Health Professional Schools Research Articles

Importance and pathways for school health and health education in the new era

School health professionals should have epidemic outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has raised the recognition of the importance of school health and health education in educational system. a clear understanding and clear the thinking of school health and health education in the new era. The status and value of school health and health education should be deeply understood from the perspectives of building the Xiaokang in an all-round way, embarking on the journey toward the modernization of education and carrying forward the great spirit of fighting against the epidemic. This paper expounds the enlightenment of the education system fighting against the epidemic on the school health and health education, and puts forward some problems that should be solved emphatically in the school health and health education in the new era. 【摘要】 新冠肺炎疫情提髙了学校卫生与健康教育工作在教育中的重视程度, 学校卫生工作者应有更加清晰的认识, 理 清新时代学校卫生与健康教育工作思路。要从全面建成小康社会、实现教育现代化、弘扬伟大抗疫精神三个视角深刻认识 学校卫生与健康教育工作的地位和价值, 认清存在的问题:学生卫生与健康科学知识的缺失、健康习惯的缺失、教育系统卫 生与健康教育保障体系的落后, 鲜明提出了新时代学校卫生与健康教育工作应着重解决科学规划课程行为规范的问题。

Training a Fit-For-Purpose Rural Health Workforce for Low- and Middle-Income Countries (LMICs): How Do Drivers and Enablers of Rural Practice Intention Differ Between Learners From LMICs and High Income Countries?

Equity in health outcomes for rural and remote populations in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) is limited by a range of socio-economic, cultural and environmental determinants of health. Health professional education that is sensitive to local population needs and that attends to all elements of the rural pathway is vital to increase the proportion of the health workforce that practices in underserved rural and remote areas. The Training for Health Equity Network (THEnet) is a community-of-practice of 13 health professional education institutions with a focus on delivering socially accountable education to produce a fit-for-purpose health workforce. The THEnet Graduate Outcome Study is an international prospective cohort study with more than 6,000 learners from nine health professional schools in seven countries (including four LMICs; the Philippines, Sudan, South Africa and Nepal). Surveys of learners are administered at entry to and exit from medical school, and at years 1, 4, 7, and 10 thereafter. The association of learners' intention to practice in rural and other underserved areas, and a range of individual and institutional level variables at two time points—entry to and exit from the medical program, are examined and compared between country income settings. These findings are then triangulated with a sociocultural exploration of the structural relationships between educational and health service delivery ministries in each setting, status of postgraduate training for primary care, and current policy settings. This analysis confirmed the association of rural background with intention to practice in rural areas at both entry and exit. Intention to work abroad was greater for learners at entry, with a significant shift to an intention to work in-country for learners with entry and exit data. Learners at exit were more likely to intend a career in generalist disciplines than those at entry however lack of health policy and unclear career pathways limits the effectiveness of educational strategies in LMICs. This multi-national study of learners from medical schools with a social accountability mandate confirms that it is possible to produce a health workforce with a strong intent to practice in rural areas through attention to all aspects of the rural pathway.

Institutional and Faculty Partnerships to Promote Learner Preparedness for Health Professions Education.

By the year 2060, it is projected that 57% of the US population will be members of minority groups, with no one group being the majority. While there is increasing diversity of the population, there remain significant disparities in morbidity and mortality affecting minority groups, and persistent low numbers of underrepresented students in the health professions. Increasing the numbers of underrepresented minority students in health care and decreasing the disparity gap have been a priority for many institutions. Increasing diversity requires an approach that not only involves health professions schools but also involves undergraduate institutions, faculty, and other professionals who provide pre-health training to students. In 2018, a group of academic medicine leaders convened the Innovators, Collaborators, and Leaders conference with faculty at institutions across the state of North Carolina to discuss ways to improve learner preparedness for health professions education and increase numbers of underrepresented students pursuing health careers. In this manuscript, the authors share results from the conference and how institutional and faculty partnerships can promote learner preparedness for health professions education.

The role of faith-based health professions schools in Cameroon’s health system

ABSTRACT Faith-based health professions schools contribute to the training of staff in many Sub-Saharan African countries. Yet little is known about these actors, their role in the health system, potential comparative advantages and challenges faced. This is a qualitative study drawing on 24 qualitative interviews and 3 focus group discussions. Participants included faith-based health professions schools, staff at faith-based health professions schools, Ministry of Health officials and donors. Thematic analysis was used to analyse the data. The findings reveal that understanding of faith-based health professions schools held by donors and the Ministry of Health rest on a set of assumptions rather than evidence-backed knowledge and that knowledge on key aspects is missing (not least on the market share of such actors). This suggests that collaboration with and oversight of these non-state schools is limited, raising questions about the balance of state regulation and control in the public-private mix for training health workers. Linked to this weak oversight, the findings also raise concerns over a number of problematic activities at these schools, unaccredited training programmes and the presence of missionary volunteers whose presence and actions are rarely interrogated.

How Should Health Professions Schools Partner With AI/AN Communities?

Many health professions education institutions exist on land once inhabited by American Indians and Alaska Natives (AI/AN). Land acknowledgment by these academic organizations is helpful, but collaborative support of AI/AN health is also needed. Because tribal-university partnerships in education are fewer than in research but just as important, this article considers health professions schools' responsibilities to offer students clinical rotations on tribal lands and to recruit AI/AN students. Such investment expands student educational opportunity, diversifies clinical workforces, and helps tribes improve health infrastructure and sustainability. This article also offers an adaptable roadmap for building such partnerships.

The future of health professions education: Emerging trends in the United States.

The future of health professions education: Emerging trends in the United States.

Age-friendly student senior connection: students’ experience in an interprofessional pilot program to combat loneliness and isolation among older adults during the COVID-19 pandemic

ABSTRACT Loneliness and isolation are concerning consequences of social distancing and other stay-at-home orders for older adults globally, amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. To combat loneliness and isolation among older adults residing in California, the Keck School of Medicine collaborated with other health profession schools at the University of Southern California (USC) to create the Age-Friendly Student Senior Connection (AFSSC). A total of 115 interprofessional graduate students were linked with older adults. Students engaged in 30 to 60 minute phone calls with older adults 2 to 5 times per week for 6 weeks. Student preparation included asynchronous video and web-based learning, weekly synchronous de-briefing sessions with a participating faculty member via Zoom, phone, and e-mail support from faculty, and information about resources for older adults. Faculty held weekly meetings throughout the pilot and developed new resources to respond to older adult needs, as reported by students. A total of 102 students completed pre-program and post-program surveys. Preliminary results show statistically significant changes in the reported benefits and outcomes from students participating in the program.

Health behaviours of education professionals: any room for improvement? A study of French employees

Abstract Background Education professionals have a role to play in health education, both as knowledge providers and role-models. To appraise their health awareness, we compared their health behaviours to those of non-education employees. Methods Using inclusion data of the CONSTANCES French cohort (2012-2019) and adjusting for important confounders (sex, age, education,...), we alternately compared three indicators of risky conducts (at-risk drinking, current smoking, past year-cannabis use) and two indicators of unhealthy lifestyle (low physical activity, overweight/obesity) between education professionals (n = 14730) and a random sample of non-education employees (n = 34244). Among education professionals, we distinguished between teachers (n = 12820), school principals (n = 372), principal educational advisers (n = 189), school health professionals (n = 128), and school manual/service staff (n = 1221). Results Teachers were less likely than non-education employees to be at-risk drinker, to smoke, to have used cannabis in the past year and to be overweight/obese. Other non-teaching education professionals were also rather less involved in risky conducts than non-education employees. Nonetheless, school principals and principal educational advisers reported more often low physical activity and school principals and manual/service staff were more prone to overweight/obesity than non-education employees. Conclusions In this large nationwide sample of French employees, education professionals were rather less involved in risky conducts than other non-education employees with a similar demographic and socioeconomic profile. Yet, non-teaching education professionals showed punctually unhealthy lifestyle indicators, suggesting a window of opportunity to improve both their own health and, indirectly through role-model, that of the youth with whom they interact daily. Key messages Education professionals, especially teachers, appear more health-conscious than average. There may still be room for improvement toward a healthier lifestyle. In addition, the average observed may be quite far from the recommended public health target, so that any action to enhance education professional’s health behaviours will have societal benefits.

University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health.

University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health.

Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences at University at Buffalo.

Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences at University at Buffalo.

Improving Clinical Communication and Collaboration Through Technology:: A Benefits Analysis for Nurse Leaders

Clinical communication platforms have become such disparate systems that some health care organizations experience confusion, wasted time, and clinician dissatisfaction, resulting in quality and safety issues for nurse leaders. Yet, health care communication technologies are evolving rapidly. This article evaluates the evidence around improving inpatient clinical communication through an in-depth literature search and industry review of best practices; providing essential information about the benefits of unifying clinical communication across interprofessional teams. For an ongoing Kaiser Permanente nursing performance improvement project, 130 articles, industry papers and expert opinions were reviewed, and recommendations are presented for nurse leaders seeking to improve clinical communication and collaboration and to meet the Quadruple Aim in their organizations. Clinical communication platforms have become such disparate systems that some health care organizations experience confusion, wasted time, and clinician dissatisfaction, resulting in quality and safety issues for nurse leaders. Yet, health care communication technologies are evolving rapidly. This article evaluates the evidence around improving inpatient clinical communication through an in-depth literature search and industry review of best practices; providing essential information about the benefits of unifying clinical communication across interprofessional teams. For an ongoing Kaiser Permanente nursing performance improvement project, 130 articles, industry papers and expert opinions were reviewed, and recommendations are presented for nurse leaders seeking to improve clinical communication and collaboration and to meet the Quadruple Aim in their organizations. Michelle Machon, RN, MSN, CPHIMSS, is director of clinical education, practice, and informatics at Kaiser Permanente Roseville Medical Center in Roseville, California. She can be reached at [email protected] Mary Lynne Knighten, DNP, RN, NEA-BC, is adjunct faculty at School of Nursing and Health Professions, University of San Francisco, in San Francisco, California. Janet Sohal, DNP, MSN, RN, NEA-BC, is director of clinical education, practice, and informatics at Kaiser Permanente Sacramento Medical Center in Sacramento, California.

Supreme Court Upholds DACA Program in 5-4 Decision, but Peril Remains

Supreme Court Upholds DACA Program in 5-4 Decision, but Peril Remains

Emergency Transition to Virtual Education during COVID-19: Lessons and Opportunities for Experiential Learning and Practice Socialization

This article was migrated. The article was not marked as recommended. In response to COVID-19, health professional schools made an emergency transition to virtual learning. The speed and scope of virtual learning adoption is unprecedented and poses major challenges to health professional schools to maintain important elements of their curriculum and pedagogical structure. Some challenges include maintaining fidelity of experiential and bedside clinical learning, along with practice socialization. These challenges may be amplified in traditionally underrepresented and poor students. There are some practical solutions to minimize these challenges. For example, health professional schools can find new means of encouraging community engagement and mentor-mentee relationships such as using technology to connect students with faculty and patients to mitigate losses in clinical experiences, and using video-chat over speech only forms of communication that can help establish some sense of learning community while online. Health professional schools may also use the COVID-19 crisis to establish new norms in health profession education, by developing hybrid educational content between multiple programs or health professions, with the goal of establishing or strengthening interprofessional educational opportunities and increasing access to them.

Development of a scale for measuring physician attitudes toward interprofessional education and collaboration

ABSTRACT Interest has been increasing in interprofessional education and collaboration (IPEC) within health professional schools over the last two decades. Although a growing body of literature addresses the effects of IPEC on healthcare outcomes, psychometrically sound attitudinal instruments that measure concepts surrounding IPEC are still needed. The primary objective of this study was to develop a scale to measure the attitudes of attending physicians and residents toward IPEC. Based on a literature review, a set of questionnaire items was drafted to address all six domains outlined in a World Health Organization report for interprofessional learning outcomes. These domains are teamwork and collaboration, roles and responsibilities, communication, reflection and learning, the patient, and ethics and attitudes. A total of 379 physicians and trainees completed the questionnaire. A principal axis factoring with orthogonal varimax rotation of 20 items produced a 5-factor solution explaining 60% of the variance. Examination of the items in each factor led to the following labels: ‘teamwork and communication,’ ‘ethics and attitudes,’ ‘roles and responsibilities,’ ‘reflective practice,’ and ‘patient-centered care.’ A Generalized Linear Model provided initial evidence that the new scale might detect shifts in attitudes related to some of the emergent factors.

Establishing a Multi-Institutional Quality and Patient Safety Consortium: Collaboration Across Affiliates in a Community-Based Medical School.

The landscape of health care delivery and medical education is evolving. Institutions must continually reassess priorities, strategies, and partnerships to align the knowledge and skills of the health care workforce with the delivery of quality, socially accountable, collaborative health care that meets the needs of diverse populations in communities. This article describes the development, implementation, and early outcomes of the University of Missouri-Kansas City's Health Care Quality and Patient Safety Consortium. Inspired by an actual patient safety event, the consortium aimed to improve patient outcomes by establishing quality improvement and patient safety (QIPS) education and scholarship as foundational within its unique, horizontal-matrix academic health center, which comprises 6 affiliated hospitals and 4 university-based health sciences schools. The consortium established a governance structure with leaders who, collectively, represent the diverse members and stakeholders of the consortium. The members share a common agenda and mutual goals. The consortium measures success by applying published conceptual frameworks for evaluating the outcomes of educational programs on learners (Kirkpatrick) and patients (Bzowyckyj and colleagues). Consortium learner and patient outcomes span all levels of these frameworks. Undergraduate and graduate QIPS-based projects with meaningful health system or improved individual health outcomes signify a Level 4 outcome (the highest level) for learners and patients alike. Factors critical to success include a financial gift, leadership buy-in and support, a clear champion, shared goals and a united vision, a willingness to collaborate across health systems with varied strengths and priorities, and a stable communication platform. Aspirational goals of the consortium include increasing involvement across health professional schools, incorporating simulation into QIPS activities, and aligning the consortium's projects with broader community needs.

Resiliency and Self-Care Behaviors in Health Professional Schools.

Background: Resilience is crucial for students in health schools as care becomes more complex and as the adjustment to meet patient, environmental, and professional demands with success can seem a daunting challenge. Self-care activities can support the development of resilience in the student population. The purpose of this study is to explore and describe self-care practices, health-promoting behaviors, and resilience among students, faculty, and staff of the health professional schools at a large metropolitan university. Method: This was a cross-sectional study of data from 148 participants. Analysis included descriptive statistics, t tests, analysis of variance, crosstabs, and Pearson correlations. Results: Resilience was lower among students than among faculty and staff. The most frequent self-care activities were humor and music. Resilience was significantly correlated with the self-care behaviors of praying (p = .006), healthy sleeping habits (p = .024), reading (p = .007), and mindful acceptance (p = .025); yoga and meditation were not significantly correlated with resilience.

Should Art About Child Abuse Be Exhibited in Corridors of Health Professional Schools?

Imagine an exhibition-on a topic like child sexual abuse, dementia, or epilepsy, for example-not typically considered by museums or galleries. The question, then, is Where might such an exhibit be displayed? How about a medical school, for instance? An exhibition of this kind might include visceral psychological portraits and explanatory text tailored to the learning activities of medical students. This article examines these curatorial and ethical considerations.

Feasibility of Delivering a Mobile Nutrition Literacy Intervention via Pediatric Primary Care

Abstract Objectives The objective of this pilot study was to test the feasibility of implementing a mobile health intervention, “Nutricity,” within pediatric well-care and explore outcomes on child diet quality, child BMI and parental nutrition literacy. Methods Participants in this single-arm intervention pilot study were 18 parent-child dyads recruited from pediatric primary care before a scheduled well-care visit. Parents were English-speaking, identified as primary food decision-maker, had internet access at home, and owned a web-enabled device; children were 1–5 years old with unrestricted diets. Dyads were given three months’ access to Nutricity mobile tools during the child's well-care visit and were guided on use. Nutricity tools included a mobile formatted website to access instructional videos, games for kids, and quizzes for parents, and weekly text messages for nutrition goal setting. Content was focused on applying nutrition information at supermarkets, home, and restaurants. Feasibility was evaluated by % completion, parent likability survey, website usage, and % text responses logged. At baseline and three months, parent nutrition literacy (Nutrition Literacy Assessment Instrument, NLit); diet quality (2,24-hour diet recalls used to calculate a Healthy Eating Index, HEI – 2015 score), and BMI were collected with differences analyzed by paired t-tests. Results Of 18 dyads enrolled, 17 (94%) completed the study. Parents rated likability of the website and text messages as ‘good-excellent,’ reporting they applied ‘half-most’ of goals set through text-messaging. A common emergent theme was need for more individualized text messages. Mean response rate to text messages was 62%, and dyads logged an average of 43.7 minutes and 5.2 sessions on the website. Non-significant improvements were seen in parent NLit and overall child HEI scores, and no difference was seen in child BMI. However, HEI component scores improved for dairy by 1.2 points (P = .055) and seafood/plant proteins by 1.3 points (P = 0.046). Conclusions Delivering Nutricity via a pediatric well-care visit is feasible and demonstrated potential for improving child diet quality. A larger, adequately powered study is warranted. Funding Sources This work was funded by a CTSA grant from NCATS and the School of Health Professions.

Improving Patient Satisfaction Through Nutrition Literacy Assessment: A Pilot Study

Abstract Objectives Nutrition literacy is the capacity to apply nutrition information to dietary choices and is associated with diet quality. Understanding patient nutrition literacy deficits may help dietitians provide a more patient-centered intervention and improve patient satisfaction with their nutrition care. This pilot study examined the effects of nutrition literacy assessments on patient satisfaction. Methods Participants (n = 89) were patients scheduled for an appointment with an outpatient dietitian. All participants completed the validated Nutrition Literacy Assessment Instrument (NLit) prior to their visit with a dietitian. Intervention-arm dietitians accessed patient NLit results to focus interventions towards individual nutrition literacy deficits. Control-arm dietitians did not access NLit results and provided traditional interventions. All participants returned one month later to retake the NLit and a modified version of the Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (CAHPS) survey, a patient-centered satisfaction survey developed by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ). Correlations were used to examine relationships between patient satisfaction and baseline NLit scores, change in NLit scores, and randomization. Bootstrapped multiple linear regression models were used to examine relationships between patient satisfaction, changes in NLit score, and sociodemographic variables. Results Mean patient satisfaction score for the cohort was 9.01 (10-point scale). Patient satisfaction was correlated with improvements in NLit score (Spearman's r = 0.265, P = 0.012). Partial correlations showed a positive relationship between changes in NLit score and patient satisfaction (r = 0.302, P = 0.006) when controlling for randomization, age, sex, education, income, and ethnicity. Regression models showed a positive association between patient satisfaction and change in NLit score (adjusted r2 = 0.087, P = 0.036). Conclusions Improved nutrition literacy may improve patient satisfaction. Nutrition literacy assessments may aid dietitians to focus nutrition interventions, individualizing nutrition education, and improve patient satisfaction. Funding Sources This work was supported by a CTSA grant from NCATS and the School of Health Professions.

Assessment of Climate-Health Curricula at International Health Professions Schools

Researchers have published surveys on health professionals' perceptions of the possible association between climate change and health (climate-health) and assessed climate-health or planetary health curricula in medical schools. However, curricula on climate-health are still lacking and gaps in knowledge persist. To understand the state of climate-health curricula among health professions institutions internationally. A survey of 160 institutional members of the Global Consortium on Climate and Health Education, which includes international health professions schools and programs, was conducted from August 3, 2017, to March 1, 2018. The survey, hosted by Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health, used an online survey tool for data collection. The survey assessed climate-health curricular offerings across health professions institutions internationally, including existing climate-health educational offerings, method of teaching climate-health education, whether institutions are considering adding climate-health education, whether institutions received a positive response to adding climate-health curricula and/or encountered challenges in adding curricula, and opportunities to advance climate-health education. Overall response rate to the survey was 53%, with 84 of 160 institutional responses collected; 59 of the responses (70%) were from schools/programs of public health, health sciences, or health professions; 15 (18%) were from medicine; 9 (11%) were from nursing; and 1 (1%) was from another type of health profession institution. Among respondents, 53 (63%) institutions offer climate-health education, most commonly as part of a required core course (41 [76%]). Sixty-one of 82 respondents (74%) reported that climate-health offerings are under discussion to add, 42 of 59 respondents (71%) encountered some challenges trying to institute the curriculum, and most respondents have received a positive response to adding content, mainly from students (39 of 58 [67%]), faculty (35 of 58 [60%]), and administration (23 of 58 [40%]). Current climate-health educational offerings appear to vary considerably among health professions institutions. Students, faculty, and administration are important groups to engage when instituting curricula, and awareness, support, and resources may be able to assist in this effort.