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"Long case" examination has long been practised as part of the clinical component assessment in many medical schools in Malaysia. The most important aspect of an evaluation is its validity, which should meet the criteria for a good evaluation. Under-sampling, unobserved, unstructured rating and case specificity are all issues with the type of long case examination that is currently used in Malaysia, and they can all have an impact on its overall validity. The validity of the current conduct of the long case examination can be argued especially from the aspect of testing the "show how" and "does" component. Long case examination can be improved by increasing the number of cases, observing the examination and providing a more objective rating. However, this solution may lead to some logistic issues. In conclusion, the approach to planning for a long case examination should consider the utility of the examination which is the sum of validity, acceptability, reliability, feasibility and educational impact. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: The number of children with mental health problems has more than doubled since the COVID-19 pandemic. However, the effect of long Covid on children's mental health is still debatable. Recognising long Covid as a risk factor for mental health problems in children will increase awareness and screening for mental health problems following COVID-19 infection, resulting in earlier intervention and lower morbidity. Therefore, this study aimed to determine the proportion of mental health problems post-COVID-19 infection in children and adolescents, and to compare them with the population with no previous COVID-19 infection. Methodology: A systematic search was done in seven databases using pre-defined search terms. Cross-sectional, cohort and interventional studies reporting the proportion of mental health problems among children with long COVID in the English language from 2019 to May 2022 were included. Selection of papers, extraction of data and quality assessment were done independently by two reviewers. Studies with satisfactory quality were included in meta-analysis using R and Revman software programmes. Results: The initial search retrieved 1848 studies. After screening, 13 studies were included in the quality assessments. Meta-analysis showed children who had previous COVID-19 infection had more than two times higher odds of having anxiety or depression, and 14% higher odds of having appetite problems, compared to children with no previous infection. The pooled prevalence of mental health problems among the population were as follows; anxiety: 9%(95% CI:1, 23), depression: 15%(95% CI:0.4, 47), concentration problems: 6%(95% CI: 3, 11), sleep problems: 9%(95% CI:5, 13), mood swings: 13% (95%CI:5, 23) and appetite loss: 5%(95% CI:1, 13). However, studies were heterogenous and lack data from low- and middle-income countries. Conclusion: Anxiety, depression and appetite problems were significantly increased among post-COVID-19 infected children, compared to those without a previous infection, which may be attributed to long COVID. The findings underscore the importance of screening and early intervention of children post-COVID-19 infection at one month and between three to four months. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Burnout is associated with stress and mental health issues among medical students. Based on the previous studies, emotional intelligence (EI) has been proven to be protective against burnout. This cross-sectional study was conducted from December 2019 to January 2020 involving 182 medical students from a public university in Terengganu, Malaysia. The objective was to determine the level of EI among medical students and its relationship with burnout. They were requested to answer an online questionnaire that consisted of the Universiti Sains Malaysia Emotional Quotient Inventory (USMEQ-i) and Copenhagen Burnout Inventory (CBI). The mean score for students' EI and burnout were calculated. The relationship between EI and burnout was analysed using Pearson correlation. Further analysis was done using simple linear regression. The findings show that more than half of the medical students had a high EI score (n = 105, 57.5%). The overall mean (SD) score of EI was 2.85 (0.52) which is also in the high category. The social competence domain score was noted to be higher than the personal competence domain. Burnout had a fair negative correlation with EI and it was statistically significant (r = -0.395, p < 0.001). An increase in one unit of the EI score will decrease the burnout score by 12.25 units. Thus, EI was significantly and negatively correlated with burnout among medical students. As it may play a role in helping medical students cope with stress and prevent burnout, training in EI is essential for their future professional development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Colorectal cancer screening is an important screening to detect colorectal cancer. Thus, the aim of this study is to determine the knowledge, practice and its associated factors of colorectal cancer screening among private general practitioners (PGPs) in Northeast Peninsular Malaysia. Crosssectional study was conducted involving 127 PGPs in Kelantan. The study used a validated selfadministrated questionnaire that contained three domains. The domains were sociodemographic, knowledge and practice of colorectal cancer screening. The inclusion criterion was doctors working in a private clinic for more than six months, while the exclusion criteria were non-residential doctors and doctors practicing in private specialised clinics. Only 21.3% of PGPs had good knowledge and 3.9% had good practice on colorectal cancer screening. The duration of practice as a PGP was significantly associated with good practice for colorectal cancer screening. Only 58.3% were aware of the current recommendation on colorectal cancer screening. Most PGPs would refer patients for a colonoscopy, but screening with faecal occult blood test (FOBT) in average-risk patients was low. Only 4% of PGPs followed the recommended guidelines for colorectal cancer screening. The main reasons for not offering FOBT screening were patients' refusal, patients were not regular patients of the doctor and the referral system for colonoscopy was found to be difficult. This study noted that knowledge and practice of colorectal cancer screening among PGPs were inadequate. Overcoming barriers for screening is important to promote colorectal cancer screening. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Backgrounds: The study aimed to survey for FD in a primary care setting in a population known to have an extremely low prevalence of Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) infection, with the hypothesis that in such a population, dyspepsia should have been relatively less common.Methods: The Rome III FD Diagnostic Questionnaire was translated into the Malay language and later tested for reliability. A prospective cross-sectional survey was then performed involving 160 Malay patients attending primary care clinic after informed consent. Patients positive for symptoms of FD were subjected to upper endoscopy and exclusion of H. pylori infection. Univariable and multivariable analyses were used to test for associated risk factors.Results: The back-translated questionnaire was similar to the original English version and was reliable (Cronbach Alpha-coefficient 0.85). Of the 160 surveyed subjects, 19 of them (11.9%) had symptoms of FD. With exclusion of erosive diseases (3/160 or 1.9%) from endoscopy, 16 subjects or 10% had FD. None of the 19 subjects were positive for H. pylori infection. Epigastric pain syndrome was present in 11/16 (68.8%) and the rest, overlap with postprandial distress syndrome. With multivariable analysis, a married status (OR = 8.1; 95% CI 1.0-36.5) and positive psychosocial alarm symptoms (OR = 3.8; 95% CI 1.0-14.0) were associated with FD. Of those married subjects, females were more likely to have FD and psychosocial symptoms than men (6.3% vs. 1.9%), P = 0.04.Conclusions: FD was more common than one had expected among Malays attending primary care clinic in an area with low prevalence of H. pylori. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]