Læknablaðið : fylgirit - 01.06.2005, Side 31

ABSTRACTS / XXIX CONGRESS OF THE NORDIC ASSOCIATION OF OTOLARYNGOLOGY
and neck surgery founded the European Federation of Oto-
Rhino-Laryngological Societies (EUFOS) with the purpose ‘to
promote, to coordinate and to unify the advancement of ORL
in Europe’, which met for the first time in Paris 1988. With the
establishment of EEC and later the European Union, it was nec-
essary to ‘harmonize and improve the quality of training of medi-
cal specialists in Europe’. Therefore in 1958 UEMS (European
Union of Medical Specialists) was founded and in 1962 the
ORL-HNS specialist section was formed. Different parts of our
specialty found it useful to establish subspecialist organizations
within ORL-HNS and thus organizations such as the European
Rhinological Society (ERS) 1993, the European Laryngological
Society (ELS) 1995, the European Association of Otology and
Neurootology (EAONO) 1995, and the European Head and
Neck Society (EHNS) 2005 were founded. With this background a
need developed to coordinate the activities of these various orga-
nizations related to ORL-HNS which took its form in European
Academy of Otorhinolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery
(EAORL-HNS). It was founded to bring together all European
subspecialty organizations in collaboration with EUFOS and
UEMS in order to provide harmonization and rationalization of
courses, congresses, instruction sessions and teaching programs
within Europe for affordable prices. As the world gets smaller
and the importance of systematic specialist training and continued
medical education increases, it is important for Europe to have
an active organization for international collaboration. A meeting
every fourth year on the European level is not anymore enough.
Abstract no.: 073
Follow-up evaluation of Finnish undergraduate education in
otorhinolaryngology
Kentala E, Mattila PS, Nieminen J
Helsinki University Central Hospital, Finland
Background: Most course evaluations in medical schools are done
immediately after the course, too early for students to assess its
clinical relevance.
Objectives: To investigate how well the teaching objectives of an
undergraduate otorhinolaryngology course meet the professional
needs of MDs during their first years of work experience.
Methods: For all five Medical Schools in Finland, 907 MDs
receiving their degrees in 1997, 1999 or 2001, received postal
questionnaires on the coverage of diverse learning objectives in
otorhinolaryngology. They were also asked to identify the three
most valuable things they had learned and to specify topics inad-
equately covered. Data was stored to database and analyzed with
SPSS statistical program.
Results: Of the 350 MDs replying (38%), most felt that coverage
to be adequate. The most valuable content learned was related
to everyday patient care, for example treating children with otitis
media. Some advanced topics had been covered too thoroughly,
while other more common ones (for example dry mouth and
audiology) lacked sufficient coverage. Qualitative data on learn-
ing objectives is presented.
Conclusions: The follow-up evaluation helped us to identify key
concepts that should be better taught to medical students, allow-
ing us to develop courses and define the core curriculum in oto-
rhinolaryngology.
Abstract no.: 074
Resident otolaryngologists’ experience of medical errors
differs from attending
Kentala E, Shah RK, Roberson DW, Healy GBH
Background: It is known that medical errors are an important
public health problem. It is not known whether residents’ experi-
ence of medical errors is similar or different from attending physi-
cians, or physicians in non-teaching hospitals.
Objectives: The aim of the study is to define and categorize
errors met in otolaryngology and to compare errors experienced
by (1) Otolaryngologists in non-academic settings, (2) attending
Otolaryngologists in an academic institution, and (3) resident
Otolaryngologists in the same institution.
Methods: This study was carried out at Helsinki University
Hospital. In the first phase two hundred otolaryngologists work-
ing in Finland were mailed surveys inquiring about the incidence
and type of errors in the last six months. In the second phase
residents and attending at the Helsinki University hospital carried
a ‘safety journal’ and recorded errors daily. The residents were
asked to write down a harm (potential / realized) or error that
they saw and if they wanted, a potential solution to the harm.
Results: Fifty-eight otolaryngologists replied and 21% reported
an error. Six residents and two faculty members kept the safety
journal for a month. The most common error categorizations
were surgical (knowledge/skill deficits), administrative, medica-
tion related, misdiagnosis or operating on wrong patient/surgery
not needed.
Condusions: Understanding the types of errors in different types
of otolaryngology practices will be important for building a safe
learning environment for residents and patients.
O-VI FROM EAR TO NOSE AND ALLERGY
Abstract no.: 075
Middle ear pressure regulation
Brattmo M, Tideholm B, Carlborg B, Dept of Oto-rhino-laryngology,
Malmö university hospital, Lund university
Middle ear (ME) pressure regulation can be studied with continu-
ous measurement during daily activity and sleep in combination
with tests of equilibration ability of the Eustachian tube. The
pressure is measured directly through a tympanic membrane per-
foration and the ME seals off from the atmosphere with a hearing
protector connected to a pressure transducer. Healthy ears had
a mean ME pressure just below the atmospheric pressure dur-
ing daytime while the pressure rose during sleep. Patients with
chronic central perforation had a considerable negative mean
ME pressure during daytime as well as a poor ability to equili-
brate pressure through the Eustachian tube. An impaired ME
pressure regulation capacity could be a reason for the inability of
the perforation to heal or a consequence of the long exposure of
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