Biology 121
Human Biology
Spring 2002

Human Biology Home

Assignment Description

Diagnosed Conditions and Prescribed Treatments

Poster Example

Responsible Patienthood Checklist

Resources on Medical Topics

How to Cite Sources

Poster Evaluation

Responsible Patienthood

Assignment

Imagine that you or a friend or family member have been diagnosed with one of the following conditions, and that the accompanying treatment has been prescribed or at least suggested: Diagnosed Conditions and Prescribed Treatments

As a responsible patient, you seek to investigate the nature of the condition and the effectiveness of the treatment using this guide to resources in Wildman Science Library: Resources on Medical Topics

Prepare a Poster Presentation (Poster Example) that includes:

1. a description of the condition and its symptoms.
   
2. the etiology (cause) of the condition.
   
3. the prognosis (outcome) of the condition.
   
4. a summary of the scientific evidence for the effectiveness of the prescribed or suggested treatment, its side effects and contraindications (conditions under which it should not be used). You do not need to explain the mode of action of the treatment. 
5. a 'focus' on one particular research paper. For this 'focus paper', you will present a summary that describes a) the study design, b) the major end-points/variable measured, c) the major findings (including 2 graphs or tables from the focus paper) of the study, and d) the major conclusions of the study.
   
6. if you do not recommend the prescribed or suggested treatment, briefly note an alternative treatment, including some evidence that it may be a better alternative
7. use a minimum of 9 sources, total, for the project (including the 'focus paper' and at least 3 other primary medical journal articles). In addition to the primary medical journal articles, you may use secondary review articles, abstracts of journal articles, or websites. 
8. cite your sources using the name/date method and provide a Literature Cited section at the end of your poster. For details, see How to Cite Sources .

As you work on your poster, refer to the Responsible Patienthood Project Checklist for reminders of correct format. The checklist will be used when your poster is graded.

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Last modified on 6 February 2002