medical english - workshop - how to read (medical) papers - o. cox

7/31/2019 Medical English - Workshop - How to Read (Medical) Papers - O. Cox

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University of TalcaSchool of Medicine

Workshop on How to Read (Medical)Papers

Prof. Octavio COX


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UTalca - Workshop: How to Read (Medical) Papers

Outline:

0. Greetings andpresentation: What is Medical English (EMP)?

1. Structure of Medical terminology

a. Latin and Greek (Mostly)

b. Prefixes Root Suffixes

2. What is a paper and why read it

3. Parts of a papera. Title (Concise information)

b. Abstract (Summary)

c. Introduction (Background)

d. Methods (Design)

e. Results (Facts)f. Discussion (Interpretation)

g. References (Bibliography)

h. Reading the paper

4. Reading the paper

Questions


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0. Greetings and presentation.Profesor Octavio Cox (57), Chilean-born Canadian, in charge of Medical

English at the School of Medicine; used to teach English and Frenchat the Programa de idiomas, now only French (Oui, oui!)

What is Medical English (EMP)?English for Medical Purposes (EMP) is a set of English for SpecificPurposes (ESP): "ESP is an approach to language teaching in whichall decisions as to content and method are based on thelearner's reason for learning (Hutchinson et al. (1987))

In particular, EMP involves using actual medical materials and

context; discourse, lexis and genres; emphasizing uses over rules(caveat).

It needs an intermediate (B1.1 CEFR) level (ideally), but

Outline


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1. Structure of Medical terminologya. Latin and Greek (Mostly)

b. Prefixes Root Suffixes

Next, an exercise

http://var/www/apps/conversion/current/tmp/scratch29184/Course%20structure%20Med%20Term%20basics%20(for%20Workshop).pdfhttp://var/www/apps/conversion/current/tmp/scratch29184/Course%20structure%20Med%20Term%20basics%20(for%20Workshop).pdf


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Roots Meaning

abdomin abdomen

acr extremities; height

card heart

home sameness; unchanging

laryng larynx

ot ear

path disease

vas vessel; duct


Exercise: From the root words and from the prefix and

suffix tables reconstruct the medical term.


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Definition Medical term ?Surgical repair of the muscles of theabdominalwall

Fear of heights

Originating in the heartWhen all body systems are in balance

A flexible, lighted tube used to examine

the larynx

Inflammation of the ear

The study of diseases

Surgical removal of the deferent duct in

males



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Definition Medical termSurgical repair of the muscles of theabdominalwall

abdominoplasty

Fear of heights acrophobia

Originating in the heart cardiogenicWhen all body systems are in balance homeostasis

A flexible, lighted tube used to examine

the larynx

laryngoscope

Inflammation of the ear otitis

The study of diseases pathologySurgical removal of the deferent duct in

males

vasectomy


Outline


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2. What is a paper and why readitA medical research paper is a formal report that contains an

original idea (thesis) and evidence to back up that idea(research); It is an investigative report, a question that isanswered through exploration of a problem or an original

idea that sheds new light on a known topic

Why read it:- Be up to date- Influence and Change practices- Improving skills- Improving patients attention- (Getting the innards of scientific thought)

Main question: Why was the study done, and whatclinicalquestion were the authors addressing?


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2. What is a paper and why read

itTypes of studies or research:Primary: report research first hand.Experiments: maneuver is performed on an animal or avolunteer in artificial and controlled surroundings.Clinical trials: intervention, such as a drug treatment, isoffered to a group of patients who are then followed up to seewhat happens to them.Surveys: in which something is measured in a group ofpatients, health professionals, or some other sample ofindividuals.

Secondary: summarize and draw conclusions from primarystudies.Reviews and Meta-analysis: integrate the numerical datafrom more than one study.

Guidelines: draw conclusions from primary studies about howclinicians should be behaving.


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itTypes of primary research designs:

Randomized controlled trials (RTC): participants are randomlyallocated in groups, one with intervention, the other as control.

Cohort Studies: two (or more) groups of people are selected onthe basis of differences in their exposure to a particular agent(such as a vaccine, a drug, or an environmental toxin), andfollowed up over a period of time to see how many in eachgroup develop a particular disease or other outcome.

Case-control studies: patients with a particular disease orcondition are identified and matched with controls.

Cross sectional surveys: a representative sample of subjects (orpatients) is interviewed, examined, or otherwise studied togain answers to a specific clinical question.

Case Reports: A case report describes the medical history of asingle patient in the form of a story.


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itBroad fields of research: Therapy: testing the efficacy of drug treatments,surgical procedures, alternative methods of service

delivery, or other interventions. Preferred study designis randomized controlled trial (RCT). Diagnosis: demonstrating whether a new diagnostictest is valid (can we trust it?) and reliable (would we getthe same results every time?). Preferred study design iscross sectional surveyin which both the new test and

the gold standard are performed. Screening: demonstrating the value of tests which canbe applied to large populations and which pick updisease at a presymptomatic stage. Preferred studydesign is cross sectional survey.


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itBroad fields of research:

Prognosis: determining what is likely to happen tosomeone whose disease is picked up at an early stage.

Preferred study design is longitudinal cohort study.

Causation: determining whether a supposed harmful

agent, such as environmental pollution, is related to

the development of illness. Preferred study design is

cohortor case-control study, depending on how rarethe disease is, but case reports may also provide crucial

Information.


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itTypes of design appropriate for the broad field ofresearch (Type of paper):

P 2 Randomized controlled trials (RTC)(Experimental) Trtmt; Intv (Thp)

3Cohort Studies (Observational) Prg; Etgy

4 Case-control studies (Observational)Etgy

5 Cross sectional surveys (Observational) Diag6 Case Reports (Observational)Alert

S 1 Review Articles and Meta-analysis(Review of RCT)Trtmt; IntvEditorial, Letters to Editor, Comments, etc. (Opinion)Others...

Best medical journals (Look at each journals

guidelines):NEJM - New England Journal of Medicine


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3. Parts of a papera. Title (Concise information)b. Abstract (Summary)

c. Introduction (Background, hypothesis)

d. Methods (Design)

e. Results (Facts)

f. Discussion (Interpretation)

g. References (Bibliography)

Not arbitrary: Reflects the process of scientific discovery
http://var/www/apps/conversion/current/tmp/scratch29184/Structure%20of%20Med%20Papers%20(short).ppthttp://var/www/apps/conversion/current/tmp/scratch29184/Structure%20of%20Med%20Papers%20(short).ppt


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Read In This Order (later):Title

Abstract

Introduction/ Discussion

Methods/ Results

Outline


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1. Reading the paper:

Resources:- A regular dictionary and a specialized medical dictionary.- Pencil and paper to take notes as you read.

What set them apart:- Articles have a vividness that is seldom found in a text. It is

exciting.- Articles lend themselves to critical, analytical thinking.- You can feel smart and powerful when you read original

sources.- Articles reveal the scientific process far better than

secondary sources.

(Not easy, but) System for reading:a- Skimming,b- Vocabulary,c- Comprehension,d- Reflection and analysis.


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1. Reading the paper: 1 Skimming: Read the names of the authors; look at the date, thepublication; digest the title; identify the different sections; look atthe tables, figures, photos, graphics

2 Read the abstract: try to understand as much as you can: identifythe main point of the study.

3 Make a first quick reading: Mark all concepts and wordsyou dont understand; Think and make notes about whatyou understood and the doubts you might get.

4 Vocabulary: Look up the terms you didnt understand, butnot everything, just what is essential to get the main

ideas.

5 Read the article again, but more thoroughly: takenotes about questions, doubts; sum up the main ideas asyou read them; answer the guiding questions as you read.

6 Think critically about the article: answer thecritical questions.


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1. Reading the paper:Todays Paper:

Effects of Alprazolam, Zolpidem and Zopiclone, and of

chronic inflammation on peripheral experimentalalgesia in Wistar rats

Mihaela Zdrnka et al.

References


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Guiding questions: What is the hypothesis the article tries to test in the study?

What are the research questions?

What are the objectives of the article?

What research has been carried out before on the subject?

How does this study contribute to the discipline?

Back


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Critical questions:Introduction: What is the overall purpose of the research? Do you agree with the author's rationale for studying the

question in this way?Methods: Were the measurements appropriate for the questions the

researcher was approaching?

Results What is the one major finding? Were enough of the data presented so that you feel you

can judge for yourself how the experiment turned out? Did you see patterns or trends in the data that the author

did not mention? Were there problems that were notaddressed?

Discussion Do you agree with the conclusions drawn from the data? Are these conclusions over-generalized or appropriately

careful? Are there other factors that could have influenced, or

accounted for, the results?

Back


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References

Structure of Medical Terminology:http://www.texashste.com/classroom_resources/course_University of North Texas hste - A Language of its Own

Terminology: Lists of root words and affixes:http://www.mtworld.com/tools_resources/root_words.php

MTWorld - Roots

http://www.globalrph.com/medterm4.htmGobalrph -Roots and affixes
http://www.texashste.com/classroom_resources/course_guide_medical_terminology1.htmhttp://www.mtworld.com/tools_resources/root_words.php?letter=allhttp://www.globalrph.com/medterm4.htmhttp://www.globalrph.com/medterm4.htmhttp://www.mtworld.com/tools_resources/root_words.php?letter=allhttp://www.texashste.com/classroom_resources/course_guide_medical_terminology1.htm


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References.Structure of medical papers:

http://www.hkmj.org/article_pdfs/hkm1108p315.pdfClinical Epidemiology Workshop

How to read Medical Papers:http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2127173/pTrishaGreenhalgh

http://www.smj.org.sa/PDFFiles/Apr04/01Reading.pdfReading Critically (Fahad A. Al-Ateeg)

Help on pronunciation:http://text-to-speech.imtranslator.net/
http://www.hkmj.org/article_pdfs/hkm1108p315.pdfhttp://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2127173/pdf/9253275.pdfhttp://www.smj.org.sa/PDFFiles/Apr04/01Reading.pdfhttp://text-to-speech.imtranslator.net/http://text-to-speech.imtranslator.net/http://www.smj.org.sa/PDFFiles/Apr04/01Reading.pdfhttp://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2127173/pdf/9253275.pdfhttp://www.hkmj.org/article_pdfs/hkm1108p315.pdf


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The End

Thank you very much.

Prof. Octavio COX, extension 2805

medical english - workshop - how to read (medical) papers - o. cox

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