Date of Graduation

1998

Document Type

Thesis

Abstract

The purpose of this research was to determine the general content, topics and sub-topics, priorities of the content, and methods of instructional delivery for a women's health component within the Internal Medicine residency program at West Virginia University. Panel members chosen for the study were MD's and PhD's who worked in a health-related field for at least two years and had an interest in women's health. A modified Delphi method was used for this study to determine the content. Panel members also identified their current and preferred methods of instructional delivery in a separate section of the study. The panel consisted of a total of sixteen members from the WVU School of Medicine in the Morgantown and Charleston Divisions, and Marshall University's School of Medicine in Huntington, WV. The results of the study indicated that the top priority content items to be violence and assault, preventive health, menopause, cardiac diseases and breast conditions (18% were women's health issues). The top priority sub-topics were breast exam, breast malignancy, coronary artery disease, mammography, hormone replacement therapy, estrogen replacement therapy, smoking cessation, exercise, contraception, and the pap smear (70% were women's health issues). The lowest ranking topic was oral health. The lowest ranking sub-topics were, breast augmentation, cosmetic surgery, computer/visual disorders, foot deformities, and tempero-mandibular dysfunction. The results of the current instructional delivery methods revealed that the top four methods were lecture (56%), discussion (33%), clinical (28%), and slides (27%). The top four ideal methods were lecture (33%), discussion (32%), CAI (22%), and PBL, (18%). A drop of 23% in lecture suggests that the panel members preferred less teacher and more student-directed teaching and learning methods and an interest in using electronic means as a method for teaching and learning. By understanding the biological differences between men and women, the future development an implementation of a women's health component in Internal Medicine education can only further knowledge for the students/residents and provide for better patient care. The field of women's health needs to be integrated into the mainstream of medical education to fill in the gaps from previous training.

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