Health Professional Courses Research Articles

Ethics in optometry: an educational intervention

ABSTRACT Clinical relevance As registered health professionals, optometrists have a responsibility to apply ethical reasoning skills to ensure the best outcomes for their patients. Background The ability to apply ethical knowledge in practical situations has emerged as a crucial skillset for health professionals. This research aimed to highlight the potential benefits and challenges associated with employing case-based scenario workshops as a method for teaching the application of ethical knowledge. Methods An intervention study was conducted at an Australian university to establish whether a case-based ethics workshop could improve the confidence of optometry students in navigating ethical dilemmas. Prior to completing the workshop, optometry students were invited to complete a survey, and the survey was repeated at the end of each workshop. Results Fifty nine students completed the pre-workshop survey, and 49 students completed the post-workshop survey. A Mann-Whitney U test showed no significant difference in the baseline confidence levels of students who had prior or no prior experience in tertiary education, healthcare work or eyecare work. There was a statistically significant improvement in confidence navigating ethical dilemmas (Z = –2.541, p = 0.011) from 53% very or moderately confident pre-workshop to 82% post-workshop. Conclusion These results suggest that case-based ethics workshops are an effective educational tool that should be considered for incorporation into optometry and other health profession courses.

Tips for Incorporating Authentic Assessment into Health Profession Courses

Tips for Incorporating Authentic Assessment into Health Profession Courses

The design and implementation of virtual reality simulations in Spanish for the Health Professions: what are learners’ perceptions?

Although virtual reality (VR) games and headsets are widely available and have started to be used in language courses, there is little previous research on how VR can be used in courses on Languages for Specific Purposes, particularly in Spanish for the Health Professions. The purpose of this study was to develop and implement VR simulations that mirrored a medical interview in Spanish and to examine learners’ attitudes toward language practice in a VR environment. Scenarios were designed following Task-Based Language Teaching and results from a language needs analysis. Participants in this study were undergraduate students enrolled in a Spanish for the Health Professions course. Participants took on the role of a healthcare provider to interact with Spanish-speaking avatars within the virtual environment. They completed a series of tasks relevant to the medical interview, including greetings, triage, symptom elicitation, social information, medication information, basic diagnosis, and treatment plan. They participated in surveys and wrote journals about their VR class experience. Results showed that the VR simulations contributed to perceived skill development with an emphasis on conversation, listening, critical thinking, and pronunciation. The immersive experience and real-world application led learners to be more engaged and focused while amplifying course topics, particularly cultural awareness and sensitivity, applied vocabulary, and pragmatics. Pedagogical implications are discussed.

The influence of supervisory support on clinical learning as experienced by Czech Nursing and health professional students in the context of patient safety events: A qualitative study

AimTo explore the influence of supervisory and mentoring relationships on the clinical learning experiences of Czech Nursing and health professional students in the context of patient safety events BackgroundClinical experience is integral to healthcare education, shaping skills, behaviours, values and professional identity. During clinical placements, students may encounter memorable patient safety events and experience varied reactions from mentors/supervisors/others. Some research has highlighted challenges faced by students on clinical placement. Few studies involve multiple professions, most emanating from Western Europe, the UK, the USA and Australia with little relating to central European countries such as the Czech Republic. DesignTwo stage interpretivist qualitative study based in social constructionism MethodsConvenience sample across 13 undergraduate and 18 postgraduate health professions courses. Stage 1 (2022): using SLIPPS Learning Event Recording Tool translated into Czech. 20 students’ (Midwifery=11, Nursing=1, Paramedic=1, Occupational therapy =7) submitted 21 patient safety learning event narratives. Stage 2 (2022): Focus group with 2 nursing and nine midwifery students. Phased thematic analysis involving multiple researchers. ResultsThree themes illustrate the circumstances and impact of placement mentoring/supervision experiences, conceptualised as: ‘Clinical and Emotional Companionship’, ‘Clinical and Emotional Abandonment’ and ‘Sense of agency - Professional and personal growth’. ‘Companionship’ reflected the students’ feelings of being welcomed, respected, heard, trusted and supported. Conversely ‘abandonment’ emerged from feelings of being unheard, vulnerable, humiliated, afraid, leaving students feeling abandoned, lonely and ‘useless’. Notwithstanding these conditions, students showed the ability to identify patient safety issues with agency evident in reactions such as stepping-in to try to ameliorate a situation, rather than speaking-up. Professional and personal growth was also apparent in their narratives and a conceptual diagram illustrates the students’ learning journeys in a patient safety context. ConclusionThe findings and new conceptualisations around abandonment and companionship emerging from this study expand the evidence base regarding the profound impact of clinical experience and mentorship/supervision on learning and students’ emotional wellbeing. A sense of companionship appears to play a buffering role even in challenging circumstances of involvement in or witnessing compromised patients’ safety. Allowing students a sense of belonging, to vent, grow, feel supported and safe to ask/learn - contributing to ‘emotional safety for learning’, promotes students’ behaviour that may prevent/minimize hazards or ameliorate the aftermath. However, we must not simply blame mentors/supervisors, staff, or the students themselves- they are simply part of a much larger complex environment of professional education encompassing hidden curriculums, power dynamics and professional socialisation.

A Comparison of 2018 vs 2021: “I.C.E. Breakers” Help Improve First-Year BSN Student Responses to a GOB Chemistry for Health Professions Course

A Comparison of 2018 vs 2021: “I.C.E. Breakers” Help Improve First-Year BSN Student Responses to a GOB Chemistry for Health Professions Course

Barriers to success for culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) pre-registration nursing students in the UK

In 2019, the UK hosted approximately 460,000 culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) students, with health professional courses ranking in the top ten fields of application. This review highlights the usual challenges faced by CALD students on pre-registration nursing programmes. Attrition rates are high and there is a clear and concerning awarding gap. The importance of attracting and retaining CALD student nurses is critical to improve care for increasing numbers of CALD patients accessing healthcare in the UK. Challenges due to cultural differences reflected in the literature suggested cultural and linguistically diverse determining factors of both academic and personal success in nursing careers. These challenges spanned language, academic experience, personal, and social factors and placed significant additional stress on students studying on programmes recognised for their physical and emotional demands and intensity. Institutional improvement strategies to support the growing number of CALD pre-registration nursing students is needed to address barriers to success, reduce attrition, support anti-racism guidance, and increase successful course completion.

Interprofessional education for the next 50 years

Over the past two decades, there have been important changes to interprofessional education in Australia and New Zealand. Interprofessional education has slowly shifted from peripheral, small-scale education activities attended by volunteer students to become an expectation of many health professional courses to meet accreditation requirements and community expectations of a collaborative healthcare system. In Australia, interprofessional education curricula have been facilitated by increased accreditation expectations and a series of national large-scale funded projects. However, despite declarations of intent and direction, strategic implementation of nationwide recommendations has not been achieved. In New Zealand, large-scale funding has not been available to facilitate the implementation of interprofessional education in the professional courses. Instead, interprofessional education initiatives have been driven by a small group of champions. Furthermore, efforts to achieve the World Health Organization’s (2010) vision of interprofessional education across the education spectrum—to ensure the future and current health workforce have the competencies for interprofessional collaboration—have been hampered in our region by the focus on interprofessional education within tertiary education. This paper outlines the transnational status of interprofessional education and the role of the Australian and New Zealand Association for Health Professional Educators (ANZAHPE) and the Australasian Interprofessional Practice and Education Network (AIPPEN) in progress to date. We conclude with several suggestions for future interprofessional education across our two countries.

PROTOCOL: Learner-educator co-creation of student assessment in health professional education courses: A scoping review protocol.

This is a protocol for a Campbell Review following JBI scoping review methodology. The objectives are to answer the following questions: What has been reported in the literature about collaborative learner-educator design, implementation, or evaluation of learner assessment in health professional education? (1)Where is learner-educator co-creation of assessment occurring? (i.e., which disciplines, course types, level of learner, year of study).(2) What course assessment decisions are influenced or being made together? (i.e., assessment instructions and/or grades).(3)How much influence do learners have on decision-making? (i.e., where does it fall on Bovill and Bulley's ladder of participation).(4) How do learners and educators go about making decisions together? (i.e., discussion or voting, with a whole class or portion of the class).(5) What are the perceived benefits, disadvantages, barriers, and/or facilitators reported by the authors?

Twelve tips for designing and implementing an academic coaching program

Coaching has become increasingly popular as a mechanism to support learning across the health professions education (HPE) continuum. While there is a growing body of literature in this area, there is minimal guidance related to the design and implementation of academic coaching in health professional courses. This paper seeks to contribute to this literature by presenting guidance for academic developers who are considering introducing academic coaching into a health professional course. The 12 tips are based on the authors’ collective experiences of designing and implementing academic coaching in university medical courses in Australia and the UK. Although focused on medical education, this paper is intended to have applicability across the health professions, and potentially across university and postgraduate training contexts. Together, the tips offer a strategic and operational framework to guide the design and implementation of academic coaching initiatives in health professions education.

PRACTICE makes progress, a self-care course for mental health professionals in the child trauma field: A preliminary investigation.

Mental health professionals who work with clients exposed to trauma commonly experience secondary traumatic stress (STS) and burnout, which have a well-documented negative impact on clinicians as well as clients. As self-care has been identified as a protective factor against STS and burnout, the current study aimed to examine the effects of a self-care course for mental health professionals working with trauma-exposed clients. This pretest-posttest pilot study examined the impact of a six-session virtual self-care course on the well-being of 43 mental health professionals previously trained in Trauma-focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy(TF-CBT), a well-established, evidence-based treatment for childhood trauma. The components of TF-CBT comprise the acronym PRACTICE, and we are referring to this self-care course as PRACTICE Makes Progress (PMP), as participants receive weekly assignments that encourage the use of many of the same PRACTICE skills clients are taught in the context of TF-CBT. Results comparing pre- and postcourse survey responses indicated significant increases in the use of PRACTICE skills (p = .006, d = .44) as well as the utilization of humor as a coping skill (p < .001, d = .53), and significant decreases in STS symptoms (p < .001, d = .63) and burnout (p = .004, d = .47). These results provide preliminary evidence that mental health professionals working with clients exposed to trauma may benefit from participation in an evidence-informed, standalone virtual self-care course. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

Pan American climate resilient health systems: a training course for health professionals.

To describe the development, implementation, and results of a training course designed to equip health professionals from the Pan American Health Organization region with the knowledge and tools needed to adapt health systems to current climate realities. The Pan American climate resilient health systems course was a 9-week live-virtual course in March-April 2023, which was delivered through Zoom and offered in English, Spanish, and French. All lectures were delivered by local and regional climate and health experts. The curricular foundation of this initiative was the Global Consortium on Climate and Health Education core competencies for health professionals. Participants completed pre- and post-course surveys. A total of 1212 participants attended at least one of the nine sessions and 489 (from 66 countries) attended at least six sessions. Of these, 291 participants completed both the pre- and post-course surveys which were used in the analysis. Longitudinal survey results suggested an improvement in participants' climate and health communication, an increased frequency of incorporating climate knowledge in professional practice, and improved confidence in engaging in climate initiatives. At the same time, many participants expressed a need for additional training. The results indicate that live-virtual courses have the potential to empower health professionals to contribute to climate resilience efforts by: increasing their communication skills; changing their professional practice; increasing their ability to lead climate and health activities; and preparing them to assess vulnerability and adaptation in health systems, measure and monitor environmental sustainability, and apply a health equity lens.

Accreditation as a lever for change in the development of the collaborative practitioner in the Australian health system.

ObjectivePatient expectations in the Australian healthcare system are for coordinated, collaborative practice. There is a need for education institutions, health services, accreditation authorities, and consumers to work together to achieve this goal. As part of a larger body of work, we sought to understand how these stakeholders contribute to the development of collaborative healthcare practice.MethodNineteen focus groups were conducted in 2022 with 84 participants consisting of education providers (n=62), consumers (n=10), representatives from the Health Profession's Education Standing Group (n=8), and health service practitioners (n=4). Framework analysis was initially undertaken to understand facilitators of, and barriers to, collaborative practice and learning. In a secondary analysis, the themes were re-organised according to the Bolman and Deal domains of organisational practice, to make explicit the structural, human resource, political, and symbolic factors deemed useful for re-imaging a process for learning about and incentivising collaborative practice.ResultsThere are multiple factors across healthcare settings that both facilitate and challenge the development of collaborative practice. Co-location of professions and participation in formal interprofessional processes such as team meetings and handovers facilitated learning collaborative practice, although traditional cultures which perpetuate siloed models of healthcare, power differentials between the professions, funding structures, and information sharing limited opportunities. The 'value' of collaborative practice was facilitated through both consistent curriculum messages throughout health professional courses and positive role modelling.ConclusionsEducation institutions, health service practitioners, accreditation authorities, and consumers can work together to facilitate the development of collaborative practice through attention to policy and processes, curriculum activities, student participation, health service activities and practice, and resource allocation.

From research to practice: an evidence-based and participatory approach to suicide prevention.

Introduction: Suicide is a major public health concern, and its prevention is complex, challenging multiple stakeholders from research, policy, and practice to work together in order to develop multi-level interventions. Since 2006, an extensive Suicide Prevention Strategy has been implemented in Flanders, Belgium, aiming to decrease the suicide rates and support everyone affected by it. Using evidence-based methods and involving multiple stakeholders are the key strengths of this strategy.&#x0D; Method: The Suicide Prevention Strategy in Flanders is developed with the support of the Flemish government and in cooperation with various stakeholders, including researchers, policymakers, healthcare workers, and people with lived experience. Key criteria for the development and implementation processes of new interventions in the Strategy are: tailored to the target group’s needs, evidence-based, innovative, monitored and evaluated in terms of their outreach, usability and effectiveness. &#x0D; Results: The Strategy includes various interventions. In this presentation, the development process of two innovative evidence-based interventions will be presented, as well as their impact on clinical practice. &#x0D; 1)The development and implementation of clinical guidelines and an e-learning course for health professionals on the detection and treatment of suicidal behaviour;&#x0D; 2)The development and implementation of online tools, such as an online self-help course and smartphone application for suicidal individuals.&#x0D; Conclusion: In order to build solid suicide prevention strategies and interventions, cooperation between various stakeholders is essential. Implementing evidence-based and innovative tools in clinical practice, tailored to the needs of clinicians and people with lived experience, is a key strategy which can enhance the quality of care in suicide prevention.

Using contribution analysis to evaluate health professions and health sciences programs.

Course evaluation in health education is a common practice yet few comprehensive evaluations of health education exist that measure the impact and outcomes these programs have on developing health graduate capabilities. To explore how curricula contribute to health graduate capabilities and what factors contribute to the development of these capabilities. Using contribution analysis evaluation, a six-step iterative process, key stakeholders in the six selected courses were engaged in an iterative theory-driven evaluation. The researchers collectively developed a postulated theory-of-change. Then evidence from existing relevant documents were extracted using documentary analysis. Collated findings were presented to academic staff, industry representatives and graduates, where additional data was sought through focus group discussions - one for each discipline. The focus group data were used to validate the theory-of-change. Data analysis was conducted iteratively, refining the theory of change from one course to the next. The complexity in teaching and learning, contributed by human, organizational and curriculum factors was highlighted. Advances in knowledge, skills, attitudes and graduate capabilities are non-linear and integrated into curriculum. Work integrated learning significantly contributes to knowledge consolidation and forming professional identities for health professional courses. Workplace culture and educators' passion impact on the quality of teaching and learning yet are rarely considered as evidence of impact. Capturing the episodic and contextual learning moments is important to describe success and for reflection for improvement. Evidence of impact of elements of courses on future graduate capabilities was limited with the focus of evaluation data on satisfaction. Contribution analysis has been a useful evaluation method to explore the complexity of the factors in learning and teaching that influence graduate capabilities in health-related courses.

Protocol for applying the Learning Environment Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion tool to asynchronous health professions courses

Health professions education must move beyond knowledge and skills-based domains to address student agency in diversity, equity, and inclusion. When DEI is addressed in health occupation courses, students have increased ability to maintain cultural competency, contribute to health disparity reduction, and foster a diverse health professions workforce. Health professions courses are increasingly offered in online settings, yet there is a gap in the literature base for engaging in assessment of diversity, equity, and inclusion in asynchronous health professions learning environments. To meet this need, we adopted literature-informed definitions and reviewed similar tools to create the Learning Environment Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (LEDEI) tool. The instrument collects basic information about the course, 12 items on inclusion, 17 items on diversity, and six items on equity. Over a 12-month period a trained interdisciplinary team will conduct reviews as described in this convergent mixed-methods protocol. Data will be analyzed both quantitatively and qualitatively, and results will be disseminated in aggregate to protect course anonymity. Faculty will have access to all review data resulting from courses they teach, engage in self-reflection, and make a written response. Ultimately, faculty practicing inclusive teaching will act on course review outcomes, potentially working with instructional designers to leverage asynchronous tools and research-informed pedagogical strategies. In addition, program directors can use the aggregate results to improve DEI across the curriculum. We believe this protocol and the LEDEI tool can serve as a basis for other program directors, faculty, and scholars engaged in health professions education.

Sofia Quintero Romero: Protection and Support of Breastfeeding With a Feminist and Social Justice Lens.

Sofia Quintero Romero graduated as a medical doctor at Universidad del Rosario, Bogotà, Colombia, in 1977. She spent a compulsory rural year working in a remote indigenous community in the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta in Columbia. In 1979 she worked in Bolivia for Terre des Hommes and Oxfam, evaluating their health projects with the Aymara Indians and in the tin mines. She had to leave Colombia for political reasons and went to England, where she obtained, in 1981, an MSc in Community Health at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine (LSHTM). That's where she met her husband, Adriano Cattaneo. She then worked in Mozambique and Nicaragua where she was in charge of maternal and child health services at the regional level. Since 1990, she devoted her time to the protection, promotion, and support of breastfeeding. Sofia obtained a PhD in Maternal and Child Health at the University of Bologna, Italy, and a Diploma in Breastfeeding Theory and Practice at the Child Health Institute in London UK. She taught hundreds of breastfeeding courses for health professionals and peer counsellors in Italy and in dozens of countries abroad, using the World Health Organization/United Nations Children's Fund (WHO/UNICEF) manuals. In the past 15 years, she changed her approach for breastfeeding education to biological nurturing. Sofia has been a member of the International Baby Food Action Network (IBFAN) since 1992 and coordinated the Nestlé Boycott in Italy. She retired in 2018.

Continuing education with a holistic approach to the Brazilian LGBT+ population through use of the m-health App

AimThis article aims to discuss the development of a continuing education course for health care professionals to provide competent healthcare assistance to the Brazilian LGBT+ population and the implementation of this course using a m-Health solution. BackgroundThere is a scarcity of continuing education courses in the Brazilian context that update provides evidenced-informed education to ensure health care professional competence in the delivery of health care to LGBT+ individuals. MethodsBased on Bloom's taxonomy, with a main focus on the cognitive domain, the course "Ally: A Holistic Approach to the LGBT+ Individual'' was developed in five months. This was based on the Nurse's Health Education for LGBT Seniors (HEALE), the Curriculum Implementation and Institutional Climate manual, Changes to Improve Healthcare for LGBT People, Gender Nonconforming or Born with DSD" and the National Comprehensive Health Policy for LGBT+ People, among others. ResultsComprising six modules: i) human sexuality; ii) equitable care and appropriate terminology; iii) public health policy for the LGBT+ population; iv) cultural skills for health professionals; v) aging and health care for the LGBT+ population; and vi) mental health of LGBT+ people. Content validity indexing was established using an expert panel and was Ally was supported by a m-Health Solution called “Over the Rainbow'' and totals of 60 h of education. ConclusionsThis m-Health solution and continuing education course for health professionals can be an opportunity to change health professionals’ practice to offer more equitable health care for the LGBT+ population.

Tackling colourism through storytelling in an online course for public health professionals

Objective: Strategic storytelling can be used to reframe dominant cultural narratives and improve community health outcomes. This pilot study assessed the impact of an original, online 3-week e-course, delivered from November to December 2021, in increasing learners’ knowledge of and concern for the seriousness of skin-shade discrimination and the use of skin-lightening products in India, increasing learners’ understanding of storytelling-based communication techniques for public health promotion, and increasing learners’ intentions to use strategic storytelling for social change. Design, Setting and Method: The course used case-method pedagogy to address colourism and cosmetic skin lightening. Learners ( N = 25) completed a pre-course baseline survey on their knowledge and concerns regarding colourism and the use of skin-lightening products, as well as their expectations and interests in taking the course. Following course completion, learners completed a post-webinar survey. The Wilcoxon Signed-Rank test was used to assess differences from pre- to post-course surveys on quantitative items. Open-ended responses were also analysed using qualitative content analysis for recurring themes on learner interest and experience. Results: From pre- to post-course surveys, there were significant improvements in learners’ knowledge of skin shade discrimination and the use of skin-lightening products ( p &lt; .05). Learners indicated being more concerned about the seriousness of skin shade discrimination post-course compared to pre-course. Learners also described a positive learning experience and indicated that the e-course enhanced their understanding of strategic storytelling. Conclusion: Findings highlight the importance of an original e-course that uses case-method pedagogy to build knowledge and skills that addresses the impacts of colourism on the health of Indian adolescents and provides new directions for future research on health education interventions that aim to tackle colourism.

Interlocking Toy Bricks Help Nursing Students “Handle” Valence Electrons, Molarity, Solubility, and More!

For decades, chemical modeling sets have allowed the user to manipulate atoms and bonds using plastic/wooden ball and stick materials. Here is a design for an interlocking toy brick modeling set in which the undergraduate nursing student can manipulate electrons during the simulated chemical bonding exercise. The author presents a teaching and learning activity/demonstration designed to help undergraduate nursing (BSN) students both visualize and physically manipulate (“handle”) abstract chemical education topics such as valence shell electrons and molarity (with manipulatives for solubility rules) of salts, acids, and bases in a chemistry for health professions didactic course, as an effort to increase comprehension of these chemical education topics. This learning tool was one in a series of newly coined “PERCEIVE” (Preparing Engaging Real-time Chemical Education Interactive and Visual Examples) chemical education demonstrations, where BSN students prepare engaging demonstrations, while working in groups. The preparation (building) step allows students to get a “handle” on how the chemistry concept works. Afterward the newly prepared demonstrations are utilized as examples for chemical education and chemistry in health topics─hence, the “PERCEIVE” acronym. This publication outlines: (i) Connections between Molarity and Solubility in modern healthcare practices, (ii) The method and materials for using interlocking toy bricks selected according to CPK color-scheme for modeling valence shell electrons (based on Bohr models), (iii) Solubility rules, (iv) Molarity (and calculations), and (v) Results from anonymous pre- and postqualitative student questionnaires. Student responses indicated a marked increase in the ability to calculate molarity in different volumes (1 L vs 500 mL) postdemonstration. Additional qualitative surveys were conducted, and the results highlighted more than 90% of 152 respondents endorsed the continued implementation of this demo in subsequent chemistry for health professions courses.

The utility of an interprofessional education framework and its impacts upon perceived readiness of graduates for collaborative practice. A multimethod evaluation using the context, input, process, product (CIPP) model

BackgroundFrameworks in higher education can support strategic curriculum change in complex systems. The impact of these frameworks in achieving their stated purpose is less known. An interprofessional education (IPE) framework and related multi-activity curriculum designed to develop health profession graduates with the requisite skills for collaborative care, was introduced in a large university, across eleven health professions. ObjectiveTo determine the utility of an interprofessional framework and impact upon perceived work readiness for collaborative practice. MethodA multimethod design using the context, input, process, product (CIPP) evaluation model was selected taking a social constructivist theoretical stance. Data collection included staffing allocation to IPE, curriculum audit, and reflections from representatives of all health professions courses offered at the institution. Data was analyzed using framework analysis. ParticipantsInterviews or focus groups were undertaken with academic Faculty (n = 13), recent graduates (n = 24) and clinical supervisors/employers of recent graduates (n = 17). ResultsThe framework assisted the systematic implementation of interprofessional curriculum across the different health courses at the university. Collaborative work-ready learning outcomes were identified in graduates where targeted curriculum had been implemented across all four domains of the framework. Gaps identified in framework implementation were consistent with gaps identified in graduate knowledge and skills related to collaborative practice. The combination of formal university-based IPE and informal workplace learning as part of clinical placements contributed to achieving the desired learning outcomes. ConclusionsThese findings offer insights into the use of shared frameworks to drive specific learning activities related to collaborative practice.