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Background We developed a 1-hour teaching seminar for medical students on anti-smoking health promotion for adolescents. We report the development of the programme and a performance-based evaluation. Aim To develop a seminar for medical students with the objective of improving medical student inquiry into smoking and the delivery of advice accordingly for adolescent patients in routine consultations. Method The seminar was developed using principles of adult learning and delivered to a cohort of medical students (intervention group). Participants were Year 5 medical students in their paediatrics term. A comparison group of 58 medical students who did not receive the seminar was studied in the semester prior to the intervention. The primary outcome measure was a change in anti-smoking health promotion practice within an objective structured clinical examination (OSCE), where taking a smoking history and making links between smoking status and health were indicated in a 15-year-old simulated patient (SP) with poorly controlled asthma. This was part of the summative assessment in the paediatrics term. Results In the OSCE, 21 of 58 (36%) students in the comparison group asked the asthmatic SP about smoking, compared with 41 of 56 (73%) students in the intervention group (P = 0.0001). In all, 15 (26%) of the comparison group students addressed the patient's smoking, compared with 33 of the 56 (59%) intervention group students (P = 0.0004). Conclusion A carefully designed seminar addressing adolescent smoking can increase the frequency of smoking inquiry and advice by medical students. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: To explore, synthesise and discuss currently available digital stethoscopes (DS) and the evidence for their use in paediatric medicine., Methods: Systematic review and narrative synthesis of digital stethoscope use in paediatrics following searches of OVID Medline, Embase, Scopus, PubMed and Google Scholar databases., Results: Six digital stethoscope makes were identified to have been used in paediatric focused studies so far. A total of 25 studies of DS use in paediatrics were included. We discuss the use of digital stethoscope technology in current paediatric medicine, comment on the technical properties of the available devices, the effectiveness and limitations of this technology, and potential uses in the fields of paediatrics and neonatology, from telemedicine to computer-aided diagnostics., Conclusion: Further validation and testing of available DS devices is required. Comparison studies between different types of DS would be useful in identifying strengths and flaws of each DS as well as identifying clinical situations for which each may be most appropriately suited., (©2018 Foundation Acta Paediatrica. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)