LEARNING MEDICINE IN INFORMATION AGE

Dr.T.V.Rao MD

When I was a Medical student in 60’s there were few text books and few Medical

periodicals, and our teachers were the best treasure of knowledge to cherish and remember,

their idealism and principles, have kept us long way in our careers. India has progressed a long

way with privatization of Medical education, as the resources are inadequate to fund the

Government run Institutes to the Modern needs of the Society. Privatization done both good

and bad, produced many eminent Doctors who could not be accommodated in Government

run Institutes, produced bad Doctors? Not interested in Medicine and with no ethics in

practice. Many times the policies regarding teaching and training remain the same, practically

with few changes in the last 3 decades. The biggest problem in medical education today is an

old one: There is too much to know, and not enough time to learn it. The problem is more

acute today than it has been in the past, because of the great increase in medical information

and even the addition of new courses in medical instituions. How can you digest and

remember so much information, whether it’s for your general medical education or your

competitive entrance examinations. We cannot be dedicated teachers as we were in the past,

as few get inspired by the senior teachers, while memory aids, guides and humour certainly

can help. It is more important that we really understand complex developments in Medicine,

or we just insist to memorize it by our students. However remember understanding as it is

key because you can apply the information to a great variety of medical situations instead of

using a cookbook approach that lacks understanding and applies to only a narrow spectrum of

textbook medical cases. Moreover, once you understand, it becomes much easier to pick up

and remember more esoteric facts, as opposed to just trying to remember isolated bits of

information. Once you’re on the wards or practical /demonstration rooms, the question is

how to make the most efficient use of your time in continuing your medical education. Not

only is your time limited, but you’ll often find yourself fatigued from long periods on class

schedules. Trying to study a book like Robins Pathology, Harrison’s Medicine from cover to

cover is likely to be futile, and leads to more confusion where there is many fold expansion of

knowledge. But your primary focus in the medical-college years should be on acquiring the

general broad information that is common knowledge. I always teach Medical students

practice common sense, which is easy to attain if we use our 5 senses. Many wish to learn

medicine through text books fine, it has often been said, and that the best way to learn and

retain medicine is through patient interaction and competent clinical examination. But to

supplement this learning experience, it is important to do a certain amount of critical reading.

Learning from your competent seniors or postgraduates, residents, in reality many so called

Senior Professors have no time or disinterested to teach the juniors, a tragedy which can ever

be corrected? While a large step forward in many regards, the skills of evidence-based

medicine is necessary but not sufficient for the practice of contemporary medicine and

surgery. Medical students must learn the techniques and skills to focus on finding, evaluating,

and using information at the point of patient care. In the past 10 years, two major changes

have occurred in the processing of information in medicine: the widespread and easy

availability of the medical research literature to clinicians, students and their patients and

movement away from expert-led medicine to practice directed by patient-centred, outcomes-

based research. Information management focuses on using readily available information tools

to remain up to date with new valid information that is relevant to the diagnosis and care of

patients and is accessible while taking care of patients. In the era of privatization so many

changes occurred, it is difficult to define the word Merit, we find many non-meritorious students too

succeed with Time, we teachers have to handle all the groups with the aim of making them better

Doctors or else we are in for decay and many crises in future and we will have few solutions to deal.

We all know Studying is not a competitive sport – some students take less time to learn than

you will, but some take (much) MORE time than you…that’s life! Good news – in the end, we

are all doctors. In the family all the children are not equally intelligent as what works for many

may or may not work for some other student – don’t be discouraged! Exam results not

reflective of your efforts? Ask for help! Professors, your seniors, mentors and strong peers

can enhance your study skills. Learn from the patients as there are no best resources than our

patients they are museum of Medicine.

• Acquire a general understanding through the small, clinically relevant books they provide the overall

picture, so you can see the forest rather than the trees. Teaching with Humour and Human concern

can help, but understanding is key. Seek out particular points of information through the Internet.

Keep a reference text at hand. Read journals as time allows. I still believe that Darwin’s Theory still

works many perish as Physicians and Society will reject many Doctors if matters are not

understood in the right directions, Both Teachers and Students alike work hard to improve the

fast progressing Medical Information … or else ? . Best way for Student and Teacher is

“STUDYING is STUDYING – it is never wasted.”

Email doctortvrao@gmail.com