Health Sciences Research Articles

Bibliometric Analysis of publications that cited the CIOMS 2016 “International Ethical Guidelines for Health-related Research Involving Humans”

The CIOMS book “International Ethical Guidelines for Health-related Research Involving Humans”, published in 2016 (IEG2016), provides information to assist research ethics committee members and research practitioners with pragmatically implementing ethical considerations while planning and conducting their research. To identify which aspects of research IEG2016 has had the greatest impact since its publication, we analyzed metadata from 942 papers that cited IEG2016 (English language title only) from Web of Science (WoS, Clarivate). Using VOSviewer, we mapped the co-occurrence of keywords to derive the network of all keywords that co-occurred at least five times in the set of citing papers. We found that the keywords ethics, research ethics, informed consent, and clinical trials had high co-occurrence scores in this set of publications. Strong links were also observed between ethics, research ethics, and informed consent. We identified fifteen human-related (HR) keyword nodes in this keyword network. Analysis of the subset of 273 IEG2016-citing articles containing these fifteen HR keywords showed later-date publications were focused on the youngest humans (children, adolescents, young people, minors) and the humans typically responsible for those youngest humans, namely women and parents. Seventy-nine of the 110 network countries associated with IEG2016-citing articles were home to HR keyword articles. We conclude that IEG2016 has had significant impact in health and medical science literature and has served as a foundation for health-related research around the world in the areas of ethics, informed consent, and research ethics and the linkage of these topics to under-represented populations in such research.

Bridging the gap between the first year of the Health Sciences bachelor's degree and the second year at Ifsi

Université Paris-Est Créteil offers a gateway to the second year of anursing training institute after the first year of a Health Sciences degree. Eight students entered the second year of nursing training institute via this gateway. At the end of session1, seven of them were able to move on to the third year of nursing training institute. The results are encouraging, both in terms of theoretical knowledge acquisition and qualitative feedback from students.

Growth of Knowledge Synthesis in a University Setting: Types, Disciplines, and Librarian Involvement

Librarian co-authorship of knowledge synthesis (KS) research is on the rise, demonstrating growing recognition of the value librarians bring to research teams. This study analyzes trends in KS research output at a mid-sized doctoral granting university between 2017 and 2022, with a focus on librarian involvement. Using PubMed, Scopus, and the Social Sciences Citation Index & Arts and Humanities Citation Index, all KS research published by researchers at our institution between 2017 and 2022 was retrieved. A content analysis was conducted, and findings reveal a 280 % increase in librarian co-authorship during this period, coinciding with a 54 % overall growth in KS publications. Health sciences continue to dominate as the primary creators of KS research, with <10 % of published KS published in the sciences, humanities, and social sciences. Notably, systematic reviews with librarian co-authors were published in journals with higher Journal Impact Factors (JIFs) than those without. This research underscores the vital role librarians play in advancing KS research, the importance of advocating for librarian co-authorship, and highlights the need for increased librarian engagement in non-health disciplines.

Needs Analysis of English for Specific Purposes for Health Sciences Students: A Cross-Sectional Study at a University in the U.A.E.

This paper presents findings from a needs analysis survey to determine the extent to which the current English for Specific Purposes (ESP) course for healthcare students meets the needs of this population. A structured questionnaire was shared with the students (N=180) from different healthcare departments to examine the preferability of different aspects. Many participants gave great value to ESP courses whose importance was mainly to learn medical or pharmaceutical terminology and communicative skills. Yet, the participants preferred the conversational content over the grammatical one. Most participants perceived the four English skills as important. The overall conclusion shows that the main objective of an ESP course is language fluency to be able to communicate and achieve any requirement in their career. Moreover, the study shows that the conventional methods of assessment are less preferred and that students prefer assessments where teamwork is involved. They also preferred to receive the learning materials via online or technological methods, and they preferred class activities and audio/video aids. Yet, a great number did not prefer using an English Language Laboratory. Finally, most of them agreed that being in a mostly English-speaking community at the university is convenient to enhance their communication skills in English.

Memphis NeuroSTART Program: Promoting Student Success and Increasing the Diversity of Applicants to Neuroscience Graduate Programs

With grant support from the Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) program funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF) and the Awards to Stimulate and Support Undergraduate Research Experiences (ASSURE) program funded by the Department of Defense (DoD) Air Force Office of Scientific Research (AFOSR), we established a program intended to increase the number of underrepresented racial and ethnic minority (URM) and first-generation undergraduate students successfully applying to neuroscience and other STEM-related graduate programs. The Neuroscience Techniques and Research Training (NeuroSTART) Program aimed to increase the number of undergraduate students from the Memphis area involved in behavioral neuroscience research. In this two-semester program, students completed an empirical research project in a neuroscience lab, received individual mentoring from neuroscience faculty, became part of a STEM network, presented at research conferences, and attended specialized professional development seminars. In two cohorts of 15 students, 4 are PhD students in neuroscience-related programs or in medical school (27%), 4 are employed in neuroscience-related research facilities (27%), 3 are employed as clinical assistants (20%), and 1 is employed in the IT field (7%). The remaining three recently graduated and are planning a gap year prior to applying for admission to grad/medical school. The Memphis NeuroSTART program has provided valuable training to participants, making them competitive applicants for jobs in the health sciences and for admittance into graduate neuroscience programs. By providing this training to first-generation and URM students, the broader impact of this program was an increase in the diversity of the health sciences workforce, particularly those specializing in neuroscience-related research and treatment.

Experience of Visiting an Urban Slum: A Medical Student’s Perspective

Urban slums are densely populated areas characterized by inadequate housing, poor sanitation, and limited access to essential services. As part of the MBBS curriculum at Patan Academy of Health Sciences (PAHS), we visited an urban slum in Balkhu to assess the community's health-seeking behaviour, water facilities, and education. This article highlights the significance of such postings in equipping medical students with critical skills, including empathy, teamwork, and leadership, necessary for addressing the socio-economic determinants of health. The experience provided an invaluable opportunity to engage with real-world challenges, fostering a deeper understanding of the healthcare needs of underserved populations. These insights are vital to medical students in shaping a compassionate and socially responsible approach in their practice.

Researching Student Profiles in the Department of Child Development at Istanbul Gelişim University

Aim: This research is a descriptive study aimed at determining the profile of students enrolled in the Department of Child Development within Istanbul Gelisim University's Faculty of Health Sciences. Method: The study group consists of 389 students studying in the child development departments providing education in Turkish and English. In the study, 259 students who agreed to participate in the study were included without any sample selection. Result: Research findings have shown that the majority of child development department students are satisfied with both the department and the university. They choose the child development department voluntarily and rank it among their top three choices in the university preference form. Additionally, they have positive feelings towards both the department and the university. Conclusion: As a result of the research, it was determined that the students were satisfied with their departments and the university. Personality characteristics, professional knowledge, skills, and attitudes of child development professionals directly affect the target audiences with whom they will interact. For this reason, to train qualified child development experts, it is thought that it would be beneficial to take encouraging measures for candidates who will choose the child development profession and to support existing child development experts while doing their profession and help them solve the problems they encounter.

A pragmatic approach to teaching physician assistant students basic pain management.

Chronic pain is increasing in prevalence, with new cases now outnumbering those of diabetes, depression, or hypertension. Advanced practice providers have reported that their training in pain management inadequately prepared them to care for patients suffering from painful conditions. In response, the authors of this work developed a basic pain management conceptual framework to provide physician assistant (PA) students with the foundational knowledge necessary to manage and treat patients suffering from a wide variety of painful conditions. The devised framework activity includes categories of pain management such as conservative therapies, medications, injections, minimally invasive procedures, and moderately to highly invasive procedures. This framework can be incorporated into the existing PA educational curriculum and presented alongside a realistic pain patient case study. Furthermore, other health science educational programs, such as nurse practitioner or pharmacy programs, could adopt this framework to increase student knowledge in pain management.

Retracted: Basic Concept of Healthy Aging

RETRACTION NOTICERetraction Notice (31th May 2024): The article by Hom Nath Chalise “Basic Concept of Healthy Aging” [JKAHS | Vol. 6 | No. 1 | Issue 16 | January - April 2023; https://doi.org/10.61814/jkahs.v6i1.763; published on 30 April 2023(submitted:14th December 2022) has been retracted from JKAHS by the editorial team for the duplicate publication on 31th May 2024.In response to the concern of duplicate publication of the article by a reader, the editorial team of JKAHS has reviewed the concern and has taken this decision of retracting the article.This article has been found to be already published in Journal of Patan Academy of Health Sciences (JPAHS) [Vol. 9 No. 3 (2022) https://doi.org/10.3126/jpahs.v9i3.52221] on 31 December 2022 (submitted: 29 May 2022) and in Asian Journal of Population Sciences (AJPS) [Vol. 2 (2023)https://doi.org/10.3126/ajps.v2i1.51096] on 10 January 2023 (submitted: 15 October 2022).As per the retraction policy of JKAHS, the author was contacted by the JKAHS EditorialTeam for an appropriate explanation. The author acknowledged that the article had been already under processing by Jat the time of submission to JKAHS. Based on the date of submission as well as publication on JPAHS, AJPS and JKAHS, the decision of retraction from JKAHS was made by the editorial meeting of JKAHS held on 31th May (Friday) 2024, and the need to correct the scientific record. JKAHS and AJPS were contacted from editorial office of JKAHS and make them aware of this retraction.Both of the involved journals have seen a copy of this retraction notice. The authors agree to this retraction notice.

A multi-centre randomised controlled trial comparing megestrol acetate to levonorgestrel-intrauterine system in fertility sparing treatment of atypical endometrial hyperplasia.

The objective of the trial was to compare the regression rate of atypical endometrial hyperplasia (AEH) in patients treated with megestrol acetate (MA) vs. levonorgestrel-intrauterine device (LNG-IUS). We also aimed to assess the fertility and pregnancy outcomes in these patients. The study was a phase II multi-centre randomised controlled trial on the use of MA compared to LNG-IUS in the treatment of AEH conducted from January 2020 to January 2024 in Singapore. Women who were diagnosed with AEH and between 21 and 40years old were included. The patients were randomised to receive either MA (160mg orally daily) or LNG-IUS. The primary outcomes assessed were the regression rates at 3months, 6months and 9months of treatment. The secondary outcomes assessed were the side effects, patient acceptability and fertility outcomes. Thirty-six patients completed the trial. The overall regression rate was 88.9% by 9months. There was no statistically significant difference in the 9-month complete regression rate between MA vs. LNG-IUS. There was also no significant difference in side effects and weight change between both arms. Nineteen patients were actively pursuing fertility after complete regression. There were 8 pregnancies achieved, with resultant 4 live births and 4 miscarriages. Our study confirms a high regression rate of AH with medical treatment. LNG-IUS is a non-inferior treatment compared to megestrol acetate. Successful pregnancy outcomes can be achieved after regression of AEH. Long-term studies of sufficient sample-size are needed to assess for fertility and pregnancy outcomes, risk of recurrence and long-term risk of malignancy. The study was registered with the Health Science Authority (HSA) (License No.: CTA1900087) on September 5, 2019: https://eservice.hsa.gov.sg/prism/ct_r/enquiry.do?action=loadSpecificDetail . The trial was registered retrospectively on ClinicalTrials.gov (ID: NCT05492487) on April 7, 2022: https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT05492487 .

Assessment of Students and Graduates ‘perceptions on Effectiveness of Nursing Curriculum and their Preparedness in a Selected School of Nursing and Midwifery in Rwanda

The study aimed to evaluate the perceptions of students and graduates regarding the effectiveness of the nursing curriculum at the School of Nursing and Midwifery, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Rwanda, in preparing them for professional practice. Two key research questions were addressed: the extent to which the curriculum prepares students and graduates as nurse professionals, and specific areas where they feel more or less prepared. Guided by constructivist theory and utilizing a cross-sectional design, the study sampled 153 respondents (61.7%) from a population of 248, including 90 students and 47 graduates. Findings revealed that a robust theoretical foundation in essential areas is crucial for nursing practice readiness. Most nursing-specific modules were deemed highly relevant, and all functional modules were considered significant for developing generic skills. The curriculum delivery was characterized by student-centered strategies, with students expressing moderate satisfaction with the assessment process. The mean preparedness score for students was (3.56), indicating that (85.8%) felt moderately prepared for their future careers, while the mean score for graduates was (3.85), showing that (63.8%) felt well-prepared.

The effect of social media uses on mental health: study among health vocational student at Universitas Esa Unggul, Jakarta, Indonesia

Background: Social media has growth significantly in terms of quality, consumption, and quantity. Social media consumers have made online social communication an important part of their daily lives, as evidenced by the increasing number of daily users. Many studies on the effects of social media have been conducted, and it has been found that frequent use of social media sites can be linked to negative symptoms and indicators of depression, anxiety, and stress. The purpose of this study is to determine the impact of social media use on the mental health of vocational students at the Faculty of Health Sciences, Esa Unggul University. Methods: This study used a cross-sectional design with a Chi-square test. Data were collected using the General Health Questionnaire 12 (GHQ-12) to assess mental health levels. Data on characteristics and social media usage behaviour were collected by asking a series of questions through a questionnaire. Results: The results of this study showed that 60.2% of the 108 respondents used 3-4 social media applications. A total of 47.2% of respondents accessed social media for more than 4 hours per day, and only 22.2% accessed social media for less than 2 hours per day. There was a significant relationship between the duration of social media use and mental health levels (p value=0.001). Meanwhile, there was no significant relationship between the number of applications used and mental health levels (p value=0.475). Conclusions: Based on the above study results, it is expected that students can limit the intensity of their daily social media use.

Assessment of health literacy and HPV knowledge among university students: An observational study.

Health literacy (HL) level is related to promotion of health, improved health behaviors, and early diagnosis of diseases, as well as the appropriate use of health services. Human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination is the primary method of protection against cervical cancer and recommended for women aged 9 to 27. This study aims to assess the university students' knowledge about HPV and the association between HL and HPV vaccination. In this cross-sectional and descriptive study, an electronic survey was used. Demographic characteristics and anthropometric measurements of the participants were questioned. HPV Knowledge Scale (HPV-KS) and Turkish Health Literacy Scale (THLS-32) were used to evaluate HPV knowledge and HL. Statistical analyzes were performed with SPSS version 26. A total of 361 university students (74% women), aged 21.98 ± 4.72 years, were included in the study. About 52% of the participants were health sciences students. The total THLS-32 score was 34.68 ± 9.37 (95% CI = 33.71-35.65), and the total adequate/excellent HL level was 51%. The mean HPV-KS score of the participants was 10.28 ± 8.15 (95% CI = 9.44-11.12) of a possible 35. Health sciences students had higher rates of HPV awareness (78% vs 65%; P = .007). General HPV knowledge level was significantly better among women (P < .001), >20 years (P = .002), and those with a family history of cancer (P < .001) and significantly lower among students at prep or first year of school (P < .001). There was a weak, positive relation between THLS-32 and HPV-KS score (R = 0.136; P = .01). Participants with higher levels of HPV knowledge (P = .034) and total HPV-KS score (P = .025) were statistically significantly higher in students with adequate/excellent HL. Our results reveal that knowledge about HPV vaccination is closely related to HL levels. Educational interventions on HL may be considered to increase HPV vaccination rates.

The heart of the matter: neighborhood violent crime and deprivation, cardiometabolic disease, and the racial invariance thesis

ABSTRACT Studies have observed a tight spatial coupling of elevated violent crime rates, structural deprivation, and cardiometabolic disease prevalence across geographic areas. Conceptual perspectives in the health sciences provide a framework to explain this geographic concentration of poor health and crime, which differs from perspectives derived from macro-level criminology. Drawing on these different conceptual approaches, the current study uses administrative and survey data aggregated to Census tracts to examine whether violent crime and structural deprivation are factors for cardiometabolic disease prevalence. Drawing on the racial invariance thesis, the study also tests whether these patterns are invariant across neighborhoods of different racial and ethnic compositions. Multivariate results reveal that cardiometabolic disease varies directly with levels of violent crime but not structural deprivation. Furthermore, the results do not provide consistent support for the racial and ethnic invariance hypothesis. We discuss the implications of the findings for prevention models focused on modifiable risk factors of poor health in local geographic areas.

How fast do scholarly papers get read by various user groups? A longitudinal and cross‐disciplinary analysis of the evolution of Mendeley readership

AbstractTo provide a dynamic perspective on the evolution of Mendeley readership, this study conducts an 8‐year longitudinal analysis of approximately 3.4 million scholarly papers published in 2015. Mendeley readership data were collected annually from 2016 to 2023 for the sampled papers to analyze the temporal accumulation patterns of readership following publication. The results indicate that Mendeley readership exhibits a speed advantage compared to citations and a prevalence advantage compared to Twitter mentions, demonstrating both initial prevalence and sustained growth on a yearly basis. However, the patterns of accumulation vary across disciplines, with papers in Biomedical and Health Sciences showing the fastest accrual of extensive Mendeley readership data. Leveraging demographic data provided by Mendeley, this study further investigates how different user groups—categorized by academic status, disciplinary affiliation, and geographic location—engage with papers across various disciplines. The findings highlight Mendeley readership as a rapid and substantial altmetric, yet they also emphasize the need to interpret the nature of the attention captured by Mendeley readership with caution, considering its potential biases introduced by the varying engagement levels of different user groups across disciplines.

A Toolbox of Strategies to Improve Test-Taking Skills: A Comparison of Student Perceptions.

Changes in the national examination structures have renewed interest in the development of test-taking strategies for professional students in the health sciences. It is often assumed that these high-achieving students have developed proficient test-taking skills and abilities prior to admittance. However, the assessments in these programs and for national licensure require an elevated level of reasoning and integration with clinical concepts. It was hypothesized that the implementation of an immersive test-taking strategies program would improve dental student perceptions of their abilities. A "toolbox" of four methods was implemented which included: 1. An introductory video that provided students with ten tips for approaching high-level exam questions 2. Problem solution videos interspersed with class practice problems to walk students independently through rationales 3. Collaborative group assessments in which students implemented the strategies in teams to prepare for exams and 4. Unit exam debriefings to review the question rationales. While all methods were positively reviewed on surveys, students indicated that the problem solution videos and the collaborative group assessments were more helpful and improved their test-taking skills significantly more than the other strategies (P < 0.01, one-way ANOVA and Bonferroni post hoc test). Students felt they had developed strong test-taking strategies (average of 4.21 on a 5-point scale, SD 0.76) and felt more prepared for the Integrated National Board Dental Examination (4.48, SD 0.66). These results suggest that a multi-pronged approach with frequent opportunities to practice test-taking strategies can improve student perceptions of their ability to master high-level and integrated assessment questions.

Perceptions and Patterns of Self-Medication Among Undergraduate Medical, Allied Health Sciences and Non-Medical Students in Peshawar, Pakistan

Perceptions and Patterns of Self-Medication Among Undergraduate Medical, Allied Health Sciences and Non-Medical Students in Peshawar, Pakistan

A New Approach to Peripheral Nerve Block Education with the Anatomage Table as a Learning Adjunct.

Human anatomy education serves as a gateway for entering the intricacies of health science. Human Cadavers have been the gold standard for learning regional and gross anatomy. However, increasing barriers in acquisition, maintenance, and longevity have pushed anatomy education towards technology-based alternatives such as the Anatomage Tableâ (AT), an interactive, life-sized virtual dissection table with many anatomy education centric features. The AT has found purchase in various contexts, such as clinical settings, research, outreach, and education. Studies into the efficacy of the AT in teaching settings have been generally positive but limited in its application, particularly in clinical procedure education. In this study, we conducted an informal workshop for second-year Certified Nurse Anesthetist (CRNA) students to aid in being able to identify the important neuraxial landmarks for performing peripheral nerve blocks (PNB), an anesthetic technique often used before other procedures. In our workshop, we paired the AT with identifying the same neuraxial landmarks on volunteer models with an ultrasound probe to provide students with relevant tactile experience for the procedure. From our pre-/post- surveys of the participants (n = 29), we found that our workshop significantly increased student confidence in identifying the relevant neuraxial landmarks for and in performing PNBs. Our results support using the AT in clinical education as a supplement, particularly where other anatomic teaching tools, such as cadaver models, may be too difficult to implement.

Digital motor intervention effects on motor performance of individuals with developmental disabilities: a systematic review.

Individuals (i.e. children/young adults) with developmental disabilities (DDs) and intellectual disabilities (IDs) often display a variety of physical and motor impairments. It is well known that participation in motor activities can positively impact the development of children's cognitive and social skills. Recently, virtual and digital technologies (e.g. video conferencing applications, virtual reality and video gaming) have been increasingly used to promote better physical/motor outcomes. The efficacy of digital technologies in improving motor outcomes for those with DD/ID varies depending on the technology and population, and the comparative effects of various technologies are unknown. The aim of our study is to conduct a systematic review to comprehensively examine the quantitative and qualitative results of current studies reporting the efficacy of digitally based motor interventions on motor outcomes in individuals with DD/ID. Literature published from 1900 to 2024 was searched in four health sciences databases: PubMed, PsycINFO, Scopus and CINAHL. Articles that examined the effects of gross motor/physical activity training using technologies such as exergaming (i.e. exercise through video gaming such as the Wii and Xbox Kinect), virtual reality or telehealth video conferencing applications (i.e. Zoom, Webex or mobile health apps) on the standardised or game-specific gross motor performance of individuals with DD/ID diagnoses that do not typically experience significant walking challenges using experimental or quasi-experimental study designs were included. Thirty relevant articles were retrieved from a search of the databases PubMed (914), PsycINFO (1201), Scopus (1910) and CINAHL (948). Our quantitative synthesis of this published literature suggests strong and consistent evidence of small-to-large improvements in motor skill performance following digital movement interventions. Our review supports the use of digital motor interventions to support motor skill performance in individuals with DD without ID. Digital technologies can provide a more engaging option for therapists to promote motor skill development in individuals with DD or for caregivers to use as an adjunct to skilled therapy.

Sharing Consumer Health Information in Florida: Understanding Challenges to Navigating Health Care Library Organization Collaboration Florida Health Sciences Library Association (FHSLA) – Tampa Bay Library Consortium (TBLC)

ABSTRACT In 2019, the Florida Health Sciences Library Association (FHSLA) and the Tampa Bay Library Consortium, Inc. (TBLC) joined together to increase awareness of reliable vetted health information resources for Florida residents. FHSLA, composed of approximately 75 academic/health sciences/hospital librarians, contacted TBLC, composed of public librarians and various library personnel in Florida, to explore opportunities for their members to work together and network through monthly health-focused webinars. This article describes their collaborative initiative.