Post-class Surveys Research Articles

An Introduction to Clinical Informatics for Early Medical Learners Using Colorectal Cancer Screening.

Clinical informatics is an important component of the AMA-endorsed third pillar of undergraduate medical education, health systems science. Discrete educational opportunities for clinical informatics and health systems science among early learners are lacking in medical school curricula. We developed and evaluated a multistep, 2.5-hour activity during the gastroenterology module to introduce these topics to preclerkship medical students. A didactic session introducing clinical informatics and clinical decision support and reviewing health promotion and screening concepts was followed by small-group activities. Students worked through a series of exercises culminating in the generation of a clinical decision support tool based on the United States Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) colorectal cancer screening recommendations. Between 2022 and 2023, 326 first-year medical students participated in this workshop. Feedback was predictably mixed. In 2022, 88% of postclass survey respondents confirmed having a better clinical informatics understanding after the workshop. In 2023, students reported a statistically significant increase in their self-reported understanding of the role of clinical informatics, clinical decision support, and USPSTF colorectal cancer recommendations. Clinical decision support is a viable pathway for introduction of clinical informatics, health systems science, and public health/prevention topics. Our educational approach offers an interactive introduction to this group of topics that can benefit future physicians. While colon cancer provides a robust option for the clinical situation, this activity could be modified to fit into many different clinical scenarios, allowing for interdisciplinary education during either undergraduate or graduate medical education.

A problem-based learning activity for enhancing inquiry skills and facilitating conceptual change in a biological chemistry course

When teaching STEM courses, it is important to introduce state-of-the-art techniques. Students need to learn how to conduct experiments, analyse data and choose the most effective approaches to address meaningful situations. Here we present the assessment of the implementation of a structured inquiry-based activity aimed at teaching students about protein mass and size. This activity emerges as an intervention in our educational module, designed to create a cognitive conflict that effectively drives a conceptual change. To evaluate the efficacy of this module, we collected data on students’ perceived and actual knowledge through pre- and post-class surveys (n = 36 and 34, respectively, mean age 26 ± 2). Additionally, we evaluated lab reports using a detailed rubric. Results indicate that the practical innovation we propose is a challenging activity that promotes the accomplishment of our learning objectives. The activity led to improvements both in confidence and in actual mastery of theoretical concepts and techniques. After completing the activity, students were able to choose the most appropriate technique to solve specific problems. Furthermore, we found that the use of a structured questionnaire in lab reports helped students to accurately analyse and process experimental data. It also allows them to demonstrate understanding of technical limitations, while integrating the knowledge and skills acquired during the module. Overall, this activity provides notions that are conceivable and profitable, thus leading to successful conceptual changes.

대학교양교과목을 위한 세계시민교육프로그램 개발 사례연구

Objectives The purpose of this study is to examine the effectiveness of college students' perception of global cit-izenship and change through case studies that combine global citizenship education programs as university liberal arts education with clothing life curriculum.
 Methods To this end, the global citizenship education program “Global citizenship in the closet” was developed by applying the ADDIE teaching and learning model through literature and prior research analysis. By setting class goals and topics for each week, and structuring the class environment mixed with non-face-to-face and face-to- face classes centered on teaching-learning course plans and class materials, researchers operated it as a liberal arts course at C University in Gwangju. It was intended to derive the possibility and effectiveness of global citizen-ship education fused with other subjects through discussions on the results obtained through post-class surveys and open question analysis.
 Results As a result, students actively participated as global citizens in the global citizenship education program fused with the clothing life curriculum developed in this study. In addition, it is effective to actively utilize an online class platform to communicate with students when conducting activity classes through pros and cons discussions and thoughts sharing, and students' confidence in organizing and speaking their opinions has been increased through several discussions and thoughts sharing classes. The application of the flip learning teaching method that provides video data before class during face-to-face practice classes was evaluated as a positive way to con-trol the speed of practice among students. Special lectures for students' perception and content expansion have the scope of clothing life education in their majors, but they were able to expand the depth of the course without losing the direction of the course by conducting three special lectures based on global issues. Finally, the results of the survey to change students' class satisfaction and global citizenship perception showed that most of the stu-dents who took this class clearly showed changes in the “technology” and “will to practice” areas compared to the “knowledge” and “attitude” areas.
 Conclusions Considering these points, it is expected that it will be possible to include the core of global citizenship education in other liberal arts curriculum as a university liberal arts curriculum, and it will be more effective if it is operated in combination with career, society, and design education.

Assessing the impact of a leadership and advocacy elective course in a college of pharmacy curriculum

Introduction and leadership frameworkWhile the scope of a pharmacist's work has grown, continued advocacy is needed to ensure that their skillset is used to the best advantage of the patient. To accomplish this aim, the University of Utah College of Pharmacy created an elective advocacy and leadership class to train students in leadership and advocacy methods, with a focus on enabling students to practice advocacy within the state of Utah throughout the class. Educational context and methodsIn addition to traditional lectures, this class asked students to apply the knowledge learned in class to projects within their sphere of influence. Activities included drafting their own bill, writing to a legislator, attending state legislative and board of pharmacy meetings, and a longitudinal quality improvement project. Students answered a pre- and post-class survey to assess their attitudes towards advocacy efforts and how those attitudes were affected by participation in the class. Findings and discussionAs expected, a positive change in attitude towards advocacy was observed, and students indicated that they were more likely to engage in advocacy activities in the future after participating in the course. Moreover, a real legislative outcome has been observed as the result of class projects. ImplicationsEnabling students to engage in advocacy activities and guiding them to effect real change is a valuable technique in pharmacy education. Similar efforts can be replicated in other institutions, and similar training should be expanded to required portions of the pharmacy curriculum.

Integrating industry developed courseware in IT scripting courses

AbstractThe alignment of higher education with the skill needs of employers and industry at large is a topic of active debate, particularly for engineering education. Formal and informal content developed by companies, technology‐specific associations, consulting firms, and individuals forms a body of knowledge that might fast‐track careers toward very specific opportunities. By contrast, academic courseware is known for its pedagogical rigor while being slow to adapt to the fast‐paced changes in technology, particularly information technologies, and reliance on expensive course materials that burden students. This paper explores the drivers for integrating industry‐developed courseware in an existing, higher‐ed course on Scripting for Information Technology in the Department of Technology Systems at East Carolina University and the implications of such integration. We hypothesize that industry courseware is a streamlined, cost‐effective way to provide students with the knowledge they need in the workforce. Students were exposed to the two types of content and their scholarly performance was analyzed. Student perception of the two types of content was assessed through a postclass survey. The student results and the feedback they provided suggest that a hybrid approach is more suitable to address the learning preferences and predispositions of students. This case study concludes that textbook and industry‐generated content can be integrated into existing courses and improving them in terms student outcomes and in terms of alignment with industry's hiring expectations.

Evaluation of a charge nurse leadership development program.

Evaluation of a charge nurse leadership development program.

Development of a Departmental Resident Educational Program to Increase Knowledge and Confidence Related to Obstetric Anal Sphincter Injuries [ID: 1375536

INTRODUCTION: Obstetric anal sphincter injuries (OASIS) have been reported in up to 35% of vaginal deliveries; thus, understanding these injuries is a critical part of obstetrics and gynecology training. Formal educational programs with incorporated simulation training can have an advantageous effect, particularly when provided as part of residency education. This project seeks to evaluate the positive effect of departmental resident education related to OASIS, on confidence and knowledge of obstetrics and gynecology residents at Wake Forest University. METHODS: A structured OASIS curriculum was developed by the urogynecology program, including 2 hours of didactic lecture followed by stepwise simulation with swine models to demonstrate and practice anatomic repair techniques. Participants completed pre- and post-class surveys including skill confidence assessments via Likert scale (range 1–10), and standardized knowledge assessments adapted from ACOG Obstetric Laceration Repair Module, along with educational experience reports. These items were scored and analyzed. RESULTS: In August 2022, 16 residents (4 per residency year) participated. Prior to education, mean confidence level with techniques was 4.2 among all areas (range 1.6–7.4), with mean knowledge assessment score 64% (range 33–100%). Post-education, confidence improved across several domains including effectively applying perineal support (7.3–7.9), identifying lacerations and performing rectal examinations (6.1–8.0), and OASIS repair (1.9–5.4) (P<.05). Knowledge assessment scores remained similar, at 70% (P>.05). In qualitative analysis, all individuals reported beneficial aspects of the program. CONCLUSION: Introduction of an OASIS curriculum including repair simulation utilizing an animal model, increased resident skill confidence. Future research will investigate longitudinal data to improve outcomes.

Psychological Changes Toward the Value of Learning Judo and Impressions of Judo Lessons in Junior High School Students Experiencing Judo for the First Time

This study was conducted in Japan, where Judo has become a part of compulsory education in junior high school. The studied the experiences of 254 junior high students learning Judo for the first time were examined with respect to the value of learning traditional behavior, including respectful attitudes and manners toward the fighting opponent; their impression of the sport, such as whether it is fun or scary; and how these change through the learning process. The classes were planned to include five sessions. The main learning contents were structured with an emphasis on teaching "knowledge," "skills," and "attitudes."". The students were asked to participate in a pre-class and post-class survey consisting of 26 items created by the authors to examine their psychological change. The results demonstrated that there were significant changes in the students’ responses to items such as “It is necessary to conduct Judo classes in Physical Education given how the sport is a unique culture of Japan” and “My impression of Physical Education classes is that they are ‘fun’.” In addition, their fear of Judo, such as having an impression that Judo lessons were “painful” and “scary,” also reduced. This study identified psychological changes in junior high school students’ perspectives toward the value of learning Judo and their impression of Judo lessons for those experiencing Judo for the first time. Its findings will contribute to enriching Judo instruction in junior high school and at Judo clubs with students around the same age.

Evaluation of a Synchronous, Online Diabetes Nutrition Education Program for American Indians and Alaska Natives With Type 2 Diabetes: Facilitators and Participants’ Experiences

ObjectiveTo explore the overall experiences of key players involved in a culturally adapted, online, synchronous diabetes nutrition education program across 5 reservation tribal and intertribal urban Indian clinics. MethodsA multimethods design, including postclass surveys with Likert-scale and short-answer questions, was completed after each of the 5 classes. Participants (n = 54) and class facilitators/coordinators (n = 10) completed postclass surveys (n = 189 and 58, respectively). A subset of participants (n = 24) and all class facilitators/coordinators (n = 10) engaged in online focus groups after the conclusion of program implementation. Qualitative thematic methods and frequency distributions were used to analyze the data. ResultsMost participants reported that the classes were enjoyable (94%), culturally respectful (77%), and easily accessed online (68%). Qualitative themes included (1) class satisfaction, (2) class improvements, (3) preference for class facilitator, and (4) recommendations to improve recruitment and retention. Conclusions and ImplicationsThese findings will guide program modifications to provide improved diabetes nutrition education for American Indians and Alaska Natives adults with type 2 diabetes.

O32 Wa-Shokuiku-Learn. Cook. Eat Japanese! - Innovative Food Education Program

<h3>Objective</h3> The Wa-Shokuiku–Learn. Cook. Eat Japanese! - food education program aims to: expand participants' palates by teaching how to prepare tasty and healthy dishes using Japanese cuisine techniques, spark discussion about manners, respect towards food and its producers, and discuss major food-related issues such as obesity and food waste and daily actions they can take on the issues. <h3>Use of Theory or Research</h3> Food education serves an important role in establishing healthy eating and lifestyle habits to avoid diet-related diseases. US students receive less than 8 hours of nutrition education each year, far below 40-50 hours that are needed to behavior change according to the survey in 2014. Wa-Shokuiku fills this gap. <h3>Target Audience</h3> K-12 public school students in the U.S in multiple States such as Washington DC, Virginia and California. <h3>Program Description</h3> Wa-Shokuiku is a unique educational program that combines the concepts of Washoku (Japanese cuisine) with Shokuiku (food education). Class models include in-person, online-live and hybrid where students are present together in the classroom and the instructor is streamed live. Japanese food is known as one of the healthiest diets. And Japan is the only country to implement the "Basic Law of Shokuiku" and have comprehensive food education as a mandatory curriculum. We adopted the philosophy of Japanese food education and adjusted the contents and recipes for American students. <h3>Evaluation Methods</h3> Students completed pre and post-class surveys from 2019 to 2021 to indicate skill attainment and behavior change. Pre and post survey results were compared to see the change. <h3>Results</h3> K-12 students who have completed the program improved their ability to identify the components of a healthy meal from 57% to 94% and that a meal should end before overeating from 57% to 76%. Over 96% indicated an intention to continue practicing the skills at home. <h3>Conclusions</h3> The implementation of Wa-Shokuiku programs using various formats such as online-live, hybrid has improved the students' knowledge and behavior on healthy eating. <h3>Funding</h3> Capitol Hill Community Foundation; Itochu International Foundation; SMBC Global Foundation.

518-P: “What Can I Eat?” Healthy Choices for American Indians and Alaska Natives with T2D: Facilitators’ and Participants’ Voices from a Virtual Diabetes Nutrition Education Program

“What Can I Eat? (WCIE) Healthy Choices for American Indians and Alaska Natives (AI/AN) with T2D is a 5-lesson diabetes nutrition education program culturally adapted for AI/ANs with T2D. Registered dietitian nutritionists (RDNs) taught classes synchronously via Zoom at 5 reservation-based or urban inter-tribal sites nationwide throughout 2021. Each class included a didactic session, interactive learning activities, physical activity, a mindful eating activity, and goal setting. Participants were recruited through diabetes registries at each collaborating site. Participants were randomized to either the immediate or wait list control group. Virtual classes were taught weekly for 4 weeks (classes 1-4) with a 5th class 3 months after class 1. Participants and facilitating RDNs completed short answer feedback surveys after each class. A sample of participants (n=24) and all RDN/site coordinators (n=10) engaged in virtual focus groups after completing WCIE to understand their experiences of the program. Focus groups were audio recorded, transcribed, and analyzed using qualitative thematic analysis, as were the short answer post-class feedback surveys from participants (n=186) and RDNs (n=58) . Key themes emerged: 1) class satisfaction largely focused on peer-to-peer interaction, camaraderie, and broader support (e.g., tribe) ; 2) pros, cons, and tips to improve virtual classes; 3) preference for AI/AN RDN educator; 4) recommendations to improve recruitment and retention. These findings will guide program modifications prior to piloting in-person and peer-educator-led WCIE classes. Disclosure S.A.Stotz: n/a. N.O'banion: None. D.Pavli: None. H.Pontius: None. L.Scarton: None. J.Yanson: None. K.R.Moore: Consultant; Novo Nordisk. Ai/an wcie study group: n/a. A.G.Brega: None. M.C.Mcnulty: None. I.Adedoyin: None. G.Austin: None. K.R.Begay: None. N.Couture: None. H.Garrow: None. L.Jiang: None. Funding American Diabetes Association (4-18-SMSC-01)

팟캐스트를 활용한 대학 교양 인성교육의 효과

This study conducted model classes for 13 weeks to examine the effectiveness of the Personality Education Adapting Podcast as a teaching material in university liberal arts education curriculum. Based on teaching and learning methods, Flipped Learning and Task based Learning, the course was planned as following two stages. The first stage was listening to podcast contents and reading texts related to the main topic of the podcast as an assignment before the class; and second stage was participating in discussion and in-depth activities focusing on the topic during class. By implementing Factor Analysis on the opinions from 122 respondents collected through surveys taken twice at pre and post class, four main factors were extracted; [satisfaction with the class], [recognition of personality], [satisfaction with my personality], and [recognition of effectiveness of the podcast]. The impression essays were analyzed by applying Delphi method and repeating the process of categorization and keyword extraction through continuous discussion among three experts. Comparing the results from pre and post class surveys by taking Paired Sample t-Test, [satisfaction with the class] factor increased from 3.93 before class to 4.38 after class, and [recognition of personality] factor rose about 0.49, from 4.09 before class to 4.58 after class. [Satisfaction with my personality] factor increased about 0.66 from 3.45 before class to 4.11 after class and the last factor, [recognition of effectiveness of podcast] improved about 0.68 from 3.21 before class to 3.89 after class. Moreover, as keywords and frequency of keyword usage elicited from analyzing impression essays supported the results from quantitative data analysis, it was possible to verify effectiveness of the class with various dimensions. It is hoped that the results of this study will contribute to production and design of educational digital contents dealing with personality education and to the research on personality education utilizing digital contents in university.

Introducing Audio Describer Training in University Interpreting Classes

Audio description (AD), the rendering of images into words, helps people who are visually impaired to access audiovisual products. Being able to access media is a basic human right. The United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities clearly states that people with disabilities should have “access to television programs, films, theater, and other cultural activities, in accessible formats” (United Nations, 2006). Recent developments in technology, for example, text-to-speech synthesizers, have enabled audio description to include more languages (see Tor-Carroggio, 2020). Training is important to ensure the quality of audio describers. Offering audio description training in universities can provide students an opportunity to get early exposure to this field and increase their understanding of the issues about accessibility. This report presents an audio description training module conducted in a university interpreting program in Hong Kong. Based on the commonalities between audio description and interpreting in quality assessment, a set of criteria was proposed and applied to the assessment of the students’ audio description performance. A visually impaired colleague was invited to participate in the evaluation, and her timely feedback for the student was provided from the user’s perspective. A post-class survey was conducted after the training program. The survey results suggested that students were highly motivated to learn audio description in interpreting classes. In reflecting on the skills cultivated during the training process, students acknowledged the value of audio description training for learning interpreting. The implementation of audio description training in interpreting programs has proved to be feasible and highly regarded by the students. The present study hopes to shed some light on the feasibility of offering audio description training in universities in general and interpreting classes in particular. It is expected this practice can significantly enrich and broaden the scope of education, audio description and development.

Personal characteristics and risk tolerance in a natural experiment

PurposeThis paper examines students' decisions when playing an in-class version of the TV game, Deal or No Deal (DOND), to study the relation between personal characteristics and individual decision-making under risk.Design/methodology/approachThis study analyzes DOND game play data collected from 374 students in 13 university finance classes, and their personal characteristics collected in a post-game survey. It uses ordered probit, OLS and probit regression analysis to examine the impact of personal characteristics on an individual's risk tolerance.FindingsThe key finding is that international students are significantly more risk averse than US domestic students. Additionally, given the natural control for age and education, the study finds that gender, race and religion have a limited impact on an individual's risk tolerance. Finally, the study provides evidence that the structure of the DOND game, in general, rewards risk-taking as long as it is not excessive. Once participant behavior becomes risk-seeking, the correlation between risk-taking and game payoff becomes negative.Research limitations/implicationsThe homogeneous set of contestants (business students) analyzed in this study presents some limitations yet provides opportunities to examine risk tolerance differences between the US and international students, and whether gender, race or religious affiliation has an impact on the level of risk tolerance given a natural control for age and education level.Practical implicationsThe evidence suggests that culture and environmental unfamiliarity may impact an individual's risk tolerance. This finding is useful when providing financial advice to diverse clients or when conducting international business. Additionally, understanding that education and financial literacy reduces differences in risk tolerance across gender, race and religion can impact the way we interact with others. A broader practical implication for all investors is that, while under normal circumstances, risk-taking is rewarded with a higher expected return, excessive risk-taking may harm their investment performance.Originality/valueThis paper utilizes a unique data set, collected through a class activity and post-class survey. While there have been empirical studies using DOND data, this is the first study that examines the impact of personal characteristics on game participants' behavior, thereby generating unique findings not reported in previous studies employing DOND data.

Teaching transgender patient care to student pharmacists

IntroductionThis study describes content on transgender care taught in a doctor of pharmacy (PharmD) course and evaluates students' confidence and knowledge of providing care for transgender people. It also examines what pharmacy students want to learn about providing care to transgender people. MethodsThree hours of transgender patient care content was integrated into a pharmacy course that focused on therapeutics of special populations. Students completed an electronic survey before and after the class sessions to identify changes in their confidence in caring for transgender patients. The pre-class survey inquired about what the students were hoping to learn. The post-class survey asked students what was missing from this session that they would have liked to learn. Knowledge regarding transgender care was assessed through a multiple-choice examination. ResultsStudents reported interest in improving communication skills, learning terminology/vocabulary preferred by transgender people, and understanding population-specific challenges faced by transgender patients. Students reported they would have liked additional information about the transition, being transgender, and local resources available. Student confidence in asking about patient pronouns and counseling on effects of medications for gender transition were both significantly increased from the pre-class survey to post-class survey. Students demonstrated proficiency toward the learning objectives, with a 92.4% average on the examination questions on transgender care. ConclusionsStudent pharmacists are interested in learning skills to provide care to transgender patients. A learning session on transgender patient care integrated into a PharmD curriculum increased student knowledge and confidence in caring for transgender patients.

658 Adjusting Fire - Piloting an Online Sleep Class in a U.S. Air Force Population in Response to COVID-19 Patient Care Restrictions

IntroductionSleep problems remain problematically prevalent among U.S. service members. In 2015 over 60% of sampled service members reported getting less than 7 hours of sleep per night, 31.4% getting 5 hours or less, and nearly 50% reported subthreshold insomnia symptoms on the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index. Ongoing COVID-19 service delivery restrictions necessitate a rapid shift to virtual health solutions and illuminate barriers to the delivery of sleep interventions. This process improvement pilot was a proof-of-concept during uncertain times.MethodsFrom September to January 2020, 10 weekly 1-time, 60-min virtual sleep classes were held over Microsoft Teams. Interventions were consistent with Motivational Interviewing and Brief Behavioral Treatment for Insomnia. Participants completed the STOP BANG and Insomnia Severity Index (ISI) before each class, and accomplished the ISI again at a 2-week contact during which they rated progress toward problem resolution and were offered additional clinical services as-needed.ResultsForty-six participants attended the class. 67% responded to the post-class survey. 74% responded to the two-week follow-up. A majority (84%) indicated either agreement or strong agreement with the statement ’I plan to CHANGE a behavior or TRY an intervention I learned to better my sleep’, and many proceeded to establish a more consistent sleep schedule (n=14; 45%), remove electronics from the bedroom (n=13; 42%), and/or go to bed only when sleepy (n=11; 35%). 84% would recommend this class to others with similar concerns. Scaled from 1 (‘no change’) to 10 (‘full resolution’), participants reported having derived modest benefit from the intervention (M = 4.1, SD=1.7). Eleven (35%) denied need for additional sleep-related services, and 84% expressed intent to recommend the class to others with similar concerns.ConclusionResults suggest a military population is receptive to a 1-time, virtual sleep class consistent with social distancing strictures. This service provided patients rapid access to care while contemporaneously reducing demand for time-intensive one-to-one appointments. As hypothesized, receipt of the intervention was associated with intention to modify sleep-relevant behavior, and with meaningful progress toward resolution of sleep difficulty as assessed at 2-week follow-up. Broadly disseminated, this intervention could introduce an internet-based, stepped-care approach to management of sleep insufficiency across the DoD.Support (if any):

An Integrated Mental Health and Acute Care Clinical Rotation on a Dedicated Education Unit.

Traditional mental health clinical experiences expose students to an environment that may not prepare them to address mental health needs in hospital settings. The purpose is of this project was to evaluate the implementation of an integrated mental health and acute care clinical model on a dedicated education unit (DEU). In this pilot project, students provided dually focused medical and mental health care on assigned patients. A preclass and postclass survey measured their perceptions of mental health competency. There were no statistically significant differences between the 2 groups (integrated model on the DEU compared with a traditional experience on an acute care and inpatient behavioral health unit). All groups reported increased mental health competency. Both groups showed similar improvements from the preclass to the postclass survey on perceived competence, suggesting that an integrated acute care and mental health clinical practicum may be equivalent to the traditional model.

Soldiers' Perception of a Behavioral Intervention for Positive Airway Pressure Therapy Adherence in a Military Treatment Facility.

The incidence of obstructive sleep apnea in military personnel has increased over 500% since the early 2000s. Adherence to continuous positive airway pressure (PAP), an efficacious treatment, has been suboptimal. This article presents a behavioral intervention model for enhancing PAP therapy adherence and describes how the model was received by military personnel. The study population comprised 254 out of 280 military personnel (93% men, mean age 39 years) who attended a 90-minute behavioral intervention class within the first 8 weeks of PAP use. They were coached on the Knowledge, Skills, Attitudes (KSA) model of PAP therapy success: Knowledge about obstructive sleep apnea and PAP treatment; Skills to develop a habitual loop for nightly PAP use; and Attitudes that address readiness, barriers, and solutions for sustaining PAP use. Participants completed a voluntary, anonymous postclass survey that inquired of their perception of various elements of the class. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and a paired sample t-test. In participants' self-rating of how much they know about PAP treatment before and after the class, their ratings indicated that they experienced a significant increase in knowledge (P < 0.0001). On the postclass survey, 77% of the participants (N = 195/254) "agree a lot" or "strongly agree" that the class gave them tools to have a successful treatment and 78% (N = 198/254) noted that it was a valuable educational experience. The Knowledge portion was rated by 79% (N = 201/254) of the participants as "quite a lot" or "extremely" beneficial. The Skills segment was rated as "quite a lot" or "extremely" beneficial by 72% (N = 183/254) of the participants. The Attitudes discussion was perceived as "quite a lot" or "extremely" beneficial by 70% (N = 178/254) of the participants. Participants' free-text responses to "what was most helpful" were generally positive. A KSA model of behavioral intervention for enhancing PAP therapy adherence was well received by participants. Future research will assess the impact of this intervention on adherence as measured by objective indicators.

Evaluating the effect of a group pre-treatment chemotherapy psycho-education session for chemotherapy-naive gynecologic cancer patients and their caregivers

ObjectiveThe objective was to evaluate the effects of a pre-chemotherapy education class on chemotherapy-naïve patients diagnosed with gynecologic cancer and their informal caregivers. MethodsA prospective cohort study was conducted at a cancer centre in Toronto, Canada. All women diagnosed with gynecologic cancer, who were scheduled to receive chemotherapy treatment, and their caregivers were invited to attend the GyneChemo class, newly introduced as the centre's standard of care. Consenting attendees were asked to complete pre-and post-class survey measures assessing anxiety, self-efficacy, information needs, preparedness to begin chemotherapy treatment, and satisfaction with the class. ResultsBetween September 2014 to September 2016, 642 individuals attended the GyneChemo class. 75 patients and 64 caregivers completed both pre- and post-class measures. Over 80% of participants agreed that the class was beneficial, specific to their needs, and administered in an appropriate setting. Significant increases in patient and caregiver self-efficacy (p < 0.001) and preparedness to begin chemotherapy treatment (p < 0.001) were found following class completion. Significant differences in patient's anxiety scores were found, with patients who reported an annual household income of <$25,000 experiencing increased anxiety (MD = +5.33) and patients reporting an income of $25,000–$75,000 reporting decreased anxiety (MD = −4.75) following class completion (p = 0.034). No significant difference in the average pre-post caregiver anxiety score (p = 0.207) was found.Conclusion: This educational model provides patients and informal caregivers with information specific to their chemotherapy regimen and disease site. Integrating pre-treatment education into cancer care has the potential to improve the survivorship experience by increasing self-efficacy, treatment preparedness, and psychological well-being.

Development and implementation of a community health centre-based cooking skills intervention in Detroit, MI.

To develop and implement a community-tailored, food agency-based cooking programme at a community health centre (CHC) and evaluate the effect of the intervention on cooking confidence and food waste. This study used an exploratory, sequential mixed methods design. Focus groups (n 38) were conducted to inform the development of a cooking intervention, then six cooking classes (n 45) were planned and piloted in the health centre's teaching kitchen. Changes in cooking confidence and related outcomes were assessed using pre- and post-class surveys. Follow-up interviews (n 12) were conducted 2-4 months post-intervention to assess satisfaction and short-term outcomes. A CHC in Detroit, MI. Spanish- and English-speaking adults aged ≥18 years recruited at the CHC. In the formative focus groups, patients identified multiple barriers to cooking healthy meals, including trade-offs between quality, cost and convenience of food, chronic disease management and lack of time and interest. Each cooking class introduced a variety of cooking techniques and food preservation strategies. Participants demonstrated increased confidence in cooking (P 0·004), experimenting with new ingredients (P 0·006) and knowing how to make use of food before it goes bad (P 0·017). In post-class interviews, participants reported that they valued the social interaction and participatory format and that they had used the recipes and cooking techniques at home. A community-tailored, hands-on cooking class was an effective way to engage patients at a CHC and resulted in increased cooking confidence.