Education Training Research Articles

Primary healthcare providers' knowledge, practices and beliefs relating to preventive sexual and reproductive health care for women from refugee and asylum-seeking backgrounds in Australia: a national cross-sectional survey.

Background Many refugee women and women seeking asylum arrive in high-income countries with unmet preventive sexual and reproductive health (SRH) care needs. Primary healthcare providers (HCPs) are usually refugee and asylum seekers' first point of care. This study aimed to identify HCP characteristics associated with initiating conversations and discussing SRH opportunistically during other health interactions. Methods An anonymous online survey was distributed nationally to representatives of health professional organisations and Primary Health Networks. Hierarchical logistic regression analysed factors including HCP demographics, knowledge and awareness, perceived need for training and professional experience with refugee women were included in the models. Results Among 163 HCPs, those initiating conversations ranged from 27.3% (contraceptive care) to 35.2% (cervical screening). Opportunistic discussions ranged from 26.9% (breast screening) to 40.3% (contraceptive care). Positively associated factors included offering care to refugee women or women seeking asylum at least once every 2months 7.64 (95% CI 2.41;24.22, P P P P P P Conclusions Direct professional experience, frequency of service provision, years of practice, and part time work positively influence HCPs' SRH care practices. Enhancing bilingual health worker programs, outreach, education, and support for SRH and cultural competency training are essential to improving the preventive SRH care of refugee women and women seeking asylum.

Integrative Approaches to Abiotic Stress Management in Crops: Combining Bioinformatics Educational Tools and Artificial Intelligence Applications

Abiotic stresses, including drought, salinity, extreme temperatures and nutrient deficiencies, pose significant challenges to crop production and global food security. To combat these challenges, the integration of bioinformatics educational tools and AI applications provide a synergistic approach to identify and analyze stress-responsive genes, regulatory networks and molecular markers associated with stress tolerance. Bioinformatics educational tools offer a robust framework for data collection, storage and initial analysis, while AI applications enhance pattern recognition, predictive modeling and real-time data processing capabilities. This review uniquely integrates bioinformatics educational tools and AI applications, highlighting their combined role in managing abiotic stress in plants and crops. The novelty is demonstrated by the integration of multiomics data with AI algorithms, providing deeper insights into stress response pathways, biomarker discovery and pattern recognition. Key AI applications include predictive modeling of stress resistance genes, gene regulatory network inference, omics data integration and real-time plant monitoring through the fusion of remote sensing and AI-assisted phenomics. Challenges such as handling big omics data, model interpretability, overfitting and experimental validation remain there, but future prospects involve developing user-friendly bioinformatics educational platforms, establishing common data standards, interdisciplinary collaboration and harnessing AI for real-time stress mitigation strategies in plants and crops. Educational initiatives, interdisciplinary collaborations and trainings are essential to equip the next generation of researchers with the required skills to utilize these advanced tools effectively. The convergence of bioinformatics and AI holds vast prospects for accelerating the development of stress-resilient plants and crops, optimizing agricultural practices and ensuring global food security under increasing environmental pressures. Moreover, this integrated approach is crucial for advancing sustainable agriculture and ensuring global food security amidst growing environmental challenges.

Effects of procurement risk management strategies on public procuring entities' performance

Organizations implement risk management to mitigate the effects of unforeseen events in their operation settings. The current study aims to investigate the relationship between procurement risk-management strategies and the performance of public higher-learning institutions registered by the National Council for Technical Education and Vocation Training in Tanzania. The findings of the study provide valuable insights that can influence the risk management strategies and performance management policies of public procuring entities. The Principal-Agent Theory guided the study. A convergent parallel mixed-method design was employed, utilizing a census method that included all 16 public high-learning institutions in Dar es Salaam as the sample. Primary data were collected through structured questionnaires and interviews. Quantitative data analysis involved descriptive statistics to compute percentages and means of school respondents. Multiple Regressions was employed for inferential statistics analysis. Qualitative data analysis was conducted using thematic analysis. The study identified risks affecting the performance of PEs including non-compliance risks, planning risks, managerial risks, contract management risks, and project delays. To address these challenges, the study recommends that entities should develop and adhere to their procurement plans, invest in capacity building to strengthen ethical practices to avoid unethical behavior, and address non-compliance issues. Entities should use a combination of strategies based on internal policies, experience, and the preferences of the procurement assignment.

Pedagogical Deficiencies in Political Science Doctoral Programs: Current Practices or Lack Thereof

Over a decade ago Ishiyama, Miles, and Balarezo (2010) published their work on the pedagogical training opportunities for political science doctoral students in the United States. The authors surveyed PhD-granting political science departments and found that pedagogical training for doctoral students was scant. Despite its age, the work remains influential and cited by scholars concerned with the state of teaching-training in the discipline. In this paper I uncover that little progress has been made in training opportunities for political science graduate students. Interviews with faculty in 66 PhD-granting departments reveal that less than a fifth of departments require students to complete credit-bearing courses and a plurality require no pedagogical training. Several departments have outsourced pedagogical training and do not maintain data on student completion. As such, many graduate students remain inadequately prepared for careers in higher education. I conclude by echoing colleagues who call for increased attention on pedagogical training, and for a benefit structure rewarding high quality teaching.

Improving English Teaching Skills: An Online Course for Non-English Major Teachers in Southern Thailand’s Rural Primary Schools

The mixed-methods study addressed the needs and challenges faced by first-grade English teachers in rural primary schools in Southern Thailand (for example, lack of pedagogical training). The study’s primary objectives were to investigate these teachers’ needs and difficulties, develop a 15-hour online pedadgocial training course, and evaluate its effectiveness after the training was completed. The research involved 33 teachers and 153 students and employed various tools, including questionnaires, an online pedagogical training and language course, pre-and post-tests, and semi-structured interviews about the experience. The findings highlighted the importance of training in speaking, vocabulary, materials, games, and communicative language teaching (CLT) for these teachers. Statistically significant improvements (p < 0.001) were observed in post-test scores for both teachers and students, indicating the positive impact of the customized online training course on teachers’ English skills and teaching performance and improvement in student learning outcomes.

The Role Of Character Education In Forming Ethical And Responsible Students

Character education refers to an approach to learning that aims to help students develop moral and ethical values, such as honesty, responsibility and empathy. The integration of these values in the curriculum and school activities along with the active support of teachers, families and communities are the main efforts for character education to build individuals who are highly ethical and responsible in every aspect of their lives. In this study, the literature research method was used. From the results, it is evident that teachers who have undergone specialised training in character education play an important role as living examples of these values. In addition, a safe and supportive school environment greatly contributes to the ethical formation of students. Another opinion states that the active participation of parents and the community also strengthens the implementation of moral values in schools through their daily behaviour. This finding proves the synergy relationship between the collaborative participation of the main institutions, namely school, family and the wider community, can empower students with strong character, have good morals and be perfectly responsible.

Providing a localised cervical cancer screening course for general practice nurses

Cervical cancer screening programs in Australia have been developed to detect early precancerous changes in women with a cervix aged between 25 and 74. Yet, many barriers remain to the uptake of cervical screening. Barriers include a lack of culturally appropriate service provision, physical access, poor health literacy, emotional difficulties, socio-economic disadvantage and not having access to a female service provider. In remote and very remote areas of Australia, additional barriers experienced by Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander peoples include a distrust of healthcare providers and a lack of services, resulting in a much higher rate of diagnosis and death from cervical cancer. General practice nurses (GPNs) are well placed to conduct cervical screening tests (CSTs) after they have undertaken additional education and practical training. GPNs’ increase in scope of practice is beneficial to general practice as it helps to remove some barriers to cervical screening. In addition, GPNs conducting CSTs reduce GP workload and burnout and increase teamwork. GPNs working in metropolitan clinics have greater access to training facilities, whereas those working in rural and remote clinics are required to travel potentially long distances to complete practical assessments. This highlights the need for training to be made available in rural and remote areas. The aim of this forum paper is therefore to generate further discussion on the need for training programs to be made available in rural and remote areas to aid the upskilling of GPNs.

Efficacy of lifestyle interventions to treat pediatric obesity: A systematic review and multivariate meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.

The aim of this study was to provide a quantitative synthesis of the effects of randomized controlled pediatric lifestyle interventions in treating obesity among 11-17-year-old children. We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis on the randomized controlled trials, consisting of actual exercise training and nutrition education, published between January 2000 and August 2022. The initial search yielded 2598 articles, with eight articles meeting the inclusion criteria. The articles were analyzed using a multivariate random effects model. The primary outcome variables were body mass index (BMI), standardized BMI (BMIz), and waist circumference (WC). Our analyses showed that lifestyle interventions were efficacious in improving BMI (-1.77 kg/m2, 95% CI [-2.70, -0.83], p< 0.001), BMIz (-0.30, 95% CI [-0.45, -0.16], p< 0.001), and WC (-3.32 cm, 95% CI [-5.35, -1.29], p <0.001) in children with overweight and obesity. In addition, moderation analyses suggested that the efficacy of the lifestyle interventions correlated positively with participants' weight status and was enhanced when an intervention was boosted with a longer intervention duration and higher frequency. In conclusion, the current evidence suggests that lifestyle interventions are efficacious in treating children with obesity. The available evidence further indicates that duration, frequency, along weight status, were moderating the effectiveness of these lifestyle interventions.

Financial and Business Literacy Among Urology Residents: Is this a Problem and How Can We Better Prepare Residents for their Careers?

Although financial wellness is a predictor of physician burnout, we are yet to optimize financial education or wellness of Urology trainees. We assessed existing studies, compared them to those of other specialties, and discussed resources and methods to address this deficiency. Urology residents tend to be less fiscally savvy (carry significant debt, and lack retirement savings or disability insurance), and 90% of trainees and young Urologists do not feel comfortable with the business of practice, including skills like coding and billing, contract negotiation, and self-value assessment. Financial and business literacy are deficiencies of Urology training, as in other specialties. Eventually, the goal should be universal adoption of a formal curriculum that is graded in nature. In the interim, we need to propose and endorse adoption of a formal curriculum, and we should support trainees by promoting a space for easily accessible and transparent information regarding best practices in personal finance and the business of healthcare.

A Palliative Care Curriculum May Promote Resident Self-Reflection and Address Moral Injury

IntroductionThere is a lack of formal palliative care education for surgical trainees, and the demanding nature of surgical training and exposure to challenging clinical scenarios can contribute to moral injury. We developed a palliative care curriculum to promote self-reflection, aiming to address moral injury in residents. MethodsFive 1-h palliative care sessions were delivered over the academic year to all post-graduate year (PGY) levels covering the following topics: personal awareness, delivering bad news, surgical palliation for cancer pathology, surgical palliation for noncancer pathology, and urgent palliative care. The curriculum focused on reflection and small group discussions. The Moral Injury Symptom Scale-Health Professional was administered to assess feelings of moral injury. Descriptive statistics, chi-squared analysis, and Mann–Whitney U-test were used to compare the demographics and survey responses. Results23 participants completed the preintervention survey, and 9 participants completed it postintervention. Over 50% of participants were PGY1 or PGY2 residents. Preintervention, 52% of participants reported feeling guilt over failing to save someone from being seriously injured or dying. 30% of participants reported that the feelings of guilt, shame, or distrust impaired their ability to function in relationships, at work, or other areas of life to at least a moderate degree. ConclusionsThe described palliative care curriculum accomplishes several goals as follows: it educates residents on palliative care topics, teaches communication tools, encourages self-reflection, and provides space for building peer relationships. The ease of implementation makes this curriculum applicable across various types of institutions, offering the potential to positively impact surgical training on a national scale.

Low-cost simulation in health professions education: A bibliometric analysis and literature review of 20 years of research

IntroductionGaining practical experience in health professions education is a significant challenge. Simulation-based training has emerged as a key solution to this issue, but the high costs associated with advanced equipment and software limit accessibility for many institutions. Hence, to close this gap, this study aims to map the research field of low-cost simulation in health professions education through a bibliometric analysis. MethodsUtilizing a bibliometric study design, we analyzed publications from 2003 to 2022 in the Scopus Database, in accordance to Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses 2020 guidelines. Publications discussing low-cost simulation in English were included. Data points such as research design, study location, and outcomes were extracted. The Scival Platform and VosViewer were used to analyze publication trends, prolific institutions, authors, journals, and conceptual and intellectual structure. ResultsThe study found an increase in low-cost simulation research from 2003 to 2022, with significant growth after 2015. Observational studies predominated (68.57%), with general surgery being the most studied specialty. Less than half of the studies reported cost details, and only 2 compared the low-cost model with a standard. The United States led in scientific production, with notable collaboration networks. The keyword co-occurrence and co-citation analyses highlighted 4 main clusters in low-cost simulation research, emphasizing surgical training. ConclusionsThis investigation highlights the expanding interest in low-cost simulation to enhance access to hands-on training in health professions education, especially under financial constraints. However, the research field requires further development, particularly in validating these models against their more expensive counterparts. Such validation is crucial for ensuring the effectiveness and comparability of low-cost simulation.

The Role of Object Relations in the Physician-Patient Relationship in a Primary Care Setting.

A good physician-patient relationship is essential for the delivery of quality health care and is associated with better health outcomes. This study explored the association between patients' object relations and the physician-patient relationship. Primary care patients (n = 72) and physicians (n = 21) participated in the study. Patients' early memories were obtained prior to their medical visit and were coded with the Social Cognition and Object Relations-Global Method (SCORS-G). Patients and physicians independently rated the quality of the physician-patient encounter. Results indicated that object relations (SCORS-G Cognitive-structural and Self factors) incrementally predicted physician-patient relationship ratings, as rated by the patient, above and beyond psychological distress, somatization, and level of physician training. Patient education, psychological distress, and level of physician training predicted physician ratings of the medical encounter. The authors discuss the discrepancy between physician and patient ratings as they relate to patients' object relations.

Examining Prospective Teachers' Attitudes Towards the Teaching Profession: A Comparative Analysis of Relevant Variables

This research explores how various factors, such as subject stream, gender, and socio-economic background, shape the attitudes of prospective teachers towards the teaching profession. The research provides a detailed understanding of how these variables impact the attitudes of future educators and offers insights into the implications for teacher training programs. The research utilized a quantitative approach, gathering data via a structured questionnaire distributed to a sample of 80 prospective teachers from BGSB University, Rajouri. The results indicate that while there are moderate positive attitudes towards the teaching profession overall, significant differences exist based on subject stream and socio-economic background, though gender does not significantly influence attitudes. The findings have critical implications for educational policy and teacher training programs, suggesting the need for targeted interventions to enhance positive attitudes among prospective teachers.

Unveiling Classroom Assessment Literacy: Does Teachers’ Self-Directed Development Play Out?

Ideally, teachers’ classroom assessment literacy can be developed through in-service teacher education or assessment training from institutions. Yet in reality, teachers may not gain sufficient assessment training on the job or from institutionalised training programmes. This contextual disadvantage cannot explain teacher inertia in advancing their professional knowledge and their skills in classroom-based assessment. Instead, teachers are encouraged to proactively rely on themselves to enhance their CAL amid their tried-and-tested assessment practices. The current qualitative case study explores how a university English teacher directed herself to develop CAL in her assessment practices over time. Data were collected through narrative frames, interviews with the teacher and her students, classroom observations, and documents. This study shows that self-directed CAL development may be buttressed by the teacher’s prior assessment experiences. The teacher’s self-agency and reflections further empowered her to acquire the assessment knowledge, skills, and experience in improving assessment effectiveness. The implications for enhancing self-directed professional development in assessment are also discussed.

Peculiarities of normative regulation training of specialists in security activities

The article deals with the peculiarities of professional training normative regulation of security personnel. It was found that there is no scientific research on the normative regulation of the qualification requirements that are put forward to the security personnel. The aim of the research is to prepare proposals for improving the regulatory regulation of security specialists’ training. To achieve the goals of the article, a complex of scientific methods was used: formal and dogmatic one - during the analysis of the provisions of normative legal acts in the sphere of security activities; comparative legal method - within the limits of comparing the norms of legislative and by-laws. The application of the methods of analysis, synthesis, induction and deduction made it possible to build a logical structure of the scientific article and draw reasonable conclusions regarding the optimization of normative regulation of the educational training of security specialists. The present research analyzed the history of legal regulation of security specialists’ training in Ukraine, identified shortcomings and gaps in the regulatory framework of this sphere of activity. It was established that the existing standards of higher education do not take into account the needs of subjects of security activities in the training of security personnel. It has been proven that the normative and legal framework in the sphere of security activities does not require specialists in organization of security measures to have a specialized higher education. It is justified that the bachelor’s degree holders (specialty «Personal and Property Security») and master’s degree holders (specialty «Security Activities and Safety») should not have different specializations. It was concluded that the differences can only be in the focus of the training specialties of bachelor’s and master’s degrees holders: for subjects of security activity - specialty 076 «Entrepreneurship, Trade and Exchange Activity», and for subjects of state security bodies - specialty 251 «State Security». On the basis of the conducted research, suggestions were made regarding the improvement of the Law of Ukraine «On Security Activities» dated March 22, 2012 and the Licensing Conditions for the Conduct of Security Activities, which were approved by the Resolution of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine dated November 18, 2015 No. 960.

Neonatal Resuscitation and Delivery Room Care: A Changing Global Landscape.

With 98% of neonatal deaths occurring in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), leading health organizations continue to focus on global reduction of neonatal mortality. The presence of a skilled clinician at delivery has been shown to decrease mortality. However, there remain significant barriers to training and maintaining clinician skills and ensuring that facility-specific resources are consistently available to deliver the most essential, evidence-based newborn care. The dynamic nature of resource availability poses an additional challenge for essential newborn care educators in LMICs. With increasing access to advanced neonatal resuscitation interventions (ie, airway devices, code medications, umbilical line placement), the international health-care community is tasked to consider how to best implement these practices safely and effectively in lower-resourced settings. Current educational training programs do not provide specific instructions on how to scale these advanced neonatal resuscitation training components to match available materials, staff proficiency, and system infrastructure. Individual facilities are often faced with adapting content for their local context and capabilities. In this review, we discuss considerations surrounding curriculum adaptation to meet the needs of a rapidly changing landscape of resource availability in LMICs to ensure safety, equity, scalability, and sustainability.

Tactlessness as condition for teaching tact: educational reflections based on Adorno

ABSTRACT In recent years, reflection on pedagogical tact has made a comeback in the international debate. Tact is a fundamental disposition of the educator, albeit one that is scarcely addressed in the training of teachers and educators. The question is whether it is possible to treat this pedagogical propensity as a teachable habit, and to what extent. Here we propose that tact can be understood as a teachable frame of mind of the educator by analysing tactlessness. In other words, in order to become a tactful teacher, one has to pass through situations in which tact is not enacted, because the absence of tact – as Adorno proposes in his dialectical-negative perspective – becomes a condition for soliciting doubts about one’s educational action, metareflexive rethinking and finally tactful responses.

Enhancing Diabetes Management Education in Community Health Centers: Empowering Patients and Improving Health Outcomes

Background: Diabetes poses significant public health challenges globally, with South Africa experiencing high prevalence rates, particularly in underserved regions. The lack of tailored diabetes management programs in community health centers (CHCs) exacerbates poor health outcomes and increases healthcare costs. Methods and Materials: This project aimed to enhance diabetes management education at Pholela Community Health Centre in Durban, South Africa, through comprehensive educational interventions and healthcare provider training. Culturally sensitive educational materials were developed and delivered in multiple languages, targeting patient self-management and healthcare provider competence. Results : The intervention led to a 20% increase in the proportion of diabetic patients achieving target HbA1c levels within one year. Healthcare providers showed improved proficiency in delivering culturally sensitive, evidence-based diabetes care. Patient education workshops and peer support groups significantly improved patient knowledge and self-management practices. Conclusion: The project successfully addressed critical gaps in diabetes education and care at Pholela CHC, resulting in improved patient outcomes and enhanced healthcare practices. Continued community engagement and resource allocation are essential for sustaining these improvements and reducing the disease burden in underserved populations.

The Case for Strategic Integration of Diabetes Education in Southern Nigeria, Informed by Insights from a Pilot Study

The surge in diabetes cases affecting 3.6 million individuals in Nigeria demands a proactive response. Despite the high prevalence, the current Nigerian model is reactive leading to delayed treatment, heightened complications, elevated healthcare expenses, and diminished quality of life. This document proposes the solution of integrating culturally adapted Diabetes Self-Management Education and Support (DSMES) programs into Nigerian health policy as standard practice. Additionally, it recommends establishing diabetes educator training programs and a nationwide accreditation process. The development of such a program, in collaboration with the University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital, is outlined, highlighting both successes and failures during its initial implementation. These insights emphasize the importance of enhanced collaboration, sustainable funding, and a comprehensive monitoring and evaluation framework. These observations are currently driving ongoing program development.

Why continuing education and professional development trainings for Black and Minority Ethnic groups (BAME) is not translating into career progression, economic growths and bridging the employment gap in the national workforce in UK

The research objective of this study is to understand why continuing education and professional development (Lifelong Learning) the UK has not delivered the expected career advancement, economic returns and closing on the employment gap for Black and Minority Ethnic (BAME) population. Nevertheless, much funding has been put into such educational programs to improve the condition of the BAME community for career mobility and economic prospects, they remain prejudiced nevertheless. The purpose of this research will be to establish the causes of these disparities with particular emphasis on the system influences as well as the efficiency of the established CPD programmers. The research method of this study is of mixed nature, while qualitative study is followed by the quantitative one. The data was generated through Q&lt;|reserved_special_token_266|&gt; energy questionnaire survey and interviews conducted with BAME professional participants of CPD programs. Second, secondary data were collected from the governmental and organizational reports on diversity in the workforce and career advancement. in qualitative data were coded and categorized to explore the experiences of BAME people as well as measures of central tendency and dispersion were used on quantitative data in order to understand trends and co-relations. The study reveals several key outcomes: Fixed preconceptions arising out of race, scant opportunity to interact professionally, and lack of BAME personnel in dominant organizational positions ensure that BAME learners cannot advance further in their careers despite enrolling in CPD programmers. It has been established that the CPD programs are not very effective, the BAME candidates complained that the training does not make them earn a better position or get a salary increment like the white counterparts. Further, the study reveals that culture and organizations barriers and gates are among the barriers to complete inclusion and effectiveness of CPD BAME employees in their workplaces. The results have various implications for the policy-makers, educators and employers. Therefore, the current study’s findings are particularly important for policymakers to support more effective and sensitive policy measures to help BAME populations in the workplace. The authors recommend that educational institutions need to carry out changes in the content and the delivery of the CPD programs, such that they are appropriate for the BAME participants. Companies are encouraged to come up with better policies on how best to mainstream employees’ ethnicity, and how the promotion policies can be made fair and inclusive. The Authors therefore argue that while the acquisition of continuing, education and professional development are most important in career advancement, they are not in themselves adequate to either close the employment division or foster economic opportunity for BAME people in the UK. There is, therefore, a need for reforms at the system level to remove the social factors that act as hurdles to the actualization of these learning programs by BAME workers. Based on the study, the following policies, collaborative professional development, and organizational development solutions are proposed.