Journal of Translational Medical Research

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Background and Aim: Morning report, clinical rounds , and ambulatory teaching are three common, useful and valuable methods (Gold Standards) in clinical education. This program has some characteristics and standards that, when properly applied, will play an effective role in students’ clinical learning. The present study mainly aimed at assessing students’ viewpoints on the quality of morning report sessions in internal medicine wards of Birjand Valli-e-asr hospital. Materials and Methods: In this descriptive – analytical study, 110 interns’ and trainees’ viewpoints on the quality of morning report sessions were assessed. Necessary data was gathered by means of a researcher- designed questionnaire whose validity and reliability were confirmed by experts ,applying Cronbach’s alpha . Data analysis was perfopmed by means of SPSS (version 15) using statistical tests of Mann Whitney at the significat level of P<0.05. Results : Out of 110 medical students , 41.8% were trainees and 58.2 % were interns. According to the subjects’ viewpoints 51.8% of the sessions were regularly held . A majority of faculty members (54.5 %) always and 44.5 % of the students usually participated in the sessions, regularly. Regarding the trainees (apprentices), 45.5 % of them never took part in discussions or negotiations. The students believed that only 41.8 % of morning report sessions were educationally rich and transferred new concepts. Among the students, 38.2 % thought that teachers’ explanations were either always or usually boring and uninteresting. In the idea of 74. 5% of the subjects, outpatients were never introduced and in 61.8% of patients communicative skills were not discussed. Conclusion: The current study showed that overall quality of students' view of morning reports in Birjand University of Medical Sciences, is moderate.Yet, the students believed that morning report sessions are weak as far as education and new concepts are concerned. Thus, it is necessary to establish a committee to revise and improve morning reports, taking teachers’ and students’ viewpoints into account.

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Background and Aim: Depression, due to its high prevalence and subsequent effects, is one of the important public health issues. Regarding the specific educational problems in the field of medicine and the importance of medical students’ mental health the present study aimed at comparing the prevalence of depression in the first two and the last two years of medical in Birjand University of Medical sciences. Materials and Methods: This descriptive analytical and cross-sectional study was done on 151 medical students in the first two and the last two years in Birjand University of Medical Sciences in 2010. Assessment of depression was done by means of Beck’s brief questionnaire in both groups who had been selected in a census .The obtained data was fed into SPSS software (V: 15) and was finally analyzed using by χ2 and independed Student-t tests at the significant level α<0.05. Results: A total of 151 students whose mean age was 22±2 years participated in the current study. Prevalence of depression in all the cases in all types of the problem i.e. mild, moderate, and severe was 31/8%. Prevalence of depression in the first two years and the last two years was 29.8% and 34.3%, respectively which was not statistically significant. Prevalence of depression in males was more than females, which was not significant either. Besides, no significant relationship was found between prevalence of depression with variables such as age, residence, parental education, housing, and employment status of parents. Conclusion: Apparently, prevalence of depression in medical students in Birjand university of Medical Sciences is high, although studying medicine is not significantly decisive in the occurrence of the problem.

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Background and Aim: Myopia is one of the most prevalent complaints of patients referring to ophthalmologists. Regarding the progressive nature of this complication, it was decided to assess the patients referring to the eye clinic of Valieasr hospital in Birjand (in 2012).

Materials and Methods: In this cross- sectional survey,with simple non-probable sampling, a total of 403 myopic patients who had referred to the eye clinic of Valieasr hospital in Birjand in 2012 were celected.

Data collection tool included a researcher-designed checklist has been compeleted by the optometrist.

Increase of 0.5 diopter was accounted as the progression of myopia. After the questionaires were filled out, the obtained data was fed into SPSS software (V:16) and finally analyzed by Chi-square.

Results: The present study revealed progression of myopia in 47. 4% of cases in right eye and 47.6% in left  eye. progression of myopia had also a significant relationship with variables of age and hours of study in a day in both of the eyes and with variables of sex and number of hours wearing medical glasses in one eye.

Conclusion: It was found that progression of myopia had a significant relationship with variables sex, age, hours of study and hours of wearing medical glasses. Thus, controlling these variables can have both a preventive and curing role for the patients and those prone to the disease.