Monitoring In Medical Practice – Basic Medical Skills

Monitoring in Medical Practice – Basic Medical Skills Textbook for medical students Edited by Mihály Boros Institute of Surgical Research University of Szeged, Medical School Hungary Szeged, 2007 Supported by project ROP–3.3.1–2005–02–0001/34. Readership: Dr. Babik Barna Prof. Méray Judit Prof. Rudas László Publisher: Dr. Boros Mihály Cover design: Pálfi Attila Press: Innovariant Ltd. 3 Textilgyári Rd., H-6725 Szeged Volume: 4.5 (A/4) printed sheets, 72 pages, 109 figures. ISBN 963 482 787 X © Prof. Mihály Boros, 2007 Introduction Motto: “Your goal is not to foresee the future, it is to enable it.” (Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, Le Petit Prince) The “Basic Medical Skills” course at the Institute of Surgical Research is designed to teach monitoring skills. By definition, monitoring is the continuous or repeated, regular observation of a chosen characteristic of an object at constant sites by standardized methods. In medicine, monitoring may be defined as the interpretation of all collected and available clinical data in order to help with the recognition of present or future mishaps or unfavorable system conditions in time. In this sense, a cross-section of vital data should be obtained and analyzed in each case; accordingly the technique and methodology (the “skills”) of the analyzer are critical. Further important goals of the course are to foster skills-based knowledge and to broaden the correlation of physiology and anatomy to cover acute clinical care. In line with this, we utilize a student-oriented teaching methodology which is strongly based on self-education. Emphasis is placed on procedures, critical thinking and assessment of skills to support a career choice in those medical specialties in which decision-making or “problem-solving” is critical. The themes of the course are organized into modules. These curricular structures are used to summarize the background knowledge and to provide practical expertise on current monitoring possibilities relating to separate, well-defined organ systems. In this scheme, new scientific and medical findings relevant to medical practice can easily be inserted and thus the borders of the individual blocks can be simply expanded and updated. The goals for a successful module are efficient student learning (at the same time covering a deeper content) and efficient faculty effort (no increase in work load resulting from use of the new instructional materials). The topics, principles and practice of monitoring are taught in the skills laboratory and in the students’ operating theater at the Institute of Surgical Research in a simulated, life-like environment with best-practice medical technology, where the basic monitoring techniques and advanced interventions targeting the main organ systems can be practised in a secure surrounding. The chapters of this book have been compiled by the staff and Ph.D. students of the Institute of Surgical Research (Dr. Ágnes Adamicza, Dr. Mihály Boros, Dr. Tamás Jánossy, Dr. József Kaszaki, Dr. Andrea Szabó, Dr. Csilla Torday, Gabriella Varga, Dr. Gábor Erős and Dr. Miklós Czóbel), together with Dr. László Szalay (Department of Ophthalmology), Dr. Attila Paszt and Dr. Károly Szentpáli (Department of Surgery), Zsolt Bella (Department of Oto-RhinoLaryngology) and Dr. Zoltán Bajory (Department of Urology) from the University of Szeged, and Dr. András Thoman (Department of Urology, Semmelweis University, Budapest); Dr. Zsolt Bodnár (Department of Surgery, Kenézy Gyula Hospital, Debrecen). The editor wishes to acknowledge the creative illustrations by Drs Miklós Czóbel and László Szalay and Mrs. Kálmánné Csíkszentimrei. The activities of Dr. Miklós Czóbel have made it possible to maintain a highly effective website (http://web.szote.u-szeged.hu/expsur) where the main parts of this book can be found. The project ROP-3.3.1-2005-