NEJM meeting the needs of future physicians

New England Journal of Medicine is seeking 20 visionary medical students and trainees from North America and west Europen to join the editor in October to explore how NEJM should meet the information needs of the next generation physicians and trainees.

Free accommodation and airticket will be provided for selected participants who will be required to present their ideas at the conference. If you think you have a creative mind and should be selected for attending the conference, submit an application form.

Coaching can help patients ask right questions

A new Cochrane review of 33 randomised controlled trials involving more than 8000 patients from 6 countries and in a range of settings and diagnosis found that question checklists and patient coaching were the most common interventions used to help patients address their information needs, coaching produced a smaller increase in consultation length and a larger increase in patient satisfaction.


The review concluded that interventions immediately before consultations led to a small and statistically significant increase in consultation length, whereas those implemented some time before the consultation had no effect. Only interventions immediately before the consultation led to small and statistically significant increases in patient satisfaction. Read more...


"Interventions before consultations for helping patients address their information needs" - Kinnersley et al. Cochrane Library 2007, Issue 3 ( Athens password required for full text article via the HILO website )