Ateneo - UPO

The contents of the course are:
- method of communication and relationship with the person;
- collection of the clinical history and writing of the anamnesis;
- execution of the physical examination and its description;
- understanding the physiopathological alterations causing the main symptoms and signs.

Ettore Bartoli. Medicina Interna. Metodologia, Semeiotica, Fisiopatologia, Clinica, terapia Medica. Chirone Moderno Editore.
Macleod. Manuale di semeiotica e metodologia medica. 13° Ed. Edra-Masson (2014).
Talley and O'Connor's Clinical Examination - 2-Volume Set, 8e Elsevier (2017).
Harrison's Principles of Internal Medicine. 21°Ed. McGraw-Hill (2022).

The course aims to enable students to communicate effectively with patients, to establish a correct relationship whith them, to collect anamnestic data and report them correctly in the clinical documentation, to perform a complete physical examination and to understand the physiopathological bases of symptoms and signs.
Great attention will be paid in teaching how to implement practices that respect differences in gender, age, cultural and religious orientation.

Knowledge of the elements of the following subjects: Human Anatomy, Human Physiology, General Pathology, General Physiopathology and Immunology.

The course consists of lectures, practical exercises in hospital departments (practical activities are provided by expert tutors and consist of anamnestic collection, execution of the physical examination and observation of the clinical correlates, both symptoms and signs, related to pathophysiological derangements) and exercises at the Simulation Center (communicative and relational aspects through role playing, technical aspects through specific simulators).

In the case of students with specific learning disabilities (DSA), the Teacher will be available, in synergy with the DSA Help Desk Service, to meet the specific needs that will be presented, with the aim of maintaining maximum autonomy of the person, enhancing personal skills. To start this process, it will be sufficient to send an email to the Course Coordinator (luigi.castello@med.uniupo.it). The methods of learning assessment will also be adapted to specific needs, as provided for by the University system.
The practical training and simulation exercises will take place at the University Hospital of Alessandria.

Learning of the course contents will be assessed through both a multiple choice questionnaire (70%) and the average of the evaluations expressed by the tutors during the internship periods and the practical exercises at the Simulation Center (30%). In the presence of a limited number of students, teachers may propose oral examination instead of the multiple choice questionnaire.

See individual disciplines. As regards practical exercises, the following topics will be addressed: communication and relationship (role playing), execution of practical activities (measuring arterial blood pressure, performing rectal examination, collection of venous and arterial blood, performing electrocardiogram, evaluation of central venous pressure, evaluation of volemic status with ultrasound).

At the end of the course, the student is expected to be able to communicate effectively, to establish an adequate relationship, to collect anamnesis and to perform the physical examination. Furthermore, the student is expected to be able to relate the subjective and objective manifestations of the disease with the underlying physiopathological alterations.