Issue: IeJSME 2015 9(3)

Comprehensive review of mnemonic devices and their applications: State of the art

Authors: Kamil Jurowski, Anna Jurowska, Małgorzata Krzeczkowska.

ABSTRACT

Mnemonic devices can be defined as learning strategies which can often enhance the learning process and later the recall of information. On the other hand, mnemonic systems are special techniques or strategies consciously used to improve memory, they help employ information already stored in long-term memory in order to make memorisation an easier task. There is no doubt that mnemonic techniques are one of the most important methods and methodologies used in education. However, nowadays these methods seem to be unremembered and seldom used by teachers or students. There is a deficit in the actual reviews on this subject. In this article we review mnemonic methods from the point of view of teaching and learning science subjects. This article is the first work in literature that refers to and emphasises various and complex aspects of mnemonic devices applications in didactic practice like science learning and teaching, helping students with disabilities and behaviour problems and second language acquisition.

Keywords: Mnemonic devices, methods, students with disabilities, behaviour problems, second language.

Citation: IeJSME 2015 9(3): 4-9

DOI: https://doi.org/10.56026/imu.9.3.4

E-cigarettes: Facts and legal status

Authors: Davendralingam Sinniah, Erwin Jiayuan Khoo.

ABSTRACT

The sale of tobacco-based cigarettes has declined in western countries, and ‘Big Tobacco’ is trying to make up the deficit in profits from the developing world. The recent introduction of e-cigarette, in which they have invested both their hopes and their finances, has been a boon to them as it serves to confuse smokers and non-smokers about the real issues relating to the toxicity, dangers, and the promotion of nicotine addiction especially among youths who have not previously smoked cigarettes. E-cigarettes cause inflammation and damage to epithelial cells in human airways and increased risk of infection. E-cigarette vapour contains more carcinogens like formaldehyde and acetaldehyde compared to a regular cigarette. Long-term vaping is associated with an incremental lifetime cancer risk. E-cigarettes are neither safe nor effective in helping smokers quit; there is enough evidence to caution children, adolescents, pregnant women, and women of reproductive age about e-cigarette’s potential for long term consequences to foetal and adolescent brain development that sub-serve emotional and cognitive functions. The nicotine effects that cause modification of late CNS development constitute a hazard of adolescent nicotine use. The American Heart Association (AHA), Food and Drug Administration (FDA), World Health Organisation (WHO) and two-thirds of the major nations in the world discourage the promotion of e-cigarettes as an alternative to proven nicotine-addiction treatments. Doctors, health care workers, and medical students should be armed with the facts about e-cigarettes, its dangers, and the legal status concerning its use, in order to be able to offer proper counselling to patients and adolescents, in particular, with special reference to the Malaysian context.

Keywords: E-cigarettes, nicotine addiction, cancer risk, brain development consequence, legislation.

Citation: IeJSME 2015 9(3): 10-19

DOI: https://doi.org/10.56026/imu.9.3.10

Family response to presume consent system on organ donation from a review of literature

Authors: Makmor Tumin, Khaled Tafran, NurulHuda Mohd Satar.

ABSTRACT

Background: Most countries around the world have experienced a shortage in organs needed for transplantation. Organ donation performance is widely attributed to two important factors: the legislation and the role of the family. Thus, this literature review aims to examine the willingness of people for organ donation while highlighting the importance of having a presumed consent system.

Methodology: In this study, we explored many papers of which 10 articles were studied to gain conclusive understanding of the two factors and their interactions.

Results: Our analysis of literature regarding the legislation and family response showed that the presumed consent system for organ donation accounted for 21 – 30% higher organ donation rates than the informed consent system. We also found a gap between the willingness of people to donate their own and their relatives’ organs. The ratio of people willing to donate their organs after death was estimated to be 10 – 12% higher than the ratio of those willing to donate their relatives’ organs. Furthermore, the study revealed the  importance of a presumed consent system in raising the willingness of the people and their relatives for donation, but that did not eliminate the gap.

Conclusion: Countries seeking to overcome organ shortage and increase organ donation rates by moving towards  the presumed consent system should consider the importance of providing families with proper information about this system. The fact that a gap between the willingness of the people to donate their own as well as their deceased relatives’ organs exists, has to be conveyed to the governments, which will be helpful in optimising organ donation rates.

Keywords: Family, informed consent, organ donation, presumed consent, public view.

Citation: IeJSME 2015 9(3): 20-26

DOI: https://doi.org/10.56026/imu.9.3.20

Discordance between medication adherence and blood pressure control in primary care clinics in Negeri Sembilan, Malaysia: The problem of therapeutic inertia

Authors: Chun Wai Chan, Junyi Wang, Joanne Johnny Bouniu, Parampreet Singh, Cheong Lieng Teng.

ABSTRACT

Introduction: Poor adherence to anti-hypertensive agents may be a major contributor for suboptimal blood pressure control among patients with hypertension. This study was conducted to assess the adherence to antihypertensive agents using Morisky Medication Adherence Scale (MMAS-8) among primary care patients, and to determine whether the blood pressure control is associated with the level of adherence.

Methodol0gy: This cross-sectional study was conducted between June 2011 and August 2011. Adults with hypertension older or equal to aged 30 with or without diabetes were recruited from two public primary care clinics in Negeri Sembilan, Malaysia. Medication adherence was assessed using MMAS-8.

Results: Data from 231 patients were analysed, whereby 68% of them had good medication adherence but only 38.1% of the patients had their blood pressure under control. Statistical analysis failed to find correlation between adherence and blood pressure control. Twenty per cent of hypertensive subjects were on beta-blocker alone, and 37.1% of patients with either diabetes or proteinuria were not prescribed either angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors (ACEI) or angiotensin receptor blocker (ARB). Above half the patients (51.5%) were on monotherapy.

Conclusion: Discordance between adherence to antihypertensive agents and hypertension control is clearly shown in this study, and the likely explanation for the discordance is therapeutic inertia.

Keywords: primary care, hypertension, therapeutic inertia, medication adherence.

Citation: IeJSME 2015 9(3): 27-32

DOI: https://doi.org/10.56026/imu.9.3.27

Is Google search a useful medical diagnostic tool for third year medical students?

Authors: Sivalingam Nalliah, Joanne Pereira, Lim Shin Tom, Vyshanavi Jayasingam, Phang Gin Ga.

ABSTRACT

Introduction: In recent years, the internet has become an increasingly popular tool for people to obtain information due to the overwhelming availability of material. As internet access becomes more readily available, the newer generation of patients, medical students and doctors are starting to prefer the internet as a source of reference to acquire medical knowledge. The main objectives of this study were to determine the accuracy of using Google search in establishing a clinical diagnosis based on information provided from the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM) and to determine the concordance rate of Google diagnosis with the actual diagnosis from NEJM.

Method: The research design was a cross sectional study of 200 NEJM cases. The research team comprised of four 3rd year medical students and one senior supervisor. Google search engine was used to obtain a diagnosis. The time allocated for a Google search for each case was 20 minutes regardless of the number of websites used. The top two diagnoses were then compared to the actual diagnoses of the NEJM case and the accuracy of Google was then assessed.

Results: The study achieved a congruence of 71.5%. This is considered acceptable and satisfactory as the cases presented in NEJM covered a wide variety of problems and encompassed rare diseases.

Conclusion: From the final results obtained, it can be concluded that with the aid of Google, medical students in their 3rd year of their Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery programme are able to obtain a reasonable clinical diagnosis.

Keywords: Google search, diagnosis, clinical case, congruency.

Citation: IeJSME 2015 9(3): 33-37

DOI: https://doi.org/10.56026/imu.9.3.33

Factors deterring registered nurses from pursuing post graduate nursing degree in a private hospital in Penang, Malaysia

Authors: Mei Foong Ng, Bee Yean Ooi, Wei Fern Siew.

ABSTRACT

Background: In Malaysia the percentage of diploma registered nurses outnumber the percentage of degree registered nurses. Internationally, most registered nurses earn associate degrees or bachelor’s degrees in nursing. Malaysia is in the pipeline of ensuring that its registered nurses are professionally qualified with nursing degree by year 2020. Registered nurses with diploma qualification are feeling the pressure to upgrade their qualification to degree. There are concerns as to why these nurses are not pursuing their post registration nursing degree.

Objective: To determine factors that are deterring the registered nurses of a private hospital in Penang from pursuing the post registered nursing degree.

Methods: This descriptive study utilised a convenient sample of 150 registered nurses from Lam Wah Ee Hospital in Penang. The instrument of this study was developed based on literature search and the conceptual framework of Force Fields Analysis developed by Kurt Lewin in 1952.

Results: The deterring factors for registered nurses not pursuing post registration nursing degree from this hospital were determined through negative mean score, which was valued at less than 2.5. The top 3 deterring factors identified were: high educational cost, with a score of 1.92; financial commitment, with a score of 2.22 and time constraints and high workload, with a score of 2.27.

Conclusions: High educational cost, financial commitment, time constraint and high workload were the main factors deterring the registered nurses from this hospital from pursuing their post registration nursing degree. Thus it is timely for the organisational management to consider workable measures to assist and motivate their nurses to upgrade themselves with nursing degree in line with Malaysia’s vision to meet the increasing challenges and complex needs in the care of clients in health services.

Keywords: bachelor degree in nursing; continuing education; nursing education; Malaysian nurses.

Citation: IeJSME 2015 9(3): 38-46

DOI: https://doi.org/10.56026/imu.9.3.38

Primary hyperparathyroidism with vitamin D deficiency in third trimester of pregnancy

Authors: Chin Voon Tong, Mohamad Rafie bin Md Kaslan.

ABSTRACT

In pregnancy, the diagnosis of primary hyperparathyroidism (PHP) may be delayed due to physiological changes that occur during this period. The maternal related complications of PHP during pregnancy has been reported to be as high as 67%, whilst fetal complications up to 80% of cases.1 The therapeutic gold standard and definitive treatment for PHP in pregnancy is minimally invasive parathyroidectomy in the second trimester. We report a case of a 22-year old primidgravida who underwent parathyroidectomy in the third trimester of her pregnancy for PHP with persistent hypercalcemia. She was also found to have Vitamin D deficiency which probably led to secondary hyperparathyroidism and made her hypercalcemia more apparent during pregnancy.

Keywords: Primary hyperparathyroidism, hypercalcemia, pregnancy, parathyroidectomy, vitamin D deficiency.

Citation: IeJSME 2015 9(3): 47-51

DOI: https://doi.org/10.56026/imu.9.3.47

Leiomyosarcoma of the breast: A case report

Authors: Norly Salleh, Aishah Ibrahim, Ros’aini Paijan.

ABSTRACT

Leiomyosarcoma is a rare cancer and the presence of this type of cancer in the breast is even rarer. Due to its rarity, the management options for leiomyosarcoma of the breast are not well documented. Literature review was done to establish the best treatment options for this type of breast cancer.

Keywords: breast cancer, leiomyosarcoma.

Citation: IeJSME 2015 9(3): 52-54

DOI: https://doi.org/10.56026/imu.9.3.52