Effective communication skills are a professional competency, yet are often overlooked during training. Providing immediate and constructive feedback is imperative to assist students in developing better communication skills. We sought to evaluate the educational value of using a university-developed application, Rapid Feedback, to provide feedback following students' oral presentations over two years. An online survey comprising of eight 5-point Likert scale items and one open-ended question was conducted in 114 (response rate = 86.5%) students. Students either strongly agreed or agreed that the feedback delivered was timely (98%), relevant (96%), high quality (90%), and specific to enhance their learning (87%). The feedback obtained has helped to identify strengths and weaknesses (87%). Students commented that feedback received will improve their communication skills (90%). The report was also shown to supplement verbal feedback (95%). Overall, students expressed that the feedback report was valuable, allowing for critical self-reflection and future retention. Staff have also found the application easy to use and administer. In a time-and resource-constrained teaching environment, educators constantly explore technology to support student learning and teaching outcomes. We have implemented an application that is user-friendly to staff, efficient, and has provided effective feedback that is well-received and valued by students.

A family support intervention can have beneficial effects on the mental health status of mothers of children with chronic illnesses. This type of intervention can be implemented in diverse pediatric settings.

Our results demonstrate modest positive effects of a family support intervention in promoting the adjustment of children with selective chronic health conditions. Including child life specialists in a community-based intervention may be especially salient for children with chronic illnesses who have low physical self-esteem. The intervention had a similar outcome for all diagnostic groups, suggesting that it could be effective for children with any chronic illness and implemented in a variety of pediatric settings.

No abstract

Limited information exists on views among African American families living in low-income, inner-city communities regarding the treatment of children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Parents of children treated for ADHD in an urban primary care setting were recruited to complete a survey to assess attitudes toward stimulant medications. Although most (71%) were initially hesitant to use stimulants based on what they heard in the lay press, 63% would recommend stimulant medication to a relative/friend whose child had ADHD. Approximately 17% believed stimulants led to drug abuse, 21% preferred counseling over medication, 21% felt medications had bad side effects, and 23% believed that too many children were medicated for ADHD. Most (90%) felt the medication was safe if a physician recommended it. Views did not differ between participants whose child had or had not received counseling. Additional studies are needed to clarify whether such views impact treatment choices and health outcomes.