Allied Health Courses Research Articles

A Cross-sectional Study on Determinants of Overweight and Obesity among College Students Perusing Selected Allied Health Courses at Jamnagar City, Gujarat.

Introduction: College students perusing health allied courses like Medical, Dental, Ayurveda and Physiotherapy are at a greater risk for overweight/obesity compared to their counterparts studying in other streams due to speci ic risk factors. Objectives: 1) The present study was conducted to ind prevalence of obesity and overweight and their determinants in college-going students. 2) Internal comparison of obesity and overweight between students perusing selected health allied courses at Jamnagar City, Gujarat. Method: A cross-sectional study was conducted in 985 Medical, Dental, Ayurvedic and Physiotherapy college students using proportion of annual intake in each college. Data was collected using a pre-tested, structured questionnaire. Students were classi ied using Asian BMI cut-off. Chi-square test, ANOVA and Univariate logistic analysis were used as statistical tools. Results: Out of the total sample size of 985, 18.37% students were obese and 13.80% students were overweight. Higher mean BMI was seen in medical college students as compared to students of other colleges (F ratio = 3.58, p-value <0.01). Highest proportion of obesity was present in medical students (22.92%) and highest proportion of overweight was present in Dental students (19.02%). Increasing age is associated with higher prevalence of overweight/obesity (r = 0.70, p < 0.001, t = 30.29) Conclusion: Students who are older, male, have a positive family history of obesity or overweight, eat a mixed diet, consume more junk food, and spend more time sitting down than moving around are more likely to be overweight or obese.

The lived experiences of racial bias for Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic students in practice: A hermeneutic phenomenological study

AimThis study explored the lived experiences of racial bias for Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic students undertaking an undergraduate or post-graduate degree in nursing, midwifery and allied health courses in the United Kingdom. BackgroundPrevious research indicates that students from Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic groups have fewer opportunities to succeed at university and this has brought about a race awarding gap in their degree attainment. The reasons for this awarding gap are complex and multi-factorial and it is crucial that the lived experiences of racial bias are explored from the student perspective. DesignA hermeneutic phenomenological approach was adopted to elicit individual and collective experiences in the practice environment, a mandatory component of the student’s degree. MethodsA focus group and individual semi-structured interviews were conducted to collect data from sixteen participants and analysed using thematic analysis ResultsThree encompassing themes were identified which included a sense of not belonging, trauma impact on mental health and understanding covert and overt racism. Participants reported incidences of racism and appeared to be traumatised by their experiences within practice and the university. They also reported poor mental health and well-being as shared experiences and a lack of confidence in the university and practice to mitigate racial issues. ConclusionsMeaningful action must be taken by universities and practice partners to advance racial inequality initiatives by having robust anti-racism action plans and processes. These should be co-created with students and staff to reduce the race awarding gap.

Opportunities for Integrating Palliative Care in Ghana.

The integration of palliative care (PC) services is characterized by several barriers and challenges, which may include misperception of PC services as end-of-life care, poor referral systems, inadequate financial support, regulatory barriers, and the small size of PC professional workforce. Beyond these barriers, the question remains: what opportunities exist to facilitate the integration of PC in managing patients' conditions? Notably, for a resource-constrained country like Ghana, unearthing existing facilitating factors would enable the country to leverage the opportunities these factors present to promote PC integration. The aim of this study is to explore opportunities that exist to facilitate PC integration from the perspective of PC service providers. An exploratory descriptive qualitative research design was used. Using semi-structured interview guides, seven face-to-face interviews were conducted with PC service providers in a tertiary hospital in Ghana. Data were managed using QSR NVivo-12. Inductive thematic analysis was carried out following Haase's modification of Colaizzi's approach to qualitative research analysis. From the inductive thematic analysis, it was revealed that four main opportunities exist to facilitate PC integration. These included the availability of a PC team and teamwork, knowledge level of service providers, enabling attitudes of service providers, and the incorporation of PC in the medical school curriculum. The study concludes that to facilitate the integration of PC in a tertiary health facility, there is a need to leverage on the supportive attitudes of service providers. Also, there is a need to expand the incorporation of PC education in the curriculum of all health and allied health courses. This could help create a pool of primary healthcare providers who can provide generalist PC services promptly. The study also underscores a need for continuous professional development.

ROLE OF SOCIAL MEDIA ON INFORMATION SHARED ABOUT COVID-19 PANDEMIC: A PERCEPTION OF MEDICAL STUDENTS

Introduction The emergence of the COVID-19 outbreak affected the attention of social media and press. But there are too many sources and sites through which any one can obtain information, and many of them are not credible which resulted in misinformation and difficulties to distinguish between rumours and reality Subjects and Methods: Cross sectional study was conducted online and 519 students of both sexes belonging to the age group of 18 – 55 years studying medicine and allied health courses in various universities of India participated. Data collection procedure: An online questionnaire of 11 questions as Google forms was created in English and circulated for 3 months in different university students via email to collect the data related to their social media usage during the pandemic COVID-19. Results 382 (73.6%) participants in this study were less than 20 years old. Females participated, N = 320 (61.7%) more than the males, N=199 (38.3%) in this study. Since this study was circulated predominantly in medical students group, 417 out of 519 (80.3%) were medical professionals. About 46 people who are residing outside India also participated in this study. TV/Radio/ Newspaper were the most searched source of information about COVID-19 among the youth of this part of the India accounting for 50.5% (N=262). A significant association was found between Medical professionals and verification of the authenticity of COVID-19 information (P = 0.04) and Gender of the participants with the influence of the information about COVID-19 from different sources (P = 0.005). The association was found significant between age group and “social media influencers and/or celebrities impact on your information sources” (P = 0.004). Conclusion: Students in India are clear in their perception on receiving information about COVID-19 through social media.

Teaching allied health courses in the time of COVID-19: challenges and opportunities

Teaching allied health courses in the time of COVID-19: challenges and opportunities

Setting priorities for rural allied health in Australia: a scoping review.

The allied health workforce is one of the largest workforces in the health industry. It has a critical role in cost-effective, preventative health care, but it is poorly accessible in rural areas worldwide. This review aimed to inform policy and research priorities for increasing access to rural allied health services in Australia by describing the extent, range and nature of evidence about this workforce. A scoping review of published, peer-reviewed rural allied health literature from Australia, Canada, the USA, New Zealand and Japan was obtained from six databases (February 1999 - February 2019). Of 7305 no-duplicate articles, 120 published studies were included: 19 literature reviews, and 101 empirical studies from Australia (n=90), Canada (n=8), USA (n=2) and New Zealand (n=1). Main themes were workforce and scope (n=9), rural pathways (n=44), recruitment and retention (n=31), and models of service (n=36). Of the empirical studies, 83% per cent were cross-sectional; 64% involved surveys; only 7% were at a national scale. Rural providers were shown to have a breadth of practice, servicing large catchments with high patient loads, requiring rural-specific skills. Most rural practitioners had rural backgrounds, but rural youth faced barriers to accessing allied health courses. Rural training opportunities have increased in Australia but predominantly as short-term placements. Rural placements were associated with increased likelihood of rural work by graduates compared with discipline averages, and high quality placement experiences were linked with return. Recruitment and retention factors may vary by discipline, sector and life stage but important factors were satisfying jobs, workplace supervision, higher employment grade, sustainable workload, professional development and rural career options. Patient-centred planning and regional coordination of public and private providers with clear eligibility and referral to pathways facilitated patient care. Outreach and telehealth models may improve service distribution although require strong local coordination and training for distal staff. Evidence suggests that more accessible rural allied health services in Australia should address three key policy areas. First, improving rural jobs with access to senior workplace supervision and career options will help to improve networks of critical mass. Second, training skilled and qualified workers through more continuous, high quality rural pathways is needed to deliver a complementary workforce for the community. Third, distribution depends on networked service models at the regional level, with viable remuneration, outreach and telehealth for practice in smaller communities. More national-scale, longitudinal, outcomes-focused studies are needed using controlled designs.

The Impact of Three-Dimensional Printed Anatomical Models on First-Year Student Engagement in a Block Mode Delivery.

Student engagement is known to have several positive effects on learning outcomes and can impact a student's university experience. High levels of engagement in content‐heavy subjects can be difficult to attain. Due to a major institutional restructure, the anatomy prosection laboratory time per subject was dramatically reduced. In response, the authors set out to redesign their anatomy units with a focus on engaging the learning activities that would increase time‐on‐task both within and outside of the classroom. One of these curriculum changes was the implementation of a suite of anatomy learning activities centered on sets of three‐dimensional printed upper limb skeleton models. A two‐part mixed‐method sequential exploratory design was used to evaluate these activities. Part one was a questionnaire that evaluated the students' engagement with and perceptions of the models. Part two involved focus groups interviews, which were an extension of the survey questions in part one. The results of the study indicated that the majority of students found the models to be an engaging resource that helped improve their study habits. As a result, students strongly felt that the use of the models inspired greater academic confidence and overall better performance in their assessments. Overall, the models were an effective way of increasing the engagement and deep learning, and reinforced previous findings from the medical education research. Future research should investigate the effects of these models on student's grades within osteopathy and other allied health courses.

Two-Year Community: Nonideal Placement of Nonmajors in Biology Major and Allied Health Courses Results in Poor Performance and Higher Attrition Rates

Two-Year Community: Nonideal Placement of Nonmajors in Biology Major and Allied Health Courses Results in Poor Performance and Higher Attrition Rates

Wellness in Allied Health students: the case for change

Introduction: the case for changeThere are increasing mental health issues among young people, including higher education students. Millennial students face unique challenges with attention, critical thinking and managing stress. In addition, allied health students engage in multiple placements where they need to interact with real people in real time whilst being evaluated in assessment and treatment strategies. Some universities have been using wellness programs and mindfulness strategies to support student mental health across campuses for some time. However, as allied health students face unique challenges, there is a need for a particular focus on wellness at an individual allied health course level. The curriculum in allied health courses is determined by accreditation bodies and is comprehensive with little space for additional information. It is possible for short activities to be embedded in tutorials and the authors argue a focus on wellness is vital for the future allied health workforce.Methodology for pilot projectThis project used questionnaires to investigate student perceptions of a short program of activities to promote wellness and mindfulness in third year speech pathology students who were also engaging in clinical placements.Results and discussionStudents were positive about the activities, developed their own wellness plan and learnt new strategies to manage their mental health at university and in their future careers.Future directionsThis short program could easily be adapted in other allied health courses.

Perceived Effects of Smartphone Usage on Students’ Attitude Towards Learning in a Health Institution

The research is partly funded by College of Health, Yamfo, Ghana. Abstract Globally, the current advancement in technological gadgets has provided smartphones as a new tool for both teachers and students to support classroom and off classroom learning. This has led to the call for its integration into the educational system of health training schools in Ghana. The researchers studied health trainees’ perception on the effects smartphone usage has on their attitudes towards learning. This study was grounded on the views of constructivist theory of learning. A descriptive cross sectional study design was adopted. Among 614 health trainees studying various medical and allied health courses at the College of Health-Yamfo of Ghana, 138 students were selected using both stratified and systematic sampling methods. Descriptive statistics was used to analyse the data. The outcome of the study indicated that health trainees who use smartphones in their learning activities develop positive attitude towards learning (76%). However, it was revealed that health trainees who do not use smartphones in their learning activities had negative attitude towards learning (57%). They were also not confident; did not complete assignments; depended on others during studies and did not have access to large volume of information via the internet. Finally, chatting through WhatsApp and other social media applications during lectures and small screen size were barriers to effective use of smartphone in learning activities. The study recommends development of policy that would encompass the integration of smartphone usage into teaching curriculum of health training schools in Ghana. Keywords: smartphones, student learning, social media, health training schools DOI : 10.7176/JEP/10-2-09

A Simplified but Comprehensive Laboratory Curriculum for Microbiology in Nursing and Allied Health (MINAH) Courses.

Some U.S. nursing programs have considered or already have removed microbiology courses from their curriculum. In response to this, the American Society for Microbiology (ASM) published in 2018 the Microbiology in Nursing and Allied Health (MINAH) Undergraduate Curriculum Guidelines. Parts of these guidelines include competencies and skills, which are best taught in a laboratory setting. Recognizing that some programs face a burden of running nursing/allied health microbiology lab classes, we have designed a curriculum of seven laboratories that covers the concepts in the MINAH guidelines. These labs cover aseptic technique and proper specimen collection, microscopy, enumerating microorganisms, and diagnostic tests in identifying unknowns. In addition, we provide some tips and tools for keeping down the costs of offering a microbiology lab. It is our goal that these tips and the suggested guidelines will allow microbiology to remain in the nursing and allied health curriculum.

A Review Paper on "Current Status of Allied Health Courses in South East Asia Region (WHO)"

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3126/hprospect.v10i0.5672Health Prospect Vol.10 2011, pp.95-97

Health professional student education related to the prevention of falls in older people: A survey of universities in Australia and New Zealand.

To determine the amount and nature of health professional education related to fall prevention for older adults in Australian and New Zealand universities. Universities offering medicine, nursing and allied health courses were invited to complete an online survey enquiring about fall prevention course-related information: topics; delivery mode; and time dedicated. One hundred and five respondents, 11 disciplines and 43 universities completed the survey. Courses were primarily undergraduate level (90%) and delivered face-to-face (93%). Time dedicated to fall prevention was usually one to three hours of lectures (>65% of courses) and 1-3+ hours of tutorials/practical sessions (>80% of courses). Survey results indicate that education of health professionals across a range of disciplines in Australia and New Zealand does include older adult fall prevention. Education of all health and exercise professionals about falls is vital given their critical role in the prevention and management of falls in our rapidly ageing population.

Novel Demographic Capture Employing Electronic and Social Media: Preliminary Report from the National Cardiac Sonographer Survey

Background: While cardiac sonography is recognized as a skilled allied health profession in the developed world, sonographers are relatively unorganized in India. This survey aimed to capture basic demographic data of this organically growing community employing electronic and social media platforms. Materials and Methods: A predominantly multiple-choice-based questionnaire was created using a free, open-access survey platform and circulated on available sonographer social media forums, messenger groups, and E-mail lists. Information distribution, data collection, and response analysis were entirely paperless. Results: Between July 2017 and April 2018, 290 sonographers from 19 states participated in this survey. Forty-six allied health courses offering echocardiography were identified across India. A majority of respondents and identified courses were based in the South and West India. About 62% of the sonographers were women, and approximately 60% were <30 years old. Multiple training pathways were displayed, and >30% held university-level degrees in echocardiography. More than 50% were early to mid-career sonographers and scanned more than 20 patients a day. All sonographer scanned under authorized supervision. A minority were credentialed after training. Less than 1 in 3 were members of the National Indian Academy of Echocardiography. Conclusions: Preliminary analysis in this ongoing survey suggests that the Indian sonographer community is young, predominantly female, and generally work in hospital-based clinical environments. Sonographer credentialing, enhanced society engagement and continuous medical education may support career development and contribute to the society's goals to promote echocardiography practice and education in India.

Educating Paramedics for the Future: A Holistic Approach

The education and training of paramedics largely remains focused on an emergency medicine dominated curricula with limited attempts made to expand paramedic education to include primary care and public health topics that might better address the contemporary needs of practicing paramedics. In developed countries, paramedic roles and scopes of practice are changing in response to aging populations and the attendant prevalence of chronic conditions, advances in technology, changes in community expectations and broader health system challenges. The emergence of paramedic practitioner roles in a number of countries illustrates the impact of these social, technological and economic factors, and how paramedics are being integrated into the health systems of their respective countries. Countries such as the United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand, have moved toward near-mandatory higher education models for paramedics. While three-year Baccalaureate degrees generally provide the scope and flexibility to introduce a wider range of studies in primary care and public health, they face the challenge of adding these topics to an already crowded curriculum. In countries without widespread access to Baccalaureate degrees in paramedicine the challenge of broadening the education of paramedics would appear to be near impossible within the constraints of relatively short entry-level programs. This paper describes how an Australian university is responding to this challenge through the development of a four-year Bachelor of Paramedic Practice with (Clinical) Honours program. The paramedic program was initially encompassed within a suite of allied health courses in 2009 and provided students with the qualification of Bachelor of Health Science / Master of Paramedic Practice. Shortly after its inception, the course was reviewed against the future needs of students, industry and the community. Practice trends and the educational requirements of future entry-level paramedics were critically examined in Australia and internationally through literature reviews, conference attendances, direct feedback from the field, and overseas visits. As a result, the program was modified, and after further review, a new four-year paramedic program will be offered to commencing students in 2018. The structure of the program will provide opportunities for students to gain skills and knowledge beyond that delivered in traditional paramedicine programs, including knowledge specific to primary health care and extended community paramedicine. These components of the program will allow for enhanced and flexible roles within communities and professional settings, and are responsive to calls for a holistic model of education to meet future paramedic role demands.

Paramedic Student Anxiety Levels towards Topics in Applied Pharmacology at a Regional University in Australia

Introduction Science-based subjects have a long history of inducing stress and anxiety among many health care students. While there has been substantial research conducted across many allied health courses, very little research has examined the impact of pharmacology stress in paramedic students. In this study we set out to explore the perceived anxiety levels to various topics in second-year university applied pharmacology. Methods Using a paper based questionnaire conducted at the start and end of the teaching semester in a second year applied pharmacology subject, students were asked to record their perceived levels of anxiety to concepts and scenarios in applied pharmacology. Students ranked areas of anxiety from highest to lowest and were able to respond with short answers. Results A total of 140 students completed the questionnaire. Calculating dosages and understanding the mechanism of action ranked high with 69% and 70% of students respectively scoring 4 or 5 out of 5. Other areas such as contraindications and side effects scored lower (28% and 24%, respectively) with indications scoring only 11%. By the end of the semester students still reported high anxiety levels towards calculating drug concentrations, remembering all medications and understanding pre-existing patient medications. Conclusion The results of this study indicate that students commence and leave with high levels of perceived anxiety towards various aspects of pharmacology. This outcome suggests that further pedagogical tools could be employed to assist students to lessen this anxiety to assist the students in better understanding the material to ensure confident graduates.

Internationalisation of curriculum at home: Imperatives, opportunities and challenges for allied health education

Preparation of globally competent health graduates who have a good understanding of local and international healthcare is an important goal for allied health education. Internationalisation of curriculum and Internationalisation at home strategies are needed to prepare students to work in culturally diverse contexts. A critical review of issues, challenges and future needs in internationalisation of allied health curricula is the focus of this paper. Current approaches to internationalisation from a range of disciplines are considered and their applicability to allied health courses is discussed. Important challenges for progress on internationalisation goals and integration of internationalisation experiences into allied health curricula are identified. Suggestions for progressing internationalisation of allied health curricula through formal and informal curriculum are presented. Future research needs that are key to progressing internationalisation goals in allied health education are considered. Important questions that will prompt academic, clinical educators and students to consider how well internationalisation goals are being addressed in allied health education are also raised.

Self-efficacy and relevance of bioscience for nursing, midwifery and healthcare students.

To examine nursing, midwifery and allied healthcare students' self-efficacy for science, perceived relevance of bioscience to their studies and expectations for academic success and the changes that occur after completing first-year introductory bioscience subjects. Bioscience is a foundation subject that underpins nursing, midwifery and other allied health courses. Bioscience subjects continue to be source of anxiety for students in those courses. Raising students' self-efficacy and perceptions of the importance and utility of bioscience to practice may be a way of ameliorating students' expectations and confidence in this subject area. A prospective correlational survey design. Students were surveyed in the first semester of first year and the commencement of the second year. Students were drawn from nursing, midwifery, public health and allied health courses. The surveys contained scales for self-efficacy for science, perceived relevance of bioscience to their course and personal expectations for success in their bioscience subject. Ninety-seven and 82 students completed survey 1 and 2 respectively. Twenty-six surveys could be matched. Self-efficacy increased from survey 1 to survey 2, but expectations for academic success and task value, a measure for relevance, were lower. This was statistically significant for the matched pair sample. Using a mean split, students with high self-efficacy valued science more and had higher expectations for success in their bioscience courses than those with low self-efficacy. Academic success in bioscience, confidence undertaking science tasks and perceiving bioscience as relevant to their course are interwoven concepts that are important for nursing, midwifery and applied healthcare students and ultimately for their professional practice. Literature indicates practitioners may not feel confident in their bioscience knowledge. Assisting undergraduate students to develop confidence in and perceive the relevance of bioscience to their discipline may ultimately impact on clinical practice.

HIV/AIDS: a case study for social work and other allied health educators

As the HIV/AIDS pandemic continues to grow through a third decade, the need for to prepare future social workers and allied health professions for practice with those infected and affected is of paramount importance. This article features a case study of HIV/AIDS in the USA focused on HIV prevention and treatment practice challenges. Seven modules are integrated throughout that highlight practice needs and challenges of vulnerable populations including women, children and youth, sexual minorities, racial and ethnic minorities, persons that are incarcerated, and persons with substance use disorders or mental health challenges. Each module is accompanied by additional readings and sample discussion questions designed for easy use by educators. The article concludes with suggested recommendations for content integration into social work and allied health courses, and next steps for content integration.

High School Allied Health Students and Their Exposure to the Profession of EMS

Ensuring a stable Emergency Medical Services (EMS) workforce is a growing concern, and effective recruiting strategies are needed to expose young adults to the EMS profession. The objective of this study was to assess the exposure of high school allied health students to EMS as a career option, as well as measure their attitudes and beliefs about the EMS profession. Hypothesis Few high school allied health students are exposed to EMS educational and career opportunities. A convenience sample of allied health students in a rural high school system was surveyed about exposure to EMS, career intentions, factors impacting career decisions, and attitudes and beliefs about EMS. Descriptive statistics were calculated, and intention to pursue an EMS career was modeled using logistic regression. Of 171 students enrolled in allied health courses across six high schools, 135 (78.9%) agreed to participate; 85.2% were female. Almost all (92.6%) respondents intended to pursue a health career, but only 43.0% reported that their allied health course exposed them to EMS as a profession. Few participants (37.7%) were knowledgeable about EMS associate degree or baccalaureate degree (27.4%) programs. Only 20.7% of the respondents intended to pursue EMS as a career, although 46.0% wanted to learn more about the profession. Most (68.2%) students expressed interest in an emergency medical technician (EMT) course if one were offered, and 80.0% were interested in a ride-along program. Independent predictors of pursuing an EMS career included exposure to EMS outside of high school (OR = 7.4, 95% CI = 1.7-30.4); media influence on career choice (OR = 9.6, 95% CI = 1.8-50.1); and the belief that EMS was mentally challenging (OR = 15.9, 95% CI = 1.1-216.6). Negative predictors included the beliefs that an EMS career was stimulating (OR = 0.05, 95% CI = 0.00-0.53) and physically challenging (OR = 0.06, 95% CI = 0.00-0.63); as well as prior exposure to an EMS job advertisement (OR = 0.14, 0.03-0.53). Overall, there was a lack of exposure to career and educational options in EMS among allied health students in the school system studied, and few students intended to pursue an EMS career after graduation. However, the majority of students indicated they would like to learn more about EMS, and would enroll in an EMT course and ride-along program if available. These findings suggest that, with exposure to the profession, more allied health students could choose EMS as a career.