Attitudes Of Medical Students Research Articles

Knowledge, attitudes, and practices regarding self-medication for acne among medical students in Beni-Suef University.

To evaluate medical students' knowledge, attitudes, and self-medication practices for acne vulgaris. An analytical cross-sectional study was conducted at Beni-Suef University's Faculty of Medicine from January 2023 to June 2023. A pre-structured questionnaire was used for the study. A total of 297 students (85.1 %) used self-medications for acne without a prescription. The total knowledge score of self-medication among the study participants was 3.81 ± 2.23. About 71.4 % knew about precautions, and 72.7 % of the participants reported that self-medication is part of self-care. There was a statistical significance between the total mean knowledge score and age (p=0.007), gender (p=0.013), and academic year (p=0.001). A significant portion of students self-medicate about acne. The total knowledge score of self-medication was to some extent not relatively high. Educational programs can be developed to increase medical students' awareness of the risks and benefits of self-medication, information on appropriate use of medications, and when to seek medical attention.

Factors Associated with Medical Students' Attitudes About Cost-Conscious Care: A Mixed-Methods Multi-school Study.

Because physician practices contribute to national healthcare expenditures, initiatives aimed at educating physicians about high-value cost-conscious care (HVCCC) are important. Prior studies suggest that the training environment influences physician attitudes and behaviors towards HVCCC. To explore the relationship between medical student experiences and HVCCC attitudes. Quantitative and qualitative analysis of a multi-institutional survey. Medical students from nine US medical schools. A 44-item survey that included the Maastricht HVCCC Attitudes Questionnaire, a validated tool for assessing HVCCC attitudes, was administered electronically. Attitudinal domains of high-value care (HVC), cost incorporation (CI), and perceived drawbacks (PD) were compared using one-way ANOVA among students with a range of exposures. Open text responses inviting participants to reflect on their attitudes were analyzed using classical content analysis. A total of 740 students completed the survey (response rate 15%). Students pursuing a "continuity-oriented" specialty held more favorable attitudes towards HVCCC than those pursuing "technique-oriented" specialties (HVC sub-score = 3.20 vs. 3.06; p = 0.005, CI sub-score = 2.83 vs. 2.74; p < 0.001). Qualitative analyses revealed personal, educational, and professional experiences shape students' HVCCC attitudes, with similar experiences interpreted differently leading to both more and less favorable attitudes. Students pursuing specialties with longitudinal patient contact may be more enthusiastic about practicing high-value care. Life experiences before and during medical school shape these attitudes, and complex interactions between these forces drive student perceptions of HVCCC.

Cluster analysis of medical students’ attitudes regarding people who use drugs: a first step to design a tailored education program

IntroductionPeople with substance use disorder (SUD) deal with stigmatization in various areas of life, including healthcare system. In this study, we investigated the attitudes of final-year medical students towards SUD people and attempted to understand their influence.MethodsWe conducted a two-stage cluster analysis (hierarchical ascending classification followed by K-means clustering) based on the “beSAAS”. We administrated this 23-item questionnaire to 923 final-year medical students in Belgium (response rate = 71,1%). Sociodemographic characteristics were compared between the clusters.ResultsFour clusters of students with specific characteristics were identified in this study. The first, “The Inclusives” (including 27,9% of respondents) had the least negative attitudes; they wanted to specialize mainly in psychiatry and gynecology. The second, “The Centrists" (23,6%) consisted mainly of male students. They had many private and professional experiences with substance use and considered themselves less healthy than others did. Most wanted to specialize in pediatrics and general practice. Their attitudes were slightly negative towards people with SUD. The third, “The Moralists” (27,6%), were mainly older, from non-European countries, had the least experience with substance use (or contact mainly in hospitals), had the less high mother’s level of education and reported excellent health. They were heading toward other specialties. They had the most stereotypes and moralism, and less treatment optimism. The fourth, “The Specialist care-oriented” (20,8%), were the most in favor of specialized treatment. This group had a higher proportion of Belgian, females, and students who had specific contact with this population. They especially intended to specialize in internal medicine.ConclusionThis study revealed 4 profiles of medical students with different attitudes towards SUD people. “The Moralists”, including more than a quarter of the respondents, were characterized by strong stereotypes and moralism and little treatment optimism. These clusters could contribute to the design of a learner-centered program aimed at addressing stigma within the main curriculum.

Orthopaedic Sport Medicine Surgeons and Fellows Value Immersive Virtual Reality for Improving Surgical Training, Procedural Planning, and Distance Learning

BackgroundOverall, the potential utility of iVR technology in orthopaedic surgery is promising. The attitudes of medical students and surgical trainees on VR simulated surgical training have been overwhelmingly positive. However, further research and understanding of the attitudes of practicing orthopaedic surgeons and Fellows are needed to appreciate its benefits for clinical practice. PurposeThe purpose of this study was to assess the attitudes of Canadian orthopaedic surgeons and Fellows on the value of iVR for surgical training, clinical practice, and distance learning. MethodsForty-three orthopedic surgeons and Fellows attended a VRthrscopy™ Knee Module (Conmed Corporation, Largo, USA) demonstration. The view and audio from the lead headset were cast to a large screen so the audience could follow the procedure in real-time. Immediately after the presentation, the audience members were given a paper questionnaire assessing their perceptions and attitudes toward iVR or use in orthopaedic learning, clinical practice and distance education and mentoring. ResultsiVR was perceived to be valuable for the field of orthopaedic surgery. All 13 questions were rated with mean Likert scores of five or greater indicating observed value for all 13 questions. The respondents indicated that iVR had value (score of 5 or greater) in each questionnaire domain, with agreement ranging from 78-98% for teaching and learning, 66-97% for clinical practice, and 88-100% for distance education and mentoring questions. ConclusionThis study has demonstrated that a group of Canadian sport medicine orthopedic surgeons and Fellows had favourable attitudes towards, and perceived that iVR has value in, orthopaedic surgical training, clinical practice, and distance learning and mentorship. The potential for utilizing iVR technology for distance learning, mentorship and global education appears promising.

Influence of Gender and Previous Blood Donation Status on Attitude Toward Blood Donation: a Cross-Sectional Study.

Blood supply shortage may affect the health of patients who are transfusion-dependent. Consequently, blood donation plays an important role in the community as it can provide sufficient blood supply at blood bank centers. Medical sciences students can help promote blood donation. The current study aimed to assess the knowledge on, attitude toward, and barriers on blood donation among medical sciences students at the Faculty of Applied Medical Sciences of Jazan University, Saudi Arabia. An online questionnaire with 23 knowledge and attitude questions was established using Google Forms. Statistical analysis was performed based on gender and blood donation status (never donated, unable to donate, and donated blood). In total, 601 participants from six different departments responded to the questionnaire. Interestingly, female students had a higher rate of accurate responses toward the knowledge and attitude questions than male students (p < 0.01). Furthermore, students who previously donated had a higher rate of accurate responses to the questions than those who were not able to or never donated blood (p < 0.01). The questionnaire was designed to assess the general knowledge and attitude of medical sciences students and barriers on blood donation. Female gender and a history of blood donation had a significant impact on responses. Therefore, more efforts are required to educate students regarding the importance of blood donation among patients who are transfusion-dependent.

Attitudes of first and sixth year medical faculty students towards sexual assault victims: A cross-sectional study

Purpose: Sexual violence encompasses a range of coercive behaviors, from verbal harassment to forced penetration, and includes from social pressure and intimidation to the application of physical force. Sexual violence has numerous mental and physical health consequences on the individual. Although physicians recognize their crucial role in caring for sexual violence victims, various attitudes and behaviors hinder their fulfillment of these roles. In our study, the aim was to determine the attitudes of first and sixth-year medical faculty students towards sexual assault victims and the socio-demographic factors influencing these attitudes. Materials and methods: A total of 370 voluntary first- and sixth-year students enrolled in the 2021-2022 academic year at Manisa Celal Bayar University Faculty of Medicine were administered a questionnaire comprising socio-demographic characteristics, the "Social Attitudes Scale Towards Sexual Assault Victims," and questions assessing their knowledge of forensic medicine regarding sexual assault. Results: Our study found that 55.9% of the medical faculty students who participated were female, with an average age of 20.83±2.85 years. 56.5% were first-year students. 18.9% reported that they or someone close to them had been subjected to behavior considered as sexual assault. The average score of the participants in the Social Attitudes Scale towards Sexual Assault Victims was determined to be 95.29. It was statistically significant that women aged between 17-22 and those with a high monthly family income had higher average scores on the scale. It was found that 17.3% of the participants answered all six forensic medical questions correctly. The total scores of female students on the Social Attitudes Scale Towards Sexual Assault Victims and the scores of the behavior and thought sub-dimensions were found to be statistically significantly higher than those of male students. Conclusion: It was determined that participants generally held a positive attitude towards sexual assault victims. Factors contributing to this positive attitude included higher parental education levels, the influence of education received during medical school and preceding periods, and social environments.

Отношение студентов медицинского университета к элективной дисциплине по снижению веса

The organization of high-quality education in the university is one of the priority tasks of the state. The modernization of medical education in the modern era involves the development and emergence of new elective disciplines related to the subject, physical education and sports. The work cites the attitude of medical students to the weight loss project implemented by the Department of Physical Culture and Sports at the Privolzhsky Research Medical University. The survey of 50 students participating in this project is being analyzed. Research on the opinions of students of the medical university in the future will help improve practical classes and the theoretical basis of the elective discipline of weight loss for students of the medical university.

Attitudes of Polish Medical Students toward Organ Donation in Cases of Brain Death

(1) The aim of our study was to determine the attitudes of medical students toward organ donation in the case of brain death. (2) The study was conducted among 1348 medical students from three medical universities in Poland. The research tool was the Polish version of the standardized questionnaire concerning attitudes toward organ donation and transplantation (ODT) [PCID-DTO RIOS: A questionnaire designed by the ‘International Collaborative Organ Donation project about organ transplantation and donation]. (3) Some sources of information on organ donation were found to have a significant impact on the recipients’ knowledge of brain death. These were books, friends, family, lectures in other centers, social media, and the Church. Medical students holding the opinion that recovery and leading a normal lifestyle after brain death is impossible were significantly more likely to donate their organs after death, not for religious reasons and not because they wanted to survive their own death. (4) The medical students in our study showed a high level of awareness and favorable attitudes toward ODT. However, the number of registered donors was low. It is important to educate students on these issues to raise the awareness of both future medical professionals and the public on organ transplantation procedures. The public should be made aware that transplantation procedures are of a high standard, and that the law protects both donors and recipients. These measures would reduce recipients’ waiting time, and certainly increase the statistics of the number of life-saving and health-saving procedures.

Attitude of undergraduate medical students towards euthanasia and physician-assisted suicide: a cross-sectional study

Euthanasia is categorically prohibited in Pakistan by Islamic law, but a clash of opinions among doctors and human rights advocates still prevails. As a result, medical students are becoming concerned about its practice and this problem needs to be addressed. A cross-sectional study was conducted at Faisalabad Medical University (FMU), Pakistan, from April 2023 to May 2023, using random sampling and statistical programme SPSS version 25, to assess the attitudes of medical students regarding euthanasia and physician-assisted suicide (PAS). Despite the conditions and scenarios presented to the students, most of them expressed opposition to euthanasia and physician-assisted suicide because of their religious beliefs and optimistic approach to life. Most of them favoured palliative care and passive euthanasia. ---Continue

Medical Student and Faculty Attitudes Toward Translanguaging with Spanish-Speaking Patients

Background: Spanish is the second most common US language, and Spanish speakers commonly translanguage—spontaneously integrate multiple languages. Medical language courses have proliferated, yet learner and faculty attitudes about translanguaging with patients remain unexplored. Also, it is unclear whether medical Spanish courses address real-world patient linguistic practices, such as translanguaging. Methods: We applied a community cultural wealth framework to identify translanguaging practices relevant to patient-physician communication: regionalisms, Spanglish, and non-standard language usage. From January 2020 to May 2021, we surveyed students (n=355) and faculty (n=14) in a standardized medical Spanish course at 14 sites on their attitudes toward translanguaging practices. Results: Regionalisms were the most widely accepted translanguaging practice by both students and faculty, and this opinion was reinforced by the course (94% pre vs. 95% post-course agreement; p=0.045). Student agreement with Spanglish was moderate and declined post-course (58% vs. 55%; p&lt;0.001). Faculty were likelier than students to be accepting of non-standard language usage (57% faculty vs. 5% students; p&lt;0.001). Conclusion: Medical students and faculty reported mixed attitudes about translanguaging practices in healthcare, and taking a medical Spanish course had variable effects on student responses. Future work should focus on developing and evaluating medical Spanish educational pedagogies that explicitly incorporate real-world patient perspectives and promote flexible language use that prioritizes mutual respect and understanding.

Psychological Factors Influencing Attitudes towards Euthanasia, Assisted Suicide and Palliative Care among Medical Students and Doctors in Training.

Background: This study aimed to analyse the attitudes of medical students, Polish and classical philology students and trainee doctors towards the legalisation and practice of euthanasia and assisted suicide, to explore their beliefs about palliative care and to identify the cognitive, behavioural and emotional factors influencing these attitudes. Methods: An anonymous 22-question survey was sent by email to 670 participants, who comprised students of medicine, students of Polish and classical philology and trainee physicians. Results: Out of the 670 people invited to the survey, 313 (46.72%) responded; 215 (68.69%) and 112 (35.80%) participants supported the legalisation of euthanasia and assisted suicide, respectively. No differences were found between the respondent groups studied. The respondents' attitudes were influenced by religion, place of residence and professed values in the doctor-patient relationship. Among the medical students and trainee doctors surveyed, the declared willingness to perform euthanasia was lower, with 90 (43.7%) people, than the support for its legalisation, with 135 (65.5%) people. Significantly higher support for palliative care was expressed by fifth- and sixth-year medical students and trainee doctors, with 88 respondents (89.89%), less support was expressed by first- and fourth-year medical students, with 74 respondents (68.5%), and the lowest support was observed among Polish and classical philology students, with 63 respondents (58.9%). Conclusions: The legalisation of euthanasia and assisted suicide was supported by more than two-thirds and one-third of all the respondents, respectively, with the majority of medical students and trainee doctors surveyed expressing uncertainty or lack of readiness towards their practice. More than 70% of all the respondents showed a positive opinion towards palliative care, with the lowest support being among Polish and classical philology students.

Factors influencing death attitudes of medical students: a scoping review.

To summarize factors influencing death attitudes of medical students, help identify intervention targets, and design precision interventions for improving death attitudes of medical students. Web of Science, PubMed, Embase, OVID, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, and Wanfang databases were searched. Retrieval time was from January 2012 to September 2023. Studies on factors influencing death attitudes of medical students were included. Thirty-five studies were included in the final review. A total of 28 factors influencing death attitudes of medical students were summarized and divided into three categories comprising personal factors, social factors, and psychological factors. More than 15 studies confirmed that gender, religion, and discussing death with families were factors that influenced medical students' death attitudes. Results indicate that there are many types of factors that influence death attitudes of medical students. It is necessary for universities to implement death education based individual characteristics and guide medical students to cultivate generally optimistic death attitudes and appropriate life values.

Perception, Knowledge, Indications, and Future Prospects of Point-of-Care Ultrasound Among Medical Students in Saudi Arabia.

Introduction Point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) has become integral across medical specialties globally, addressing clinical queries, guiding procedures, and bridging the gap between physical examination and advanced imaging. Early ultrasound training for medical students enhances clinical decision-making and reduces diagnostic errors. Aims To evaluate the knowledge and attitude of senior medical students towards POCUS and to assess knowledge gaps and difficulties encountered by senior medical students to assist in the development of future curricula. Methodology This is an observational, cross-sectional approach to evaluate knowledge, attitude, and practice ofPOCUSamong senior medical students in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The study was conducted from January to September 2023. An electronic questionnaire was distributed through online platforms utilizing medical school databases across various regions. The survey encompassed sociodemographics, training methods, diagnostic indications, and participants' self-reported proficiency and attitudes toward POCUS. The data was chiefly collected using the Likert scale. Descriptive statisticswere used to describe the quantitative and categorical variables. Bivariate and multivariate analyses were used to examine correlations. Results A total of 359 senior medical students completed the survey. Most responders were females (57.9%) with the predominating age group being ≤ 24 years (83.6%). The students predominantly were from the Central region of Saudi Arabia (75.5%). Ultrasound training varied among responders; 31.5% received formal courses (median duration: two hours) and 23.4% informal courses (median duration: four hours). Around 17.3% practiced POCUS self-teaching (median duration: four hours). A total of 3.6% had formal POCUS accreditation. A gargantuan 82.2% never used POCUS in their attached hospital for a variety of reasons.Multivariable logistic binary regression analysis showed a positive correlationbetween students' self-teaching of POCUS and their perceived difficulty performing an ultrasound examination for patients in daily practice. Discussion A comparable study was done at King Saud binAbdulazizUniversity for Health Sciences (KSAU-HS) in 2022 surveying 229 senior medical students byRajendramet al. In their study, 21.4% completed formal courses and 12.7% took informal courses. While many students in our study were not exposed to POCUS (82.2%), KSAU-HS reported a higher percentage reaching 94.8%. A study by Russel et al. demonstrated more than half of 154 surveyed medical schools in the United States have implemented POCUS into their students' curriculum. Conclusion POCUS stands as a valuable skill that can enhance the educational journey of undergraduate medical students. Considering that a significant number of participants haven't yet taken formal medical school courses suggests a lack of awareness about its significance in the medical field. Offering additional courses with practical components could enhance the proficiency, confidence, and outlook of medical students toward POCUS.

Community food insecurity experts may improve medical student attitudes and self-efficacy in caring for older adults.

Community food insecurity experts may improve medical student attitudes and self-efficacy in caring for older adults.

Examination of medical student and physician attitudes towards suicide reveals need for required training.

The attitudes of healthcare providers towards suicidal patients are known to influence their motivation to treat patients during a suicidal crisis. Patients who attempted suicide are more likely to have recently visited a primary care provider who is not necessarily sufficiently trained in managing a suicidal patient rather than a mental health provider who is trained to do so. For those reasons, documenting medical students and physicians' attitudes towards suicide can help in the development of effective intervention training to prepare them to manage these types of patients. In this mini review, attitudes towards suicidal patients, the effectiveness of training on changing their attitudes are discussed. In summary, primary care providers are recognized as a top area where improvements can prevent suicides; providing proper suicide prevention training can effectively improve attitudes and quality of care for suicidal patients.

IJCM_32A: Attitude of Medical Students Regarding Empathy towards Patients in a Medical College in Mangalore

Background: The incorporation of medical humanities, an interdisciplinary field of medicine, in medical education may offer significant benefits to the medical community. This study was done to assess the attitude of medical students regarding empathy towards patients and to find out the perception of students about the inclusion of humanity studies to their undergraduate medical curriculum. Methodology: It was a Cross-sectional study done among Final Year MBBS Part One and Part Two, Post Graduate Students of Clinical Specialities and Interns of Kasturba Medical College, Mangalore and its associated teaching hospitals. Data was collected using semi-structured questionnaire which consisted of three sections including Participant information, Jefferson Scale of Physician Empathy – Student’s Version (JSPE-S) which will be used to measure empathy towards patients among medical students and questions on assessing the perception of students regarding the introduction of humanity studies in the medical curriculum. The collected data were entered and analyzed using SPSS version 11.5. Likert scale was analysed using median (±2SD). For qualitative data statistical test Chi-square was used Results: The mean age of the 410 students who were surveyed was 22.11 with a standard deviation of ± 2.136. 41% of the respondents were male and 59% were female. The Jefferson Scale of Physician Empathy is measured on a scale of 20-140. Among the participants, 167 (40.7%) students scored between 46-90, categorized according to the Jefferson Scale as moderately empathetic. 243 students scored between 91-140 - categorized as high empathetic. None of the students scored between 20-45 (least empathetic category) Conclusion: Our study found that all the respondents were either moderately or highly empathetic according to the Jefferson Scale of Physician Empathy. A majority of respondents felt that it is important to understand the feelings and body language of the patient and that the emotions of the patient and family are important in the physician-patient relationship.

IJCM_298A: Assessment of Knowledge, Attitude and Practice about Hepatitis B among Medical Students

Background: Hepatitis B is a major public health problem. India is in the intermediate HBV endemicity zone (HBsAg prevalence among the general population ranges from 2% to 8%) with 50 million cases which makes it the second largest global pool of chronic HBV infection. Health workers, especially physicians and medical students are always in direct contact with patients and are vulnerable to acquire Hepatitis B infection. Present study aims to evaluate Knowledge, Attitude and Practice (KAP) towards Hepatitis B infection and vaccination among medical students. Objective: To evaluate the knowledge, attitude, and practice (KAP) of medical students regarding Hepatitis B infection and vaccination. Methodology: This was a cross sectional study conducted in Government Medical College. Junior resident and medical undergraduates were involved to assess their Knowledge, Attitude and Practice (KAP) about Hepatitis B infection and vaccination using a self-administered questionnaire. Results: Out of 317 participants 44.4% were males and 55.6% were females. 97.2% medical students have heard about the Hep B infection. 97.8% respondents indicated that they were aware of availability of a vaccine for hepatitis B. 54.6% (173) of total participants had received the Hepatitis B vaccination, of which only 142(82.08%) had received 3 doses of Hepatitis B vaccination. Conclusion: More than 50% of the surveyed participants have been vaccinated indicates a positive trend in immunization. Further efforts are needed to ensure complete vaccination especially in high-risk medical professionals.

Attitude and Understanding of Artificial Intelligence Among Saudi Medical Students: An Online Cross-Sectional Study.

Artificial Intelligence is drastically used nowadays in healthcare, but little is known about the attitude and perception of medical students towards AI in Saudi Arabia. This study aimed to explore undergraduate medical student's views on AI, assessed their understanding of AI, and the level of confidence of using basic AI tools in the future. This cross-sectional study invited 303 medical undergraduate students to complete an anonymous electronic survey, which consists of questions related to attitude, understanding and confidence of using basic AI tools. We examined the statistical association between the categorical variables by using Chi-square test. The results of the study indicate that eighty-seven percent of participants believed that AI will play significant role in healthcare. Thirty-eight percent respondents reported that they have an understanding of the basic computational principle of AI. 71.29% respondents agreed that teaching in AI would be favorable for their career. More than half of the participants were confident in using basic AI tools in the future, Male students (p = 0.00), 26-30 years old participants (p = 0.03), intern students (p = 0.00), and Imam Abdulrahman Bin Faisal University medical students (p = 0.04) had positive attitude of artificial intelligence. Male participants (p = 0.02), and intern students (p = 0.00) had the highest proportion of confidence in using basic healthcare AI tool. Nearly 14% students received training on AI. Participants who received training on AI reported better understanding of AI (p = 0.03), develops positive attitude towards teaching in AI (p = 0.05), more confidence in using basic healthcare AI tools (p = 0.05). Saudi medical undergraduate students understand the significance of AI and demonstrated a positive attitude towards AI. Medical students training on AI should be expanded and improved to avoid threats for seeking jobs by adapting artificial intelligence.

Evaluation of Attitudes and Knowledge Levels of Medical Faculty Students about Probiotics

Aim: Probiotics are natural products with proven benefits in the prevention and treatment of many diseases, with relatively few side effects. The study aimed to assess medical students' knowledge, attitudes and usage habits about probiotics. Materials and Methods: This descriptive study comprised final-year medical students in the academic year 2019-2020. Preliminary information about the study was given to the participants, and their verbal consent was obtained. A questionnaire prepared by the researchers in line with the literature evaluating socio-demographic characteristics, probiotic food consumption and knowledge about probiotics was applied to the participants. Results: The mean age of 229 students (78.4%) who participated in the study was 24.24±1.61 years and 58.1% were female. Of the participants, 92.6% stated that they knew the term 'probiotic', 44.1% indicated that they knew the microorganism content of probiotic foods, and 54.2% did not consume probiotic-containing foods. The most common reasons for taking probiotics were 'digestive benefits' (42.4%) and 'boosting the immune system' (26.6%), while the most common reason for not taking probiotics was 'not needed'. In the study, 51.5% of students said they would recommend probiotic foods to their peers and patients, and the most common reason for recommendation was constipation (73.4%). The participants had a mean probiotic knowledge score of 52.41±8.70 (20-76) points. There was no relationship between male students' (51.34±9.05) and female students' knowledge levels (53.26±8.38) (p=0.101). Conclusion: The level of knowledge about probiotics, the consumption of probiotics and the attitude towards recommending probiotics among the Faculty of Medicine senior students were found to be moderate. Consumption of probiotics by healthy or sick people should be done on the advice of trained physicians Keywords: Probiotic, Medical Student, Knowledge, Attitude

Facts to Snacks. Evaluating the Effectiveness of Bite-Sized Animations in Teaching Palliative Care to Medical Students.

Current palliative care training in medical school is inadequate in preparing doctors to provide quality palliative care. Little attention is paid to determining effective methods of training. To assess the use of bite-sized animations in improving the confidence, knowledge and attitudes of medical students towards palliative care. A mixed methods cohort study was adopted for the study. 50 medical students without prior palliative training completed questionnaires before and after watching a 12-part animated palliative care video series called PowerFacts. Of these participants, 18 underwent semi-structured interviews. The quantitative results showed that animations are effective in improving the confidence (P < .001) and knowledge (P < .001), but not the attitudes (P = .183) of medical students. Confidence, knowledge and attitudes were not correlated. Analysis of follow-up interviews of a convenience sample of participants showed that animations can be effective in teaching knowledge and does fill some gaps in palliative education for medical undergraduates. However, the content delivered as a sole learning tool is inadequate in preparing medical students for clinical practice. All participants achieved level 1 (reaction), some achieved level 2 (learning) but most did not achieve level 3 (behaviour) of the Kirkpatrick's model. There is a need for a multimodal approach in the comprehensive teaching of palliative care in undergraduate medical training to achieve all four levels of the Kirkpatrick Model.