Session Participants Research Articles

Abstract 13171: Cardiac Rehabilitation and COVID-19: Nationwide Declines in Access and Participation Among Medicare Beneficiaries

Introduction: The effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on availability of and participation in cardiac rehabilitation (CR) participation is unknown. Methods: We used Medicare Fee-for-Service claims, American Hospital Association surveys, and Rural Urban Commuting Area codes to evaluate CR center availability and CR participation (01/2019-12/21). Results: Medicare beneficiaries participated in a mean ± SD of 56,898 ± 2,046 CR sessions per month from 01/2019 - 02/2020. Immediately after the announcement of the public health emergency in 03/2020, CR sessions declined by 93% (to 3,989 sessions in 04/2020) (Figure). The monthly CR sessions recovered gradually through 12/21, but CR participation remained 17% lower than pre-pandemic levels (54,730 ± 2,340 sessions/month in Q1 2019 vs. 45,209 ± 326 sessions/month in Q4 2021, p<0.01). Prior to the pandemic, Medicare beneficiaries received CR at 2,631 ± 8 CR centers. Only 688 centers were in operation in 04/2020 (a 74% decline from pre-pandemic levels), with slow and incomplete recovery in the following months. The number of CR centers in 12/2021 was 5% lower than pre-pandemic levels (2,620 ± 6 centers available in Q1 2019 vs. 2,485 ± 8 centers available in Q4 2021, p <0.01). Ownership status (private/not for profit, private/for profit and public/municipal), teaching status affiliation (major, minor and none), and location (metro, micro and rural) were not associated with post-pandemic CR center availability. Conclusions: The COVID-19 pandemic has been associated with persistent declines in the availability of CR centers and participation in CR sessions among Medicare beneficiaries. Future studies should examine the impact of these closures on health outcomes and equity. Meeting the Million Hearts Initiative’s goal of equitably increasing CR participation will require scalable innovation in CR financing and delivery.

Identity-related experiences of Asian American trainees in gynecologic oncology

BackgroundAnti-Asian violence increased during the COVID-19 pandemic. Asian American/Pacific Islanders (AAPI) represent a diverse population experiencing a long history of stereotyping and exclusionism; however, this group is often left out of diversity/inclusion conversations. In academic medicine, AAPI are under-represented in leadership. We characterized the personal/professional experiences of AAPI gynecologic oncology trainees and assessed the impact of a virtual panel discussion with leaders in the field. MethodsAn anonymous survey was disseminated online to trainees in/interested in gynecologic oncology fellowship who identified as AAPI, using modified snowball sampling. A virtual session with AAPI leaders in gynecologic oncology discussed themes emerging from survey responses. Session attendees completed an anonymous follow-up survey. Results were assessed quantitatively and qualitatively. Results44/59 (75%) respondents participated in the pre-survey; 23 (39%) participated in the virtual session. All session participants (23/23, 100%) completed the post-session survey. Participants reported increased identity-related thoughts with the COVID-19 pandemic (88% during, 61% prior). Sixty-eight percent reported that identity-related thoughts/awareness changed during the pandemic. Presence of AAPI colleagues was associated with higher perceived identity-related support from their department. Of those without AAPI coworkers, none (0%) felt ‘moderately’ or ‘extremely well supported.’ Qualitative analysis demonstrated that the panel discussion created a sense of community and encouragement, combating previously reported isolation and self-consciousness. Participants reported more connection with their heritage and identified more personal/professional topics that might be related to their cultural backgrounds. DiscussionThis intervention demonstrates the opportunity to provide a supportive network for mentorship and professional development in a culturally inclusive way.

Skills and Attitudes of Students which Affect Fostering of Critical Thinking in Undergraduate Medical Students

Objective: To identify students' skills and attitudes which affect fostering critical thinking in undergraduate medical students.
 Study Design: Modified Delphi Study.
 Place and Duration of Study: University of Lahore, Lahore Pakistan, from Oct 2018 to Apr 2019.
 Methodology: This study was carried out to develop consensus. Participants were selected through purposive sampling. A draft questionnaire was developed on Google Forms and sent to five experts for pilot study, construct validation and cognitive pre-testing. Wait Time, rating on the Likert Scale and Consensus criteria of 80% were defined before the start of the study. A new questionnaire was sent to participants in each round.
 Results: The study enrolled 27 experts, of which only 14 participated in all the three rounds. Experts initially identified 18 factors related to students' skills and attitudes. The consensus was achieved for 14 out of the final 16 factors. Pre-medical education through Matric/FSc. rote memorization, lack of logical and rational thinking, no active participation in interactive sessions and strategic learning by students hamper fostering critical thinking. On the other hand, students from O/A level possess better critical thinking skills because they were trained to criticize and question during class activities.
 Conclusion: Individual skills/attitudes of students affect fostering of critical thinking among undergraduate medical students. They should be addressed primarily in pre-medical schools for better critical thinking abilities in medical school.

Pre-lab video demonstrations to enhance students' laboratory experience in a first-year chemical engineering class.

The limited capabilities of teaching laboratories, combined with an increasing number of students enrolled in university, require constant augmentation of instructional approaches. By enhancing laboratory demonstrations with digital technology, these structural issues can be addressed while at the same time enhancing student understanding and learning. Our case study focuses on the fermentation lab part of the Reaction Equilibria and Thermodynamics (RET) module, a first-year chemical engineering course at the University of Birmingham. Video demonstrations were used to introduce students to the laboratory set-ups and walk them through each step and technique. The video demonstrations allowed the students to attend the in-person lab sessions having established knowledge and understanding of the processes involved and the outcomes desired, which decreased the burden on the facilities and the staff. A knowledge-based quiz and a student survey conducted at the end of the module showed that the pre-lab videos encouraged more active participation in the laboratory sessions and reinforced learning. Approximately 70% of the students polled in the first survey conducted within this project felt more confident going into the laboratory sessions after watching the pre-lab videos and attempting the knowledge quiz, while 92% of the students polled in the second survey judged the pre-lab video sessions as beneficial to them. Overall, the teaching method has the potential to improve student participation and access, boost confidence and learning, and provided a more structured and flexible approach to laboratory learning outcomes.

Identifying characteristics of a skilled communicator in the clinical encounter.

In medical communication research, there has been a shift from 'communication skills' towards 'skilled communication', the latter implying the development of flexibility and creativity to tailor communication to authentic clinical situations. However, a lack of consensus currently exists what skilled communication entails. This study therefore aims to identify characteristics of a skilled communicator, hereby contributing to theory building in communication research and informing medical training. In 2020, six nominal group technique (NGT) sessions were conducted in the context of the general practitioner (GP) training programme engaging 34 stakeholders (i.e. GPs, GP residents, faculty members and researchers) based on their experience and expertise in doctor-patient communication. Participants in each NGT session rank-ordered a 'Top 7' of characteristics of a skilled communicator. The output of the NGT sessions was analysed using mixed methods, including descriptive statistics and thematic content analysis during an iterative process. Rankings of the six sessions consisted of 191 items in total, which were organised into 41 clusters. Thematic content analysis of the identified 41 clusters revealed nine themes describing characteristics of a skilled communicator: (A) being sensitive and adapting to the patient; (B) being proficient in applying interpersonal communication; (C) self-awareness, learning ability and reflective capacity; (D) being genuinely interested; (E) being proficient in applying patient-centred communication; (F) goal-oriented communication; (G) being authentic; (H) active listening; and (I) collaborating with the patient. We conceptualise a skilled communication approach based on the identified characteristics in the present study to support learning in medical training. In a conceptual model, two parallel processes are key in developing adaptive expertise in communication: (1) being sensitive and adapting communication to the patient and (2) monitoring communication performance in terms of self-awareness and reflective capacity. The identified characteristics and the conceptual model provide a base to develop a learner-centred programme, facilitating repeated practice and reflection. Further research should investigate how learners can be optimally supported in becoming skilled communicators during workplace learning.

Mood and implicit confidence independently fluctuate at different time scales.

Mood is an important ingredient of decision-making. Human beings are immersed into a sea of ​​emotions where episodes of high mood alternate with episodes of low mood. While changes in mood are well characterized, little is known about how these fluctuations interact with metacognition, and in particular with confidence about our decisions. We evaluated how implicit measurements of confidence are related with mood states of human participants through two online longitudinal experiments involving mood self-reports and visual discrimination decision-making tasks. Implicit confidence was assessed on each session by monitoring the proportion of opt-out trials when an opt-out option was available, as well as the median reaction time on standard correct trials as a secondary proxy of confidence. We first report a strong coupling between mood, stress, food enjoyment, and quality of sleep reported by participants in the same session. Second, we confirmed that the proportion of opt-out responses as well as reaction times in non-opt-out trials provided reliable indices of confidence in each session. We introduce a normative measure of overconfidence based on the pattern of opt-out selection and the signal-detection-theory framework. Finally and crucially, we found that mood, sleep quality, food enjoyment, and stress level are not consistently coupled with these implicit confidence markers, but rather they fluctuate at different time scales: mood-related states display faster fluctuations (over one day or half-a-day) than confidence level (two-and-a-half days). Therefore, our findings suggest that spontaneous fluctuations of mood and confidence in decision making are independent in the healthy adult population.

Combining elements of the CO-OP Approach™ with education to promote healthy eating among older adults: A pilot study.

This paper describes an exploratory study developing the Baycrest Brain-healthy Eating Approach (BBEA). Poor diet is a modifiable risk factor for many health problems including dementia. Mediterranean type diets, high in plant-based foods, rich in poly- and mono- unsaturated fatty acids with minimal consumption of saturated fat, red meat, and processed foods, are considered brain healthful. While several dementia prevention trials randomized controlled trials have included nutritional counselling in favor of these diets as one component of their interventions, the extent to which dietary change occurred is not known. Based on observations that a strategy training approach, the Cognitive Orientation to daily Occupational Performance (CO-OP) Approach, was beneficial for promoting lifestyle changes in older adults with complaints of cognitive changes, we undertook to develop the BBEA combining elements of CO-OP with didactic nutrition education. This exploratory, descriptive study assesses the feasibility and acceptability of the BBEA. Healthy community dwelling older adults (n = 5) were recruited using convenience sampling. Participants received five, 2 h, group sessions. During these sessions participants were supported in adopting dietary practices consistent with brain healthy eating. Each participant set specific dietary goals important to them. Feasibility of the intervention was demonstrated through high levels of attendance and by the findings that at each session, all participants set personally meaningful goals and received education on selected brain healthy eating topics. Acceptability was demonstrated through participants' positive reports of their experiences and perspectives obtained via semi-structured interviews. Thus, the BBEA appears to be feasible and acceptable.

Summer "Zimnik 2022"

The article is devoted to the 23rd experimental design session of the International Baikal Winter University of Urban Planning Design. The teams presented the projects on connectivity of natural, recreational and public spaces in the cities on Baikal. The main experiment of the session is to increase the feasibility of the teams’ project solutions and ideas while maintaining the best traditions of the Winter University methodology by introducing a step-by-step approach to the session, as well as involving the expert team into the process. The session participants worked with four planning elements inside Baikalsk and with the settlement of Solzan. The general development concept for the urban settlement was prepared by the expert team. All teams took into account the provisions of the Baikalsk Master Plan, rethought them, supplemented them and proposed new ones.

A Positive Emotion-Focused Intervention to Increase Physical Activity After Bariatric Surgery: Protocol for a Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial.

BackgroundPhysical activity levels after bariatric surgery are usually low, despite the significant protective health benefits of physical activity in this population. Positive psychological well-being is associated with improved adherence to health behaviors, but bariatric surgery patients often have negative associations with physical activity that prevent sustained engagement.ObjectiveThe Gaining Optimism After weight Loss Surgery (GOALS) pilot randomized controlled trial is aimed at testing a novel intervention to increase physical activity after bariatric surgery, which incorporates positive psychological skill-building with motivational interviewing and goal-setting.MethodsThe GOALS trial is a 2-arm, 24-week pilot randomized controlled trial that aims to enroll 58 adults who report less than 200 minutes per week of moderate to vigorous physical activity and a desire to become more active 6-12 months after bariatric surgery. GOALS is testing the feasibility, acceptability, and preliminary efficacy of a positive psychology–motivational interviewing telephone intervention targeting to increase physical activity and associated positive affect. Intervention components include positive psychology, goal-setting, self-monitoring via provided Fitbits, and motivational interviewing to overcome barriers and increase motivation. The intervention is compared to a physical activity education control that includes mailings with psychoeducation around physical activity and provision of a Fitbit. The primary outcomes of the pilot trial are feasibility and acceptability, measured as session completion rates and participant ratings of ease and helpfulness of each session. The main secondary outcome is change in accelerometer-measured moderate to vigorous physical activity post intervention and at 24-week follow-up. Additional outcomes include changes in attitudes related to physical activity, psychological well-being, and physical health measures.ResultsThis multiphase project was funded in 2020 and institutional review board approval was obtained for the proposed trial in 2021. Recruitment for the randomized controlled trial began in July 2022. Upon completion of the pilot trial, we will examine the feasibility, acceptability, and preliminary efficacy of the intervention.ConclusionsAlthough bariatric surgery is the most effective treatment available for severe obesity, weight regain occurs, often in the context of low psychological well-being. Many individuals would benefit from learning strategies to increase positive psychological well-being after bariatric surgery, which could help them maintain lifestyle changes. Positive psychology is a novel approach to improve adherence by increasing positive associations with health behaviors including physical activity. The GOALS pilot trial will determine whether this type of intervention is feasible and acceptable to this population and will provide a foundation for a future full-scale randomized controlled efficacy trial.Trial RegistrationClinicalTrials.gov NCT04868032; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT04868032International Registered Report Identifier (IRRID)PRR1-10.2196/39856

What Does It Take: The Roles, Responsibilities, and Fidelity to Implement a Physical Activity in Public HealthTraining

Cooperative Extension Service (Extension) Agents are tasked with incorporating physical activity promotion in their work. Physical activity training interventions rarely report specific structures (dose, content) and measures (fidelity, resource cost). The study’s purpose was to evaluate the feasibility and resource costs of Physical Activity in Cooperative Extension (PACE), a training to increase physical activity in public health competency. PACE is a virtual, 9-week, 18-hour general capacity-building training based on the Interactive Systems Framework. Fidelity was calculated as the proportion of objectives delivered as intended and total time to deliver core components. Resource cost was calculated as the time spent on each implementation strategy and responsibility and total time spent delivering PACE. Fidelity was 93% (39/42 planned objectives delivered as intended). PACE required 183 hours to implement, with session delivery (45 hours) and participant communication (40 hours) requiring the most time. Overall, time spent included 37 hours per delivery team member and 18 hours per PACE participant. The personnel time spent was within the standard time spent on other Extension training protocols and perceived as feasible. Fidelity to session components was high and easy to track. Future work should determine the scalability and sustainability of PACE within Extension nationally.

The experience of a regional network of health policy and systems actors in translating evidence into policy and action in West Africa.

To identify strategies and interventions to strengthen the generation and use of research evidence in health policy and practice decision-making and implementation in the West African sub-region (knowledge translation). The study design was cross-sectional. Data sources were from a desk review, West African Network of Emerging Leaders (WANEL) member brainstorming, and group discussion outputs from WANEL members and session participants' discussions and reflections during an organised session at the 2019 African Health Economics and Policy Association meeting in Accra. Strategies and interventions identified included developing a Community of Practice, a repository of health policy and systems research (HPSR) evidence, stakeholder mapping, and engagement for action, advocacy, and partnership. Approaches for improving evidence uptake beyond traditional knowledge translation activities included the use of cultural considerations in presenting research results and mentoring younger people, the presentation of results in the form of solutions to political problems for decision-makers, and the use of research results as advocacy tools by civil society organisations. Development of skills in stakeholder mapping, advocacy, effective presentation of research results, leadership skills, networking, and network analysis for researchers was also identified as important. To strengthen the generation and use of research evidence in health policy and practice decision-making in West Africa requires capacity building and multiple interventions targeted synergistically at researchers, decision-makers, and practitioners. Funding for the study was provided by the COMPCAHSS project (#108237) supported by IDRC.

Strategies to encourage participation in debrief sessions with nursing students for whom English is an additional language: A qualitative study

Background End-of-day debriefs are reported to offer students opportunities to reflect and consolidate learning. However, there is little evidence about how clinical facilitators encourage student participation that leads to refection and learning, particularly in debrief sessions with linguistically diverse students. Aim This research investigated how the pedagogic practices of clinical facilitators enabled or constrained student participation during debrief. Design This study used an ethnographic approach combined with linguistic analysis of audio recordings of debrief in two metropolitan hospitals in Australia. Results The study found that several key factors contributed to student participation during debrief. Factors included: establishing a space that offered visual and aural privacy; using strategies that encouraged student talk; and adopting roles of expert teacher, facilitator, clinical expert, and therapeutic agent. Conclusion Conducting debrief in appropriate settings and adopting strategies and roles that encourage student talk can lead to opportunities for students to reflect on their day, and for facilitators to make judgements about students' knowledge. Impact Facilitators can enable student participation by using spaces that offer physical and aural privacy for debrief, focusing on knowledge within students’ scope of practice, and using communication strategies that encourage talk.

Stepping Up to the Mic: Gender Gaps in Participation in Live Question-and-Answer Sessions at Academic Conferences

Question-and-answer (Q&A) sessions following research talks provide key opportunities for the audience to engage in scientific discourse. Gender inequities persist in academia, where women are underrepresented as faculty and their contributions are less valued than men’s. In the present research, we tested how this gender difference translates to face-to-face Q&A-session participation and its psychological correlates. Across two studies examining participation in three conferences, men disproportionately participated in Q&A sessions in a live, recorded conference (N = 189 Q&A interactions), and women were less comfortable participating in Q&A sessions and more likely to fear backlash for their participation (N = 234 conference attendees). Additionally, women were more likely to hold back questions because of anxiety, whereas men were more likely to hold back questions to make space for others to participate. To the extent that men engage more than women in Q&A sessions, men may continue to have more influence over the direction of science.

168 Impact of Connecticut’s Good Samaritan Laws in Preventing Opioid Overdose Deaths – An Applied System Dynamics Approach

168 Impact of Connecticut’s Good Samaritan Laws in Preventing Opioid Overdose Deaths – An Applied System Dynamics Approach

A pilot study on the impacts of lung-strengthening Qigong on wellbeing

BackgroundQigong embraces a range of self-care exercises originating from China. Lung-Strengthening Qigong (LSQ) is a specific technique for maintaining and improving physical and mental wellbeing. MethodsWe recruited 170 practitioners and 42 non-practitioner/control samples to investigate the impacts of LSQ practice on body, mind, thoughts, and feelings. This is a pilot study pursued to plan for an adequately powered, non-clinical randomized controlled trials (RCT) on overall wellbeing and health and to evaluate the adequacy of delivering the physical activity intervention with fidelity. Self-evaluation-based data collection schemes were developed by regularly requesting completion of a questionnaire from both practitioner and control group, and an online diary and end of study survey (EOS) completion only from the practitioners. Diverse types of analyses were conducted, including statistical tests, machine learning, and qualitative thematic models. ResultsWe evaluated all different data resources together and observed that (a)the impacts are diverse, including improvements in physical (e.g., elevated sleep quality, physical energy, reduced fatigue), mental (e.g., increased positivity, reduced stress), and relational (e.g., enhanced connections to self and nature) wellbeing, which were not observed in control group; (b)measured by the level-of-effectiveness, four distinct clusters were identified, from no-effect to a high-level of effect; (c)a majority (84 %) of the LSQ practitioners experienced an improvement in wellbeing; (d)qualitative and quantitative analyses of the diary entries, questionnaires, and EOS were all found to be consistent, (e)majority of the positively impacted practitioners had no or some little prior experience with LSQ. ConclusionsNovel features of this study include (i)an increased sample size vis-à-vis other related studies; (ii)provision of weekly live-streamed LSQ sessions; (iii)integration of quantitative and qualitative type of analyses. The pilot study indicated that the proportion of practitioners who continued to engage in completing the regular-interval questionnaires over time was higher for practitioners compared to the control group. The engagement of practitioners may have been sustained by participation in the regular live LSQ sessions. To fully understand the impacts of LSQ on clinical/physiological outcomes, especially for specific patient groups, more objective biomarkers (e.g. respiratory rate, heart rate variation) could be tracked in future studies.

Acute sleep deprivation disrupts emotion, cognition, inflammation, and cortisol in young healthy adults.

Chronic sleep deprivation has been demonstrated to diminish cognitive performance, alter mood states, and concomitantly dysregulate inflammation and stress hormones. At present, however, there is little understanding of how an acute sleep deprivation may collectively affect these factors and alter functioning. The present study aimed to determine the extent to which 24-h of sleep deprivation influences inflammatory cytokines, stress hormones, cognitive processing across domains, and emotion states. To that end, 23 participants (mean age = 20.78 years, SD = 2.87) filled out clinical health questionnaires measured by the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, Morningness Eveningness Questionnaire, and Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale. Actigraph was worn for seven days across testing to record sleep duration. At each session participants underwent a series of measures, including saliva and blood samples for quantification of leptin, ghrelin, IL-1β, IL-6, CRP, and cortisol levels, they completed a cognitive battery using an iPad, and an emotion battery. We found that an acute sleep deprivation, limited to a 24 h period, increases negative emotion states such as anxiety, fatigue, confusion, and depression. In conjunction, sleep deprivation results in increased inflammation and decreased cortisol levels in the morning, that are accompanied by deficits in vigilance and impulsivity. Combined, these results suggest that individuals who undergo 24 h sleep deprivation will induce systemic alterations to inflammation and endocrine functioning, while concomitantly increasing negative emotions.

Exercise and Lifestyle Education program for Brazilians living with prediabetes and diabetes: A pilot randomized trial

AimsTo test the Diabetes College Brazil Study feasibility, the acceptability of study interventions and their preliminary effectiveness, and describe the study protocol modifications due to the COVID-19 pandemic. MethodsSingle-center, double-blinded pilot randomized trial with two parallel groups, Exercise and Lifestyle Education (ExLE; 12-week exercise and educational interventions) and Exercise (Ex; 12-week exercise intervention only) involving patients with prediabetes or diabetes. Feasibility (eligibility, recruitment, retention, completeness of variables measures and participation rates), acceptability (satisfaction), and preliminary effectiveness of interventions (variables: functional capacity, physical activity (PA), exercise self-efficacy, diabetes knowledge, health literacy, adherence to Mediterranean food pattern, glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c), anthropometric measures, cardiac autonomic control, depression, and quality of life (QofL)). ResultsEligibility, recruitment, retention, participation in exercise sessions, and education classes rates were 17%, 93%,82%, 76%, and 71%, respectively. Missing data in the post-intervention assessment (PA, HbA1c, cardiac autonomic control, anthropometric measures, depression, and QofL) were mainly related to research procedure modifications. The interventions were highly acceptable, and most variables improved farther in the ExLE, with moderate effect sizes for PA, diabetes knowledge, health literacy, cardiac autonomic control, and QofL. ConclusionsThe Diabetes College Brazil Study is feasible, and the ExLE may benefit Brazilians living with prediabetes and diabetes.

Predictors of Changes in Peak Oxygen Uptake After Outpatient Cardiac Rehabilitation: Importance of Cardiac Rehabilitation Attendance

ObjectiveTo determine whether the number of cardiac rehabilitation (CR) sessions attended and selected clinical characteristics were predictive of patients who exhibited improvement in peak oxygen uptake (VO2peak) after CR. Patients and MethodsUsing the Rochester Epidemiology Project records-linkage system, we identified all consecutive patients aged 18 years or older from Olmsted County, Minnesota, who underwent cardiopulmonary exercise testing before and after CR from 1999 to 2017. Regression models were created to assess the clinical predictors of VO2peak improvement (>0% baseline) after CR. ResultsThe analysis included 671 patients, of which 524 (78%) patients exhibited VO2peak improvement after CR. The significant univariate predictors of VO2peak improvement included younger age (odds ratio [OR], 0.98; 95% CI, 0.96-0.99), lower pre-CR VO2peak (OR, 0.96; 95% CI, 0.94-0.99), and no history of peripheral artery disease (OR, 0.50; 95% CI, 0.31-0.81) (all, P<.005). The significant independent predictors of VO2peak improvement from the multivariable analysis included the number of CR sessions (OR, 1.04; 95% CI, 1.02-1.05), younger age (OR, 0.96; 95% CI, 0.94-0.98), lower pre-CR VO2peak (OR, 0.92; 95% CI, 0.89-0.95), and no history of peripheral artery disease (OR, 0.47; 95% CI, 0.28-0.78) (all, P<.005). ConclusionThese findings highlight the importance of patient participation in CR sessions and individual clinical characteristics in influencing VO2peak improvement after CR in patients with cardiovascular disease.

Hibrit Öğrenme Yöntemiyle Uygulanan Eğitici Gelişimi Programına İlişkin Tıp Fakültesi Öğretim Üyelerinin Değerlendirmeleri

Objective This study aims to determine faculty members’ feedback and the level of satisfaction about the faculty development program carried out with the hybrid learning method at Selçuk University Faculty of Medicine (SÜTF) and compare faculty members’ satisfaction levels regarding face-to-face and online sessions. Material and Methods The Faculty Development Program has been carried out since 2010 and updated with program evaluations as well as faculty members’ needs and expectations. In the COVID-19 pandemic era, distance education and hybrid education sessions were added to the program. The renewed faculty development program was conducted in June 2021 with a hybrid learning method, eight sessions both face-to-face and online and six sessions online only. The feedback of the participants was obtained through online questionnaires consisting of structured items rated with Likert-type scales (1: Strongly disagree – 5: Strongly agree and 0: Very poor – 10: Very good) and semi-structured items. Results Fifty faculty members participated in the program and 30 (60.0%) answered the research questionnaires. Faculty members reported a total of 170 session participation, 140 (82.4%) face-to-face and 30 (17.6%) online. It was determined that the participants' satisfaction levels about the faculty development program sessions was high and very high (min=4.05±0.99 ; max=5.00±0.00). It was also found that there is no statistically significant difference between faculty members evaluations for online or face-to-face participation in the training sessions. Participants reported that their overall evaluation of the program was very good (9.33±0.65). Conclusion The SÜTF Faculty Development Program, designed in accordance with the COVID-19 conditions, has been successfully implemented using the hybrid method. The positive feedback of faculty members and the fact that online or face-to-face participation in the sessions does not make a difference in their satisfaction levels is considered as an important development for the implementation of the forthcoming faculty development program using the hybrid method.

Comparing Virtual to In-Person Delivery of Continuing Medical Education in Dementia Care: Which Is Preferred?

There is limited understanding of learners' perceptions of virtual learning during the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as the use of virtual modalities for interprofessional education (IPE) in primary care. Four of 7 in-person annual "Booster Day" IPE sessions for health professionals working in primary care-based memory clinics in Ontario, Canada, were canceled when the pandemic was declared; these sessions were replaced with 2 sessions delivered via live-streamed videoconferencing. This study compares Booster Day session participants' perceptions of the in-person and virtual sessions and assesses their preferences for in-person or virtual sessions in the future. Survey methodology. Interprofessional primary care-based memory clinic team members attending 1 of 5 annual IPE events, 3 delivered in-person immediately prior to the COVID-19 pandemic and 2 subsequently delivered virtually via videoconferencing. Chi-squared test and analysis of variance was used to identify significant differences in reaction, attitude, and preference ratings between delivery modalities. There were no significant differences in satisfaction, relevance, knowledge acquisition, and intentions to apply new knowledge between delivery modalities. Although attendance via videoconferencing was perceived as useful, enjoyable, engaging, and as more feasible to attend, it was rated as less enjoyable and perceived as having fewer opportunities for networking than in-person sessions. Most participants preferred in-person sessions. Quality engagement and networking, as afforded by in-person IPE, are highly valued by health professionals attending dementia-related education. IPE on complex health issues of the older people requiring interprofessional perspectives may be best suited to in-person formats.