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Whilst feedback is an essential component of clinical education, it is often lacking in clinical workplaces due to competing priorities. Peer feedback has been proposed as a potential solution but remains underexplored in terms of practicality and effects. We aimed to examine the experiences of peer feedback among paediatric trainees, and the associated feedback culture. Following an Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis approach, the personal experiences of 12 paediatric trainees were explored using semi-structured interviews. Interpretive themes were developed between the transcripts using processes of abstraction, subsumption, contextualisation, and cross-case analysis. Themes were subsequently subjected to member checking and peer debriefing processes. We found that peer feedback was influenced by three contextual factors, namely, prevalent feedback culture, interpersonal consent, and the quality of relationships. Peer feedback culture was lacking in clinical workplaces. Feedback between peers was constrained by avoiding criticism and maintaining work relationships. Social and cultural norms inhibited constructive peer feedback without explicit consent. Enabling peer feedback in clinical settings requires attention to cultural, relational, and consent barriers. Potential approaches should include helping clinicians to develop greater cultural reflexivity, resident training in how to be peer educators, and enhancing institutional supports for peer feedback.

Background Individuals on the autism spectrum face significant disparities in health and physicians often report difficulties in providing care to autistic patients. In order to improve the quality of care autistic individuals receive, it is important to identify the barriers that physicians experience in providing care so that these may be addressed. This paper reports the initial development and preliminary evaluation of a physician-report ‘Barriers to Providing Healthcare’ measurement tool. Method An established taxonomy of healthcare barriers for autistic individuals informed the initial draft of a 22-item measurement tool. This measurement tool was distributed to physicians working in various healthcare specialties and settings. Exploratory factor analysis (EFA) was conducted to determine the construct validity of the tool; discriminant validity between, and internal consistency of, the resultant factors were assessed. Multiple regressions were used to explore variables potentially associated with barriers endorsed by physicians. Results A total of 203 physicians were included in the analyses. The EFA resulted in a 17-item tool with three distinct factors which explained 37.6% of the variance: 1) Patient-related barriers (Cronbach’s α = 0.83; e.g., the patient’s reactivity to the healthcare environment); 2) Healthcare provider (HCP)/family-related barriers (Cronbach’s α = 0.81; e.g., a lack of providers willing to work with autistic patients); and 3) System-related barriers (Cronbach’s α = 0.84; e.g., there is a lack of support for patients and families). Discriminant validity between the factors was adequate (r Conclusion A preliminary version of a novel physician-report tool to assess barriers to providing care to autistic patients has been developed although further validation work is required. The use of this tool will help physicians to identify issues specific to different medical specialities and healthcare settings. This information may help identify the supports physicians require to recognise and implement the required accommodations. Future research which elucidates barriers to healthcare provision for autistic patients is required to support systemic change in healthcare so as to improve care experiences and health outcomes for people on the autism spectrum.

Food allergy affects 5-6% of Irish children with 3-6% of preschool children affected. Common food allergens in preschool children are milk, egg and peanut while peanut, tree-nut, fish and shellfish allergies are more common in older children1 . Recent studies such as LEAP2 and EAT3 reported that regular consumption of common allergy associated foods early in the complementary feeding period resulted in a protective effect on the development of food allergy2,3 . Current guidelines recommend that solid foods should be introduced into the infant diet around 6 months of age, including the common allergenic foods, and these foods should be continued on a regular basis. For children at a higher risk of developing food allergy, the early introduction (from 4 months of age) of egg and peanut may be beneficial.

BackgroundUntil 2008, Objective Structured Clinical Examinations (OSCE) were well researched, laborious and costly paper based method of exam delivery restricting international comparison. Cross-institutional comparison of OSCE Quality Assurance in Europe has never been done and due to wide spread electronic assessment analysis is now available.MethodsTwenty educational institutions across Europe using an electronic OSCE Management Information System where invited of which 8 confirmed to join a mutual comparison of Quality Assurance outcome. Two theories evaluate the quality of the observed test scores, the Classical psychometric theory (Cronbach’s alpha) and the Generalizability theory. Outcomes for both were compared for all universities including the Standard Error of Measurement (SEM) as well as cut-scores, Pass/Fail score and Global Rating Scores, Cronbach’s Alpha and related SEM (68% and 95% CI) and G-theory Coefficients with related absolute and relative SEM (68% and 95% CI). ResultsOutcomes differ between participating universities and observed marks contradict global rating of fail, borderline and excellent performance. G-theory coefficients and Standard Error of Measurement were lower and smaller compared to the classical approach using Cronbach’s Alpha as measure of reliability. The Classical psychometric based SEM varies from 2.8% to 11.2% respectively whereas the 95% CI equivalent varied from 9.2% up to 22% (on a 0 - 100% scale). The relative SEM from G-theory analysis varied from 3.1% to 7.0% for criterion-referenced marks, and the absolute SEM for norm-referenced marks varied from 3.8% to 7.8% respectively. The 95% CI around the relative and absolute SEMs values varied from 7.3% to 15.3%. More students failed the examination if the 95% CI is applied to the observed scores.ConclusionTo protect society and to improve educational decision making, the Standard Error of Measurement and associated confidence intervals needs to be embedded in EU assessment strategies to rule out ‘false positive Pass decisions’.

Background Lifestyle-based preventive cardiology aims to combat the global burden of cardiovascular disease. There have been rapid advances in lifestyle and behavioural interventions aimed at preventing cardiovascular disease in individuals at high risk and in the general population. This study is the first bibliometric analysis of publications in the field of lifestyle-based preventive cardiology. Methods Journal articles relating to lifestyle-based preventive cardiology published from 1996 to 2017 were retrieved from the Scopus database. The publications were limited to those in the English language. The data were indexed using bibliometric methodology and exported to Microsoft Excel for analysis. VOS viewer software was used to conduct co-occurrence and collaboration analysis between authors, institutions and countries. Results A total of 3300 publications were identified. The annual growth rate of publications increased globally during the study period. The USA made the highest contribution to global publications (1402) and total citation counts (68,540). Harvard Medical School was the most prolific institution and David Wood was the most prolific author in the field. The European Journal of Preventive Cardiology published the largest number of articles in this field. Obesity was the most common theme. Conclusions The current growth trends predict a large increase in the number of global publications on lifestyle-based preventive cardiology. Further research could focus on smoking cessation, which at present is under-represented in lifestyle-based preventive cardiology output.

BACKGROUND It is unknown whether obesity is a barrier to international travel. The purpose of this qualitative study was to describe the travel experiences of a cohort of severely obese individuals attending a hospital-based bariatric service, to identify their perceived barriers to travel and to generate recommendations that address the needs of severely obese individuals. METHODS Semi-structured interviews were conducted with severely obese patients attending a regional, structured, multidisciplinary lifestyle modification programme. Coding and thematic analysis of the transcripts were completed by three independent researchers. A thematic analysis was performed based on examination of the transcribed interviews. Demographic and clinical data such as gender, age and body mass index were also recorded. RESULTS Twelve patients (six males), with a mean age of 54 ± 5.98 years and a mean body mass index of 46.2 ± 8.2 kg/m2, agreed to semi-structured interviews (14-52-minute duration). The principal themes emerging from the interviews included obese air traveller embarrassment, physical discomfort on commercial flights, perceived weight bias, challenges in accessing hotel rooms, heat intolerance in warm climates, restricted leisure travel activities and medical co-morbidities. Most of the interviewees perceived a health benefit to travel but regarded obesity as a significant barrier to international travel. CONCLUSION These findings highlight the limitations experienced by obese travellers when engaging in international travel. Our results may inform the pre-travel health advice given to obese travellers. They might also serve to raise awareness among operators within the travel industry of the difficulties travellers with severe obesity face.

Background Increasingly, medical students from developed countries are undertaking international medical electives in developing countries. Medical students understand the many benefits of these electives, such as the opportunity to develop clinical skills, to gain insight into global health issues and to travel to interesting regions of the world. However, they may be much less aware of the risk to their health and wellbeing while abroad. Compounding this problem, medical students may not seek advice from travel medicine practitioners and often receive inadequate or no information from their medical school prior to departure. Methods The PubMed database was searched for relevant literature relating to the health of medical elective students. Combinations of the following key words were used as search terms: 'international health elective', 'medical student' and 'health risks'. Articles were restricted to those published in English from 1997 through June 2017. A secondary review of the reference lists of these articles was performed. The grey literature was also searched for relevant material. Results This narrative literature review outlines the risks of clinical electives in resource-poor settings which include exposure to infectious illness, trauma, sexual health problems, excessive sun exposure, mental health issues and crime. Medical students may mitigate these health risks by being informed and well prepared for high-risk situations. The authors provide evidence-based travel advice which aims to improve pre-travel preparation and maximize student traveller safety. A safer and more enjoyable elective may be achieved if students follow road safety advice, take personal safety measures, demonstrate cultural awareness, attend to their psychological wellbeing and avoid risk-taking behaviours. Conclusion This article may benefit global health educators, international elective coordinators and travel medicine practitioners. For students, a comprehensive elective checklist, an inventory of health kit items and useful web-based educational resources are provided to help prepare for electives abroad.

In response to the public health crisis that childhood obesitypresents (1) and in line with policies in other countries(2–4), the Irish government is currently piloting a school-based programme to measure weight and height periodi-cally in all children. While this is notionally a surveillanceinitiative, overweight children will have feedback providedtotheirparents,withleafletsandonlineresourcesthatfocuson healthy lifestyle practices, while obese children will beinvited to a supervised lifestyle programme. Thus, the pro-gramme goes beyond the routine collection of population-level data to describe changes in overweight prevalence overtime and constitutes screening, not surveillance. The dis-tinctionisimportant.Therationaleforsurveillanceissoundand several such initiatives are already well establishednationally (1,5). However, the evidence base for screeningfor childhood obesity is not strong. Definitive adoption of anational screening policy should occur only after carefulconsideration of its potential benefits and harms, recogniz-ing the paucity of scientific evidence.

Aim This study aims to describe the perceptions of young adults’, parents of young adults’ and health care professionals’ (HCPs) of the transition process for young adults with Type 1 Diabetes in the West of Ireland. Methods Thematic analysis of semi-structured interviews conducted with the three stakeholder groups was performed. Results Young adults hardly noticed the transition, with many of them seeing it as a physical move, whereas parents were more anxious and felt their involvement was still needed but not accommodated. Both groups perceived the young adults’ ability to manage their diabetes as a facilitator, as well as the continuity of care provided by the diabetes nurse. Resource limitations and an inability of a young adult to self-manage were identified as barriers to smooth transition by parents, whilst HCPs were experiencing problems with non-attendance and a lack of a psychology service. Conclusion This study highlights the importance of encouraging adolescents’ autonomy in the years leading to transition. A key healthcare professional link between both services appears to facilitate smooth transition. Being flexible and supportive of both parents and adolescents including the provision of mental health services are other important considerations.

The clinical environment in paediatrics presents many unique challenges for medical students to achieve clinical proficiency. Our study aimed to explore how different elements of the paediatric rotation aid medical students in achieving learning outcomes at the undergraduate stage. Using a small-scale exploratory case study, three focus group interviews were conducted with 19 participants by an independent facilitator. Students’ self-reported levels of achievement of module learning outcomes were also analysed. Qualitative data were recorded, transcribed and thematically analysed. Open coding was initially employed; codes were then refined into categories and grouped. Themes were identified, reviewed and defined. Students highlighted several key themes including trainee factors, teacher factors and environmental factors that were associated with positive learning environments. These included the opportunity to contribute to the patient care, feeling like part of the team. A clinical learning environment that allows medical students to become actively involved in patient care and to contribute as members to the clinical team can enhance their learning experience.

Background: It is well recognised that management of young adults with type 1 diabetes (T1DM) poses difficult challenges for physicians and health care organisations as a whole. In Ireland and in particular the west of Ireland there has been little audit or research on young adults with T1DM and the services available to them. Design: In 2011 a retrospective review of this patient population in our territory referral centre was carried out. Results: The average glycaemic control in this population was poor at 81mmols/mol and diabetes related complications were present in 32%. Engagement by this population with services was poor with an average of 3 missed clinic appointments over a 24 month period. Conclusion: These results have prompted a re think of how health care professionals can deliver a service that better suits the needs of this challenging patient group.