ObjectiveTo explore the status of the career maturity of medical students (eight-year program) and its related factors. MethodsFrom April to June in 2010, College Students Maturity Self-test Questionnaire was used for the investigation of the career maturity of the medical students (eight-year program) at West China Medical School of Sichuan University. ResultsThe subjects were graded into three groups according to the scores of their questionnaires:high, moderate, and low career maturity. The proportion of each group was 15.2%, 13.8%, 71.0%, respectively. Gender difference was not found in the overall career maturity (Z=-0.206, P=0.837), while there was positive correlation between grade and overall career maturity (rs=0.180, P=0.030). ConclusionThe medical students (eight-year program) with relatively low overall career maturity account for a larger proportion than those with high and median career maturity. As grade increases, career maturity changes significantly. This research suggests that long schooling medical students are in urgent need for prompt and valid professional career education.
ObjectiveTo evaluate the methodological quality and impacts on outcomes for systematic reviews (SRs) of radiofrequency ablation (RFA) versus hepatic resection (HR) for early hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). MethodsWe comprehensively searched six databases and five official websites for health technology assessment (HTA), to collect HTAs, SRs, or meta-analyses from inception to Nov. 11th, 2012. The Overview Quality Assessment Questionnaire (OQAQ) was applied for quality assessment of included studies, the tools recommended by the Cochrane Collaboration was applied for quality assessment for randomized controlled trials (RCTs), and the modified MINORS score was applied to assess non-randomized controlled trials (NRCTs). The odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were integrated using Stata 10.0 software. ResultsOne HTA, 3 SRs and 15 meta-analyses were included in total. The mean OQAQ score was 3.3 with 95%CI 2.6 to 4.1. Only five (26.3%) SRs were assessed as good quality. Seven studies misused statistical models, and 3 of them changed outcome direction after modification. Five studies (5/19) included retrospective controlled studies as RCTs. A total of 39 primary studies referenced by SRs were included, of which, 3 RCTs were levelled grade B, 35 NRCTs were of moderate quality, with an estimated mean MINORS score of 15.0 (totally, scored 18) with 95%CI 14.6 to 15.4, and only 13 studies (37.1%) scored more than 16. Seventeen primary studies (43.6%) did not meet inclusion criteria of the SRs, of which, 9 (23.1%) studies were mixed with other effective interventions in both groups (TACE, PEI, etc.). Four studies included patients with non-primary HCC. ConclusionCurrently, the overall quality of HTAs, SRs and meta-analyses about comparing the effects between RFA and HR for early HCC is fairly poor (high heterogeneity exists, and the evidence level is low. Physicians should apply the evidence with caution in clinical practice.