Healthcare
PRIME Questions
In my many years of travelling to different countries and teaching with PRIME, I along with many other tutors frequently used a few simple questions in the ‘Whole Person Care’ and ‘Teaching to change Hearts’ courses that constituted some of the core PRIME material. There is nothing new in this as a teaching technique, of…
Read MoreHow to develop mental health
The mental health of individuals has become a growing concern for health authorities, governments, and non-governmental organisations worldwide. The Covid-19 pandemic has had a significant impact on the mental health of populations, leading to an increase in cases of anxiety, depression, and other mental health disorders during this period. What is mental health? What are…
Read MoreArtificial Intelligence – A threat to humanity?
AI is rarely out of the headlines these days, with experts and developers all seeming to have different levels of concern about how much of a threat to human existence it poses. On the one hand there are those who view it in a totally positive light and see it helping to improve the lives…
Read MoreUnhealthy preoccupations and callousness with health
As one looks around and engages with people, one can see unhealthy preoccupations and callousness around health. Physical Health The first issue is an unhealthy preoccupation with physical health. The body is the temple of the spirit and should be taken care of. A healthy diet, reasonable exercise, and healthy habits are important, but there…
Read MoreOngoing Research Project Studying the Current Context and Challenges of Foreign Medical Students
Pursuing medical studies outside of one’s home country has become increasingly popular. Countries that host large numbers of foreign medical students include China, Poland, Romania, Russia, Bulgaria, Hungary, Germany, Ireland, and New Zealand, among others. For example, 25% of all medical students in Poland are foreign medical students and in Ireland, 50% of all medical…
Read MoreServing Christ as a Healthcare Professional in India
As a final year medical student I wanted to become the Director of Surgical Services in a medical college, preferably as a brain surgeon. I had this image in mind of doing a ward-round, being followed by a train of juniors, associates, lecturers, residents and students. This picture did not come from a vacuum but…
Read MoreCovid vaccination and the church
An Ethicentre Briefing Paper The recent announcement by the Australian government that increased freedoms would be available to citizens who were double vaccinated for COVID-19, or have exemption on medical grounds, has caused significant consternation in the Christian community. Issues of conscience and concerns about exclusion have been raised as reasons why such measures should…
Read More‘Fixing’ the Patient
The common experience during most medical training is the emphasis placed on diagnosis and treatment of illness, rather than understanding the way that illness moulds and changes the life of the patient. It is only after we spend some time with our patients that we appreciate the opportunity and privilege we have of sharing in…
Read MoreWhat is caregiver burnout?
Cleveland Clinic describes Caregiver burnout as: ‘…a state of physical, emotional, and mental exhaustion that may be accompanied by a change in attitude from positive and caring to negative and unconcerned. Burnout can occur when caregivers don’t get the help they need, or if they try to do more than they are able either physically…
Read MoreThe growing weight of evidence for the effectiveness of Christian whole person healthcare
For the last several years I have been receiving monthly email alerts from three medical education journals: Medical Teacher, Medical Education and Academic Medicine. These provide hyperlinks to the latest publications in the respective journals, either giving free access to a title and abstract, to a whole paper, or to a paper that requires Athens…
Read More