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PurposePatient-reported data are playing an increasing role in health care. In oncology, data from quality of life (QoL) assessment tools may be particularly important for those with limited survival prospects, where treatments aim to prolong survival while maintaining or improving QoL. This paper examines the use and impact of using QoL measures on health care of cancer patients within a clinical setting, particularly those with brain cancer. It also examines facilitators and challenges, and provides implications for policy and practice.DesignWe conducted a systematic literature review, 15 expert interviews and a consultation at an international summit.ResultsThe systematic review found no relevant intervention studies specifically in brain cancer patients, and after expanding our search to include other cancers, 15 relevant studies were identified. The evidence on the effectiveness of using QoL tools was inconsistent for patient management, but somewhat more consistent in favour of improving patient–physician communication. Interviews identified unharnessed potential and growing interest in QoL tool use and associated challenges to address.ConclusionOur findings suggest that the use of QoL tools in cancer patients may improve patient–physician communication and have the potential to improve care, but the tools are not currently widely used in clinical practice (in brain cancer nor some other cancer contexts) although they are in clinical trials. There is a need for further research and stakeholder engagement on how QoL tools can achieve most impact across cancer and patient contexts. There is also a need for policy, health professional, research and patient communities to strengthen information exchange and debate, support awareness raising and provide training on tool design, use and interpretation.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1007/s11136-016-1278-6) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

In order to promote more active engagement of science undergraduates in histology practical classes some technology-based innovations were introduced. First, an interactive pre-lab tutorial was set up using an electronic handset voting system, where guidance on tissue analysis was given. Second, a web-based resource where students could access photomicrographs of tissues, practice formative assessment tasks and review the information from the pre-lab was produced. When the impact of the innovations was evaluated. Both were received very favourably by the students and they improved the general perceptions of the course.In both the pre-lab and web resource it was emphasised to the students that they should make sketches of the photomicrographs. Our hypothesis was that drawing would strongly enhance the students' engagement with the practical material and that they would observe the photomicrographs more thoroughly if they drew them. This idea was confirmed as the students who drew achieved significantly higher scores (p-values in all cases <0.05) in their subsequent practical assessments. In 2004, for example, their percentage scores exceeded those of the students who did not draw by between 5.9% and 18.6%.Drawing was always a part of histological courses in the past and our study illustrates that, although introducing new technology may be beneficial, traditional teaching methods should not be rejected without careful consideration.

Increasingly, humans are an urban species prone to 'plant blindness' . This demographic shift and situation has implications for both individual and collective perceptions of nature, as well as for addressing 'ecophobia' and encouraging 'biophilia' through education. Contemporary humanity occupies a world in which extensive physical change, both in the landscape and its related organisms, is occurring . Education-related debates on these issues links to the noted phenomenon of a 'bubble wrap generation' growing up within 'nature-deficit' childhoods in 'megalopolitan cities' . Indeed, some commentators consider that 'nature has already disappeared' and exists only in protected spaces. Such perceptions have consequences for education in 'presented world' settings such as zoos, botanic gardens and natural history museums. This editorial, and its associated collection of papers, considers the critical relationships between nature, culture and education in contemporary botanic gardens and the ways in which visitors navigate their journeys, as demonstrated by research. Increasingly, humans are an urban species prone to 'plant blindness' (Wandersee and Schussler 1999). This demographic shift and situation has implications for both individual and collective perceptions of nature, as well as for addressing 'ecophobia' (Sobel 1996) and encouraging 'biophilia' (Cajete 1999) through education. Contemporary humanity occupies a world in which extensive physical change, both in the landscape and its related organisms, is occurring (Millennium Ecosystem Assessment 2005). Education-related debates on these issues links to the noted phenomenon of a 'bubble wrap generation' (Malone 2007) growing up within 'nature-deficit' childhoods (Louv 2008) in 'megalopolitan cities' (Chipeniuk 1995). Indeed, some commentators consider that 'nature has already disappeared' and 'exists only in preservations and reservations -botanical gardens, national parks, protected waters, sanctuaries and zoos' (Benjamin 1996, 28). Such perceptions have consequences for education in 'presented world' settings (Braund and Reiss 2006) such as zoos, botanic gardens and natural history museums, suggesting that, 'when there is no more wild, the meaning of the zoo changes' (Wilson 1992, 246).According to Jan Zwicky (2008), 'Nature is the tendency in things to be what they are, and in that tendency to present themselves as both distinct and connected' (90). 'Presented world' settings, like

Objectives To evaluate the ability of pathology modules to promote learning of pathology-related course content in a preclinical medical education curriculum. Methods Pathology modules were created for the “Hematology/Oncology” and “Women’s Health” (WH) courses. Students were recruited over 2 consecutive academic years; cohorts 1 and 2 refer to 2 separate groups of students in years 1 and 2, respectively, of the study. Course performance data were collected. Results Use of pathology modules resulted in a statistically significant higher correlation between performance on the final examination and pathology-related questions in the Hematology/Oncology course and written examination and pathology-related questions in cohort 1 in the WH course. There was statistically significant improvement (P = .026) on pathology-related laboratory practical examination questions in the WH course for cohort 1, and no other statistically significant improvement for the other cohorts and examinations. The percentage of students completing all or part of the modules was highest in the WH course for cohort 1 (60%) compared with WH course cohort 2 (33%) and Hematology/Oncology cohort 1 (30%) and cohort 2 (39%). Conclusions Pathology modules may improve acquisition and retention of pathology-related course content when used appropriately.