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Practical Prof’s Best of the Internet

Teaching resources on the web

Here’s a listing of my (other!) favorite teaching sites presented at the SRPC’s Rural and Remote Conference in Halifax in April 2008. All but one of the sites is free, but some may require registration.

Clinical teaching

• UBC’s Teaching skills for community based preceptors
  A 45 page easy to read overview of key teaching points for both novice and experienced clinical teachers, complete with Quick Tips
• AFMC’s guide to working with International Medical Graduates 
  an excellent comprehensive (but somewhat dry) resource for any clinician supervising international graduates. The section on assessing learner needs is recommended
• Teaching on the Run
  Produced by the University of Western Australia, this series covers 14 important teaching topics and was first published in the Medical Journal of Australia. Each topic is focuses on an educational problem with a pithy summary of best teaching practice. 
• Deirdre Bonnycastle’s teaching blog from the University of Saskatchewan
  Keep up with the latest and greatest in medical education
• The Medical Education wiki
  A great practical resource for preceptors moderated by Deirdre Bonnycastle of the University of Saskatchewan.

Teaching procedures

Procedures are unpredictable in rural practice. These videos will help refresh the trainee’s knowledge (and maybe yours!)

• University of Alberta /Webmed
  Concise demonstrations of procedures ranging from lumbar puncture to managing psychotic patients
• Root Atlas
  Great ophthalmology videos showing how to use the slit lamp and manage foreign bodies
• New England Journal of Medicine Videos in Clinical Medicine
  Unfortunately you will need a subscription for this series, but they are of such high quality its worthwhile check them out. The videos can be downloaded onto either a computer or a PDA. 

Clinical reference resources

• Canadian Medical Association Portal
  This provides a good mix of offerings including Lexidrugs, access to MD Consult and Infopoems, together with a selection of patient handouts. A huge number of Clinical Practice Guidelines can also be accessed
• I’m always misplacing my copy of the CMA’s Fitness to Drive Guidelines. An online version is available on another part of the CMA site 
• Just the Berries
  Best evidence summaries on clinical topics relevant to family medicine from St Martha’s Hospital Nova Scotia
• Bandolier
  Similar clinical summaries but from Oxford in England. Easier to search and a more rigorous evidence base make this my favorite.

Therapeutics

Two great western Canadian sites to foster healthy skepticism about the claims of big pharma. Where’s Alberta’s contribution?

• UBC’s Therapeutics Initiative
• Saskatchewan’s Rx Files
  Many will be familiar with the traditional booklet, but it is also available on line. Make sure you have your reading glasses handy though.

Evidence based medicine

Can’t remember if you SpIn or SnOut? These sites will help refresh your memory about sensitivity and specificity, together will all the other key concepts in Evidence Based Medicine.

• University of Toronto Centre for Evidence Based Medicine
• CMAJ series on EBM. The first two articles on effect size (Number needed to treat)
• and confidence limits are particularly illuminating.