- Doing my best.edit
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Objectives: The sudden advent of the COVID pandemic resulted in limited face to face interactions and the dental school in the University of the West Indies was challenged to complete the final year with a rapid transition to online... more
Objectives: The sudden advent of the COVID pandemic resulted in limited face to face interactions and the dental school in the University of the West Indies was challenged to complete the final year with a rapid transition to online teaching. This study examined students’ and teachers’ perceptions of the effectiveness of emergency remote online teaching and challenges experienced. Materials and Methods: Two independent online cross-sectional surveys were administered on the perception of the online learning environment and challenges experienced and effectiveness of strategies used. Overall thirty three dental students and eleven clinical academic teachers participated. Statistical analysis: Reliability of the questionnaire was determined. Chi-squared (χ2) tests were applied for determining the perceptions of students and teachers towards online teaching. Frequencies and percentages were also computed. Results: The majority of students (60.6% - 69.7%) perceived that online teaching ...
Research Interests:
Background: Smartphones and medical education apps are popular with and are widely used by medical students to facilitate peer interactions, communication and collaboration in addition to their “learn anywhere” advantage. Smartphone use... more
Background: Smartphones and medical education apps are popular with and are widely used by medical students to facilitate peer interactions, communication and collaboration in addition to their “learn anywhere” advantage. Smartphone use by medical students has not been studied in the English-speaking Caribbean. Study objectives were to assess in preclinical students attending the University of the West Indies in Barbados, smartphone ownership, usage and attitudes toward use in medical education.Methods: First and second year preclinical medical students completed a self-administered paper-based questionnaire during the 2018–2019 academic year. Survey questions included sections on smartphone ownership, medical apps used, phone usage for education related tasks, and the perception on the usefulness of smartphones in medical education.Results: Of 112 participants (response rate 67.4%), 43% considered using the smartphone for medical education when acquiring it but 92% were currently u...
Research Interests:
The pandemic forced final year clinical students in six health-profession programs in a Caribbean University to suddenly transition from a clinical learning environment to an exclusively online environment for clinical instruction. The... more
The pandemic forced final year clinical students in six health-profession programs in a Caribbean University to suddenly transition from a clinical learning environment to an exclusively online environment for clinical instruction. The change in curriculum delivery allowed students to compare teaching of clinical skills using clinical and online learning environments. In June 2020, 278 students (78% response rate) completed a survey rating the online teaching experience. Students from each discipline also participated in a focus group discussion. Of the sample, 88% of students felt that the online environment was enthusiastic and stimulating but did not view it as satisfactory for skills transfer; 77% felt connected with their teachers but deprived of the social connectedness, peer support, and vicarious learning afforded by face-to-face instruction. Clinical students perceived the online environment as a convenient and beneficial platform to deliver didactic components of the clini...
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Background: Most universities around the world use the multiple-choice question (MCQ) examination format to evaluate medical education. However, the suitability and advantages of traditional MCQs and extended matching questions (EMQs)... more
Background: Most universities around the world use the multiple-choice question (MCQ) examination format to evaluate medical education. However, the suitability and advantages of traditional MCQs and extended matching questions (EMQs) continue to be debated. Objectives: This study mainly aimed to perform a comprehensive comparative analysis of the performance of the EMQ and traditional MCQ formats in the final MBBS exit examination. Methods: We conducted an item analysis of 80 EMQs, and 200 MCQs administered to 532 examinees across the four campuses of the University of the West Indies during the final MBBS medicine and therapeutics examination of 2019. Exam performance measures included central tendency, item discrimination, reliability, item difficulty, and distractor efficacy. Results: For the 532 students who sat the exam, the highest, lowest, and mean (± SD) scores for the EMQs were 93, 41, and 69.0 (± 9.8), respectively; for the MCQs, the respective values were 82, 41, and 62....
Research Interests:
Background: Social accountability is defined as “the obligation of medical schools to direct their education, research and service activities toward addressing the priority health concerns of the community, region, and/or nation that they... more
Background: Social accountability is defined as “the obligation of medical schools to direct their education, research and service activities toward addressing the priority health concerns of the community, region, and/or nation that they have a mandate to serve”. It is becoming increasingly critical in evaluating medical school performance and education quality. Medical students must have an appropriate understanding of social accountability. This study explores knowledge, attitudes and institutional readiness as perceived by medical students towards social accountability. Method: An independent online cross-sectional survey was conducted, which included 121 medical students recruited through a convenience sampling technique. The survey instruments were validated through a pilot study and the responses were analyzed using chi-squared (χ2) tests. Frequencies and percentages were computed. Results: A total of 69% of students understood SA, 61.2% believed they demonstrated SA, and 82....
Research Interests:
Background: Most universities around the world use the multiple-choice question (MCQ) examination format to evaluate medical education. However, the suitability and advantages of traditional MCQs and extended matching questions (EMQs)... more
Background: Most universities around the world use the multiple-choice question (MCQ) examination format to evaluate medical education. However, the suitability and advantages of traditional MCQs and extended matching questions (EMQs) continue to be debated. Objectives: This study mainly aimed to perform a comprehensive comparative analysis of the performance of the EMQ and traditional MCQ formats in the final MBBS exit examination. Methods: We conducted an item analysis of 80 EMQs, and 200 MCQs administered to 532 examinees across the four campuses of the University of the West Indies during the final MBBS medicine and therapeutics examination of 2019. Exam performance measures included central tendency, item discrimination, reliability, item difficulty, and distractor efficacy. Results: For the 532 students who sat the exam, the highest, lowest, and mean (± SD) scores for the EMQs were 93, 41, and 69.0 (± 9.8), respectively; for the MCQs, the respective values were 82, 41, and 62.7 (± 7.4). The predictive value of the EMQ and MCQ grades individually in the overall failure was 0.67 (95% CI = 0.39, 0.87) and 0.89 (95% CI = 0.65, 0.98), respectively. KR-20 coefficients for the EMQs and MCQs ranged from 0.52 to 0.70 and 0.71 to 0.79, respectively. The proportion of questions with two or more functional distractors was consistently higher for the MCQs than for the EMQs in all four cohorts of students. Conclusions: The MCQs were more predictive of the overall failure and had higher inter-item reliability, making the MCQ format more suitable for high-stakes examinations.
This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
This paper reports on the relationship between pre-testing and student performance in final examinations. Diagnostic pre-testing is a valuable tool that identifies gaps in knowledge among students; identifies teaching requirements, and... more
This paper reports on the relationship between pre-testing and student performance in final examinations. Diagnostic pre-testing is a valuable tool that identifies gaps in knowledge among students; identifies teaching requirements, and helps direct teaching programmes to take corrective measures. Pre-test scores may also help to predict student performance in final examinations. A retrospective descriptive correlational analysis was conducted on third year medical students, performance in the total haematology components of selected multi-specialty final integrated examinations in four third year courses and one related first year course. These students had previously been given a diagnostic pre-test in haematology at the start of their third year programme. Of the 159 students eligible for the study, 130 passed and 29 failed the pre-test. Some students responded to the interventions instituted after the diagnostic pre-test and others did not. The pre-test proved to be a good predictor of final results. Correlation between the pre-test and the total haematology components of the different final integrated examinations ranged from r= .264 to r= .475) and between the pretest and the final integrated examinations ranged from r= .375 to r= .467. It was concluded that the pre-testing grade is a reliable indicator of performance in the final examinations. However interventions need to be revised to encourage more individual, student engagement.
Research Interests:
Although a core element in patient care the trajectory of empathy during undergraduate medical education remains unclear. Empathy is generally regarded as comprising an affective capacity: the ability to be sensitive to and concerned for,... more
Although a core element in patient care the trajectory of empathy during undergraduate medical education remains unclear. Empathy is generally regarded as comprising an affective capacity: the ability to be sensitive to and concerned for, another and a cognitive capacity: the ability to understand and appreciate the other person's perspective. The authors investigated whether final year undergraduate students recorded lower levels of empathy than their first year counterparts, and whether male and female students differed in this respect. Between September 2013 and June 2014 an online questionnaire survey was administered to 15 UK, and 2 international medical schools. Participating schools provided both 5-6 year standard courses and 4 year accelerated graduate entry courses. The survey incorporated the Jefferson Scale of Empathy-Student Version (JSE-S) and…
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
This prospective cross-sectional study was undertaken to determine the normative and perceived orthodontic treatment needs of children aged 11-12 years in a Caribbean country, Trinidad and Tobago. One author, an experienced orthodontist,... more
This prospective cross-sectional study was undertaken to determine the normative and perceived orthodontic treatment needs of children aged 11-12 years in a Caribbean country, Trinidad and Tobago. One author, an experienced orthodontist, examined 367 children using the Dental Health Component (DHC) of the Index of Orthodontic Treatment Need (IOTN) to assess the normative need. The same orthodontist administered the questionnaire to assess the patient's perceived needs using the Aesthetic Component (AC) of the IOTN and the Oral Aesthetic Subjective Impact Scale (OASIS). The DHC and the AC of the IOTN and the OASIS showed respectively that 61.4%, 2.5% and 0.6% of the children had definite need for orthodontic treatment. The female proportion of the sample was more than the target population but the perceived need and normative need for orthodontic treatment did not depend significantly (p < 0.05) on the gender or ethnicity of the subjects of this study. The perception of need f...
Research Interests:
The heath communication curriculum at the Trinidad campus of the University of the West Indies was developed out of practices advocated in large Western countries. Many students and tutors observed that the nonverbal skills advocated in... more
The heath communication curriculum at the Trinidad campus of the University of the West Indies was developed out of practices advocated in large Western countries. Many students and tutors observed that the nonverbal skills advocated in these approaches did not fit the complex cultural dynamics of the Caribbean. A study was developed to understand the problems Caribbean students faced with these nonverbal communication practices. Thirty-six students representing different Caribbean territories were randomly selected from the two compulsory communication skills courses: Communication Skills for Health Personnel and Communication Skills for the Health Professions class list. These students participated in 4 focus group discussions (FGD). The FGD questions were formulated on the nonverbal skills advanced in the Calgary-Cambridge Guide to the doctor-patient interview. The findings supported the view that recommended nonverbal skills were in conflict with expected doctor-patient behavior in different Caribbean territories. Students felt that nonverbal communication needed to be treated with greater cultural sensitivity. These findings stimulated changes to the health communication program. this article identifies changes made to the communication skills program in response to cultural difference.
Research Interests: Psychology, Focus Groups, Medical Education, Nonverbal Communication, Medicine, and 15 moreCommunication Skills, Teaching, Curriculum, Medical Students, Humans, Touch, Female, Male, Focus Group, Caribbean region, Curriculum and Pedagogy, Teaching Learning, cultural characteristics, Pharmacology and pharmaceutical sciences, and Schools Medical
Research Interests:
Research Interests: Pharmacy, Communication, Perception, Focus Groups, Medical Education, and 15 moreProfessional Ethics, Medicine, Curriculum, Problem Solving, Humans, Pharmacy Education, Focus Group, Diffusion of Innovation, Feedback, Confidentiality, Curriculum and Pedagogy, Pharmacists, Clinical Competence, Pharmacy Practice and Education, and Ethics Professional
To explore the emotional intelligence (EI) in medical students in a Caribbean medical school and investigate its association with gender, age, year of study and ethnicity. A cross-sectional design using convenient sampling of 304 years... more
To explore the emotional intelligence (EI) in medical students in a Caribbean medical school and investigate its association with gender, age, year of study and ethnicity. A cross-sectional design using convenient sampling of 304 years two to five undergraduate medical students at the School of Medicine, the University of the West Indies (UWI), St Augustine campus, was conducted. The Mayer-Salovey-Caruso Emotional Intelligence Test (MSCEIT-V2.0) was administered to test four branches of EI: perceiving emotions, facilitating thought, understanding emotions and managing emotions. Data were analysed using SPSS version 19. T-test, analysis of variance (ANOVA) and r (product moment correlation) were calculated to establish the effects of selected variables (gender, age, year of study and ethnicity) on total and sub-scales EI scores and tested against 0.05 and 0.01 significance levels. The total mean score for EI fell within the average according to MSCEIT standards. Gender analysis showe...
Research Interests:
This study explored the empathy profile of students across five years of medical training. In addition the study examined whether the Jefferson Scale for Physician Empathy correlated with a measure of cognitive empathy, the Reading the... more
This study explored the empathy profile of students across five years of medical training. In addition the study examined whether the Jefferson Scale for Physician Empathy correlated with a measure of cognitive empathy, the Reading the Mind in the Eyes Test and a measure of affective empathy, the Toronto Empathy Questionnaire. The study was a comparative cross-sectional design at one Caribbean medical school. Students were contacted in class, participation was voluntary and empathy was assessed using all three instruments Descriptive statistics were calculated and differences between groups evaluated using non-parametric tests. Overall 669 students participated (response rate, 67%). There was a significant correlation between the Jefferson Scale of Physician Empathy and the Toronto Empathy Questionnaire (ρ = 0.48), both scales indicating a decline in medical student empathy scores over time. There was, however, little correlation between scores from the Reading the Mind in the Eyes ...
Research Interests:
This chapter aims to highlight the seminal as well as emerging literature regarding psychosocial, ethical, and legal considerations for individuals with hereditary breast and ovarian cancer (HBOC) syndrome due to inherited BRCA1 and BRCA2... more
This chapter aims to highlight the seminal as well as emerging literature regarding psychosocial, ethical, and legal considerations for individuals with hereditary breast and ovarian cancer (HBOC) syndrome due to inherited BRCA1 and BRCA2 gene mutations. While cancer risk may be mitigated by enhanced surveillance, chemoprevention, and/or risk-reducing surgery, careful attention must be paid to psychosocial aspects of genetic testing, risk communication within families, and the impact of the psychosocial experience on medical management decisions. Among BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutation carriers, worry and other emotional states remain strong predictors of health behaviors. In addition, this chapter underscores unique ethical and legal considerations that influence the lived experience of a person with HBOC. These include legislative milestones like the Genetic Information Non-discrimination Act (GINA), concerns about genetic testing for adult-onset susceptibility in minors, and the delicate ...
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
e13503Background: Li-Fraumeni Syndrome (LFS) is a cancer predisposition syndrome caused by mutations in TP53. LFS patients have an increased risk for colorectal cancer (CRC) and surveillance is currently recommended starting at age 25.... more
e13503Background: Li-Fraumeni Syndrome (LFS) is a cancer predisposition syndrome caused by mutations in TP53. LFS patients have an increased risk for colorectal cancer (CRC) and surveillance is currently recommended starting at age 25. Methods: Retrospective analysis of 91 LFS patients at a pediatric/adult tertiary referral center. Results: Retrospective analysis demonstrated an 8.8% incidence of CRC and high-grade dysplasia in LFS patients. In this cohort, 3% of patients developed CRC prior to the age of 25. Conclusions: These data suggest that CRC screening should begin at a younger age than is currently recommended.
Research Interests:
A new curriculum started in 2009-2010 with the MDSC3311, 3312, 3313 & 3314 courses at Faculty of Medical Sciences; the University of the West Indies; St Augustine Trinidad & Tobago. These courses blended with the semesterisation.... more
A new curriculum started in 2009-2010 with the MDSC3311, 3312, 3313 & 3314 courses at Faculty of Medical Sciences; the University of the West Indies; St Augustine Trinidad & Tobago. These courses blended with the semesterisation. Summative Continuous Assessment was conducted by Progressive Disclosure Questions (PDQs). An insight into the impact of changes implemented during the previous three years is essential for future guidance and improvement. Thus this study was conducted with the purpose to explore students’ perceptions of quality and integration of course content: semester system, course delivery and new assessment method introduced in Year 3 Para-clinical Sciences. A survey questionnaire was administered on year 3 students of the academic years 20092010, 2010-2011 and 2011-2012. Of 609 eligible students in three academic years, 353 responded (58% response rate), 94.7% were first–attempt candidates, mean student age was 22.12 years, and female representation was higher (63.8%...
Research Interests:
Selected Presentations by the students. (DOC 393 kb)
Scoring Rubric for Presentations. (DOCX 15 kb)
The impact of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has raised health concerns worldwide. Medical and allied health professional schools are seeking ways to alleviate stress and improve the quality of life among students. The... more
The impact of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has raised health concerns worldwide. Medical and allied health professional schools are seeking ways to alleviate stress and improve the quality of life among students. The effects of yoga have proven to be successful against stress. The review aimed to examine the psychophysiological effects of yoga on stress management among medical and allied health professional students during COVID-19 pandemic. The authors reviewed existing literature and official documents, which mostly focussed on the effect of yoga among medical and health professional students. Mental stress among these students is known to be higher than that of the general population. Sudden changes due to the pandemic are likely to have a significant impact on these students. Uncertainties concerning teaching, learning and assessment generate stress and anxiety, and social distancing further contributes to loneliness. Yoga has gained recognition not only in impr...
Research Interests:
Educational environment has a significant impact on students' learning and academic achievement. The aim of this study was to explore the perception of veterinary school students' regarding their educational environment at the... more
Educational environment has a significant impact on students' learning and academic achievement. The aim of this study was to explore the perception of veterinary school students' regarding their educational environment at the University of the West Indies. In this cross-sectional study, the Dundee Ready Education Environment Measure (DREEM) was administered to veterinary undergraduate students from year 2 to year 5. The DREEM questionnaire consists of 50 items with five subscales: students' perceptions of learning, students' perceptions of teachers, students' academic self-perceptions, students' perceptions of atmosphere, and students' social self-perceptions. Each item was scored on a 5-point Likert scale ranging from strongly disagree (0) to strongly agree (4). The Cronbach's alpha for the overall DREEM score was 0.92, and for the five subscales, it ranged from 0.66 to 0.83. A total of 99 students responded (response rate: 86%). The students' o...
Research Interests:
Paper presented at the Regional Conference on Institutionalising Best Practice in Higher Education, UWI, St. Augustine, Trinidad and Tobago, 24-26 June, 2015.
Research Interests:
Background: The sudden advent of the COVID pandemic resulted in the closure of schools and universities in Trinidad, limiting face to face interactions and removing dental students from the clinical environment in The University of the... more
Background: The sudden advent of the COVID pandemic resulted in the closure of schools and universities in Trinidad, limiting face to face interactions and removing dental students from the clinical environment in The University of the West Indies. The dental school was challenged to complete the final year teaching with a rapid transition to online teaching. This study examined students’ and teachers’ perceptions of the effectiveness of emergency remote online teaching.Method: An online cross-sectional survey was administered on the perception of the online learning environment and challenges experienced and effectiveness of strategies used. Overall thirty-three dental students and eleven clinical academic teachers participated. The questionnaire was emailed to the participants for data collection and they responded by using a Likert scale. Reliability of the questionnaire was determined. Chi-squared (χ2) tests were applied for determining the perceptions of students and teachers t...
Research Interests:
This paper reports an analysis of correlations in students' performance in different modalities of assessment in haematology and multi-specialty (anatomical pathology, chemical pathology, haematology, immunology, microbiology and... more
This paper reports an analysis of correlations in students' performance in different modalities of assessment in haematology and multi-specialty (anatomical pathology, chemical pathology, haematology, immunology, microbiology and pharmacology) final integrated examinations. It is broadly agreed among medical educators that proper alignment between learning objectives, modes of delivery and assessment modalities is a key factor in shaping the desired outcomes. It is equally important that modalities of assessments are in concurrence among themselves within the assessment framework. A descriptive retrospective correlational analysis of 159 third-year Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS) students' results in different assessment modalities in five courses covering Applied Para-clinical Sciences, Integrated Para-clinical Sciences and Basic Para-clinical Sciences was performed. Results show positive correlations amongst all haematology components as well as the fin...
Research Interests:
Background: Dermatoglyphics, the ridged skin covering our palms and sole, are not only found on human beings. All primates have ridged skin, and it can also be found on the paws of certain mammals and on the tails of some monkey species.... more
Background: Dermatoglyphics, the ridged skin covering our palms and sole, are not only found on human beings. All primates have ridged skin, and it can also be found on the paws of certain mammals and on the tails of some monkey species. Palmar creases develop during the 2nd and 3rd month of intrauterine life and are not influenced by movement of hand in utero. They are of considerable clinical interest because they are affected by certain abnormalities of early development including genetic disorders. Aim: The present study is carried out to correlate the variousdermatoglyphic features in patients of pulmonary tuberculosis, to compare dermatoglyphic features in normal and patients of pulmonary tuberculosis. Methods: Dermatoglyphic prints were obtained from both hands of 100 patients of pulmonary tuberculosis among Afro-Trinidadian and Indo-Trinidadian. Hundred normal healthy individuals, without family history of pulmonary tuberculosis, were selected as control group. The qualitati...
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
This study aims to elicit student perspectives of the learning environment at the University of the West Indies, St Augustine dental school during their pre-clinical years of undergraduate training. A questionnaire was administered to all... more
This study aims to elicit student perspectives of the learning environment at the University of the West Indies, St Augustine dental school during their pre-clinical years of undergraduate training. A questionnaire was administered to all pre-clinical students of the dental school in 2009. The data collected were analyzed using SPSS. Library and learning resources, student-faculty-administration relationships, meaningful experience and breath-of-interest were the survey subheadings rated most favourably. Student support, flexibility and emotional climate were the survey subheadings which received the most unfavourable ratings. These findings were in congruence of that of similar studies of US and UK medical and dental Schools. Trinidadian students rated library and learning resources significantly lower than non-Trinidadian students. Males rated student-student interaction significantly higher than females. The UWI School of Dentistry needs to focus on the allocation of resources to...
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
The emergence and global spread of COVID-19 has disrupted the traditional mechanisms of education throughout the world. Institutions of learning were caught unprepared and this jeopardised the face-to-face method of curriculum delivery... more
The emergence and global spread of COVID-19 has disrupted the traditional mechanisms of education throughout the world. Institutions of learning were caught unprepared and this jeopardised the face-to-face method of curriculum delivery and assessment. Teaching institutions have shifted to an asynchronous mode whilst attempting to preserve the principles of integrity, equity, inclusiveness, fairness, ethics, and safety. A framework of assessment that enables educators to utilise appropriate methods in measuring a student’s progress is crucial for the success of teaching and learning, especially in health education that demands high standards and comprises consistent scientific content. Within such a framework, this paper aims to present a narrative review of the currently utilised methods of assessment in health education and recommend selected modalities that could be administered in an asynchronous mode during the COVID-19 pandemic. Assessment methods such as open-ended short answe...
Research Interests:
Background: Biomedical research and publications provide evidence-based information about the extent and burden of health-related problems of a country and help to formulate strategic and operational plans to tackle the problems. Purpose:... more
Background: Biomedical research and publications provide evidence-based information about the extent and burden of health-related problems of a country and help to formulate strategic and operational plans to tackle the problems. Purpose: To determine the biomedical publication rates of CARICOM full member countries. Methods: Biomedical publications of full member CARICOM countries were retrieved using PubMed (1990–2015) and SCImago Journal & Country Rank (1996–2015) databases. CARICOM countries having >50 publications in the PubMed (1990–2015) database were subject to further analysis, whereby publications of each country were adjusted by total population (million population), gross domestic product (billion-dollar), and Internet usage rate (hundred thousand population). Results: Total publications by all countries were 7281 and 8378 in PubMed and SCImago Journal & Country Rank, respectively. Jamaica produced highest number of publications (PubMed: 3928 (53.9%); SCImago Journal ...