Wardround 25i8

Our discussion this week was about ethics. The use of jokes which might offend, open-ness with patients, harrassment, ethics committees, politics and medicine all had their moment. It can be helpful to think out loud. For next week the discussion will be about the ethics of offering or declining transplantation to a patient with several co-morbid conditions and difficulty adhering to established models of care.

You will have an opinion (that’s an order). But why do you have that opinion? Can you see why others may have a different opinion? Who is right? How can you best structure the problem for analysis? Would an ethics committee help? How? How can you recognise whether you are virtuous (in your decision) or lacking both virtue and insight?

The two minute talks this week were about urinary tract infections. I hope you have learnt about the subject and your methods of research. Did you ask ‘why?’ when you should have done?

Next week is microbiology. You get a phone call from bacteriology. The blood culture is positive for: G+R (MG), G-R (NS), G+C (SZ), G-C (CG). You have been given a little background to work on. So what do you want to know? Each result should ring some bells of recognition and some alarms. Give the group two minutes on your case.

Interesting topics

Pernicious anaemia

Behcet’s and thalidomide


MJM

Wardround 18i8

The ethical dilemmas to read for Tuesday are to be found here and then An ethical dilemma, BMJ 2001;322: 1236-1240.

Tutorials for Friday (Urinary infections)

Interesting Topics

PICC lines (This is I think the original poster and can be read without visual aids )

MJM

Wardround 11i8

The discussion for Tuesday is this video by students. You may need to view it outside DGRI, I think youtube access will be blocked in the hospital network.



The two minute tutorial theme this week (and next week) is immunisation. We heard about Pneumococcus (NS), HiB (SZ), meningococcus (MG) and influenza (CG). A little more tweaking is needed to get the essential information into two minutes. For next week we will hear about: BCG, smallpox, polio and Hep B. Any audits spring to mind?

Two minutes please. Identify what you think is the essential information to get across, and remember that diluting that with waffle/unimportant points will impair meme transfer.

Interesting topics.

Pancreatitis

Trimethoprim and creatinine


MJM

Wardround 4i8

Happy new year for 2008. May your knowledge expand, ignorance regress and wisdom blossom.

The reading for Tuesday 8 january will be The practice of clinical medicine as an art and as a science , John Saunders, Journal of Medical Ethics 26:18-22 (2000).

The two minute tutorial theme for friday is immunisation: there is a medscape CME session which covers five main areas (a page each). Your task is to read the page allocated to you and translate it into UK guidance for the rest of us.

There is a 'Green book' issued in the UK with guidance on immunisation so you could look into that for inspiration. You can find an on-line version here.

Pneumococcus NS
HiB SZ
meningococcus MG
influenza CG
polio SS

Two minutes maximum, keep it concise and precise with an A4 size handout to make it clearer. Don't put all the info on the handout, just the essentials.

Interesting topics

candida glabrata


colchicine for gout


MJM