OBJECTIVES The purpose of this study was to use meta-analysis to establish which of the information available to the resident selection committee is associated with resident or doctor performance.METHODS Multiple electronic databases were searched to 4 September 2012. Two reviewers independently selected studies that met the present inclusion criteria and extracted data in duplicate; disagreement was resolved by consensus. Risk for bias was assessed using a customised bias assessment tool. Measures of association were converted to a common effect size (Hedges' g). Meta-analysis was performed using the random-effects model for each selection strategy and all outcomes without pooling. Sensitivity analysis for each selection strategy-outcome pair was performed with pooling of effect size.RESULTS Eighty studies involving a total of 41 704 participants were included in the metaanalysis. Seventeen different selection strategies and 17 outcomes were assessed across these studies. The strongest positive associations referred to examination-based selection strategies, such as the US Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE) Step 1, and examination-based outcomes, such as scores on intraining examinations. Moderate positive associations were present for medical school marks and both examination-based and subjective outcomes. Minimal or no associations were seen for the selection tools represented by interviews, reference letters and deans' letters.CONCLUSIONS Standardised examination performance and medical school grades show the strongest associations with current measures of doctor performance. Deans' letters, reference letters and interviews all show a lower than expected strength of association given the relative value often assigned to them during resident doctor selection. Objective selection strategies are potentially the most useful to residency selection committees based on current evaluative methods. However, reports in the literature of validated long-term doctor performance outcomes are scant.

The number of radiology residency positions has increased while the number of applicants has not grown commensurately. The match was most competitive in 1997, and decreased in subsequent years. Possible reasons include job market, reimbursement, and work environment.

Larger type size and a higher proportion of text slides were more favored by medical students.

Purpose The aim of this study was to assess qualitatively the psychological stressors affecting patients with cutaneous vascular malformations and hemangiomas (CVM-H) and their impact on compliance to interventional treatment. Methods A retrospective chart review was conducted of all patients with CVM-H treated by interventional neuroradiology at a single academic institution during a five-year period (2009–2014). Psychological complaints were documented during each clinic visit by a neuroradiologist. Compliance to interventional treatment was defined by adherence to the scheduled treatment sessions. Fisher’s exact test was used to assess for associations between psychological complaints and compliance. Results Seventy-five patients were assessed, of whom 49 (65.3%) were female, with an age range of 2–78 years (mean age 30.2 years). All except one patient older than seven years of age ( n = 71; 94.6%) had a psychological complaint, including fear of negative appearance ( n = 53; 70.6%), dissatisfaction with appearance ( n = 46; 61.3%), low self-esteem ( n = 35; 46.6%), anxiety ( n = 16; 21.3%), stress ( n = 13; 17.3%), bullying ( n = 5; 6.6%), and low mood ( n = 4; 5.3%). Twenty-three (31%) patients were non-compliant. Low self-esteem was significantly associated with non-compliance ( p = 0.0381). Conclusion There is a high prevalence of psychological comorbidities among patients treated for CVM-H. This has potential implications for interventional treatment, as it was found that low self-esteem is significantly associated with non-compliance. These results suggest the need for early psychological support in these patients in order to maximize compliance to interventional treatment.

A dCTA may be used to reliably demonstrate the lack of cerebral blood flow in patients with suspected brain death.

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