Undergraduate Medical Education During the Pandemic: How do Academic Staff Members in Greece and Cyprus Feel About it?

This study used a questionnaire to examine how academic staff members in Greece and Cyprus feel about the changes in undergraduate medical education during the COVID-19 pandemic. In general, e-learning was not considered an adequate way of teaching and was less enjoyable. Participants aged 31-40 years experienced more (P = .001), while staff in higher academic ranks less difficulty (P < .001) in adjustment. There was a small increase in workload, which was higher among respondents researching into COVID-19 (P = .001). During the pandemic, daily screen use >6 h was increased from 28.8% to 57.5%. The majority (74.2%) stated that scientific and educational training opportunities were not affected by the pandemic. In conclusion, the pandemic has induced important changes in undergraduate medical education. This new condition was considered adequate but not pleasant, with younger faculty members being more burdened.

Awareness and knowledge of manuscript writing and research integrity: A cross sectional survey among graduate students

Graduate students face a variety of barriers when writing manuscripts. The major barrier is inadequate writing experience and training. We aimed to evaluate the awareness and the knowledge of the basic principles in manuscript writing and research integrity among graduate students, and to assess the usefulness of workshops to improve their knowledge about manuscript writing process. A cross sectional survey was developed to evaluate the awareness and the knowledge about the manuscript writing steps and the research integrity among graduate students in Jordan. A one-day workshop about manuscript writing and research integrity was conducted. Students (n = 285) completed the questionnaire. Most participants were female masters'; students. Although 83.8% of the students were aware of the general manuscript structure, most of them were not aware of the basic concepts to write most manuscript sections. Only 22.5% of the students were aware of the authorship criteria. Data showed a lack of knowledge of different practices of scientific misconduct. Barriers in manuscript writing included the lack of focused research methodology courses and the lack of professional workshops and the absence constructive mentorship support. The workshop was useful in introducing the key concepts in manuscript writing. The present study revealed a lack of knowledge among graduate students about manuscript writing and scientific misconduct. Professional workshops are useful in improving students' knowledge.

Diabetic Foot Management: Education of Vascular Surgeons Remains a Priority

Diabetic foot ulcers remain difficult to heal, especially in the setting of peripheral arterial disease (PAD). Vascular surgeons are very important members of the multidisciplinary foot care team. To make the most of their potential, adequate education of vascular trainees on diabetic PAD remains a priority. This should include not only endovascular therapies but also open surgical approaches. Evaluation of trainees' skills, as well as of the educational program itself, is also desirable. Finally, simulation-based training may prove a useful educational tool.

Alice through the Looking-glass: Can We Improve Peer Review?

Peer review is an essential component for the evaluation of material submitted to medical and scientific journals. This process usually involves single blind, double blind or open peer review. In the present Editorial, we discuss the advantages and disadvantages of these peer review options. Our comments are influenced by our experience as Editors-in-Chief. We also outline new developments in the field of peer review.

Web-based Medical Education During COVID-19 Lockdown: A Step Back or a Leap to the Future?

The impact of coronavirus infectious disease (COVID-19) on medical education has been substantial. Medical students require considerable clinical exposure. However, due to the risk of COVID-19, the majority of medical schools globally have discontinued their normal activities. The strengths of virtual teaching now include a variety of web-based resources. New interactive forms of virtual teaching are being developed to enable students to interact with patients from their homes. Conversely, students have received decreased clinical training in certain medical and surgical specialities, which may, in turn, reduce their performance, confidence, and abilities as future physicians. We sought to analyze the effect of telemedicine on the quality of medical education in this new emerging era and highlight the benefits and drawbacks of web-based medical training in building up future physicians. The COVID-19 pandemic has posed an unparalleled challenge to medical schools, which are aiming to deliver quality education to students virtually, balancing between evidence-based and experience-based medicine.

Review Article: The Flagship of Evidence-Based Medicine

Global literature is ever-growing and physicians rely on it for evidence-based decision making. Review articles summarize available literature and provide the current state of knowledge on a given topic. Various review types exist, the main ones being narrative and systematic reviews. The former are based on studies selected in an undefined manner. They express the authors’ opinions of a given topic, lack a systematic search, and are prone to bias. By contrast, the latter represent an unbiased synthesis of knowledge on a particular topic and attempt to offer all relevant evidence. A systematic review may include a meta-analysis, which combines the results of quantitative studies using statistical techniques to provide a more precise summary of the evidence. With a dramatic increase in literature complexity, new “next-generation” types of reviews emerged to improve the quality of evidence synthesis: network meta-analysis, umbrella review, and meta-analysis of individual patient data, among others. Finally, scoping reviews are a special type, conducted as precursors to systematic reviews aiming to reveal specific knowledge gaps in a given subject.

Ética e bioética no mundo científico: uma revisão integrativa

Objetivou-se analisar, por meio da literatura, a realidade das questões éticas e bioéticas no mundo científico. Trata-se de uma revisão integrativa, realizada com artigos contidos em três bases de dados. Foram utilizados sete Descritores em Ciências da Saúde, a partir dos quais foram elaboradas três combinações utilizadas em todas as bases. Após aplicar os critérios de inclusão, foram selecionados 18 artigos. As más condutas, especialmente o plágio, a falsificação e fabricação de dados vêm apresentando comportamento crescente e requerem medidas mais severas para seu controle, a fim de manter a credibilidade científica perante a sociedade e os órgãos superiores.

Do’s and Don’ts for a Good Reviewer of Scientific Papers: A Beginner’s Brief Decalogue

Peer review has been the principal way of evaluating scientific articles, ensuring that publications meet standards of methodology, integrity, and ethics. Occasionally, however, reviews are suboptimal, especially those by inexperienced reviewers. Therefore, this article offers suggestions on how to review a scientific article. Some of the most important suggestions include submitting the review in a timely fashion without undue delay, not breeching confidentiality, focusing mainly on the methodology, following specific format, and avoiding embarrassing comments to the authors.