Biomedical Science Students Research Articles

RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN SOCIAL MEDIA SCREEN TIME AND QUALITY OF LIFE AMONG UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS DURING PANDEMIC COVID19 IN KUALA LUMPUR

Social media can be used as a channel for communication with family members. A strong dependence on the Internet may result from excessive screen time, which can then affect people's mental health and well-being. It has been suggested that adolescent social media use is associated with decreased mental health. One of the key components that affects a person's quality of life is their mental health in the aspects of anxiety and depression levels. This cross-sectional study aimed to measure and analyse the relationship between social media screen time and quality of life among undergraduate biomedical sciences students. In Kuala Lumpur, this study's online survey was carried out. A validated questionnaire about social media use and quality of life was used to conduct this online survey. The study involved 182 respondents. WhatsApp was the most popular communication platform, with 62.6%, followed by Twitter with 12.6%. 52.7% use social media for social and entertainment purposes. There was no significant mean difference in social media usage and screen time between gender, year of study, income, and residency (p>0.05). There was no significant interaction between gender and year of study for social media usage duration(F=1.465, p>0.05). There was no significant correlation between the level of social media with quality of life(p>0.05). Meanwhile, using binary logistic regression analysis, there was no significant relationship between level of screen time with all domains of quality of life. Meanwhile, there is a significant relationship between the level of screen time and the year of study OR=3.67(2nd year) and OR=3.14 (4th year) when compared to the first year (p<0.05). In conclusion, the results suggested there was a significant relationship between social media usage and with year of study. The results suggest that higher education should consider promoting the effective usage of social media using the social media platform as most students nowadays find information on social media. Keywords: Anxiety; depression; social media; screen time; quality of life; undergraduates.

A scientific research training programme for teaching biomedical students to identify the horizontal transfer of antibiotic resistance genes.

Worldwide prevalence of multi-antibiotic resistant bacteria is rapidly increasing, and the education of undergraduates and graduates about antibiotic resistance and its associated horizontal gene transfer is critical in the general effort to confront the spread of antibiotic resistance. In this study, a deeper understanding of antibiotic resistance and horizontal gene transfer was achieved by biomedical undergraduate students through a scientific research programme. The enthusiasm of students to participate in the training programme was very high, and results revealed that each student could identify the antibiotic resistance integrative and conjugative element from the Stenotrophomonas maltophilia MER1 genome. Each student could also draw the phylogenetic relationship of the antibiotic resistance integrative and conjugative element. In addition, students proved the horizontal transfer of antibiotic resistance genes from S. maltophilia MER1 to Escherichia coli strain 25DN through conjugation and PCR assays. Each group of students was able to obtain the expected results, indicating that the outcome of the scientific research programme was highly reproducible. This programme improved the theoretical knowledge about antibiotic resistance and horizontal gene transfer and the research skills of biomedical sciences students. Through this programme, students learned that antibiotic resistance genes can be horizontally transferred among different bacteria, laying a solid foundation for students to value the importance of the appropriate use of antibiotics in their future work and life.

Knee Joint Dynamics: An Experiment to Introduce the Concept of Torque to Biomedical and Life Sciences Students

Knee Joint Dynamics: An Experiment to Introduce the Concept of Torque to Biomedical and Life Sciences Students

Grit and Optimism Predict Academic Performance Among Medical and Health Sciences Students at a Malaysian University: A Cross-sectional Study

Grit is the perseverance and passion for long-term goals, optimism represents an individual’s expectation of a positive outcome in most situations, whereas life satisfaction is a major indicator of well-being. Grit, optimism, and life satisfaction play a role in medical and health science education, as they are associated with academic performance. This cross-sectional study explored the relationship between grit, optimism, and life satisfaction among medical and health sciences students at a Malaysian university using the 12-Item Grit Scale, Life Orientation Test-Revised (LOT-R) scale and Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWLS). Medical students were significantly grittier than optometry students (p = 0.015) and significantly more optimistic than biomedical science students (p = 0.007). Academic performance was significantly correlated with grit (r = 0.135, p = 0.027) and optimism (r = 0.139, p = 0.023). On the other hand, a significant correlation existed between grit and optimism (r = 0.316, p = 0.000) as well as optimism and life satisfaction (r = 0.328, p = 0.000), whereas a correlation was observed between grit and life satisfaction (r = 0.171, p = 0.003). The findings show that interdisciplinary differences in grit and optimism exist and that grit and optimism are related to the academic performance of medical and health sciences students. Grit, optimism, and life satisfaction were interrelated in this study.

Mapping Adult Vaccine Confidence in Future Health Professionals: A Pilot Study among Undergraduate Students at Two Universities in Greece.

Health professionals' recommendations increase vaccine uptake. We aimed to document stances, practices regarding adult vaccination, and their predictors among undergraduate medical and biomedical science students, as well as their perspectives on increasing vaccine confidence. Among the 430 participants, third-year students from two universities in Greece, only 25.4% were in favor of all vaccines, while no refuters were detected. Predictors of recommending vaccination were the Attitudes Towards Adult Vaccination (ATAVAC) Value (OR 3.26, p < 0.001) and ATAVAC Safety subscales scores (OR 1.36, p < 0.05), being a medical student (OR 2.45, p < 0.05), and having better self-rated health status (OR 2.27, p < 0.05). The importance of getting vaccinated as health professionals was recognized by participants with a higher ATAVAC value (OR 5.39, p < 0.001), ATAVAC Safety scores (OR 1.46, p < 0.05), and increased knowledge regarding the National Immunization Program (OR 1.31, p < 0.05). The God Locus of Health Control (GLHC) was a predictor only in vaccination against COVID-19 (OR 0.91, p < 0.05). Improving community health literacy and health providers' education, boosting trust in authorities, and adopting a person-centered approach emerged as the main themes regarding how to increase vaccine confidence. Mapping health professionals' confidence in vaccines and providing lifelong training support is pivotal in supporting positive attitudes, enhancing their competence, and promoting vaccination in the post-COVID-19 era.

Integrating Artificial Intelligence into Biomedical Science Curricula: Advancing Healthcare Education.

The integration of artificial intelligence (AI) into healthcare practice has improved patient management and care. Many clinical laboratory specialties have already integrated AI in diagnostic specialties such as radiology and pathology, where it can assist in image analysis, diagnosis, and clinical reporting. As AI technologies continue to advance, it is crucial for biomedical science students to receive comprehensive education and training in AI concepts and applications and to understand the ethical consequences for such development. This review focus on the importance of integrating AI into biomedical science curricula and proposes strategies to enhance curricula for different specialties to prepare future healthcare workers. Improving the curriculum can be achieved by introducing specific subjects related to AI such as informatics, data sciences, and digital health. However, there are many challenges to enhancing the curriculum with AI. In this narrative review, we discuss these challenges and suggest mitigation strategies.

A 3-D interactive microbiology laboratory via virtual reality for enhancing practical skills

Virtual Reality (VR) laboratories are a new pedagogical approach to support psychomotor skills development in undergraduate programmes to achieve practical competency. VR laboratories are successfully used to carry out virtual experiments in science courses and for clinical skills training in professional courses. This paper describes the development and evaluation of a VR-based microbiology laboratory on Head-Mounted Display (HMD) for undergraduate students. Student and faculty perceptions and expectations were collected to incorporate into the laboratory design. An interactive 3-dimensional VR laboratory with a 360° view was developed simulating our physical laboratory setup. The laboratory environment was created using Unity with the (created) necessary assets and 3D models. The virtual laboratory was designed to replicate the physical laboratory environment as suggested by the students and faculty. In this VR laboratory, six microbiology experiments on Gram staining, bacterial streaking, bacterial motility, catalase test, oxidase test and biochemical tests were placed on the virtual platform. First-year biomedical science students were recruited to evaluate the VR laboratory. Students’ perception of the virtual laboratory was positive and encouraging. About 70% of the students expressed they felt safe using the VR laboratory and that it was engaging. They felt that the VR laboratory provided an immersive learning experience. They appreciated that they could repeat each experiment multiple times without worrying about mistakes or mishaps. They could personalise their learning by concentrating on the specific experiments. Our in-house VR-based microbiology laboratory was later extended to other health professions programmes teaching microbiology.

Evaluation of mental health of students in healthcare education programs at Qatar University.

Mental health issues among undergraduate health-care students are a growing concern. This research aims to explore the frequency of mental health issues among health-care students in medicine, dentistry, pharmacy, nutrition, biomedical sciences, nursing, and public health at Qatar University. Ethics approval was obtained from the institutional review board. A total of 1,378 health-care students were invited to participate. Data were collected online using two validated questionnaires including the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9) to assess symptoms of depression, and Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale (DASS-21), and two open-ended questions investigating risk factors and recommendations for enhancing institutional support. A total of 270 health-care students completed the survey; 227 female, and 43 male students. According to PHQ-9 cut-off values, 37.7% of students had mild depression symptoms, 25.5% moderate, 14.8% moderately severe and 10% severe symptoms. DASS-21 responses revealed 34.7% displayed severe to extremely severe anxiety symptoms, 15.4% severe to extremely severe stress symptoms and 21% severe to extremely severe depression symptoms. Students aged 18-21 years had significantly higher depression (p=0.03) and stress scores (p=0.05). Qatari students had significantly higher anxiety scores (p=0.05). Responses to open-ended questions were categorized into sub-themes and grouped together into broader themes. Most students reported exam stress and workload as key factors contributing to their negative mental health. Participants' recommendations included reducing academic workload through better curricular planning, providing training to faculty to better support students with mental health issues, and improving mental health services. This study showed a significant percentage of respondents reported symptoms of stress, anxiety, and depression during undergraduate studies. Participants represent the future healthcare force for the country and there is a need to identify and support students with mental health issues through close monitoring, and work with all stakeholders to improve student support services.

A Comprehensive Approach to Graduate Education in the Biomedical Sciences

There are roughly 130 biomedical sciences-related PhD training programs in the U.S. with about half of the graduates remaining in academia post-graduation. Biomedical sciences PhD programs emphasize rigorous training in research to prepare students to enter academia but may lack training in other areas that contribute to career success. Trainees face many challenges in graduate school, including meeting the basic scientific knowledge and research milestones, developing strong communication skills, and enriching their skillset through professional and career development opportunities to best position themselves for future success. To accomplish all of this while maintaining a healthy sense of self can be daunting. The Graduate School (TGS) at Augusta University (AU) aims to facilitate ground-breaking research alongside outstanding education by providing a holistic and comprehensive graduate experience. TGS is currently undergoing review and revision of three of the four arms of graduate education: academics, research, student well-being, and professional development. We use data collected from an external review and 52 currently enrolled and previously graduated (within 3 years) biomedical sciences PhD students to identify opportunities for improving the first-year core curriculum at AU. In response, TGS developed a first-year core curriculum committee tasked with reviewing, revising, and addressing gaps in the first-year core curriculum. Furthermore, TGS has developed and launched GradWell, a health and wellness initiative, and has also partnered with external collaborators to offer strategic professional development opportunities to biomedical sciences students, prioritizing holistic growth to enhance the student experience. Continuous programmatic evaluation related to curriculum, student well-being, and professional development is critical to ensure programs are meeting the evolving needs of students while incorporating innovative pedagogy to maximize training opportunities and the development of well-rounded research scientists. This is the full abstract presented at the American Physiology Summit 2024 meeting and is only available in HTML format. There are no additional versions or additional content available for this abstract. Physiology was not involved in the peer review process.

The Importance of Interprofessional Education in Developing Collaboration-Ready Biomedical Scientists For Translational Research

The biomedical sciences have advocated for interdisciplinary training to bridge the bench-to-bedside gap and strengthen translational research outcomes. As a functional extension of interdisciplinary collaboration, interprofessional education (IPE) represents a viable solution to strengthen collaborative relationships among basic science researchers and other health professional students at a very early stage in their academic journey in order to benefit patient-centered care. To support this direction, we developed a two-year longitudinal IPE curriculum at our institution (6 schools and 19 programs) termed TEAM UPTM. The focus of TEAM UPTM Year 1 includes building an interprofessional team while developing effective communication and collaboration skills. Case-based activities and a Health Partner Project are the main learning activities during the year. The Health Partner Project connects each diverse student team with an individual in the community to learn about the Health Partner's lived experiences and health-related goals. For the purposes of this report, we evaluated post-Year 1 individual perceptions and reflection assignments. The past 5 cohorts (2018-2022) have included a total of 42 biomedical sciences students (2018=10; 2019=11; 2020=10; 2021=8; 2022=3). After the final Year 1 session, students were asked to complete two assignments: a quantitative IPE perceptions survey and a written reflection focused on their interprofessional growth over the past academic year. IPE perceptions were measured using the Student Perceptions of Interprofessional Clinical Education-Revised Instrument, Version 2 (SPICE-R2) and examined retrospectively. We hypothesized that student SPICE-R2 scores would increase following participation in the TEAM UPTM curriculum. Indeed, when data are pooled across all five years, students exhibited a significant increase in total SPICE-R2 scores (p&lt;0.001 by paired Student’s t-test). SPICE-R2 subscores were also analyzed separately, representing IPE attitudes related to (A) Teamwork, (B) Roles &amp; Responsibilities, and (C) Patient Outcomes. One-way repeated-measures ANOVA analysis of score changes discovered a significant main effect of subscore category (p&lt;0.001), with subsequent Bonferroni post hoc analyses revealing greater changes in the Roles &amp; Responsibilities subscore (p&lt;0.001) relative to the Teamwork and Patient Outcomes subscores. Student reflections were also analyzed using a qualitative approach, indicating a greater appreciation of communication skills as applied to decision-making and belief that building relationships with health providers would allow for better translational research. These findings highlight IPE as an innovative strategy to support collaborative mindsets and bidirectional relationships between biomedical science researchers and health providers at an early educational stage. P60AA009803. This is the full abstract presented at the American Physiology Summit 2024 meeting and is only available in HTML format. There are no additional versions or additional content available for this abstract. Physiology was not involved in the peer review process.

Patient-based interdisciplinary e-learning with reflection: An experience of biomedical science, allied health and complementary medicine students

E-learning modules were developed to enhance student engagement, reflection and interdisciplinary learning in Pathology courses undertaken by students from the Biomedical Science, Allied Health, and Complementary Medicine disciplines. The modules focused on generating multi-disciplinary and team-based solutions to diagnosis, prognosis and treatment/management of patients. At pre- and post-intervention, we analysed the students’ experience of three themes: E-learning, reflection, and interdisciplinary learning. Flexibility and ability to reinforce understanding of course content were identified as main advantages of e-learning but a lack of direct support was a common concern. Visual aids and interactive assessments were suggested to improve online experiences. While all students had a positive pre-conception of all themes prior to intervention, the delivery of the modules significantly improved students’ perception on how e-learning deepened their understanding of course materials via reflection and interdisciplinary learning, with both aspects serving to create a holistic learning experience.

Biomedical science students’ perception of the use of role-play in learning stress and anger management skills

Introduction: People skills play a crucial role in the professional development of Biomedical Scientists. A laboratory management and professional practice module was offered as part of the people skills development for Biomedical Science first-year students. This study aims to describe the use of role-play to teach stress and anger management skills to Biomedical Science students and reports on students' opinions of role-play as a teaching-learning method. Methods: Students were divided into groups with 10 or 11 students per group. Each group of students presented a role-play for 15 to 20 min. This was followed by reflections by the group, feedback from other groups, and the facilitators. At the end of the session, student feedback was taken by a questionnaire using both closed (using a 5‑point Likert scale) and open‑ended questions. Statistical evaluation of the collected data was carried out using SPSS version 28 for Windows. Results: A total of 96 students from the 2021 and 2022 cohorts participated in the role-plays. The survey was completed by 48 students from the 2021 intake and 33 students from the 2022 intake. The overall response rate was 84.37%. Respondents perceived role-play to be enjoyable, useful, and helpful for developing stress and anger management skills. They wanted role-play to be used as a teaching-learning method in the future. Conclusions: Role-play can be effective to teach stress and anger management skills to undergraduate Biomedical Science first-year students. Keywords: Role-Plays, Stress and Anger Management Skills, Biomedical Science, Professional, Questionnaire, Feedback; Undergraduate

Interventions, methods and outcome measures used in teaching evidence-based practice to healthcare students: an overview of systematic reviews

BackgroundTo fully implement the internationally acknowledged requirements for teaching in evidence-based practice, and support the student’s development of core competencies in evidence-based practice, educators at professional bachelor degree programs in healthcare need a systematic overview of evidence-based teaching and learning interventions. The purpose of this overview of systematic reviews was to summarize and synthesize the current evidence from systematic reviews on educational interventions being used by educators to teach evidence-based practice to professional bachelor-degree healthcare students and to identify the evidence-based practice-related learning outcomes used.MethodsAn overview of systematic reviews. Four databases (PubMed/Medline, CINAHL, ERIC and the Cochrane library) were searched from May 2013 to January 25th, 2024. Additional sources were checked for unpublished or ongoing systematic reviews. Eligibility criteria included systematic reviews of studies among undergraduate nursing, physiotherapist, occupational therapist, midwife, nutrition and health, and biomedical laboratory science students, evaluating educational interventions aimed at teaching evidence-based practice in classroom or clinical practice setting, or a combination. Two authors independently performed initial eligibility screening of title/abstracts. Four authors independently performed full-text screening and assessed the quality of selected systematic reviews using standardized instruments. Data was extracted and synthesized using a narrative approach.ResultsA total of 524 references were retrieved, and 6 systematic reviews (with a total of 39 primary studies) were included. Overlap between the systematic reviews was minimal. All the systematic reviews were of low methodological quality. Synthesis and analysis revealed a variety of teaching modalities and approaches. The outcomes were to some extent assessed in accordance with the Sicily group`s categories; “skills”, “attitude” and “knowledge”. Whereas “behaviors”, “reaction to educational experience”, “self-efficacy” and “benefits for the patient” were rarely used.ConclusionsTeaching evidence-based practice is widely used in undergraduate healthcare students and a variety of interventions are used and recognized. Not all categories of outcomes suggested by the Sicily group are used to evaluate outcomes of evidence-based practice teaching. There is a need for studies measuring the effect on outcomes in all the Sicily group categories, to enhance sustainability and transition of evidence-based practice competencies to the context of healthcare practice.

Increasing STEM Skills, Knowledge and Interest Among Diverse Students: Results from an Intensive Summer Research Program at the University of California, San Francisco

This study evaluates the effectiveness of the UCSF Summer Student Research Program (SSRP) in enhancing research-related skills, academic outcomes, and post-baccalaureate aspirations of underrepresented minority (URM) and non-URM undergraduate students in biomedical sciences and STEM fields. The SSRP, spanning 9 weeks, provides immersive research experiences, structured mentorship, trainings, seminars, and STEM education. Pre- and post-program survey data from eight cohorts (N = 315) were analyzed using paired-sample t-tests, MANOVA, and content analysis. Results demonstrate significant gains in critical thinking skills, research abilities, science identity, applied science skills, and readiness for a research career. Notably, participants exhibited improvements in understanding the research process, scientific thinking, science writing, and problem-solving. URM and non-URM students experienced similar gains, highlighting the program’s inclusivity. The SSRP also positively influenced students’ postgraduate aspirations. Some participants expressed heightened interest in pursuing Master of Arts, Ph.D., and M.D. degrees, indicating increased clarity and motivation towards advanced education and research careers. Furthermore, 87% of participants expressed a high likelihood of engaging in future research endeavors, underscoring the program’s sustained impact on research interest. This study underscores the transformative potential of a well-structured, intensive summer research program in significantly enhancing academic outcomes for URM and non-URM students alike. These findings align with the persistence framework, emphasizing the importance of early research experiences, active learning, and learning communities in fostering student success. The SSRP’s effectiveness in improving research skills and post-baccalaureate aspirations suggests its potential in diversifying the STEM fields, biomedical sciences and health-related professions.

Comparison of biomedical science students’ perceptions of online versus paper-based examinations

IntroductionOnline examinations are becoming increasingly incorporated into higher education. However, Biomedical Science students’ perspectives on exam format preferences remains unexplored. This study aims to investigate exam format preferences and attitudes of these students.MethodsA self-reported survey of 31 questions on online exam perceptions was utilized and composed of six dimensions: affective factors, validity, practicality, reliability, security, and pedagogy. Scores measured student attitudes around online exams. Additionally, categorical questions examined attitudes around open-book online exams (OBOEs), closed-book online exams (CBOEs), and paper-based exams (PBEs). Qualitative analysis was conducted via the use of open-ended questions and a focus group on five participants. The questionnaire was distributed to undergraduates and 146 students responded across six different programmes.ResultsThe findings revealed that 57.5% of students preferred OBOEs while only 19.9% preferred PBEs. OBOEs were perceived as more favorable in all six dimensions and superior in terms of reducing stress, ensuring fairness, allowing demonstration of understanding, and retaining information. Gender had no statistically significant influence on perception. However, programme statistically significantly affected responses. Qualitative data supported the main statistical analysis and identified a trade-off between the ability to retain information with PBEs, despite the stress and better demonstration of understanding with OBOEs.DiscussionOverall, OBOEs were viewed positively and were well accepted; they are anticipated to be a dominant examination format at the UoP. Institutions wishing to implement online exams should consider the perceived benefits they have over traditional exams. These findings contribute to the understanding of students’ perceptions of exam formats, which can inform their design and application in higher education. Further research should explore the perceptions of other disciplines and identify ways to address any challenges associated with online exams.

Co‐created in vivo pharmacology practical classes using the novel organism Lumbriculus variegatus

AbstractCo‐creation within higher education emphasizes learner empowerment to promote collaboration between the students and staff, enabling students to become active participants in their learning process and the construction of resources with academic staff. Concurrently, a diminishing number of higher education institutions offer in vivo practical classes, resulting in an in vivo skills shortage. To address this, and to actively engage students in their own learning, we describe the co‐creation of a student‐led drug trial using Lumbriculus variegatus. Under blinded conditions, final‐year undergraduate biomedical science students, under the tutelage of academic staff and fellow students, were involved in the co‐creation of an in vivo practical class to determine the effects of histamine and histamine receptor inverse agonists mepyramine and loratadine. Throughout this process, undergraduate‐ and masters‐level students played key roles in every aspect of practical delivery and data analysis. Herein, students demonstrated the test compounds, both in isolation and in combination, resulted in reduced stereotypical movements of L. variegatus (p &lt; .05, n ≥ 6). 15% of students in the class responded to a feedback survey (n = 8) after the class. Students reported the class provided “real life” insights into in vivo research and enabled the development of hands‐on skills which would be useful in applying in their future careers. All students reported that they enjoyed the class with 25% (n = 2) reporting concerns about animal use in research, enabling useful discussions about animals in research. Moreover, these student‐led in vivo trials add to the pharmacological knowledge of L. variegatus promoting education‐led research.

A Cytomegalovirus (CMV) Case Study to Promote Interprofessional Learning (IPL) Between Audiology and Biomedical Science Students in Higher Education.

Modern and effective patient care requires specialist healthcare professionals working together. Interprofessional learning (IPL) seeks to provide opportunities for different healthcare disciplines to learn with, from and about each other. This study focused on the delivery and evaluation of a cytomegalovirus (CMV) case study workshop to facilitate IPL between two Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) regulated courses: Biomedical Science and Audiology. The 2h online workshop consisted of 1) defining the roles, responsibilities and skills of the two healthcare professions, 2) the structure of the Biomedical Science and Audiology departments, 3) routes to HCPC registration, 4) core curriculum of both degree programmes and 5) interpreting interdisciplinary data related to a CMV patient case. The workshop was interactive, with the virtual learning environment promoting peer discussions and the use of online polling. Student responses were collected through an online questionnaire. A total of 108 respondents completed a post-event survey and Mann-Whitney U tests revealed there were no significant differences in the responses between the two student cohorts in response to each of the survey statements (p > 0.05). A total of 82.4% of students agreed that they need to know the role of other healthcare professionals for their future practice, whilst 84.2% agreed that the CMV case study was a good format to facilitate effective IPL. A total of 93.5% of respondents recognised the importance of both professions in diagnosing a patient with CMV. Thematic analysis identified four common themes, including appreciation of shared roles, recognition of similarities in registration pathways, working together to provide holistic patient care and the role of clinicians in the patient journey. This novel collaboration between Biomedical Science and Audiology facilitated effective IPL whilst meeting the interprofessional education HCPC requirements. Collaborative working is an essential component of delivering effective patient care and allied healthcare degrees need to provide opportunities within their curriculum to foster this. We hope this study encourages other higher education institutes to expand and develop their current IPL activities to include a broader spectrum of healthcare courses.

Exploring Compassion towards Laboratory Animals in UK- and China-Based Undergraduate Biomedical Sciences Students.

Taking a compassionate approach to the non-human animals used in biomedical research is in line with emerging ideas around a "culture of care". It is important to expose biomedical sciences students to the concept of a culture of care at an early stage and give them opportunities to explore related practices and ideas. However, there is no simple tool to explore biomedical sciences students' attitudes towards laboratory animals. Accordingly, there is little understanding of students' feelings towards these animals, or a means of quantifying potential changes to these feelings. We developed a 12-item questionnaire designed to explore compassion (the Laboratory Animal Compassion Scale; LACS) and used it with UK-based and China-based samples of undergraduate biomedical sciences students. In the same samples, we also explored a harm-benefit analysis task and students' beliefs regarding some mental characteristics of laboratory animals, then drew correlations with the quantitative measure of compassion. Compassion levels were stable across years of study and were not related to students' level of experience of working with laboratory animals. We observed a higher level of compassion in females versus males overall, and a higher level overall in the UK-based versus China-based sample. In a task pitting animal suffering against human wellbeing, students' compassion levels correlated negatively with their acceptance of animal suffering. Compassion levels correlated positively with a belief in animals being conscious and possessing emotions. These data are in line with studies that show compassion is gender- and nationality/culture-dependent, and points to links between compassion, beliefs, and choices.

Detecting Prolonged Stress in Real Life Using Wearable Biosensors and Ecological Momentary Assessments: Naturalistic Experimental Study.

Increasing efforts toward the prevention of stress-related mental disorders have created a need for unobtrusive real-life monitoring of stress-related symptoms. Wearable devices have emerged as a possible solution to aid in this process, but their use in real-life stress detection has not been systematically investigated. We aimed to determine the utility of ecological momentary assessments (EMA) and physiological arousal measured through wearable devices in detecting ecologically relevant stress states. Using EMA combined with wearable biosensors for ecological physiological assessments (EPA), we investigated the impact of an ecological stressor (ie, a high-stakes examination week) on physiological arousal and affect compared to a control week without examinations in first-year medical and biomedical science students (51/83, 61.4% female). We first used generalized linear mixed-effects models with maximal fitting approaches to investigate the impact of examination periods on subjective stress exposure, mood, and physiological arousal. We then used machine learning models to investigate whether we could use EMA, wearable biosensors, or the combination of both to classify momentary data (ie, beeps) as belonging to examination or control weeks. We tested both individualized models using a leave-one-beep-out approach and group-based models using a leave-one-subject-out approach. During stressful high-stakes examination (versus control) weeks, participants reported increased negative affect and decreased positive affect. Intriguingly, physiological arousal decreased on average during the examination week. Time-resolved analyses revealed peaks in physiological arousal associated with both momentary self-reported stress exposure and self-reported positive affect. Mediation models revealed that the decreased physiological arousal in the examination week was mediated by lower positive affect during the same period. We then used machine learning to show that while individualized EMA outperformed EPA in its ability to classify beeps as originating from examinations or from control weeks (1603/4793, 33.45% and 1648/4565, 36.11% error rates, respectively), a combination of EMA and EPA yields optimal classification (1363/4565, 29.87% error rate). Finally, when comparing individualized models to group-based models, we found that the individualized models significantly outperformed the group-based models across all 3 inputs (EMA, EPA, and the combination). This study underscores the potential of wearable biosensors for stress-related mental health monitoring. However, it emphasizes the necessity of psychological context in interpreting physiological arousal captured by these devices, as arousal can be related to both positive and negative contexts. Moreover, our findings support a personalized approach in which momentary stress is optimally detected when referenced against an individual's own data.

An innovative assessment tool for evaluating narrative feedback quality among Medicine and Biomedical Sciences students.

To develop a reliable instrument to objectively assess feedback quality, to use it for assessment of the quality of students' narrative feedback and to be used as a self-assessment instrument for students in their learning process. In a retrospective cohort study, 635 feedback narratives, provided by small groups of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences undergraduate students, have been extracted from available quarterly curriculum evaluation surveys. A rubric was developed based on literature and contents of our feedback education. It consists of seven subitems and has a maximum score of 20 points (sufficient score: >10 points). Rubric reliability was evaluated using intra-class correlation. The rubric was tested by analysing the feedback narratives. To test progression, we compared rubric scores between study years with a Kruskal-Wallis analysis and Dunn's post-hoc testing with Bonferroni correction. The rubric has an intra-class correlation of 0.894. First year students had a mean rubric score of 11.5 points (SD 3.6), second year students 12.4 (SD 3.4) and third year students 13.1 (SD 3.6). Kruskal-Wallis testing showed significant differences in feedback quality between study years (χ2(2, N=635) = 17.53, p<0.001). Dunn's post-hoc test revealed significant differences between study years one and two (p=0.012) and one and three (p<0.001). The developed rubric is a reliable instrument to assess narrative feedback quality. Students were able to provide feedback of sufficient quality and quality improved across study years. The instrument will allow students to assess themselves and learn where there is still room for improvement.