A community medicine project involving an educational session in sexually transmitted diseases for high school students.

The University of South Dakota School of Medicine requires that students undertake a Community Medicine project of their choice as part of the Family Medicine course in the third year of medical school. One of these projects consisted of a presentation given to a high school class in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, on sexually transmitted diseases. The effectiveness of the presentation in increasing the students' knowledge on this subject was measured by a pretest and posttest multiple choice examination. The students' knowledge was clearly increased by the presentation.

Survey of the prevalence of HIV infection in an antenatal population in South Dakota.

Vertical transmission of the Human Immunodeficiency Virus is the major cause of pediatric AIDS cases. It is known that zidovudine therapy will substantially reduce the incidence of perinatal vertical transmission. Some authorities have made recommendations for universal HIV screening based on these findings. However, in an area of low prevalence of HIV, such as South Dakota, the benefits of such testing are questionable. We undertook a survey of one thousand consecutive deliveries in which a sample of cord blood was tested for HIV in an anonymous fashion. In all cases, the ELISA test was negative. Based on this extremely low incidence of HIV in our population, it is reasonable at the present time to undertake a selective screening protocol for testing for HIV during the antepartum period, based on the presence of risk factors, rather than applying universal screening to our population.

The Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE) in the clinical clerkship: an overview.

The Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE) for student assessment is well established, with an extensive body of research documenting that this is a valid means to assess clinical skills that are fundamental to the practice of medicine. The OSCE consists of a circuit of stations which tests a range of skills and learning to assess undergraduate medical students. A well-constructed OSCE provides important information about candidate performance and the quality of training. It is used at the University of South Dakota School of Medicine (USDSM) in assessment of third year medical students during their Obstetrics Clerkship, and as a teaching tool in the Pediatric Clerkship. On August 10, 1996, the USDSM administered an OSCE for the first time to third year medical students. The purpose of this article is to present state of the art information about setting up OSCE based on our recent experience and to provide practical examples of OSCE questions which can be addressed in the clinical setting. The narrative, references and examples give guidelines for the preparation of OSCE testing. The OSCE provided a standardized way of assessing clinical competence. Both students and faculty were very satisfied with the examination, and felt that the material tested was relevant and appropriate. The OSCE process does serve to identify areas of weakness in the curriculum and/or teaching methods, and thus can serve as a mechanism to improve educational effectiveness.

Ovulation induction for infertility is it safe or not?

Case reports of ovarian tumors in women undergoing fertility treatment have raised questions about the potential neoplastic effects of ovulation-induction agents used in the treatment of infertility. This has been the subject of much debate, media coverage and patient alarm. An increased risk of malignant epithelial ovarian cancer, borderline epithelial ovarian tumors, and nonepithelial ovarian cancer have been reported in association with the use of fertility drugs. Further review of the literature reveals that there are limitations to the studies reporting this association and indicates that further research is needed before a causal relationship can be established.