Clinical Medicine最新文献

There is cumulative evidence that pancreatic exocrine insufficiency (PEI) is under-recognised and can occur in patients with 'at-risk' conditions. Thus, we aimed to assess the current practice and yield of requesting faecal elastase (FEL-1), an indicator of PEI, in patients with 'at-risk' conditions. We prospectively recruited patients attending secondary care clinics with diabetes mellitus (DM), people living with HIV (PLHIV) and inpatients admitted to hospital with high alcohol intake (HAI). All patients underwent testing with FEL-1. Those patients with PEI (FEL-1 <200 μg/g) were contacted and offered a follow-up review in gastroenterology clinic. In total, 188 patients were recruited (HAI, n=78; DM, n=64; and PLHIV, n=46). Previous FEL-1 testing had not been performed in any of the patients. The return rate of samples was 67.9% for patients with HAI, 76.6% for those with DM and 56.5% for those with PLHIV. The presence of PEI was shown in 20.4% of patients with DM, 15.4% of patients with PLHIV and 22.6% in those with HAI. Diarrhoea and bloating were the most reported symptoms in followed-up patients with low FEL-1 (31.8% and 22.7% of patients, respectively). Follow-up computed tomography (CT) scans in those patients with PEI identified chronic pancreatitis changes in 13.6% and pancreatic atrophy in 31.8% of patients. These results suggest that there is a lack of testing for PEI in 'at-risk' groups. Our findings also suggest that using FEL-1 to test for PEI in patients with DM, PLHIV and HAI has a significant impact, although further studies are required to validate these findings.

A recent opinion article in Clinical Medicine promoted a new preference-based algorithm to allocate training places for the UK Foundation Programme Office (UKFPO). This replaced the previous process, which ranked candidates based on medical school academic achievement (the educational performance measure; EPM) and the score on a situational judgement test (SJT). Although not without risks, we believe that the new system has positive potential. In presenting their case, Sam et al summarised evidence relating to the UKFPO in an unbalanced way, leading to what we believe are erroneous inferences, particularly with regard to differential attainment. Here, we provide an example of how the general evidence base and conceptual understanding of the validity of SJTs for medical selection is poorly understood. We highlight important research findings that were not cited by Sam et al and provide what we believe is a more balanced and accurate interpretation of the evidence base relating the UKFPO SJT, and SJTs used in medical selection in general. We do this with particular reference to the validity of such tools in this context, as well as their potential impact on under-represented groups in medicine, compared with other selection assessments.

Lactic acidosis is commonly associated with tissue hypoperfusion and gives rise to concern regarding hypoxia or underlying hypotension. In the cancer patient, especially one undergoing chemotherapy, there is always concern for sepsis; however, in the otherwise clincially stable patient with cancer, type B lactic acidosis can also be related to their underlying malignancy. It is considered a haematological emergency given its high mortality rate. However, despite the urgency to treat type B lactic acidosis in these circumstances, treatment options beyond treatment of the malignancy are limited, and its presence portends a poor prognosis. This case highlights our current understanding of type B lactic acidosis and an approach to lactic acidosis evaluation in the cancer patient.

We present the results of the 2022 Census of the Federation of Royal Colleges of Physicians of Edinburgh, Glasgow and London on whether physicians undertake research and the barriers they have encountered. 40% of physicians reported that they undertook research alongside their clinical work. Multivariate analysis of the responses showed that men were 1.6 times more likely to say they undertake research than women. The main barriers to undertaking research were having enough time, organisational factors and a lack of confidence. In this opinion piece we discuss some of the challenges and how they could be addressed.

Background: We sought to explore associations between trainee doctor perception and excess patient mortality.

Methods: Data from two publicly available databases reflecting mortality and components of trainee satisfaction within 81 NHS healthcare institutions between the years 2012 and 2019 were analysed. Pearson's correlation coefficients were calculated.

Results: All domains of trainee perception were correlated with excess mortality. Clinical supervision out of hours (R=-0.44; p<0.0001), teamwork (R=-0.36; p<0.0001) and clinical supervision at any time (R=-0.35; p<0.0001) were most strongly correlated. Most associations remained consistent year on year.

Conclusion: Trainee doctor perceptions of clinical supervision, rota design and teamwork within the NHS are consistently correlated with excess patient mortality. Further exploration of these associations could identify opportunities for interventions to reduce excess patient mortality. Given the clinical significance of our findings, organisations should consider rapid implementation of evidence-based interventions where they exist.