Browsing by Author "Oom, Paulo"
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- The contribution of simulated patients to undergraduate medical education: a pathway to educational excellencePublication . Oom, PauloThe aim of this narrative review is to explore the state of the art in using simulated patients’ methodology, highlighting its benefits and advocating for its widespread adoption as a cornerstone of excellence in training. The use of patients in undergraduate medical education is essential and recommended at an early stage of medical training. However, using real patients is accompanied by several difficulties, such as patient privacy and the unpredictability of patient conditions. Simulated patients are now an integral part of medical school faculty. They should be viewed as some of their most valuable collaborators as their spectrum of activity has been progressively expanding, and they are taking on new challenges and responsibilities. Its efficient use leads to the development of technical competence in performing procedures and the ability to make decisions about diagnosis or treatment. They are also essential in training the ability to communicate efficiently with patients and work as a team. The use of simulated patients to teach physical examination has dramatically expanded its use, with emphasis on training in gynecological or breast examination in women or genital and rectal examination in men. The possibility for the student to receive feedback from the simulated patient during or after the simulation represents a unique opportunity for the student to understand the ‘patient’s’ point of view and reflect on their limitations and opportunities for improvement. Using simulated patients in medical assessment ensures that students are exposed to the same clinical scenario and evaluated according to the same criteria. The simulated patient, acting as a performance evaluator, provides a level of reliability identical to that of clinical evaluators, enhancing the credibility of the assessment process. The development of hybrid scenarios allows the combined use of simulated patients and simulators to increase the realism of the simulation scenario. From an administrative perspective, using simulated patients in medical education involves recruitment and training, and the biggest challenge is the financial resources it requires. In the ever-evolving landscape of medical education, the use of simulated patients is no longer a mere complement to traditional teaching methods but an indispensable tool for preparing future physicians.
- Oral language in children with benign childhood epilepsy with centrotemporal spikesPublication . Teixeira, Joana Marta; Santos, Maria Emília; Oom, PauloPurpose: Benign childhood epilepsy with centrotemporal spikes is one of the most common childhood disorders. Despite the benignity usually attributed to this epileptic syndrome, several studies have demonstrated that these children have cognitive disabilities. Among these disturbances, language disorders have been the less studied in depth. We aimed to obtain accurate information about the language skills of children with this epileptic syndrome and to explore the correlation between demographic and clinical factors associated with epilepsy and the language skills. Methods: We assessed 30 children with this epileptic syndrome, followed in three hospitals in Lisbon, and 60 controls, aged between 6 and 12 years, attending the same schools and matched by age, gender, and parents' socioprofessional level. All the included children did not present cognitive impairment (reasoning ability, verbal memory), sensory, or motor limitations. The evaluation tests covered all language areas. Results: Overall, children with this epileptic syndrome had lower skills in the majority of the language areas, when compared with their peers. These children showed greater difficulties in semantics and syntax domains. The atypical evolution of the seizures and a longer duration of epilepsy were the clinical variables that most influence the language skills of our samples. Conclusion: The early assessment of these capacities and the possible need for therapeutic intervention should be emphasized, in order to minimize the impact on their academic performance and quality of life