The International Journal of Frontier Sciences

Mentors often struggle to understand their mentees' needs and to determine effective support strategies that impact the mentor-mentee relationship. This is particularly common among medical faculty, who lack formal training and opportunities to discuss and share. In light of the current situation, we organized an open seminar titled “Empowering Medical Faculty as Mentors” on January 6, 2024, followed by a full-day workshop on February 3, 2024, at Dow University of Health Sciences. This research article aims to involve the medical faculty community of practice to discuss the challenges encountered and coming up with effective strategies in the realm of mentorship. Methods It was an exploratory case study. The event was attended by fifty-one faculty members from 18 medical and dental colleges in Karachi, Pakistan. They were selected based on their teaching experience, seniority, and age. The views and experiences of the participants were documented during discussions and validated through a thorough literature review. The collected data was analysed and coded into themes and subthemes, ultimately identifying strategies for effective mentor-mentee relationships. Results Twelve key strategies for effective mentor-mentee relationship were generated. They were identified as: socialised niceness; transformative capability; adapt a leadership style; psychological resources; manage high assumptions; self-assessment; build a positive connection; avoid pushing personal agenda; reward mentors; efficient time management; recognise gender as a social construct, and to build trust. These should be a valuable resource for new mentors and medical faculty members to be mindful of and consider while involved in the mentoring relationship. Conclusion Both mentor and mentee well-being have received more attention in recent years and is increasingly prioritized in higher education. The identified strategies establish a foundation for future research in health professions education and guidance for educators to be mindful of creating supportive professional relationships that benefit both mentor and mentee. Full article

Background: Liver transplantation (LT) is the definitive treatment for end-stage liver disease, acute liver failure, liver tumors, and metabolic diseases. Re-exploration after surgery is associated with poor clinical outcomes and is considered a quality-of-care measure. Objective: To determine the frequency and risk factors of reoperation (early re-laparotomy) after hepatectomy in postoperative LDLT donors. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional analytical study was conducted at the Pir Abdul Qadir Shah Jeelani Institute of Medical Sciences between December 2023 and May 2024. This study included 672 LDLT donors aged > 18 years old. Data on donor age, sex, blood group, operation time, and re-exploration were collected. The primary endpoints were the frequency and causes of re-exploration, and the secondary endpoints included the association of re-exploration with clinical outcomes. Statistical analyses were performed using SPSS 25.0, with the significance level set at P < 0.05. Blood group analysis revealed that 57.9% of reexplored donors had blood group B+. Results: The frequency of re-exploration was 2.8%. Among those requiring re-exploration, 42.1% were aged 21-28 years. The difference in re-exploration rates between male and female patients was statistically significant (P<0.001). Blood group analysis revealed that 57.9% of the reexplored donors had blood group B+. Bleeding was the primary cause of re-exploration in 73.7% of cases. The majority (57.9%) of re-explorations occurred in patients with operation times between 451-550 minutes. However, the significant sex disparity and high incidence of bleeding as a cause for re-exploration underscores the need for improved postoperative care. Conclusion: This study highlights a relatively low frequency of re-exploration (2.8%) among LDLT donors. However, the significant sex disparity and high incidence of bleeding as a cause for re-exploration underscore the need for improved postoperative care. Full article