The Science of Paediatrics: MRCPCH Mastercourse

Quality improvement and the clinician

Learning objectives By the end of this chapter the reader should: Be aware of the main quality issues relating to paediatric care Understand the concepts of quality improvement Be able to describe basic improvement tools Be able to provide examples…

Evidence-based paediatrics

Learning objectives By the end of this chapter the reader should: Understand basic principles of evidence-based medicine in order to implement it into clinical practice Be able to formulate a clinical question Be able to undertake a hierarchical search strategy…

Statistics

Learning objectives By the end of this chapter the reader should: Know about the different ways in which data can be categorized and displayed Understand frequency distributions and features of a normal distribution Know how to describe different types of…

Clinical research

Learning objectives By the end of this chapter the reader should: Understand the different research settings and the phases of clinical trials Understand how to develop a research question and frame this as a null hypothesis to be tested Be…

Pharmacology and therapeutics

Learning objectives By the end of this chapter the reader should: Understand the principles of pharmacokinetics in children Know the major pathways of drug metabolism in children and how they vary with age Know about some of the commoner adverse…

Ethics

Learning objective By the end of this chapter the reader should: Understand ethical issues relating to clinical care and conducting trials and research with children. Paediatrics and child health, perhaps more than any other speciality, has recently been the focus…

Palliative medicine

Learning objectives By the end of this chapter the reader should: Be aware of life-limiting conditions and their epidemiology Know about the principles of symptom control – pain, nausea and vomiting, dyspnoea, constipation, skin conditions and emergencies Be aware of…

Global child health

Learning objectives By the end of this chapter the reader should: Know about the major causes of child mortality globally Know about the most common illnesses in low resource countries: pneumonia, gastroenteritis, malaria, HIV infection, tuberculosis, measles Know about intervention…

Adolescent medicine

Learning objectives By the end of this chapter the reader should: Know about the epidemiology of adolescent medicine Know about the physical and psychological changes during adolescence Know about the mode of action and physiological consequences of substances taken without…

Hearing and balance

Learning objectives By the end of this chapter the reader should: Know the anatomy of the outer, middle and inner ear Understand how the structure of the ear is related to function Understand the process of hearing and how it…