QBase Anaesthesia: MCQs in Medicine for the FRCA

311 Pages·1997·2.09 MB·English

by  Edward Hammond

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Qbase Anaesthesia:
3
MCQs in Medicine for the FRCA
Edited by
Edward J Hammond MA BM BCh MRCP FRCA
Specialist Registrar
Shackleton Department of Anaesthetics
Southampton University Hospital NHS Trust
Andrew K McIndoe MB ChB FRCA
Consultant Anaesthetist
Sir Humphry Davy Department of Anaesthesia
Bristol Royal Infirmary
Contributors
Punit Ramrakha
Emert White
Tom Peck
Justine Nanson
Andrew Padkin
Richard Protheroe
David Jones
Page iv
Disclaimer:
This netLibrary eBook does not include the ancillary media that was packaged with the original printed version of the book.
© 1999
Greenwich Medical Media Ltd
219 The Linen Hall
162–168 Regent Street
London
W1R 5TB
ISBN: 1 900 151 588
First Published 1999
Apart from any fair dealing for the purposes of research or private study, or criticism or review, as permitted under the UK Copyright
Designs and Patents Act, 1988, this publication may not be reproduced, stored, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, without
the prior permission in writing of the publishers, or in the case of reprographic reproduction only in accordance with the terms of the
licences issued by the Copyright Licensing Agency in the UK, or in accordance with the terms of the licences issued by the
appropriate Reproduction Rights Organization outside the UK. Enquiries concerning reproduction outside the terms stated here
should be sent to the publishers at the London address printed above.
The right of Edward Hammond and Andrew McIndoe to be identified as authors of this Work has been asserted by them in
accordance with the Copyright Design and Patents Act 1988.
The publishers make no representation, express or implied, with regard to the accuracy of the information contained in this book and
cannot accept any legal responsibility or liability for any errors or omissions that may be made.
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British library.
Distributed worldwide by
Oxford University Press
Designed and Produced by
Diane Parker, Saldatore Limited
Printed in Great Britain by
Ashford Colour Press
Page v
CONTENTS
Foreword vii
Editors Note and Tips for QBase Users ix

Questions
Cardiology 3
Respiratory 24
Gastro 34
Hepatobiliary 40
Renal 45
Neurology 52
Endocrine 65
Metabolism/Nutrition 72
Haematology 75
Infectious Diseases 83
Psychiatry 89
Substance Abuse 95
Immunology/Genetics 97
Paediatrics 101
Medical Biochemistry 105
Pharmacology 113
Rheumatology 118

Answers
Cardiology 125
Respiratory 163
Gastro 179
Hepatobiliary 186
Renal 189
Neurology 200
Endocrine 218
Metabolism/Nutrition 229
Haematology 232
Infectious Diseases 248
Psychiatry 257
Substance Abuse 265
Immunology/Genetics 267
Paediatrics 274
Medical Biochemistry 280
Pharmacology 292
Rheumatology 299

QBase Anaesthesia on CD-ROM
CD-ROM System Requirements Installation Instructions 306
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FOREWORD
Multiple Choice Examinations (MCQ's) form part of the assessment process in many postgraduate examinations. The MCQ paper is
perceived as a threatening test of breadth of knowledge. It is said that the use of negative marking discourages guessing and that
candidates fail by answering too many questions. Whilst not a substitute for knowledge and adequate preparation, the assessment of
an individuals exam technique can provide valuable feedback that may lead to improved performance. Candidates should remember
that knowledge and technique act synergistically to improve scores.
Our experience in teaching MCQ technique to candidates suggests that the advice "do not guess" is not correct. Candidates are
consistently surprised at the positive benefits of their educated and wild guesses. From a statistical viewpoint, for true random
guesses, the negative marking system employed by the Royal College of Anaesthetists tends to produce a null score rather than a
negative score. However, with proper preparation, a candidate's acquisition of knowledge and insight can skew the distribution
towards a positive score. This may significantly improve an individual's performance in the MCQ section of the examination. The
QBase CD-ROM has been designed to allow candidates to analyse how their guessing strategy affects their performance at MCQ's
examinations.
QBase 3: MCQ's in Medicine for the FRCA has been developed in response to comments from candidates sitting the Final FRCA
Examination. Many have found revising for the General Medicine component of the examination difficult. This book contains 555
MCQ's in Medicine that complement those in QBase 2. The Questions are provided with comprehensive explanations and references
for further reading. They broadly cover the subject of General Medicine with a bias towards areas particularly relevant to anaesthesia.
Some questions are more difficult than others. Do not be disheartened. They are aimed at the level of knowledge an SHO might be
expected to achieve after completing six months of general medicine. The Questions have designed to assist your revision of this vast
topic rather than just test your knowledge. Candidates specialising in intensive care medicine may find these questions a useful
refresher for their general medical knowledge.
The accompanying CD-ROM contains the latest version of the QBase Interactive MCQ Examination software. It allows the
candidate to generate customised exams for revision or assessment purposes. Furthermore the system provides detailed structured
analysis of performance and exam technique using the unique "Confidence Option" facility. This CD will update previous versions of
QBase. It should be used repeatedly to improve exam technique.
We hope that candidates will find this book and CD-ROM a useful adjunct to their revision for the Final FRCA Examination.
EDWARD HAMMOND
ANDREW MCINDOE
QBASE SERIES DEVELOPERS/EDITORS
SEPTEMBER 1998
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NOTES FOR USERS OF QBASE ON CD-ROM
Since we released the first version of QBase, we have tried to respond to the requests and suggestions of trainees on how we can
improve it. This latest version of the program contains improvements in the exam analysis functions. These allow you to review your
performance based on all the questions in the exam or by subject allowing you to identify areas that need further revision. This also
allows you to see whether your technique varies with the subject of the question.
The QBase program resides on your hard disk and reads the data from whatever QBase CD is in your CD drive. If you reinstall
QBase from this CD (see back of book for instructions) it will update previous version of the program. Owners of previous QBase
titles will then have all the new functions available to them. All QBase CDs will work with the new program. To check for successful
installation of the new program, look at the Quick Start Menu screen. It should have 6 exam buttons. Exam 6 will be used by QBase
titles containing the appropriate predefined examination.
Many of you have requested shorter examinations. The exams directory on this CD contains a large number of predefined
examinations. To access these exams, go to the Main Menu screen and select the 'Resit exam' option. From the dialogue box that
appears, select the exam directory on your CD drive and then the exam you wish to attempt. The table that follows gives details of
the exams available. You can save the exam to your hard disk as normal. To further enhance your revision, instead of selecting the
'Resit exam' button, we suggest you select the 'Resit shuffled exam' button. The leaves within each question will be randomly
shuffled removing your ability to remember the pattern of the answers rather than the facts. The questions in these exams follow the
order in the book.
The Autoset an exam option on this CD selects questions from only some of the subjects. You will be presented with exams
containing 25 questions made up as follows; Cardiology 6, Respiratory 3, Gastro/Hepatobiliary 2, Renal 2, Neurology 2, Endocrine
2, Haematology 2, Inf Disease 1, Psychiatry 1, Paeds 1, Med Biochem 2, and Pharmacology 1. These shorter exams focus more
closely on questions that may appear in the actual Final FRCA paper. The 6 predefined exams on this CD are constructed in this way.
You can generate your own customised exams using the "Create your own exam" option. We have provided the revision exams
details below to allow you to do all the questions in the book without repetition.
We hope that you will find these notes, suggestions and improvements in the program useful in your preparation for the exam. Don't
be discouraged if you only achieve a low overall score at first. The standard of the questions probably exceeds that required of the
average anaesthetic trainee sitting the Final FRCA. However the material covered is highly relevant and should also assist your
clinical practice.
EDWARD HAMMOND
ANDREW MCINDOE
QBASE SERIES DEVELOPERS/EDITORS
SEPTEMBER 1998
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Exams included in the exams directory of QBase 3
Exam name No. of Questions Subjects Type Time Allowed
Cardio1 20 Cardiology Revision 40 mins
Cardio2 20 Cardiology Revision 40 mins
Cardio3 20 Cardiology Revision 40 mins
Cardio4 20 Cardiology Revision 40 mins
Cardio5 20 Cardiology Revision 40 mins
Resp1 20 Respiratory Revision 40 mins
Resp2 20 Respiratory Revision 40 mins
Resp3 10 Respiratory Revision 20 mins
Gastro 25 Gastroenterology Revision 50 mins
Hepato 25 Hepatobiliary Revision 50 mins
Renal1 20 Renal Revision 40 mins
Renal2 10 Renal Revision 20 mins
Neuro1 20 Neurology Revision 40 mins
Neuro2 20 Neurology Revision 40 mins
Neuro3 25 Neurology Revision 50 mins
Endo1 20 Endocrine Revision 40 mins
Endo2 15 Endocrine Revision 30 mins
Metab 10 Metabolism Revision 20 mins
Haem1 20 Haematology Revision 40 mins
Haem2 15 Haematology Revision 30 mins
InfDis1 20 Infectious Dis Revision 40 mins
InfDis2 10 Infectious Dis Revision 20 mins
Psych 25 Psychiatry Revision 50 mins
Subst 10 Substance abuse Revision 20 mins
Immun 10 Immunology Revision 20 mins
Paeds 20 Paediatrics Revision 40 mins
MedBio1 20 Medical Biochem Revision 40 mins
MedBio2 15 Medical Biochem Revision 30 mins
Pharm 25 Pharmacology Revision 50 mins
Rheum 15 Rheumatology Revision 30 mins
Exam1 25 Mixed Mock 50 mins
Exam2 25 Mixed Mock 50 mins
Exam3 25 Mixed Mock 50 mins
Exam4 25 Mixed Mock 50 mins
Exam5 25 Mixed Mock 50 mins
Exam6 25 Mixed Mock 50 mins

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QUESTIONS