Students In Health Disciplines Research Articles

Prescribing a Healthy Planet

Human wellbeing is inexorably linked with planetary health. This relationship has long been understood in Indigenous worldviews and is receiving increasing attention in academic literature and public health movements. Yet education on planetary health and the health implications of climate change has thus far failed to reach across health student curricula. Students of health disciplines, whether they be doctors, nurses, or dietitians, are not receiving adequate education about planetary health. Failure to deliver this information to the next generation of health professionals stymies the protection and restoration of human and planetary health, which is desperately needed for a viable and equitable future.

Psychological distress and well-being among students of health disciplines in Geneva, Switzerland: The importance of academic satisfaction in the context of academic year-end and COVID-19 stress on their learning experience.

IntroductionUniversity students’ psychological health is linked to their academic satisfaction. This study aimed to investigate students’ psychological health and academic satisfaction in the context of COVID-19 and academic year-end stress.Materials and methodsStandardized self-filled scales for anxiety, depression, stress, psychological well-being, academic satisfaction (subjective assessment of students’ quality of life in their educational setting), and an ad-hoc scale for stress on the learning experience due to COVID-19 were used in this cross-sectional study. Participants were first- to third-year students of eight different health-related tracks in Geneva, Switzerland. Descriptive statistics and hierarchical regression analyses were applied.ResultsIn June 2020, out of 2835 invited students, 433 (15%) completed the survey. Academic satisfaction was a stronger mental health predictor than COVID-19 stress on the learning experience, which mainly predicted stress and anxiety. Lower academic satisfaction scores were significantly associated with stress (β = −0.53, p < 0.001), depression (β = −0.26, p < 0.001), anxiety (β = −0.20, p < 0.001), while higher scores with psychological well-being (β = 0.48, p < 0.001). Identifying as female was strongly associated with anxiety and stress but not with depression or psychological well-being. Lower age was associated with stress only. The nature of the academic training had a lesser impact on mental health and the academic year had no impact.ConclusionsAcademic satisfaction plays a more substantial role than COVID-19 stress on the learning experience in predicting students’ overall mental health status. Training institutions should address the underlying factors that can enhance students’ academic satisfaction, especially during the COVID-19 period, in addition to ensuring that they have a continuous and adequate learning experience, as well as access to psychosocial services that help them cope with mental distress and enhance their psychological well-being.

Psychological Distress and Well-Being among Students of Health Disciplines: The Importance of Academic Satisfaction.

Background: Research on the mental health of students in health disciplines mainly focuses on psychological distress and nursing and medical students. This study aimed to investigate the psychological well-being and distress and related factors among undergraduate students training in eight different health-related tracks in Geneva, Switzerland. Methods: This cross-sectional study used established self-filled scales for anxiety, depression, stress, psychological well-being, and study satisfaction. Descriptive statistics and hierarchical regression analyses were applied. Results: In October 2019, out of 2835 invited students, 915 (32%) completed the survey. Lower academic satisfaction scores were strongly associated with depression (β = −0.26, p < 0.001), anxiety (β = −0.27, p < 0.001), and stress (β = −0.70, p < 0.001), while higher scores were associated with psychological well-being (β = 0.70, p < 0.001). Being female was strongly associated with anxiety and stress but not with depression or psychological well-being. Increased age was associated with enhanced psychological well-being. The nature of the academic training had a lesser impact on mental health and the academic year had none. Conclusion: Academic satisfaction strongly predicts depression, anxiety, stress, and psychological well-being. Training institutions should address the underlying factors that can improve students’ satisfaction with their studies while ensuring that they have access to psychosocial services that help them cope with mental distress and enhance their psychological well-being.

Essentials of Biostatistics &amp; Research Methodology

The 3rd edition of “Essentials of Biostatistics &amp; Research Methodology” by Dr. Indranil Saha &amp; Dr. Bobby Paul is one of the complete books on Biostatistics &amp; Research Methodology for Undergraduates, Postgraduates &amp; Ph.D. students of health disciplines. It contains 11 chapters of Essential Biostatistics which are explained from basic to higher statistical concepts in an easy, understandable language by using appropriate examples, tables, diagrams wherever possible. Chapter 1 explains basic data &amp; its presentation with maximum examples accurately. Estimation of sample size is explained excellently with formulae, examples for each study method. Sampling technique and variability, correlation, regression concepts are explained in a way they gave complete insight into the concepts. The advanced topics are a good guide for biostatisticians.

Educating health science students about disability: Teachers’ perspectives on curricular gaps

BackgroundPeople living with disabilities are significantly more likely than their peers to find health professionals’ skills and facilities inadequate. The 66th World Health Assembly called for better health care for people with disabilities including more inclusive health services and a stronger focus on professional training. ObjectiveTo explore how teachers at a New Zealand university perceived the need, approaches, and systemic challenges to enhance disability education for health professionals in training. MethodsQualitative analysis of interviews with 11 key informants teaching in population health, medicine, nursing, pharmacy, and optometry training programmes. Transcribed interview recordings were analysed using a general inductive approach. ResultsThe participants described a range of teaching approaches that they used to increase disability awareness among their students. However, these were largely ad hoc individually driven initiatives reflecting personal interests. Participants identified a critical need to develop and implement a systematic, integrated approach to enhance disability education particularly from a social justice perspective among students in health disciplines. Engaging people with lived experience of disability in teaching and course design, and senior administrative commitment were identified as necessary to address current gaps in education. ConclusionsIn order to develop a health professional workforce competent to respond to the needs of people with disabilities, greater attention is required at a strategic level to enhance the profile of disability education in health curricula. Meaningful engagement of people with disability and senior leadership commitment are critical components that can enable effective progression of this agenda.

Evidence-based practice profiles among bachelor students in four health disciplines: a cross-sectional study

BackgroundDespite the recognition of integrating evidence-based practice (EBP) in educational programs, there is limited research about bachelor students’ EBP profiles (EBP knowledge, attitudes and behaviour) in the health disciplines nursing, occupational therapy, physiotherapy and radiography. The aim of this study was to assess EBP profiles among bachelor students in health disciplines, and explore differences between health disciplines, educational institutions, students’ assessment of EBP teaching and expectations of EBP performance.MethodsA survey using the ‘Evidence-Based Practice Profile - Norwegian version’ (EBP2-N) was conducted among final year bachelor students in health disciplines from four educational institutions. The questionnaire consisted of five domains (Relevance, Terminology, Confidence, Practice and Sympathy) and assessed the five steps of EBP. We performed regression analyses to analyse mean differences in domain scores between health disciplines, Cohen’s d to illustrate the magnitude of the largest difference in each domain, Omega squared to describe portion of variance in domain scores, and Spearman’s rho (rs) to assess the monotonic relationship between EBP2-N domains and assessment of EBP teaching and expectations of EBP performance, respectively.ResultsStudents reported highest overall mean score for Relevance, with an estimated standardized mean of 81.2 (CI 95% = 80.4–82.0). The other EBP2–N domains had estimated standardized means of 54 and less. Statistically significant differences (p < 0.03) between health disciplines were observed for all domains. The largest mean difference was found for Relevance with highest score for occupational therapy and lowest for radiography, with an estimated Cohen’s d of 1.11. Moderate positive associations were observed between Relevance scores and students’ assessment of EBP teaching (rs = 0.31), and expectations of EBP performance from teachers (rs = 0.36). We also observed a moderate positive correlation between Confidence and students’ assessment of EBP teaching (rs = 0.46).ConclusionBachelor students in health disciplines found EBP relevant, but revealed low understanding of EBP terminology, low confidence with EBP skills, and low use of EBP in clinical situations. We observed differences in EBP profiles between health disciplines and between educational institutions. The differences in scores raise questions about the understanding of EBP within disciplines, and the complexity of EBP in educational settings.

Implementation of Electronic Objective Structured Clinical Examination Evaluation in a Nurse Practitioner Program.

The Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE) is a valuable, yet resource-intensive method for evaluating clinical competence of students in health disciplines. Electronic OSCE (eOSCE) management programs have the potential to support evaluative efficiency and objectivity of OSCEs. The processes for selecting, implementing, and evaluating use of an eOSCE management system in a Master of Nursing Primary Health Care Nurse Practitioner program are described. Tailored selection and implementation of an eOSCE management system to fit program needs and available resources facilitated optimal use of eOSCE, promoting grading efficiency, ability to provide prompt feedback to students, and examiner objectivity. These advantages were found to outweigh the disadvantages of extra time and effort to initially learn the eOSCE program. A program-centered approach to implementation of an eOSCE management system supports high-quality, efficient assessment of student clinical competencies. [J Nurs Educ. 2018;57(8):502-505.].

Determinants of academic stress and stress-related selfmedication practice among undergraduate male pharmacy and medical students of a tertiary educational institution in Saudi Arabia

Purpose : To identify factors that promote academic stress and stress-related self-medication practice among undergraduate male students of pharmacy and medical colleges at Imam Abdulrahman Bin Faisal University, Dammam, Saudi Arabia. Methods : A cross-sectional survey was conducted among undergraduate students of pharmacy and medical colleges of the university. The study used Perceived Stress Scale (PSS) to document academic stress. The responses of the students were analyzed using SPSS version 22. Results : As many as 51.6 % of students’ perceived moderate stress. The majority of students (55.9 %) highlighted examination as a stressor followed by course load (43.2 %) and cGPA (40.4 %). Prevalence of self-medication was 31.58 and 29.20 % among pharmacy and medical students, respectively. Most of the students consumed caffeine (63.8 %) and nicotine (17.8 %) as a drug. Students blamed heavy course load (23.9 %), followed by assignment load (23 %) and examination (21.1 %) for indulging in self-medication. Conclusion : Academic stress in undergraduate students in health disciplines is perceived to be high by the students. Examinations, course load and lack of time for leisure are major determinants of stress. Caffeine and nicotine are most frequently used by a majority of the students for self-medication. Keywords : Stress, Self-medication, Stressor, Caffeine, Nicotine, Students

Is hepatitis B vaccination performed at infant and adolescent age able to provide long-term immunological memory? An observational study on healthcare students and workers in Florence, Italy

ABSTRACTUniversal vaccination programmes against Hepatitis B Virus (HBV) have significantly reduced the burden of the disease; nevertheless, HBV infection remains a relevant issue for high-risk subjects, such as healthcare workers (HCWs), who may potentially be exposed to blood or body fluids. Our study evaluates the long-term duration of the immunological memory of HBV vaccination 11–23 years after primary immunization by examining the response to booster doses in HCWs and students of health disciplines at Careggi Teaching Hospital in Florence (Italy). All participants (n = 2,203) had received a complete HBV immunization course in infancy or adolescence. Blood samples were collected to measure antibody levels against the HBV surface antigen (anti-HBs); an anti-HBs titre <10 mIU/mL was considered as negative. The administration of the vaccination course during infancy induced lower long-term anti-HBs titres compared to those in case of vaccination performed during adolescence (titre <10 mIU/mL: 51.1% and 12.2% respectively; p < 0.001), also considering that an equal number of years has elapsed since vaccination. A booster dose administered to subjects vaccinated in infancy is able to induce anamnestic immunological response in a higher percentage of vaccinated people (p < 0.001). Few subjects (n. = 4) accepted a fifth dose of vaccine in the case of persistent anti-HBs negative titres; this aspect requires further investigation.The total absence of acute hepatitis B among vaccinated subjects suggests that the long incubation period of the disease allows the activation of immunologic memory mechanisms, which is also true in case of low anti-HBs level. In conclusion HCWs still represent a high-risk category; it is therefore, necessary to increase efforts to protect and vaccinate these subjects.

Perception of educational environment among undergraduate students of health disciplines in an Iranian university.

ObjectivesThis paper seeks to determine the perception of Medical, Nursing and Midwifery students about their educational environment and compare their perceptions in terms of disciplines, demographic attributes and academic level. MethodsIn this cross-sectional study, Medical, Nursing and Midwifery students in Islamic Azad University, Mashhad, Iran, were selected using stratified random sampling method (N=378). They completed the standard Persian version of Dundee Ready Education Environment Measure (DREEM) questionnaire. Descriptive statistics, t-test and analysis of variance (ANOVA) were used to analyze data. ResultsThe mean score of DREEM was 106 ± 24.6. The mean scores in five domains of DREEM questionnaire including students’ perception of learning, perception of teachers, scientific abilities, students’ perception of educational environment and students’ perception of social conditions were 23±8, 23.4±6, 18±5.5, 25.5±7.7 and 15.8±4, respectively. In the first four domains (p=0.000, F=27.35), (p=0.000, F=9.9), (p=0.000, F=18.5), (p=0.000, t=18.7) and for total scores (p=0.000, F=22.77), the three disciplines were significantly different. Also, there was a significant difference between mean total score (p=0.021, t=2.3) and scores of students’ perception of learning (p=0.008, t=2.65) and social conditions (p=0.022, t=2.3) with respect to gender. ConclusionsAccording to these results, students tend to have a positive attitude towards their educational environment. The findings of this study are useful to identify areas in need of improvement by employing more specialized tools and planning for improvement.

Obesity bias in training: Attitudes, beliefs, and observations among advanced trainees in professional health disciplines

ObjectiveThis study examined weight bias among students training in health disciplines and its associations with their perceptions about treating patients with obesity, causes of obesity, and observations of weight bias by instructors and peers.Design and MethodsStudents (N = 107) enrolled in a post-graduate health discipline (Physician Associate, Clinical Psychology, Psychiatric Residency) completed anonymous questionnaires to assess the above variables.ResultsStudents reported that patients with obesity are a common target of negative attitudes and derogatory humor by peers (63%), health-care providers (65%), and instructors (40%). Although 80% of students felt confident to treat obesity, many reported that patients with obesity lack motivation to make changes (33%), lead to feelings of frustration (36%), and are noncompliant with treatment (36%). Students with higher weight bias expressed greater frustration in these areas. The effect of students’ weight bias on expectations for treatment compliance of patients with obesity was partially mediated by beliefs that obesity is caused by behavioral factors.ConclusionsWeight bias is commonly observed by students in health disciplines, who themselves report frustrations and stereotypes about treating patients with obesity. These findings contribute new knowledge about weight bias among students and provide several targets for medical training and education.

Academic integrity and plagiarism: a review of the influences and risk situations for health students

Health professions are increasingly focusing on the development of integrity and professionalism in students of Health disciplines. While it is expected that Health students will develop, and commit to, the highest standards of conduct as undergraduates, and henceforth through their careers, the pressures of assessment and external commitments may lead to both unintentional and intentional plagiaristic behaviours. Exponential growth in Internet resources and new information technologies, as well as individual belief systems or naivety about the authorship attribution convention, suggest complexity in understanding the risks and factors associated with academic plagiarism. This paper reviews the education literature to provide an insight for academics into reasons for student plagiarism and, where possible, management of these risks. Our review refers to the health professions as a discipline in which academic conduct in students should be at the highest possible standard.