorectal adenocarcinoma rarely metastasizes to the scalp. A review of the English language literature revealed only six reported cases of cutaneous metastases from a colonic adenocarcinoma to the scalp.