Health Science Courses Research Articles

Computers, carbohydrates and cola: Designing an online lab experience for undergraduate health sciences and non-majors in a pandemic paradigm.

Colleges and educational institutions throughout the globe have adapted a pseudo-online educational model. This is also evident in health sciences courses designed for biochemical and chemical education. Biochemistry (along with general, organic and analytical) education is significant in the basic prerequisite education of undergraduate health sciences and non-majors curriculum, including a selection of human physiology and nutrition courses. Providing practical and empirical experiences for students enrolled in chemistry for health professions course is essential, even in this time of uncertainty. Here an option for a simple and safe, comprehensive virtual learning experience on carbohydrates and chemistry topics in connection with healthcare was developed by complementing an existing virtual lab collection and implementing this approach in an undergraduate health sciences (non-majors) course. Student responses to this online learning approach were recorded in a post-lab survey.

Knowledge, attitude, perception and practice of antibiotics usage among the pharmacy students.

Resistance to antibiotics causes negative impact on health of the patients. Antibiotic resistance is the major global concern that has to be nullified for the better health outcome. The knowledge on antibiotics is very essential for the students who undertake pharmacy and health science courses. Hence a study was aimed to assess the level of knowledge, attitude, perception and practice on antibiotics usage among the pharmacy students of King Khalid University, KSA. A prospective online questionnaire based survey was carried out among the pharmacy students about knowledge, attitude perception and practice of antibiotics using 5-point "Likert scale" and true/false responses. The responses range from strongly agree to strongly disagree, and always to never were recorded. The data were analysed by using simple descriptive statistics. Out of 300 students approached 212 responded and the response rate was found to be 71%. In this study, most (95%) of the students were aware of the emerging problem of antibiotic resistance due to inappropriate use of antibiotics. Majority (89%) of the students agreed the inappropriate use of antibiotics can increase the overall cost of treatment. However, over half of the (54%) students were not aware of the antibiotic resistance that may be a nation-wide problem of Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The net positive response (NPR) and net other response (NOR) of all items in perception on antibiotics received more or less equal responses. The knowledge of antibiotics usage among the students are considerably good compared with previous studies. However, the attitude, perception and practice on antibiotics usage among the pharmacy students are very poor. It alarms the need of appropriate education to enlighten antibiotic awareness for the better disease prevention and health outcomes for the benefit of patient community.

INTERRATER RELIABILITY OF ASSESSING THE 1-MINUTE PUSH-UP TEST

Many law enforcement agencies, fire departments and military branches often require members to complete a muscular strength and endurance physical fitness test for entry or as a yearly test to assess their ability to perform essential job duties. Push-ups are common components of a muscular fitness assessment, especially in tactical settings. These tests require a certain level of muscular strength, however, the level of strength needed to be successful in essential job duties is widely debated. Because multiple raters are used to test large groups, scoring inconsistencies can occur due to of a lack of proper movement standard knowledge between raters. PURPOSE: The primary purpose of this study was to evaluate interrater reliability of the 1-minute push-up test using video motion capture application across a group of fitness professionals and health science students. METHODS: Data collected from 28 video raters (males, n = 10; females, n = 18, age: 24.8 + 5.5) was analyzed to determine the interrater reliability for the 1-minute push-up test. Raters were recruited from health science courses at the university where this study was conducted. Raters were shown 10 different video recordings of individuals performing the 1-minute push-up tests as a group in a classroom. Raters were instructed to score the performance of each video participants based on the testing procedures and criteria that were provided. RESULTS: A Cronbach’s alpha reliability analysis of the entire sample revealed a high degree of interrater reliability for the push-up test. (α = .987). CONCLUSION: Based on the results of this investigation, it appears that the push-up test can be assessed by different raters with a high degree of reliability. These findings are significant for populations, such as military, fire and police, that frequently perform these assessments as part of their yearly evaluations.

Perception of undergraduates enrolled in health science courses from Asmara Eritrea towards Hepatitis B.

Introduction:Hepatitis B (HB) is one of the highly infectious and the most common cause of chronic hepatitis, liver cirrhosis, and hepatocellular carcinoma. It is transmitted through blood and body fluids. Most healthcare related personnel are at very high susceptibility towards this infection from the infected patients.Aims:To evaluate the knowledge and practice towards the hepatitis disease and its cross-infection among dental and medical undergraduate students for the first time ever from Eritrea.Settings and Design:It is a cross-sectional survey conducted in the only institute offering undergraduate courses in the field of health sciences.Materials and Methods:A total of 115 medical and 50 dental undergraduate students from a health science institute situated in Asmara Eritrea filled the form and submitted for evaluation. The questionnaire consisted of the demographic variables such as college of study, year of course, age, gender, apart from questions regarding the knowledge, attitude, and practice towards hepatitis and its transfusion. All the data was transferred to excel and applied statistical test using SPSS software.Statistical Analysis Used:Chi-square test was to test the association between the knowledge and practice variable within the stream of study.Results:The overall knowledge of the undergraduate students was found to be very high when assessed through this survey although practice scores were not satisfactory. When asked, “Do you think you can be affected by Hepatitis?”, in regular practice 33 individual gave incorrect answers.Conclusion:There is no doubt that the overall knowledge of the undergraduate students is found to be very high but practice scores and awareness towards chances of cross-infection is poor which requires further sessions of education and practice-based courses to be planned for the students.

Knowledge and practice of blood donation among national youth corp members in orientation camp Sagamu Ogun State

Objectives: Millions of lives are saved each year through blood transfusion, yet the availability, quality and the safety of blood transfusion is still a concern, particularly in the developing countries. The factors influencing blood donation vary and one's knowledge can influence this decision. To assess the factors influencing the knowledge and practice of blood donation among youth corp members in Ogun State, Nigeria. Methods: A cross-sectional study of randomly selected 600 youth corp members. Data was collected through self- administered pretested structured questionnaires and analyzed with SPSS version 21. Multiple regression analyses were used to identify the significant predictors of knowledge and practice of blood donation, with statistical significance at 95% confidence interval. Results: Knowledge of blood donation was adequate among 220 (41.5%) of the respondents, 89 (16.6%) had donated blood. Age younger than or equal to 24 years (AOR=2.040, 95% CI:1.404,2.966) and studying health science courses (AOR=10116, 95% CI:4,368,427) were significant determinants of knowledge. Male gender, marital status, religion, course of study, medium of awareness and good knowledge of blood donation were significant determinants of blood donation among corp members. The commonest reason for donation was replacement (48.3%) and most common reason for not donating was because of never been asked to donate (53.6%). One hundred and sixty-three (30.5 %) signified that they would donate if asked. Conclusion: Level of adequate knowledge about blood donation was low and those who had donated are in the minority. There is need to create more awareness on the importance of blood donation among the youth. Keywords: blood donation, knowledge, youth corp members, practice

Relationships between respiratory sinus arrhythmia and stress in college students.

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationships between university students' respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA) profiles and both retrospective and momentary ratings of stress. Participants were undergraduate students enrolled in an introductory health science course (N = 64). Participants provided RSA data at rest (tonic) and following an orthostatic challenge (phasic), completed the 10-item Perceived Stress Scale (PSS), and completed 6 daily ecological momentary assessments (EMA) of stress for 1week. Higher tonic RSA was associated with lower perceived stress assessed via PSS and average EMA responses. Those with higher tonic RSA did not differ in their experience of stress across the week, whereas those with lower tonic RSA experienced increased stress across the week, and these trajectories varied as a function of phasic responses. These findings suggest a need for greater emphasis on behavioral strategies for maintaining and enhancing autonomic nervous system health among college students.

Making Language Real: Developing Communicative and Professional Competences Through Global Simulation

Background. Simulation is used in the classroom as an effective way of connecting students to real-life scenarios and tasks. In foreign language teaching, simulations are used to develop students’ communicative competences through authentic tasks and activities. In content classes, simulations generally work to develop students’ professional competences related to the area of study. In Global Simulation, an entire course is transformed into a simulated world in which students take on real-life roles and responsibilities. This type of simulation makes it possible for students to develop both communicative and professional competencies simultaneously in a meaningful learning environment. Aim. This article focuses on presenting a Global Simulation carried out in an English for Health Sciences course that could be adapted to any English course for the Health Sciences area, especially those with students who will have contact with the community (e.g., Nursing, Medicine, Public Health, among others). Method. Immersed in a simulation of a center for disease control and health promotion, English for Health Sciences students are organized in teams of 5-6 with each student assigned a specific role within the team and center. Each team receives a total of three cases they must address through the design and implementation of an educational health campaign which is carried out within an authentic community. A survey was used at the end of the simulation to evaluate students’ perceptions and experience. Results and Conclusion. Overall, students’ perceptions were positive. Responses to the survey showed students find the simulation relevant and pertinent to their field of study and authentic in terms of the tasks and activities carried out. Likewise, they highlight development of professional competences and advantages to this type of English as a Foreign Language course as compared to a more traditional, teacher-centered approach, emphasizing improvement in their communicative competences, particularly in oral skills.

Embedded provision to develop source-based writing skills in a Year 1 health sciences course: How can the academic literacy developer contribute?

This study reports on provision to assist students in the health sciences develop knowledge and skill in locating, evaluating, and synthesising sources to use as supporting evidence for the argument essays they are required to produce for first year courses at a university in New Zealand. Students were provided with support in the form of documents, tutorials, online discussion and structured assignment tasks, as well as through embedded instruction offered collaboratively by subject lecturers, an academic literacy developer, and a library professional. The provision was traced over students' first semester, and perspectives of staff and students elicited. Findings revealed that although it was generally evaluated as relevant and helpful, a number of problematic issues were identified related to information-sharing and the need for explicit instruction in linguistic and communicative components aspects of academic writing. The latter was evident in omission from the provision of topics such as disciplinary conventions, rhetorical purposes of citations, options for how to cite, and integration of sources into personal academic arguments. Findings suggest that the inclusion of opportunities to develop awareness of aspects of source-based writing in Year 1 and throughout students' undergraduate years would help them master this complex, multifaceted skill set.

Prediction of body image dissatisfaction in university students by multivariate statistical methods

Overweight and obesity are responsible for significant costs of the Brazil’s public health system and can modify the self-perception of the body image, attitudes, cognitions and thoughts. This study intends to propose predictive models to evaluate factors related to body image dissatisfaction among university students. Undergraduate students, with a mean age of 22.4 years, were interviewed in Minas Gerais, Brazil, by means of a behavioral questionnaire and evaluated the body image by scale of figures of silhouettes according to the Brazilian biotype. Contingency analysis pointed out dissatisfaction in 67.1% of the students and the time dedicated to sedentary activities presented significant influence on body image. Female undergraduate students from health science courses with recent weight gain tended to wish smaller silhouettes, while male students wished larger body sizes. Multinomial and logistic regression analyses revealed a good predictive power, but the multinomial regression was more advantageous and effective in demonstrating a satisfactory predictive model comprised of a larger number of variables to explain the body image dissatisfaction.

Longitudinal interprofessional education in a graduate physiology course.

The primary purpose of conducting two interprofessional education (IPE) experiences during a multidisciplinary physiology graduate-level course was to provide basic science, physical therapy, and physician assistant graduate students opportunities to work as a team in the diagnosis, treatment, and collaborative care when presented with a patient case focused on acute kidney injury (first case) and female athlete triad (second case). The secondary purpose was to apply basic physiology principles to patient case presentations of pathophysiology. The overall purpose was to assess the longitudinal effects and the value of IPE integrated within a basic science course. The following Interprofessional Education Collaborative subcompetencies were targeted: roles/responsibilities (RR1, RR4). Students were given a pre- and postsurvey to assess their IPE perceptions and knowledge of professional roles. There were statistically significant increases from the presurvey renal IPE experience to the presurvey endocrine IPE experience for two perception questions regarding the ability to explain the roles and responsibilities of a physical therapist (PT) and physician assistant using a Likert scale. In addition, student knowledge of the role of a PT increased significantly when comparing the renal IPE presurvey to the endocrine IPE presurvey results to open-ended questions. Students' perceptions of their knowledge as well as their ability to express, in writing, their newly learned knowledge of the role of a PT was sustained over time. Incorporating multiple IPE experiences into multidisciplinary health science courses represents an appropriate venue to have students learn and apply interprofessional competencies.

Impact of the Classroom Learning Environment on Graduate Health Science Students' Clinical Reasoning

PurposeThe purpose of this study was to investigate how learning in two graduate health science courses at a comprehensive state university was structured and provided opportunities for clinical reasoning. MethodThis study adopted a grounded theory approach. Participants included two graduate instructors, one in Occupational Therapy (OT) and one Communication Disorders (CD), and their students (n = 62). Three data sources included transcripts from 36 h of instructor–student discourse within graduate health science classrooms over the course of a full semester, detailed field notes about the environment and instructor–student interactions, and transcripts from in-depth, open-ended interviews with each instructor focusing on their intended participation frameworks and scaffolding strategies. ResultsThe findings indicate that students' demonstration of clinical reasoning skills in the classroom were impacted by the participation frameworks instructors adopted and that instructor perceptions did not always match recorded interactions. DiscussionThe pedagogies instructors use, the social dynamics in the classroom, class structure and format, and instructor expectations are highly influential on the high-level problem solving required in clinical reasoning that graduate health science students need to demonstrate. ConclusionResults of this study highlight how instructional practices can inadvertently undermine the clinical reasoning skills students demonstrate in the classroom environment and are representative of a common struggle in education.

Implementing Interprofessional Education: Initial results from the first interprofessional fellowship in integrative health and medicine

High attrition rate in first year health science courses including allied health is a common problem in the higher education sector. This systematic review aims to explore the tools used by educators in identifying first year, at-risk students studying health science courses within higher education. The review identifies the tools and investigates their effectiveness in identifying at-risk students.A mixed-methods systematic review of original research was undertaken exploring the tools used or developed for identification of the at-risk health science students in their first year of study. Following databases were searched: Academic OneFile, CINAHL PLUS, ERIC, ScienceDirect and Google Scholar.Collectively, the included studies (n = 13) revealed that a combination of both academic and non-academic factors are most effective in identifying at-risk students. All 13 identified studies developed tools based on one or more of the following three categories: those examining the personal background, academic preparedness and the student perceptions of their own abilities and readiness.With students enrolling into health science courses coming from various diverse academic and personal backgrounds, the tools identified in this systematic review could enhance early identification of at-risk students, thereby enabling educational institutions to take timely educational interventions to support them.

Longitudinal Interprofessional Education in a Graduate Physiology Course

The primary purpose of conducting two interprofessional education (IPE) experiences during the physiology graduate‐level course was to provide basic science (n=9), physical therapy (35), and physician assistant (30) graduate students with an opportunity to work as a team in the diagnosis, treatment, and collaborative care of a patient with acute kidney injury and a patient with female athlete triad. The secondary purpose was to enhance the understanding of basic physiology principles with patient case presentations of pathophysiology. The overall purpose was to assess the longitudinal effects and the value of IPE integration within a basic science course by examining student perceptions and program evaluation. The following Interprofessional Education Collaborative sub‐competencies were targeted: Values/Ethics (VE1), Roles/Responsibilities (RR1, RR4), Interprofessional Communication (CC4), and Teams and Teamwork (TT3). First the students engaged in the renal IPE learning experience, followed one month later by the endocrine IPE learning experience. Clinical and IPE stimulus questions were discussed both within and between teams with assistance provided by faculty facilitators. Students were given a pre‐ and post‐survey to determine their IPE perceptions and knowledge. The research portion was anonymous and was approved by the institutional review board at our institution (#9260). A Likert scale ranging from strongly disagree to strongly agree (1 to 5) was used to measure the responses from the IPE sub‐competencies and activity evaluation questions. Themes were determined and quantified for the open‐ended questions by LMHB or SE, and the number of correct responses for the roles of the healthcare students was quantified in a blinded fashion. There were statistically significant increases from pre‐survey renal IPE to pre‐survey endocrine IPE for two IPE questions regarding the ability to explain the roles and responsibilities of a physical therapist and physician assistant (p<0.05). The knowledge of the role of the physical therapist increased significantly when comparing the renal IPE pre‐survey to the endocrine IPE pre‐survey results (p<0.05). There was a significant increase in the mean Likert scores for the renal compared to the endocrine IPE post‐surveys for one of the questions, indicating that there was an increased participation by the team members on the second IPE experience. Therefore, the students carried knowledge learned during the first IPE to the second exposure of IPE. Incorporating multiple planned IPE experiences into multidisciplinary health science courses represents an appropriate venue to have students learn and apply interprofessional competencies.This abstract is from the Experimental Biology 2019 Meeting. There is no full text article associated with this abstract published in The FASEB Journal.

Application of Team-Based Learning at a Health Science Course: A Case Study

Application of Team-Based Learning at a Health Science Course: A Case Study

Osposobljavanje liječnika medicine rada i stručnjaka zaštite na radu u SAD-u

SUMMARY: Professionals have been working in occupational safety and health (OS&H) in the United States since at least the advent of the Industrial Revolution. Formal educational in OS&H began in earnest with passage of the Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSHA) of 1970 that included provisions for funding training in OS&H disciplines. A study conducted by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) in 2011 estimated that there were over 48,000 (2.3/10,000 working age adults) OS&H professionals working in the US. Employers surveyed in this study reported a need to hire over 25,000 OS&H professionals in the next 5 years. OS&H training programs were projected to graduate less than 13,000 students in that period. Core knowledge and skills in the various OS&H disciplines typically includes academic training in epidemiology, biostatistics, administration & management, behavioral health science, industrial hygiene, ergonomics, and foundation courses in occupational injury and disease prevention. Employers report interest in additional training in communication, technical writing, leadership, cross-disciplinary training, emerging hazards, and knowledge of regulations and compliance. Funding of OS&H programs has been a persistent challenge. A lack of student awareness of training and career opportunities poses additional challenges for recruitment of qualified applicants. While hiring demands and career prospects remain high for most OS&H disciplines, the support for training programs, and the supply of new graduates presents ongoing challenges for OS&H educators.

Successful team-based development of an online course with an external partner: An analysis of the perspectives of academics

Course and subject development teams are increasingly seen in the tertiary online teaching environment and they face a unique set of challenges. The purpose of this study was to synthesise and share learnings of 12 academics involved in the development of subjects with an external partner for a new multidisciplinary online health science course at an Australian university, in order to improve ongoing development within the course and inform new course development. In this case study, thematic analysis of focus group discussions and qualitative survey data identified five key themes related to the development process: time management, setting expectations, communication, the development team, and ownership. Barriers to productive subject development included unrealistic timelines, unclear lines of communication, unmet or unrealistic expectations and lack of recognition of team members’ expertise, and lack of support for genuine collaboration. Team-based development of an online course has the potential to be a rewarding experience for academics. In order for the benefits to be realised, approaches to development underpinned by a community-centred framework, observing core values such as collaboration, shared sense of purpose and expectations, would address a number of the issues identified in this study.

Successful team-based development of an online course with an external partner: An analysis of the perspectives of academics

Course and subject development teams are increasingly seen in the tertiary online teaching environment and they face a unique set of challenges. The purpose of this study was to synthesise and share learnings of 12 academics involved in the development of subjects with an external partner for a new multidisciplinary online health science course at an Australian university, in order to improve ongoing development within the course and inform new course development. In this case study, thematic analysis of focus group discussions and qualitative survey data identified five key themes related to the development process: time management, setting expectations, communication, the development team, and ownership. Barriers to productive subject development included unrealistic timelines, unclear lines of communication, unmet or unrealistic expectations and lack of recognition of team members’ expertise, and lack of support for genuine collaboration. Team-based development of an online course has the potential to be a rewarding experience for academics. In order for the benefits to be realised, approaches to development underpinned by a community-centred framework, observing core values such as collaboration, shared sense of purpose and expectations, would address a number of the issues identified in this study.

Assessing the engagement rates and satisfaction levels of various clinical health science student sub-groups using supplementary eLearning resources in an introductory anatomy and physiology unit

PurposeIntroductory anatomy and physiology provide a core knowledge base to students within clinical health science courses. Increased student numbers, as well as reduced access to laboratory-based cadaveric resources, have created a need for enhanced learning approaches to support learning. The streamlining of courses has also resulted in the need to effectively engage course sub-groups within large units. The purpose of this paper is to utilize the eLearning activities to investigate engagement and satisfaction levels within students undertaking an anatomy and physiology unit.Design/methodology/approachA total of 19 formative quizzes were made available to students. Online practical anatomy laboratories covered anatomical content, and physiology quizzes covered physiological content. Student engagement was compared using frequency analysis across students studying varying courses. Satisfaction was determined by analyzing student’s feedback using frequency analysis.FindingsStudents accessed the learning activities 29,898 times over semester, with the peak access (37 percent) prior to the closed book exams. The resources were utilized primarily as an exam preparation tool rather than consistently throughout semester. Out of the various courses, the Paramedicine, Physiotherapy and Podiatry students were the most engaged, with the highest percent of “engaged/highly engaged” students. Students from various courses shared very similar views of the perceived benefit of the eLearning activities.Practical implicationsThese results indicated a difference in engagement levels between the students of various course sub-groups, and therefore suggests that the development of course-specific eLearning activities is necessary in large, streamlined units to achieve a more focused approach to support students’ learning, engagement and success, so that positive and beneficial learning experiences are ensured for all students.Originality/valueThese results suggest that in the future, development of eLearning activities is necessary to achieve a more focused approach to support students’ learning, engagement and success, so that positive and beneficial learning experiences are ensured for all.

Evaluating the test-retest reliability of the SLUMP questionnaire for measuring biomechanical issues during laptop use among university students

Laptop use may be associated with poor health among University students. However, no psychometrically-sound instrument is available to measure biomechanical issues during laptop computer use in this population. To evaluate the test-retest reliability of the Student Laptop Use and Musculoskeletal Posture (SLUMP) questionnaire among undergraduate University students. We invited 179 undergraduate students from two Health Sciences courses at the University of Ontario Institute of Technology to participate in the study in October 2015. We conducted a test-retest reliability study. The SLUMP questionnaire, which includes 51 questions, was administered twice at a seven-day interval. We used weighted Kappa statistics to calculate test-retest reliability. Ninety-one students completed the study. 72.5% of the 51 questions achieved a Kw≥0.60 with 29.4% of questions achieving a Kw≥0.80. The reliability was similar for males and females. The SLUMP offers a promising method to measure biomechanical issues during laptop use among University students.

A (in)formação científica e humanizada dos profissionais da área de saúde: a literatura nas humanidades médicas

Literatura e medicina convivem harmoniosamente, sendo trivial afirmar que ler faz bem à saúde. Todavia, o diálogo entre literatura e ciência nem sempre é assumido em benefício mútuo. A literatura faz bem à medicina e mostra-se útil à (in)formação dos profissionais de saúde? Com o objetivo de refletir sobre este assunto, efetuou-se uma auscultação da literatura científica recente sobre essa temática. Como resultado, enumeraram-se os trabalhos considerados mais relevantes, com contributos concretos da literatura para a medicina e das humanidades para a educação em ciências médicas. Conclui-se que os profissionais de saúde valorizam a literatura na prática clínica e que a neurologia e a psiquiatria são as áreas que mais reconhecem o potencial literário. Reconhece-se uma tendência à inclusão das humanidades médicas nos currículos dos cursos das ciências da saúde. Assim, será benéfica a inclusão da literatura nas humanidades médicas e na formação dos profissionais de saúde.