Health Professional Students Research Articles

The Effect of a Mindfulness Course on Self-Compassion Among Occupational Therapy Students

Abstract Objectives This study examined the impact of a mandatory course teaching mindfulness skills to first-year occupational therapy (OT) students' mindfulness skills and self-compassion. The objectives were to assess: (a) the correlations between students' mindfulness and self-compassion skills before and after participating in the course; and (b) the differences in mindfulness and self-compassion skills among the OT students who completed the mindfulness course. Method A cross-sectional, comparative, and correlation study design involved 106 first-year undergraduate OT students during three academic years, who participated in a mindfulness course. The students completed the Kentucky Inventory of Mindfulness Skills (KIMS) and the Self-Compassion Scale (SCS) before and after completing an academic semester. Results High and significant correlations were found between mindfulness skills and self-compassion total scores before versus. after completing the course. The post-scores of all the KIMS facets, besides “Acting”, were higher than the pre-scores; these differences were found to be significant for the total score, and for “Observing” and “Accepting” subscales. Significant improvement was also found in the SCS total score, and in all SCS components besides “Common Humanity”. Conclusions This study provides insights into the impact of a mandatory course teaching mindfulness and self-compassion skills to a large group of first-year undergraduate OT students. The results highlight the need to integrate mindfulness training into the curricula of health professions, such as OT. Practicing mindfulness and self-compassion may contribute to the personal and professional development of health profession students, as well as enhancing their ability to cope with academic pressures and challenges. Preregistration This study is not preregistered.

Impact of a Clinical Placement on Pre-Professional Health Students Perceived Knowledge, Skills, and Confidence in the Delivery of Behaviour Change and Physical Activity Support

Background: Clinical placements may provide an appropriate setting for health professional students to learn and apply skills for supporting clients to improve their physical activity. Methods: A mixed methods study was conducted with pre-professional health students completing clinical placement at one of two interprofessional community clinics. Surveys assessed student self-reported perceived skills, knowledge, and confidence for behaviour change and physical activity support pre- and post-placement (unmatched n=40). Interviews were conducted with students (n=18) and clinical educators (n=4). Change in student knowledge, skills, and confidence were assessed using non-parametric tests; qualitative data underwent inductive thematic analysis. Results: Post-placement, unmatched participants perceived knowledge and understanding (p = 0.017), skills (p = 0.001), and confidence (p = 0.004) in behaviour change significantly increased. Perceived confidence in providing physical activity behavior change support for low-risk (p = 0.022) and complex conditions (p = 0.009) significantly improved. Qualitative data emphasised the importance of clinical educators and direct clinical experiences in preparing students for future practice. Conclusion: Student-facilitated interprofessional clinical placements may be important for developing pre-professional knowledge, skills, and confidence in delivering behaviour change and physical activity support. Further exploration of clinical placement opportunities for strengthening pre-professional health students training in physical activity promotion and behaviour change is recommended.

Impact of Breakfast Consumption and Sleep Habits on Morning Attention and Concentration Among Health Professional Students.

Background Breakfast consumption and sleep habits are known to affect cognitive performance, yet their specific impact on health professional students' morning attention is underresearched. Objective The study's objective was to assess the influence of sleeping habits and breakfast eating habits on health professional students' morning attention span. Methodology A cross-sectional study was conducted with 323 undergraduate health professional students from medical colleges in Lahore, Pakistan. Participants completed an online questionnaire that gathered data on demographic characteristics, breakfast consumption patterns, sleep habits, and morning attention levels. Morning attention was measured using a self-reported scale where students rated their ability to concentrate during morning lectures on a five-point Likert scale ranging from "very poor" to "very good." Additional questions assessed the frequency and quality of breakfast consumption, sleep duration, sleep quality (using the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index), and daytime napping habits. Statistical analyses, including descriptive statistics and multiple regression analysis, were conducted using the IBM SPSS Statistics for Windows, Version 23 (Released 2015; IBM Corp., Armonk, New York, United States) to explore the relationships between breakfast and sleep habits and their effects on self-reported attention during morning lectures. Results Of the 323 participants, 78 (24.14%) never skipped breakfast, while 71 (22.93%) skipped breakfast regularly. Breakfast skippers exhibited poorer attention, with a coefficient of -0.45 (p = 0.0002). Students consuming a more nutritious breakfast demonstrated improved attention, with a coefficient of 0.32 (p < 0.0001). Regarding sleep, 196 students (60.68%) slept four to six hours; those with longer sleep durations had better attention (coefficient = 0.21, p = 0.020). Conversely, 271 participants (83.90%) reported that frequent daytime napping and poor sleep quality, including frequent nighttime awakenings, had a negative impact on attention, with coefficients of -0.30 (p = 0.007) and -0.28 (p = 0.005), respectively. Additionally, 161 students (49.84%) reported difficulty concentrating during morning lectures. Conclusion Regular consumption of a nutritious breakfast and sufficient sleep are crucial for maintaining optimal morning attention and cognitive performance among health professional students.

Awareness of Healthcare Faculty Students on Telehealth: A Mixed Methods Study

Objective: The aim of the study is to determine the awareness and opinion of students in health professions’ faculties about telehealth. Method: This cross-sectional study was designed using a mixed methods approach including both quantitative and qualitative components. Seven hundred nighty seven second-year students from faculties of Medicine, Pharmacy, Dentistry and Nursing at Ege University were included in the study. A form including a section for personal information of the participants and items to determine students' awareness level on telehealth was created by researchers to collect quantitative data. The qualitative data were collected through semi-structured interviews with three students from each faculty selected by purposive sampling. The relationship between responses to propositions and participants' socio-demographic characteristics was evaluated using t-test and ANOVA. Chi-square tests were used to evaluate other characteristics of the students according to their schools and their responses to propositions about telehealth. For qualitative data, manual descriptive analysis was used. Interview transcripts were read by two researchers, code was assigned to each concept, and they were grouped under thematic headings. Results: Of the participants, 28.8% reported that they have already heard of the term telehealth. Students are much less familiar with the terms of telenursing and teledentistry. The average total awareness score of the students was 12.70±7.27 [0-27]. Conclusion: Majority of the students are found to lack sufficient awareness of telehealth. This outcome highlights importance of determining awareness levels of future healthcare professionals, who will use these services in their professional lives; especially given that telehealth services have begun to be used widely around the world and have become legally regulated in our country. It points out the necessity of receiving education on this topic during undergraduate period.

Students' perspectives from co-designed, lived experience eating disorders education: A qualitative inquiry

BackgroundThere is an intricate connection between eating disorders and trauma. Despite this, traditional eating disorders education for health professions has not taken a trauma-informed approach. AimWe aimed to explore the reflections of graduate entry dietetic and undergraduate nursing students who participated in a trauma-informed, co-designed education innovation that focussed on an individual's storied lived experience. MethodsWe applied an interpretive lens in this qualitative inquiry-based study. Graduate entry dietetic and undergraduate nursing students participated in this study. The lived experience, co-designed workshops (n = 35) were embedded in the curricula with an optional follow-up discussion with the lived experience and academic educators. Students were asked to write their key reflections on a sticky note at the end of the workshop. Thematic analysis of the student reflections was completed by the research team including the lived experience educator and academics. ResultsA total of 442 sticky notes were collected; 145 from the dietetic and 297 from the nursing students. Analysis of the dietetic and nursing students' reflections generated six themes: 1) Do no harm, 2) Seeing beyond the diagnosis, 3) Language matters, 4) Humanise the relationship, 5) Recovery in the context of healing, and 6) Significance of hope. There was consistency across the reflections for the two different disciplines. ConclusionsCo-designed lived experience eating disorders education that honours the living experiences and complexities of eating disorders can deepen health profession students' understandings of how they can work with, rather than against, people living with and recovering from eating disorders through a trauma-informed approach.

Imposter phenomenon and depression on a global level: exploring professional identity formation in health professional students

Background and relevance: The imposter phenomenon (IP) is characterized by high achieving individuals experiencing “chronic feelings of self-doubt, the fear of being discovered as an intellectual fraud, and a perception of being less intelligent or competent than peers.”1 Limited data exist on how feelings of imposter syndrome may affect aspects of one’s mental health. In the current climate of healthcare worker burnout, it is important to consider factors that may predispose individuals pursuing a career in healthcare to mental and emotional disengagement to assist in amelioration. This study aims to investigate the association between the occurrence of the imposter phenomenon and the frequency of depressed mood among students of the health professions on a global scale. Design and Methods: Student members of The Network: Towards Unity for Health responded to the Clance IP Scale and the PHQ-2 questionnaire. The analysis correlates indicators of (1) Region of study; (2) Area of study; (3) Year of study; (4) Preclinical vs. clinical stage of training; (5) Imposter Scale Score; and (6) Depression Score. We used Wilcoxon Rank Sum tests and linear regression to assess statistical significance. Results: More than three-quarters (89%) of respondents hadIP scores indicating moderate imposter feelings. A total of 68% of respondents had a PHQ-2 score indicating higher frequency of depressed mood. We found a significantly positive association between IP and depression scores. Conclusion: It is important to consider imposter syndrome as a potential risk factor for psychological distress among students in healthcare. Early identification is necessary as the presence of IP was shown to have a significantly positive relationship with the frequency of depressed mood. Familiarizing institutions with this relationship allows for early intervention.

Promoting Physical Activity Among Health Professional Students, Faculty, and Staff Members: A Competition-Based Intervention

This program review presents data for the Deans’ Fit Family Challenge (DFFC) and proposes future directions for improvement, informed by the Social Cognitive Theory. The DFFC is a multi-week physical activity competition held annually between three health professional programs, focusing on the development of self-efficacy, self-regulation, and social support of health-related fitness. Participants competed in teams of two and tracked their activity minutes weekly using the ChallengeRunner app or through manual entry. Weekly winners were announced, and the winning college was determined from a composite score of active minutes and weight loss. Since 2019, 1164 participants reported an average of 217.1 weekly minutes of physical activity during the DFFC. An average of 94.0% of participants reported minutes in week 1, compared to 56.3% in week 8. The DFFC is an important initiative to potentially promote physical activity levels among participating programs. While motivational strategies are being incorporated and executed in the DFFC, there is a need for ongoing exploration and improvement to enhance future competition-based interventions among health professional students, faculty, and staff.

Pilot implementation of a telehealth course for health professions students

ObjectivesThis study examined the level of technology proficiency amongst healthcare professions students. Additionally, the study provides an evaluation of the pilot implementation, as well as the effect of a 7-module telehealth course on the level of adoption and future use of telehealth amongst future Australian healthcare workforce.MethodsStudents from four health-sciences departments at the University of Melbourne, Australia, participated in this pilot study by completing the course and an online questionnaire, which included both structured and open-ended questions. The questionnaire included: 12-items on socio-demographic and Internet utilization; 34-items about acceptance and use of telehealth adapted from the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT2) questionnaire; and 22-items about confidence in using the Internet and ICT, adapted from Technology Proficiency Self-Assessment Questionnaire for 21st Century Learning (TPSA-C-21).ResultsThe evaluation included 26 students who expressed confidence in their Internet/ICT skills They showed enthusiasm for telehealth and recognized its potential benefits, but also emphasized the value of face-to-face interactions. They requested information on legal and aspects and additional learning. Post-test assessments indicated improvements in overall acceptance and use attitudes towards telehealth and on six dimensions of the UTAUT2 instrument. Participation in the course indicated improvements in students’ overall acceptance and use attitudes and on six of the ten dimensions of the UTAUT2 instrument (p < 0.05).ConclusionThis preliminary evaluation indicated that the telehealth course was a positive and enjoyable learning experience for students with appropriate structure and information. The course was successful in improving students’ acceptance and use of health technology. The study identified areas in which further development might be required. As such, the course represents a helpful approach for telehealth training among health professions students. Further evaluation with larger samples is required.

Comparative analysis of COVID-19 vaccine booster dose (VBD) acceptance among trainees and students of health professions in Bangladesh

BackgroundDespite the proven therapeutic potential of bivalent vaccine primer doses against COVID-19, acceptance of vaccine booster doses (VBD) varies among various subgroups of the global population. This study investigated the acceptance of COVID-19 VBD among trainees and students of health professions in Bangladesh and compared the potential factors influencing their VBD decisions. MethodsThe questionnaire was deployed in an online-enabled layout and conveniently sent to encounters between 10th June 2023 and 10th September 2023. Data from 501 trainees and 501 students were compared (response rate 80.8% vs.78.3%) to explore the study objectives. ResultsThe pooled COVID-19 VBD acceptance rates were 90.2% (95% Confidence Interval [CI]:87.6─92.8) vs. 93.2% (95% [CI]: 91.2─95.2) between trainees and students. The binary logistic analysis revealed that out of twelve factors “equal safety” (Adjusted odds ratio [aOR]: 4.476 vs. 6.459), “efficacy” ([aOR]:3.673 vs. 2.913), “repeated immunity” ([aOR]: 1.729 vs. 2.247), and “self-priority” ([aOR]:3.108 vs. 4.645) had a significant positive association (p<0.01 and p<0.05) with VBD acceptance in both groups. There were varied effects on several predictors. Among trainee professionals, "communication" and "booster mandate" were associated significantly ([aOR]:1.534 and 1.748, respectively; p<0.05) with VBD acceptance, whereas "information source" and "culture" were associated ([aOR]:3.692 and 3.151, respectively; p<0.05) significantly with VBD acceptance in the student cohort. ConclusionsThere was a satisfactory acceptance level of COVID-19 VBD among healthcare participants, and several multidimensional factors influenced their VBD decisions in different ways. For enhancing public booster immunization decisions against COVID-19, individual health expectations must be linked to wider societal influences.

Integrating the Principles of Academic Freedom and Patient-Centered Care to Promote Tolerant Listening Skills in Health Care Providers.

Collaboration is a vital skill that needs to be developed in health professions students. Developing tolerance for differing viewpoints and valuing an understanding of others' lived experiences are instrumental skills in learning to provide patient-centered care. Fostering the expression of diverse viewpoints and working through uncomfortable and distressful situations are a part of the experience in acquiring these skills. It is the educator's duty to facilitate these encounters in a way that upholds the tenants of academic freedom and civility to create optimal educational outcomes. Doing so creates opportunities for transformative learning and the facilitation of higher cognitive development when compared with the avoidance of exposing students to divergent viewpoints. It is through freedom of discussion that one must teach students that ultimately the pursuit of truth, even when it may be unwelcome, disagreeable, or deeply offensive, greatly outweighs the discomfort the process of discovering it may bring.

Addressing challenges in diagnosis and management of rare disease through interprofessional education

Rare diseases represent a significant public health challenge due to their complexity and lack of resources. One way to improve care for patients with rare disease is to educate healthcare professionals on the diverse and unique needs of patients with rare disorders. An interprofessional education (IPE) event was created for healthcare students based on the Interprofessional Education Collaborative’s ‘IPE Core Competencies', mainly targeting two specific competencies: (1) interprofessional communication and (2) teams and teamwork. The IPE event included direct instruction, case-based learning, and narrative medicine components using the rare disease nephropathic cystinosis as a model of a rare complex disorder. Pre- and post-event survey data were collected to assess the participants' knowledge acquisition and perceived confidence in caring for patients with a rare disease as part of an interprofessional healthcare team and included open-ended questions regarding qualities of an interprofessional team member, and key takeaways from the event. Enrollment included 163 graduate-level healthcare students from nine different disciplines. The survey data showed improved understanding of the importance of rare disease research (p < 0.001), ability to identify supportive resources for patients (p < 0.001), confidence in being part of an interprofessional team caring for a patient with rare disease (p < 0.001) and value of education about rare disease (p = 0.009). When asked to describe features of effective interprofessional teams, common traits included strong communication skills, empathy, compassion, understanding, collaboration, and respect. This work demonstrates that utilizing an interprofessional model in educating health professional students about rare diseases successfully enhanced learners’ confidence in their ability to be part of an interprofessional team caring for patients and families impacted by rare disease, and given the total prevalence of rare diseases, may have a significant impact on healthcare as a whole.

A Systematic Review: What Are the Impacts of Receiving Extrinsic Feedback on Health Professions Students in Higher Education?

Effective feedback is crucial for educating health professions students. This systematic review investigates the impact of extrinsic feedback on health professions students, encompassing medical, dental, and nursing fields. Through meticulous gathering and analysis of 37 studies, this review highlights verbal and visual feedback as predominant forms, often delivered immediately by instructors and supplemented by peer or simulated input. Notably, technology is increasingly utilised to enhance the provision of feedback. The impacts of feedback span various domains, including surgical skills and patient communication, revealing notable improvements in procedural skills such as suturing and knot-tying, as well as general patient communication proficiency. Meta-analyses underscore significant enhancements in communication skills and provide nuanced insights into chest compression techniques. Overall, the findings provide initial evidence that extrinsic feedback enhances surgical procedural skills and general patient communication proficiency among health professions students. The evolving role of technology in feedback provision is promising. Future studies should assess extrinsic feedback across different health professions to better understand its impacts and alignment with specific educational needs and accreditation standards, thereby enhancing learning outcomes.

Physical Activity Level, Weight Categories, and Fat Distribution: A Crosssectional Study of College Students

Introduction: Overweight and obesity are growing problems worldwide, along with a decrease in physical activity. This trend is also seen in the United Arab Emirates, including insufficient exercise among university students. This study aimed to evaluate the physical activity level, weight categories, and fat distribution among female college students and determine the correlations and associations between these factors and demographic factors. Methods: A cross-sectional quasi-experimental study was conducted among 204 female undergraduate health profession students recruited through a convenience sampling technique. Data were collected using anthropometric measurements and a self-administered International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ). The relationships between weight categories (Body Mass Index, BMI), fat distribution (Waist-to-Hip Ratio, WHR), and levels of physical activity, as well as the relationship between BMI and WHR, were analyzed using the PSPP statistical program. Results: The mean age of the students was 20.5 ± 1.9 years, with an average BMI of 25.4 ± 6.6 kg/m2. About 60.3% of the students were moderately active. Physical activity levels were significantly associated with BMI categories (P= 0.008). BMI and WHR categories were also significantly associated (P= 0.012). There was a strong association between students' perceived physical activity levels and their actual activity, as measured by the IPAQ short form (P= 0.001). No significant relationships were found between physical activity, anthropometrics, and demographic characteristics Conclusion: Female college students demonstrated moderate levels of physical activity, and a negative correlation was detected between their physical activity levels and weight categories. None of the studied demographics showed a correlation or association.

Measurement Tools used to Assess Interprofessional Education and Collaborative Practice in Health Professional Students: A COSMIN Systematic and Psychometric Review.

Background: Interprofessional education and collaborative practice (IPE/IPC) are essential for preparing students to work together and respect the unique qualities and abilities of professionals. However, IPE/IPC are highly abstract phenomena and complicated to assess and measure. In consequence, a critical appraisal is needed to evaluate the quality of the instruments. Purpose: This study aimed to critically appraise, compare and summarize the quality of measurement properties of all self-report collaboration questionnaires for health professional students and to provide evidence concerning the psychometric properties of the measurement Methods: A psychometric review was employed, and the COnsensus-based Standards for the selection of health Measurement INstruments (COSMIN) approach was applied to assess the methodological quality of the nature of the measurements. Data search using keywords: health professional students, interprofessional, collaboration, teamwork, collaborative, through MEDLINE, EMBASE, and EBSCO-hosted Education Resource Information Center databases. Results: Seven instruments from 10 studies reviewed were identified. Among them, four instruments targeted attitudes toward collaboration. One instrument focused on students' collaborative learning readiness and had been tested in Hong Kong using English, in Iran using Persian, and in Indonesia using Bahasa Indonesia. One instrument measured perceptions about IPE, and two studies measured IPE/IPC competencies related to patient-centered, team-based, and collaborative care. The methodological quality assessment indicated that several instruments were less rigorously developed and validated than COSMIN and Quality Criteria of Measurement Properties recommend. Conclusions: The findings of this psychometric review additionally provide a strategy to select and develop the most appropriate instrument to assess IPE/IPC following their purpose, psychometric properties, and utility.

Nurturing compassion and cultural humility in health professions students through a brief mindfulness practice

ObjectiveGiven the importance of compassion and cultural humility in healthcare providers, the study aspired to investigate the effects of a brief mindfulness practice on compassion and cultural humility in health professions students. MethodsA quantitative, one-group pre-test/post-test study was conducted with 58 participants from undergraduate health profession education programs in the United States. Participants completed questionnaires measuring mindfulness, compassion, and cultural humility before and after engaging in an eight-minute loving-kindness meditation exercise three to four times per week for two weeks. ResultsThere were statistically significant increases in mindfulness, compassion, and cultural humility after participants engaged in the brief loving-kindness meditation exercise, with small to moderate effect sizes. ConclusionBrief mindfulness practices may be helpful for cultivating essential qualities such as compassion and cultural humility in health professions students. InnovationThe findings add to the research gap about the effects of mindfulness on health professions students' compassion and cultural humility. Using mindfulness as a training tool in health professions education may foster compassion, cultural humility, and mindfulness in health professions students who will become healthcare providers, addressing individual health concerns but also broader social issues related to social justice and health equity.

Wellness and Stress Management Practices Among Healthcare Professionals and Health Professional Students.

Healthcare professionals experience stressors that begin during training and persist into their careers that adversely impact their well-being. This study aims to identify students' and professionals' stress levels, satisfaction with wellness domains, barriers to wellness, and stress management practices. This study was a cross-sectional self-reported survey study. The study included students (N = 242) and professionals (N = 237) from medicine, nursing, pharmacy, physical therapy, social work, and counseling/psychology. The Managing Health & Wellness in Health Professions Training and Practice survey was used to capture wellness practices and barriers among participants. Results: Students reported significantly higher perceived stress compared to professionals (P < 0.001). Total wellness is significantly higher among professionals compared to students (P < 0.001). A higher stress rate is significantly related to being female, having a lower wellness score, and facing more barriers (P < 0.001). Intellectual health is the most valuable wellness domain for providers (M = 3.71, SD = 0.9) and students (M = 3.43, SD = 0.85), followed by spiritual health for providers (M = 3.4, SD = 1.1), and work/learning environment for students (M = 3.33, SD = 0.93). Professionals and students are least satisfied with their physical and financial health. Barriers include fatigue, workload/productivity in clinical practice, work hours, and burnout. Healthcare professionals exhibit a variety of stress management practices, encounter barriers, and prioritize different wellness domains. Healthcare systems should incorporate self-care education into their curricula and implement systemic changes to foster a thriving healthcare workforce.

A scoping review of Deaf awareness programs in Health professional education.

Deaf awareness aims to promote understanding about Deaf and hard of hearing people, with the goal of reducing barriers between Deaf and hearing populations; and is particularly pertinent for health professional students as they need to learn to communicate effectively with a range of population groups. This scoping review aims to provide an overview of literature examining Deaf awareness programs provided to health professional students during their initial training. We searched four medical and public health databases and registers using terms related to Deaf awareness. We used the PRISMA-ScR reporting standards checklist for scoping reviews. We identified 10,198 citations, with 15 studies included in the final review. Searches were performed during August to September 2022, and April 2023. Studies were included provided they examined Deaf awareness content or programs within health professional education. Data were extracted by two independent reviewers who screened all abstracts using Rayyan software, followed by discussion to achieve knowledge synthesis and agreement. In all, a total of 15 articles from six countries were identified across health professional student disciplines including pharmacy, nursing, audiology, inter-professional and medical programs. The review found sparse evidence of research into Deaf awareness programs delivered to health professional students, with delivery often solely to small groups of students, indicating why so few students can access information about how to communicate effectively with Deaf and hard of hearing patients during their initial training programs. This scoping reviewed showed evidence of promising benefits for health professional students undertaking Deaf awareness programs during their undergraduate education. The importance of communicating with Deaf and hard of hearing patients and attaining Deaf cultural competencies for health professional students should be investigated in future research.

A novel oral medicine-centered interprofessional curricular initiative to promote collaboration and build oral health capacity.

Oral physicians should possess knowledge, skills, and attitudes required for functioning in the evolving integrated care systems. Paramount for addressing the existing oral health disparities is also adequate training of non-dental health professionals in the foundations of oral health. We conducted interprofessional oral medicine-centered case conferences to prepare dental students for collaborative care and to increase awareness of non-dental students about the mouth-body connection. Herein, we share our perspective and the students' feedback about this educational program. Students from seven health profession and social work programs attended an interactive, online oral medicine-centered case conference facilitated by an oral medicine faculty and at least one faculty from another profession. Faculty facilitators guided students to identify key points and encouraged team-based care. Anonymous, voluntary online surveys were distributed to participants immediately after each session. Descriptive data tabulated and analyzed. A total of 151 students participated in conferences between 11/11/2022 and 3/24/2023 and 132 (87%) submitted postexperience surveys. Students agreed that the case conference was applicable to their profession (95%) and meaningful (94%), they learned new information about other professions (94%), they could contribute to discussions (90%), interactions were respectful (99%), and discussions emphasized interprofessional collaboration (96%). Non-dental respondents learned more about oral-systemic link (95%), recognized a broader role for dentists (90%), and agreed with inclusion of more oral health content in their curricula (79%). Oral medicine-centered case conferences provided an effective curricular path for demonstrating oral-systemic connection, promoting meaningful interprofessional collaboration, and building oral health capacity among students of non-dental health professions.

Health professions students' perspectives of a stigma-reducing simulation including simulated patients with lived experience of addiction and recovery

BackgroundStigma surrounding substance use disorders (SUDs) hinders treatment. This study explores perceptions of health professions students following simulation-based training involving individuals with lived experience of addiction and recovery. MethodsThematic analysis of self-reflection narratives was conducted to identify themes. ResultsThirty-three graduate students from various health disciplines participated. Four themes were identified: humanizing addiction, cultivation of hope, attitude of gratitude, and transformation and growth. Findings highlight contact-based simulations' potential to challenge stereotypes and foster empathy. ConclusionIntegrating stigma reduction interventions into health curricula is crucial. Contact-based simulation training shapes positive attitudes towards individuals with SUDs.

Study To Assess The Effectiveness Of Information Booklet On Knowledge And Attitude Regarding Organ Donation Among Non Health Professional Students At Selected College Of Jabalpur City

Study To Assess The Effectiveness Of Information Booklet On Knowledge And Attitude Regarding Organ Donation Among Non Health Professional Students At Selected College Of Jabalpur City