Background Indian medical students from vernacular language mediums of education may face challenges in understanding the medical syllabus as modern medicine is taught exclusively in English. We investigated the perception of Indian first-year medical students regarding learning in a vernacular language. Methods We did an in-depth telephone interview with first-year medical students from various states in India. A pre-designed survey guide was used to collect data on six domains (books, classes, classroom communication, written examination, and viva) with open-ended questions. Recorded phone calls were transcribed and analyzed thematically in QDA Miner Lite v.2.0.8 (Provalis Research, Montreal, Canada). Results Eighty first-year medical students (53 male; 61 from government-run colleges; 47 had a vernacular language medium of education in high school) participated in this survey. A total of 9 themes were generated from the text transcript. The themes centered on the perception of vernacular language in books, classes, classroom questioning, expression, written examinations, attending viva voce, the option of career progression, communicating with teachers and patients, the optional nature of vernacular language, and issues related to access to online study materials. Conclusion The introduction of medical education in vernacular languages has both advantages and disadvantages. The major perceived advantages include a better understanding, improved memory, and enhanced ability to express both verbally and in written form. In contrast, the lack of books and other media in vernacular languages, inter-state migration of students, and challenges in super-specialty education are among the limitations. Hence, the implementation should be planned with caution.

Background Certain dermatological disorders can result in major morbidity and mortality. There are few studies worldwide regarding mortality in dermatology, with a paucity of data on the epidemiological and aetiological profile of sepsis in dermatology patients, necessitating further research and awareness. We aimed to bridge this gap by studying the mortality associated with dermatological diseases at a tertiary care hospital in southern India. Methods Inpatient records of all patients admitted over a period of 5 years (2018-2022) with a dermatological disease and systemic complications resulting in mortality were reviewed. Details regarding the nature of the disorder, disease characteristics, investigations, treatment, and course of hospitalization were collected and analyzed. Results Thirteen patients with dermatological disease-related mortality were included in the study. Mortality was highest in the 4th-6th decade age group. Cutaneous adverse drug reactions accounted for the highest mortality. Septic shock was the most common cause of death in these patients. Conclusion Cutaneous adverse drug reactions are a common cause of mortality among dermatology inpatients. Sepsis and multiorgan dysfunction are important complications in these patients, highlighting the role of strict aseptic precautions, barrier nursing and multidisciplinary care in patients with extensive skin involvement.

Background Professionalism is an essential competence needed in the practice of dentistry. Teaching-learning and assessment of this competency is a part of the dental curriculum. We reviewed evidence in the literature regarding methods used for teaching, learning, evaluation and assessment of professional competency in undergraduate dental education. Methods Three different databases were searched for peer-reviewed full-text articles of studies relating to teaching- learning or evaluation of professionalism among dental undergraduate students. The evidence was then screened and the quality of the evidence was analysed by two different reviewers. Results A total of 573 articles were found relating to the topic and after removal of duplicates and initial title and abstract based screening using inclusion and exclusion criteria, 29 articles were shortlisted. Four more were excluded as the full-text of the articles could not be obtained. After full-text screening, 4 more articles were excluded due to variations in the abstract and methodologies in the full-text. Twenty-one articles were finally divided into 12 articles regarding teaching- learning and 9 articles regarding assessment methodologies and subjected to quality analysis. Conclusion Eleven methods for teaching and 8 methods for evaluation of professional competencies were found. The available literature on teaching, learning and assessing professionalism for dental undergraduate education is of moderate to low quality. Various authors have evaluated different methods but there is scope for improving the study designs to be more robust and the tools for assessment need to be refined.

Background The submission of a thesis or dissertation is a requirement stipulated by the National Board of Examinations in Medical Sciences (NBEMS) before a candidate can be awarded a postgraduate degree. Although the thesis is a requirement, its subsequent publication in a journal is not mandatory; if not published, a large amount of potentially valuable research data is lost. Our primary objective was to assess the conversion rate of postgraduate theses into publications in biomedical journals, and the secondary objective was to estimate the frequency of presentations of papers and posters at conferences by postgraduates during their tenure. Methods In this retrospective study, we collected data (between 1991 and 2019) from 434 theses written by the residents of 7 departments of Sir Ganga Ram hospital, New Delhi which were submitted to the NBEMS in partial fulfilment of their final degrees. The 'conversion' rate to publication was calculated using data from the websites PubMed, Google Scholar, and our hospital journal, Current Medicine Research and Practice. Results The conversion rate of the thesis into a publication was 33.2%. The frequency of oral or poster presentations at state, national, or international conferences during the residency period was 47.2%. Conclusion Less than one-third of thesis were published. Almost half were, however, presented at various conferences.

Background Research is important for medical education and evidence-based patient care. Efforts should be made to enhance student engagement in research. Students should be able to appraise the literature to identify credible and high-quality research critically. Hence, it is necessary to understand the reasons that deter students from getting involved in research, which will help institutions and universities initiate effective measures. We identified factors associated with research attitudes among medical students and assessed barriers to research practice among them. Methods A mixed-method study was done at a rural medical college in southern Karnataka from October to December 2021. A quantitative method was used to assess perceptions and practices towards research through a cross-sectional survey. The questionnaire consisted of separate sections to gather information regarding the sociodemographic characteristics of the participants and their perceptions and practices regarding research among medical students. Focus group discussions (FGDs) were conducted to identify barriers to conducting research from the students' perspective. Results Of 575 participants, 40.9% of students had good knowledge, 50.8% had a favourable attitude, and 11.1% had satisfactory research practice. The MBBS phase of study and peer involvement in research were independent factors associated with students' research attitudes (p=0.04 and p=0.002, respectively). FGDs revealed that the lack of awareness and interest (24, 40%), lack of guidance (18, 30%), feasibility issues (12, 20%), and a rigid curriculum (6, 10%) were the barriers to research from the students' perspective. Conclusion Knowledge about research is not translated into practice due to certain barriers. Hence, students need to be equipped with skills to conduct and complete research projects independently. Institutions need to develop and implement effective strategies to promote research among undergraduates.

Background As an important part of the internationalization of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), internationalization of TCM education is an effective way to spread TCM worldwide. We investigated the perceptions and learning situations of TCM among Chinese medical and non-medical students who received TCM courses taught in English. Methods This cross-sectional study was done at four universities in China. A structured, self-reported online questionnaire was completed by both medical and nonmedical students enrolled in the all-English-taught TCM course. The questionnaire primarily assessed their perceptions of traditional Chinese culture, clinical applications and modern research of TCM, their interest in TCM, and their learning situation regarding the TCM course. Results There were many similarities between the medical and non-medical students in TCM, as well as their preferences for the teaching method of the TCM course. Both believed that TCM had significant importance in clinical practice and that traditional Chinese culture should be fully integrated into the TCM curriculum. Additionally, they recognized the value of modern research in TCM. Both medical and non-medical students could understand the theoretical concept of TCM and establish TCM thinking through the TCM internationalization course. In addition, medical students were more interested in moxibustion, massage, cupping, and transcutaneous electrical acupoint stimulation, while non-medical students were more interested in exercise, a medicated diet, and traditional Chinese music. Conclusion Teaching TCM in English to Chinese medical and non-medical students is an important part of the internationalization of TCM education. Traditional Chinese culture, modern TCM research, and the development of various TCM forms are likely to be helpful in the global expansion of the use of TCM.

Background Competency-based curriculum has opened new opportunities for teaching appropriate attitudes and clinical skills to medical students by focusing on one-to-one training. Foundation training in social responsibility (SR) sets the stage towards integrating SR in the longitudinal training course. Adapting principles of SR during clinical visits to field practice areas alongside vertical integration of community medicine departments with clinical departments with a blueprint of assessment can achieve the integration. Methods We describe the concept of social responsiveness, its contribution to medical ethics and professionalism and the opportunities for SR training within the competency-based curriculum. Socially relevant medical services established per local societal needs by individual medical colleges are discussed with methods of integrating SR training and assessment in the curriculum. Barriers to implementing such a curriculum with suggestions for opportunities are also highlighted. Results Integration of SR values within learning domains, careful selection of learning objectives and devising appropriate teaching strategies, together with incorporating elements of SR during the summative assessment, can work towards integrating SR in the curriculum. Conclusion A socially responsible competency-based curriculum should be able to create future doctors with a first contact with global standards of clinical skills sensitive to local social, cultural and financial needs.

India has a well established and regulated traditional medicine system conducting undergraduate (UG), postgraduate (PG) and PhD courses. It has the highest network of colleges across the country among Ayush systems. In view of the growing demand for traditional and complementary medicine services at the global and national level, the need for regulatory and monitoring standards for quality assurance in education and training is pivotal. We aimed to determine the current status of Ayurveda education in India and its prospects. There are 450 UG Ayurveda colleges with 31 790 seats, whereas, 140 institutes are imparting PG Ayurveda courses with 4600 seats. There were many issues that existed in Ayurveda education and practice for a long time. Government of India has taken several initiatives to address these. These include skewed distribution of colleges across the States/Union territoies, less availability of seats in the public sector, gaps in clinical teaching methods, utilization of various available resources and non-availability of a streamlined National online register for Ayurveda practitioners, which needs to be addressed by the National Commission for Indian System of Medicine (NCISM). NCISM has to maintain the recent reforms and needs to operationalise the mandated reforms in a mission and time-bound manner to meet the current public healthcare requirements expected from the Ayurveda system. The roles and responsibilities of other stakeholder institutions, such as Ministry of Education, National Institution for Transformation of India Aayog, Universities and Research Councils, are also vital.

During the year of India's presidency of the G-20 group from 2022 to 2023, the United Nations released in September 2023, a declaration, consisting of 17 sustainable developmental goals for the world that need to be achieved by 2030. Three of these goals are also relevant for the healthcare profession since they pertain to the health of the community. This document should be a stimulus and motivator for the health professions academia, to visualise new roles for themselves, inside and outside the classroom and to reflect on their roles in achieving the health-related goals of this movement. The 3 goals pertinent to health relate to (i) health and well-being, (ii) education and (iii) innovations. This paper focuses on the role teachers of the health profession play in initiating, facilitating and stimulating the process towards these goals both by their actions within the classroom to improve quality of the outgoing graduate and outside the classroom in facilitating access to good health and health-related innovations which can take healthcare to the doorsteps of the community. In addition, their role lies in influencing policy towards this goal so that the target as specified by the declaration can be achieved by 2047, if not, by 2030.

Background The scarcity of specialists to treat mental disorders in highly populated low and middle-income countries like India has always remained an important public health problem. Recently, a collaborative training model was developed to train primary care physicians (PCPs) for the management of mental disorders in India. We document the effectiveness of capacity building in enhancing PCPs knowledge, behaviour, and practice in managing common mental disorders. Methods We did a cross-sectional study across India from June to November 2020, utilizing both quantitative and qualitative data collection methods. The study tools and programme were designed and developed based on the Kirkpatrick model and Andragogy theory, respectively. A total of 143 enrolled PCPs were included in the study. The baseline-end of study, pre and post-intervention assessments, and the overall programme evaluation were done for knowledge, attitude, and practice (KAP). A paired sample t-test with p values was done to test the differences between baseline-end of study and pre and post-test values. In addition, the mean and standard deviation of the responses were calculated. Qualitative data and open-ended responses were analyzed using an inductive content analysis technique. Results The study showed a significant improvement in the KAP of trained physicians as measured by the post-intervention survey (p<0.05). This collaborative training intervention has a high potential for scaling up while optimally addressing the scarcity of trained mental health professionals in similar settings, such as India. Conclusion The collaborative training model showed notable improvements in the knowledge, attitude, and practices of primary care physicians when managing common mental disorders. These results emphasize the effectiveness and practicality of structured, theory-based training in enhancing mental health services at the primary care level. The model's success suggests that it could be expanded and scaled up in other low-resource settings that face comparable workforce issues in mental health care.

Background Blended learning (BL) for skill acquisition is an integral part of the undergraduate curriculum. Teachers may be trained in BL using physical or virtual platforms. Training of Trainers (ToT) using a virtual platform was adopted during the Covid-19 pandemic. We report our experience in conducting virtual training to impart hands-on knowledge to trainers about the BL technique. Methods We conducted a virtual ToT workshop to train trainers on a blended model for skill teaching. A moderator and a list of trainers were identified at the host institution. Invitations were sent to other institutions. The moderator briefed the participants through email. They were required to identify a topic for creating an e-learning module and asked to develop learning objectives, a standard operating procedure, and multiple-choice questions for the same. A 1.5-day programme was developed that included didactic lectures and small-group discussions on developing eModules. A feedback form using Google Forms was distributed among the participants to be completed after the programme. Results Thirty participants were enrolled. All were highly satisfied with the content of the workshop. Didactic lectures were completed on time. The duration in the breakout room for small group discussion was considered short. Twenty-eight participants felt that the workshop had sufficient learning points to keep the learner engaged for 1.5 days on a virtual platform. Only 3 participants were not satisfied with the use of a digital platform for this workshop. The content of the workshop regarding functioning and utility of the skill laboratory was perceived as useful for their institutional practice by 27 participants. Conclusion Virtual platforms can be used to conduct ToT workshops focusing on BL for skill acquisition.

Background There is a paucity of newer studies focusing on survival patterns in the era of targeted pulmonary vasodilators in Eisenmenger syndrome (ES). We aimed to study the survival pattern, mortality predictors and outcome of targeted pulmonary vasodilator therapy in patients with ES. Methods This was a single-centre retrospective observational study of patients treated between January 2000 and January 2020. Consecutive patients with clinical and echo- cardiographic and/or cardiac catheterization diagnoses of ES were included in the study. Shunt types were classified into pre-tricuspid shunts, post-tricuspid shunts and complex lesions. Clinical outcomes and treatment data of all patients were assessed. Results Of 206 patients, 139 were female with a mean (SD) age of 23.4 (14.3) years. Pre-tricuspid shunts were the most common shunt type, with atrial septal defect being the most common anatomical defect. During a mean (SD) follow-up of 7.1 (6.2) years, a significant decline in mean resting systemic saturation and WHO functional class on follow-up was observed. Atrial arrhythmias and right ventricular dysfunction were the most common in pretricuspid shunt lesions. ES secondary to complex defects had the worst prognosis with early attrition. Survival patterns were equally poor in complex defects and pre-tricuspid defects after the onset of Eisenmenger physiology. Targeted pulmonary vasodilator therapy was associated with better survival, irrespective of monotherapy or dual therapy. Congestive heart failure was the most common cause of death. Survival at 5 and 10 years in the disease modifier treatment group was 84% and 69% while in the treatment naïve group was 66% and 44%. Resting systemic saturation <80% on follow-up, the presence of atrial arrhythmias and the absence of disease-targeted therapy were independently associated with mortality. Conclusion The long-term survival of patients with ES remains poor in the era of targeted pulmonary vasodilator therapy. ES resulting from complex cyanotic congenital heart diseases has the worst survival outcomes. Although pretricuspid shunt ES patients survived longer, they tended to decompensate at lower mean pulmonary artery pressure than all other subgroups with ES. Targeted pulmonary vasodilator therapy may be associated with improved functional class and survival benefits in ES.