Future Medical Professionals Research Articles

Restoring Trust in Science and Medicine: Empowering and Educating Future Physicians in Science Communication With the Public.

While the traditional medical school curriculum specializes in teaching doctor-patient communication at the individual patient level, the need to train physicians to communicate science and medicine effectively to the public at large is, for the most part, ignored. With the unchecked proliferation of misinformation and disinformation during the COVID-19 pandemic, it is critical that current and future medical professionals learn to engage in the public arena using multiple methods (written, oral, social media) across multimedia platforms to dispel misinformation and accurately educate the public. This article describes the authors' interdisciplinary approach at the University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine to teaching science communication to medical students, early experiences, and future directions in this vein. The authors' experiences show that medical students are viewed as trusted sources of health-related information, and thus, need the skills and training to tackle misinformation and that students across these learning experiences appreciated the opportunity to choose a topic of their interest according to what matters to them and their communities most. The feasibility of successfully teaching scientific communication in an undergraduate and medical education curriculum is confirmed. These early experiences support the feasibility and impact of training medical students to improve communication about science with the general public.

The Significance of Cooperation in Interdisciplinary Health Care Teams as Perceived by Polish Medical Students.

The aim of the study was to explore the opinions of medical students with regard to cooperation in the interdisciplinary team, as well as the factors affecting the formation of opinions. The study was conducted using the Polish version of the questionnaire Attitudes Towards Interprofessional Health Care Teams. The study involved 1266 participants, including students of medicine (n = 308), midwifery (n = 348), nursing (n = 316) and physiotherapy (n = 294). According to the opinions of the students participating in the study, the therapeutic process based on the interdisciplinary model improves the quality of medical care provided, increases patient safety, and improves communication between members of the therapeutic team. The factors affecting the assessment of cooperation in interdisciplinary medical care teams included the faculty and the year of studies, gender, as well as participation in the multidisciplinary courses. Students recognize the need for interdisciplinary medical teams. The training of future medical professionals should incorporate the elements of interprofessional education. This form of education allows students to develop both a professional identity and identification with their own profession, as well as encourages teamwork skills and shapes the attitude of openness towards representatives of other medical professions. However, in order to provide the students with the relevant knowledge, skills and competencies, it is essential to respect their diversity in terms of the faculty, as well as to account for the impact of gender and the year of studies which may affect their readiness to engage in teamwork.

Correlation of Anthropometric and Lipid Markers in GMC Jammu Medical Students

Background: The prevalence of cardiovascular diseases are likely to rise as a result of lifestyle-related risk factors.Due to their hectic schedules and lack of time for extracurricular activities, medical students were chosen for thestudy because they are more likely than other populations to develop lifestyle illnesses.Objectives: To explore the connection of anthropometric and biochemical lipid profile markers to assess obesityrisk in medical students.Materials and methods: 180 MBBS students from Government Medical College, Jammu, participated in the study.The body mass index (BMI) was calculated using anthropometric measurements of body weight (BW), bodyheight (BH), together with waist circumference (WC), and hip circumference (HC), as well as the waist-to-hip ratio(W/H ratio). Using blood samples, a lipid profile was calculated.Results: According to the survey, 16.11% of Group 2 students were overweight, and 3.89 % were obese. Group 1consisted of 80% normal subjects. Between two BMI groups and Lipid profile, a statistically significant differencewas discovered. There was a negative correlation between Waist circumference and HDL cholesterol. The BMIwas negatively correlated with HDL-cholesterol and positively correlated with triglyceride.Conclusion: The prevalence of cardiovascular risk factors such as obesity, hypertension, and elevated triglyceridesis high among medical students. Therefore, it may be deduced that healthy lifestyles should be adopted at a youngage because medical students are the future medical professionals.

Harnessing the power of artificial intelligence in medicine: Insights of future medical professionals

Harnessing the power of artificial intelligence in medicine: Insights of future medical professionals

Knowledge and awareness of warning signs about Lung cancer among Pharmacy and Nursing undergraduates in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia - an observational study.

Background: Cancer is becoming more common, regardless of gender or type. Cancer was determined to be the leading cause of death, with lung cancer (LC) patients having the highest rate of cancer-related deaths. The purpose of this study was to analyze undergraduates' knowledge and awareness of LC early warning signs in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Methods: Between May and September 2022, a cross-sectional, prospective paper-based survey-type study was conducted among undergraduates (n=202) from the faculty of pharmacy and nursing at King Saud University (KSU) in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The data was gathered from third and fourth-year undergraduates. The statistical package for social science (SPSS Inc., Chicago, IL, U.S.) was used to perform the analysis. Results: The mean age of the undergraduates was 22.47 ± 2.35(SD) years. Most of them were from nursing 54% (n=109), while 46% (n=93) belonged to a pharmacy. In terms of awareness of warning signs of lung cancer, 48.6% of the students believed that unexplained weight loss, followed by persistent chest infection (36.6%) and cough that does not go away easily (37.6%). Over 45.1 % of students opted that coughing up blood, pain during the cough (46.5%), and worsening or change in an existing cough (42.1%) were reported as a sign of LC. In this study, the overall good awareness score was 60(29.7%). The awareness was significantly associated with gender (p = 0.0001), the course of study (p=0.018), the educational level (p = 0.003), smoking cigarettes (p = 0.003), and chronic disease status (p = 0.0001). Conclusion: Undergraduates attending university in this study indicated various levels of awareness of LC symptoms. The undergraduate's educational background, study program, and gender all greatly influence their level of awareness. It is necessary to inform future medical professionals about this growing condition.

Antimicrobial resistance: The next probable pandemic

Even as the world continues to grieve for those lost to the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, another pandemic is brewing that has the potential to kill hundreds of millions of people in a century or less. In the far future, patients’ lives are being cut short in hospital wards by the stealthy but widespread epidemic of antimicrobial resistance. Unfortunately, the global health community is now confronting the silently growing pandemic that could threaten some of the most significant advancements in contemporary medicine. Considering that current medical professionals will eventually pass the torch to their students, who will hopefully lead to further improvements in antimicrobial resistance and antibiotic usage, medical students have the opportunity to contribute to a long-term solution to this problem. Future medical professionals, then, need to be better equipped to make prudent and economical use of antimicrobials.

AWARENESS ABOUT HPV: A CALL TO IMPROVE MEDICAL EDUCATION AND PUBLIC HEALTH CAMPAIGNS TO LIMIT THE SPREAD OF THE VIRUS

Dear Editor, I am writing this letter to express my opinion about the article "Knowledge, Attitudes and Beliefs about HPV Infection and HPV Vaccines in Romanian Medical Students", published în the Roum Arch Microbiol Immunol., 2021;80(1):22-35 [1]. The study reveals the alarming lack of awareness and understanding about HPV infection and vaccination among some of the future medical professionals in Romania, which has significant consequences for public health and the overall preparedness of the medical system in Romania. The questionnaire, involving more than 1000 medical students from the Carol Davila University of Medicine and Pharmacy, has revealed the lack of change in perception, knowledge, and action among the students regarding HPV over the years 2016 to 2018. It would be a good idea, if it is possible, to make statistics with a larger range (to include students from other medical universities across Romania for example) to see if the percentages are similar and to get a more precise idea of the awareness of other future medical specialists throughout Romania. It would be even better if such a study is conducted in other Eastern European countries like Bulgaria, for example, since in recent years there has been a decreased mortality rate of cervical cancer in Western and Central European countries, but increasing in Eastern European ones. Statistically speaking, every day a woman dies in Bulgaria as a result of cervical cancer, and 43 women are diagnosed with the disease every day. According to the World Health Organization and the Bulgarian Ministry of Health, only 3% of the population has been vaccinated against HPV in Bulgaria. A similar study from another country would help the data obtained to be compared which in turn might help health specialists/ organisations to compare and discuss the different methods/ideas that are applied in the respective countries.

A qualitative study on the internal response of medical students during the transgender healthcare education: a focus on professional identity.

This qualitative study examined the inner response of medical students who participated in a transgender healthcare education program. The factors that effected the inner response were investigated in order to suggest strategies for improving the effectiveness of the transgender healthcare education program. The transgender healthcare education program consisted of 2 hours of lectures and 2 hours of clinical role-play over 3 weeks. Eight 4-year medical students in Seoul, South Korea, were selected considering gender, the route of admission to medical school, and religion. Each student was interviewed individually for approximately 30 minutes 3 times before, during, and after the educational program, and interviews were analyzed using thematic analysis. By attending the transgender healthcare education program, students have shown three types of inner response-confusion, acceptance, and negotiation. The students' personal identities and professional identities influenced these responses. In particular, students' existing professional identities motivated them to learn about transgender healthcare and played a key role in resolving the discomfort that occurred during the educational program. Through the transgender healthcare education, students were able to reduce prejudice against transgender people, understand the unique medical needs of the transgender population and increase their self-efficacy related to transgender health care. The transgender healthcare education program allowed medical school students to acquire medical knowledge related to transgender patients and increase their cultural competence as future medical professionals. In addition, as the professional identity is critical in educating transgender healthcare, it should be considered thoroughly in order to effectively educate the medical students.

Cross sectional observational study to assess the knowledge of drugs utilized in emergency medical conditions amongst medical interns and residents in tertiary care teaching hospital

Background: Medical interns and residents are future medical professionals and as first-line responders, they may confront any type of emergency. Knowledge of pharmacotherapeutics (PTs) is the backbone of emergency care. Therefore, this study is designed to assess PTs’ knowledge and identify the lacunae in handling various medical emergencies among medical interns and residents.Methods: This was a cross-sectional, observational, questionnaire-based study. A self-structured questionnaire containing 30 close-ended questions, assessing the knowledge of drugs utilized in various medical emergency conditions was prepared and circulated in the form of a Google form. A credit score of “1” was given for each correct response. Grading of knowledge was done as “poor” (≤50%), “average” (>50-70%), and “adequate” (>70%-100%) The student’s unpaired t-test was used to analyse the data.Results: A total of 282 candidates responded, with 148 (52.48 %) interns and 134 (47.52%) residents. Participants had the least knowledge of PTs for anaphylactic shock. Participants’ knowledge of PTs was found to be adequate regarding the central nervous system and electrolyte disorders while average regarding toxicology, immunization, and endocrine system. Results suggested that residents (mean score: 21.42±5.06) were significantly (p=0.0165) more knowledgeable than interns (mean score: 19.96±5.08). Among respondents, 17.6% of interns and 13.4% of residents had poor performance while 45.9% of interns and 53.7% of residents had adequate performance.Conclusions: The current study provides valuable information regarding the state of PTs’ knowledge in medical emergencies among interns and residents, which can be used to improve undergraduate as well as postgraduate training.

Theoretical Aspects of the Development of an Ethical Culture of Future Medical Workers in the Process of Teaching Professional Medical Disciplines

The relevance of the study is conditioned by the fact that, considering problems in the educational process of training students in institutions of higher medical education, researchers highlight ethical aspects, and the rules of morality of future medics. This indicates a significant role of ethical issues in the future profession of a doctor. However, the question of how the ethical culture of future doctors is formed in the process of mastering professional disciplines has not yet been described. And, since this competence is indicated in the curriculum, the issue requires separate scientific consideration. The purpose of the study is to analyse how the ethical culture of applicants for medical specialities is formed, and find effective ways to develop it. The analysis of recent papers on this issue is carried out, in particular, positions on the importance of ethical culture in the process of professional training of future nurses and doctors in various fields are considered. It is noted that there is no clear interpretation of ethical culture in the literature, but this concept is associated with rules of behaviour, ethical norms, and morality. Notably, it is difficult to monitor the mastery of ethical norms while working out professional disciplines, especially in the context of distance learning. Information technologies effectively ensure this process, namely: the use of the Moodle platform guarantees transparency and reduces the additional discomfort associated with Internet communication. To achieve these goals, the following methods were used: comparison, analysis, concretisation, generalisation of scientific literature; pedagogical observation and questionnaires; conversation, abstraction, business game, practical classes in healthcare institutions. As a result, it is noted that the development of an ethical culture for future medical professionals is an important element in the educational process, and regardless of the educational component, teachers must necessarily focus the attention of applicants for education on issues of ethical culture. The introduction of situational tasks in professional disciplines contributes to the development of ethical competence.

Особливості досягнення програмних результатів навчання в процесі підготовки здобувачів вищої медичної освіти

Abstract. It is substantiated that one of the effective ways to improve the quality of education is interdisciplinary integration. The interdisciplinary approach based on the new educational standards presupposes, first of all, the ability of the medical education seeker to solve problems and take responsibility; act in an unstable context; motivation of students to study a certain discipline, thorough understanding and comparison; application of the acquired knowledge in practice; broadening the horizons, increasing the independence and creativity of future medical professionals; integration of the acquired knowledge, skills and abilities into one whole and perception of the material mastered during all training as inseparable unity. Methodological aspects of training a future medical specialist in the system of higher professional education in the conditions of interdisciplinary integration are considered. The main directions of improving the professional training of medical students on the basis of integration of different approaches are identified. The importance of applying interdisciplinary integration in the training of future medical professionals on the example of a combination of clinical, bioethical and legal knowledge is substantiated. The issue of application of interdisciplinary integration in the training of medical students is covered. The factors of optimization of the process of training future medical specialists on the basis of interdisciplinary connections are considered. It is shown that the application of interdisciplinary integrative technologies provides grounds for the formation and development of future medical professionals in the field of analytical and critical thinking, which is the key to improving the quality of medical education. It is proved that the professional training of future specialists in the medical field is in dynamic development, which is due to the priority of improving the quality of medical education. It was found that the effectiveness of the integration approach in the training of future medical professionals, in order to improve the quality of their education, requires improvement of the methodological concept in the development of educational and methodological complex of professional training on the basis of interdisciplinary integration. This can be ensured by considering the following factors: social demands for professional activity; the specifics of training at clinical departments and the peculiarities of mastering non-core disciplines; providing scientific, informational and methodological support of the educational process; formation and development of future medical professionals of analytical and critical types of thinking. The proposed will ensure high-quality readiness of future medical professionals for their professional activities. Key words: program learning outcomes, higher education, medical student, interdisciplinary integration, professional training, quality of education.

Undergraduate Students In Kinesiology Exploring Health Disparities

Undergraduate pre-health professional students are graduating from Kinesiology programs with little to no understanding about disproportionate health outcomes that impact the well-being of marginalized groups. Health disparities (HD) are differences in health outcomes that disproportionately impact individuals based on race and ethnicity, gender, sexuality, socioeconomic status, ability, and geographic location. Integrating HD into undergraduate academic courses proves beneficial for informing, equipping, and engaging future health and medical professionals in re-imaging equitable systems of health that minimize disparities. PURPOSE: The purpose of this ethnographic case study was to explore how 142 undergraduate (Sophomores 2%, Juniors 54%, and Seniors 45%) pre-health professionals engaged in learning about health disparities. METHODS: The health disparities curriculum consisted of four online self-paced learning modules embedded into a Kinesiology course. The instruction was designed to improve student awareness of HD, engage them in reflective writing practices and collaborative learning. Pre-post surveys, student reflections, and online discussions were triangulated to observe how students were making sense of HD topics. Drawing on constructs of Critical Consciousness, data were coded using thematic analysis. RESULTS: A small percentage (29%) of students reported learning about HD in their undergraduate courses, research, or volunteer experiences. Students overall reported an increase (75%-95%) in their understanding of the term HD and the groups most impacted by them. Three themes emerged that represented how students navigated HD learning: eye-opening experiences, lived experiences, and learning in motion. Broader themes included seeking mentorship for improving learning and implementing equitable practices. CONCLUSIONS: Disparities are linked to conscious or unconscious bias of health professionals and result in poor care and treatment. Engaging in HD learning early increases the level of consciousness and strategies for critiquing inequitable practices that have major implications for eliminating disparities.

The Intellectual Potential of Employees in Hospital Crisis Management During a Pandemic

Abstract: Hospitals are medical entities that provide health care services to patients. The specialized medical staff does not only provide medical services, but also educates future medical professionals, conducts clinical research, and supports the development of medical technology.
 The important role of employees in hospital operations is evidenced by the dominant percentage of labour costs in the cost structure of the health care entity.
 The article aims to analyse the changes in remuneration of teaching hospital employees as a factor stimulating the increase in the intellectual potential of hospital employees, including medical staff as the main resource of knowledge workers, in hospital crisis management during a pandemic.
 The inference was made based on the available financial data on the formation and growth of labour costs of hospital employees as a factor in stimulating the development of intellectual potential.
 The following research questions were posed: Is the level of remuneration of hospital employees during a pandemic an expression of building the intellectual potential of hospital employees and do current legal regulations on financing the operations of teaching hospitals in Poland, including the financing of salaries and other labour costs of medical staff, support crisis management during a pandemic?
 The research was conducted based on the reporting data for 2018-2020 in selected teaching hospitals as primary entities employing high-level medical professionals. The research was empirical by nature and was based on quantitative and qualitative data. The analyses were of an expert nature from the perspective of a certified auditor and a long-term researcher of the problems of the functioning of hospitals as medical entities.
 The investigations presented in the paper help identify the conditions for the development of the intellectual potential of hospital employees as actors involved in solving health problems of an international scope. The effects of the analyses are mainly addressed to the bodies establishing medical entities, bodies influencing the form of the health care system and hospital management staff.

Medical Students' Perspectives on LGBTQI+ Healthcare and Education in Germany: Results of a Nationwide Online Survey.

The healthcare needs of lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans*, queer, and intersex (LGBTQI+) persons are often overlooked, prompting national and international calls to include diversity-related competencies into medical students’ training. However, LGBTQI+-focused healthcare education targets remain elusive, as surveys reveal considerable variability across national student populations. To generate empirical data and vocalize recommendations for medical education, we conducted the first nationwide online survey among 670 German medical students from 33 universities. Overall, most respondents reported low confidence regarding their medical training preparing them for LGBTQI+ patients, stated that LGBTQI+ themes were not covered during training, and agreed that the inclusion of such themes is urgently needed. In addition, we found gender and LGBTQI+ community member status to be key variables. Men scored lower in knowledge than women, while community members scored higher than non-community members. Similarly, community members reported higher comfort levels. Non-community men showed the highest levels of prejudice and efficacy beliefs, while at the same time had the lowest scores in contacts and the perceived importance of LGBTQI+-related teaching. Keeping subgroup differences in mind, we recommend that educational training should include LGBTQI+ healthcare aspects and address self-efficacy beliefs in future medical professionals to overcome LGBTQI+ healthcare disparities.

A Preliminary Study to Improve Death Education for the Public and Medical Students after the Enforcement of the Life-Sustaining Treatment Decision Act

Considering the recent medicalization of death, the importance of preparing both laypersons and medical students to have meaningful end-of-life conversations, which is among the objectives of death education, will grow. The Act of Hospice and Palliative Care and Decisions on Life-Sustaining Treatment for Patients at the End of Life provided a new source of momentum to death education for both laypersons and medical professionals, as the importance of education on death is widely recognized. However, problems remain regarding how to prepare people for productive conversations at the end-of-life and how to secure the continuity of care. Different focuses and deficiencies are observed in death education programs for each category of learner. In education for laypeople, tangible information on how to actualize one’s existential and personal understanding of death through real-life options is lacking, except for presenting the “protocol” of the Act. Conversely, basic medical education lacks an understanding of or confrontation with death on the existential and personal levels. Death education should aim to build a shared understanding that can facilitate communication between the two groups. The scant overlap between layperson education and basic medical education even after the Act’s enactment is worrisome. Further fundamental changes in death education are required regarding its content. Topics that patients and doctors can share and discuss regarding death and end-of-life care should be discovered and provided as educational content both to laypeople and future medical professionals.

Attitude towards Euthanasia among Medical Students: A Cross-Sectional Study in Hong Kong.

Background: With an increasing aging population and heavy medical burden, euthanasia has become a controversial topic in Hong Kong (HK) in recent years. Medical students are future medical professionals who may face novel and evolving ethical dilemmas. Hence, their views on euthanasia are crucial. Objective: To examine the attitudes of medical students towards euthanasia in HK and identify the factors associated with their attitude towards euthanasia. Methods: A questionnaire-based cross-sectional study among medical students in HK was conducted. The online anonymous questionnaires were distributed to all six years of students studying medicine at the Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) and the University of Hong Kong (HKU), who provide medical training in HK. Attitude towards Euthanasia (ATE), measured using a five-point Likert Scale, was used to assess medical students’ attitudes towards euthanasia. Results: overall, 228 valid responses were received in 2021. The mean score of ATE was 29 (SD10.9), in which 134 (58.8%) of respondents showed a negative attitude towards euthanasia. Negative association was found between Christian (p-value = 0.003) and Catholic (p-value = 0.032) and the ATE score. Meanwhile, positive association was found between male gender (p-value = 0.011) and witnessed withdrawing of nutritional support from patient(s) (p-value = 0.011) and the ATE score. Conclusions: It is necessary for the government and schools to place more emphasis on euthanasia in the school curriculum by integrating ethical discussions and clinical attachment.

Paradox of telemedicine: building or neglecting trust and equity

Paradox of telemedicine: building or neglecting trust and equity

Health and Disease Management for Women's Life Stages: As Family Pharmacists and Leaders of Health Support Pharmacies

The number of women in the workforce is increasing because promoting their participation has become part of the country's growth strategy. On the other hand, maintaining the population is also a major issue. It is necessary to consider what kind of education should be provided to trainee pharmacists as people who are personally involved, and what kind of education is necessary for them as future medical professionals. The Basic Law for Child and Maternal Health and Child Development has been enacted, and the concept of preconception care is taking root. Health education for young people is of utmost importance to ensure their health and well-being in the future. We need to provide appropriate education to pharmacists as family pharmacists, as leaders of health support pharmacies, and as medical professionals who support women's health in the community. Because women's health is to be comprehensively supported by society including the community, family, workplace, and school, it seems that education on women's reproductive and general health will become more important in the future, in universities and especially schools of pharmacy.

EXPERIMENTAL STUDY OF COMPUTER-ORIENTED METHODOLOGY OF FOREIGN LANGUAGE COMMUNICATIVE DEVELOPMENT OF FUTURE MEDICAL PROFESSIONALS

The paper studies a complex research of the problem of computer-oriented methodology for the development of foreign language communicative competence of future medical professionals. Electronic educational resources at Ukrainian medical universities, in particular I. Horbachevsky Ternopil National Medical University (TNMU) is described and analyzed : Moodle program, Teams, Skype programs, electronic correspondence, Google Apps, interactive whiteboard, Power Point for presentations, online resources such as Rosetta Stone, Oxford Latin Course, Internet Workbook for the Oxford Latin Course, author’s resource Anatom (anatom.ua), electro­nic dictionaries glosbe.com, ABBYYLingvo 12. A computer-oriented methodology of conducting Latin language classes is described in detail and analyzed. Tools and resources are recommended to increase the level of ICC development of future medical specialists. Criteria and levels of foreign language communicative competence’ evaluation of future medical professionals were found out.
 An experimental study of the effectiveness of this methodology is explored. The study makes it possible to conclude that the proposed methodology is effective and can be recommended for implementation in the system of higher medical education. The recommendations for improving curricula, developing new computer-oriented tools to improve the level of development of ICC at higher medicinal institutions of Ukraine are proposed. Further research prospects for the development of foreign language communicative competence of future medical professionals by means of information and communication technologies are outlined.

Хуманистични аспекти на чуждоезиковото педагогическо взаимодейст- вие във висшето медицинско училище по време на пандемия

The article represents the current pedagogical problem of building human relationships that foreign students face in Bulgarian second language acquisition for medical purposes in the conditions of Covid-19 and social distancing. A number of observed problems in the context of e-learning are analyzed. Special attention is paid to various aspects of academic communication with foreign medical students during the pandemic. Specific examples which can be used to prove that the usage of digital devices and content over a long period of time exacerbates the deficit of personal contacts and adds specific challenges to the multi- subject interaction: teacher – student – patient are given. The article outlines methodological ideas and tasks used in the distance learning environment in order to form both human e algorithms in the professional behavior of future medical professionals from other countries and skills for ethical communication in the healthcare.