University of Warwick

About: University of Warwick is a education organization based out in Coventry, Warwickshire, United Kingdom. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Population & White dwarf. The organization has 26212 authors who have published 77127 publications receiving 2666552 citations. The organization is also known as: Warwick University & The University of Warwick.

The effectiveness of case-based learning in health professional education. A BEME systematic review: BEME guide no. 23

Abstract: Background: Case-based learning (CBL) is a long established pedagogical method, which is defined in a number of ways depending on the discipline and type of ‘case’ employed. In health professional education, learning activities are commonly based on patient cases. Basic, social and clinical sciences are studied in relation to the case, are integrated with clinical presentations and conditions (including health and ill-health) and student learning is, therefore, associated with real-life situations. Although many claims are made for CBL as an effective learning and teaching method, very little evidence is quoted or generated to support these claims. We frame this review from the perspective of CBL as a type of inquiry-based learning.Aim: To explore, analyse and synthesise the evidence relating to the effectiveness of CBL as a means of achieving defined learning outcomes in health professional prequalification training programmes.Method: Selection criteria: We focused the review on CBL for prequalification ...

Predators and people: using human densities to interpret declines of large carnivores

Abstract: The current extinction crisis is caused primarily by human impacts upon wild populations Large carnivores are especially sensitive to human activity; because their requirements often conflict with those of local people, predators have been actively persecuted in most regions of the world In this paper, the impact of people upon predators is analysed by relating local carnivore extinctions to past and projected human population densities There are strong associations between high human density and the loss of carnivore populations from a region Interspecific variation in ability to survive at high human densities probably reflects species' ability to adapt to human-modified habitats However, regional and temporal variation in individual species' sensitivity to human density is more likely to reflect the activities of local people than the phenotypes of local carnivores Local culture, government policy and international trade all influence human attitudes to predators and, therefore, the impact of people upon carnivore populations The importance of these factors may mean that extinction risks for carnivores will continue to increase, even though human population growth is projected to deccelerate during the new millennium This points to an urgent need for techniques to resolve conflicts between people and predators at either the local or landscape level

Exercise based rehabilitation for heart failure

Abstract: Background People with heart failure experience marked reductions in their exercise capacity, which has detrimental effects on their activities of daily living, health-related quality of life and ultimately their hospital admission rate and mortality. Study characteristics We searched the scientific literature for randomised controlled trials (experiments in which two or more interventions, possibly including a control intervention or no intervention, are compared by being randomly allocated to participants) looking at the effectiveness of exercise-based treatments compared with no exercise on heart failure in adults over 18 years of age. The inclusion criteria of this updated review were extended to consider not only HF due to reduced ejection fraction (HFREF or 'systolic HF') (ejection fraction is a measure of how well your heart is pumping), but also HF due to preserved ejection fraction (HFPEF or 'diastolic HF'). The search is current to January 2013. Key results We found 33 RCTs that included 4740 participants. The findings of this update are consistent with the previous (2010) version of this Cochrane review and show important benefits of exercise-based rehabilitation that include a reduction in the risk of hospital admissions due to HF and improvements in health-related quality of life compared with not undertaking exercise. There was a high level of variation across studies in health-related quality of life outcome. While the majority of evidence was for exercise-based rehabilitation in people with HFREF, this update did identify a broader evidence base that included higher risk (New York Heart Association class IV) and older people, people with HFPEF and more programmes conducted in a home-based setting. We found no evidence to suggest that exercise training programmes cause harm in terms of an increase in the risk of death in either the short or longer term. A small body of economic evidence was identified indicating exercise-based rehabilitation to be cost-effective. Further evidence is needed to understand the effect of exercise training in people with HFPEF better and the costs and effects of exclusively home-based exercise rehabilitation programmes.