Undergraduate Healthcare Education Research Articles

Perceptions of Human Factors and patient safety education in undergraduate healthcare curricula: a pharmacy perspective

Abstract Introduction A recent systematic review identified a lack of formal patient safety (PS) education in undergraduate healthcare curricula1. Gaps were also identified in relation to teaching of Human Factors (HF) in this context. Aim This qualitative study aimed to examine the perceptions of School of Pharmacy faculty at an Irish university relating to PS/HF in undergraduate healthcare education. Methods Qualitative semi-structured interviews were conducted with seven School of Pharmacy faculty at an Irish university. Findings from a recent systematic review were used to inform research and interview questions.[1] Sampling was purposive and included lecturers from the disciplines of clinical pharmacy and pharmaceutics. Interviews were conducted, either in person or virtually, then transcribed and anonymised. Reflexive thematic analysis (TA) was chosen as the method of analysis, [2] conducted by the first author with input from the wider research team. Within the reflexive piece of this work was the drive to be informed by the lived experience of participants. In alignment with the principles of reflexive TA, an iterative approach was taken to data collection and analysis.[2] This approach informed a sample size which facilitated in-depth exploration of the topic. Results Seven interviews were conducted, and six key themes were derived from the analysis. These are presented in Table 1 along with the identified subthemes. Conclusion This study demonstrates gaps relating to HF/PS teaching in undergraduate pharmacy education in the Irish context. Findings of this study indicate that much PS learning is implicit and occurs while students are on clinical placement. Lack of synergy between the academic and clinical settings was identified as a gap. Interprofessional education was identified as a platform which may help bridge this gap. In agreement with previously published literature, there is a need for robust competency frameworks to underpin safety content.[1] These findings will inform future initiatives to develop HF and PS competency in undergraduate healthcare education. A limitation of this research is that all data were collected at a single university. A strength is that this study captures the lived experience of PS education from the perspective of academic staff at an Irish school of pharmacy which in 2015 made the transition to a new MPharm programme.

Exploring UK undergraduate healthcare students’ perspectives on how to effectively design IPE: A qualitative study

ObjectivesTo explore healthcare undergraduates' views on how to design effective IPE. The need for interprofessional education implementation in undergraduate healthcare education is gaining wide recognition globally. Students' views about their learning experiences can offer useful insights to advance teaching and learning courses. Thus, in the IPE literature, students’ views on how to effectively design IPE can help shape future IPE plans. MethodsPurposeful sampling was used to recruit healthcare students who attended IPE events across three UK institutions. Virtual focus groups were conducted, and audio recorded. Transcripts were thematically analysed and relevant themes were presented under three subheadings, pre, during and post IPE session. ResultsTwenty-five students from medicine, nursing, pharmacy, midwifery and other disciplines participated in six focus groups. Students thought IPE should be offered consistently across the programme's years of study to ensure learning continuity. Students from programmes with higher placement hours (nursing and midwifery), suggested more IPE in placement. Pre-IPE sessions, introducing IPE to students attending for the first time was perceived to be important as the lack of awareness/understanding of IPE could adversely impact their willingness to attend and their engagement. During IPE, interaction with other students was perceived as the core of an effective IPE session. Students reported difficulties in communication with other students via online IPE sessions and thought they were less engaged compared to face-to-face sessions. Post-IPE, students valued reflective exercises, whereas traditional formal assessment was seen as a barrier to engagement with the learning. ConclusionStudents considered IPE valuable to prepare for future practice. However, students felt that IPE experiences could be enhanced with proper planning to ensure regular compulsory IPE exposure. For better IPE experiences, IPE design and delivery should be in line with each healthcare programme's unique learning and training curriculum.

“I think the rose-tinted glasses do just sort of slowly come off”: a grounded theory study on the development of empathy towards people with dementia in healthcare student education.

Background:Globally, dementia prevalence is rising. In the UK, over a million people are expected to be impacted by dementia by 2050. One in four hospital beds are occupied by a person with dementia, and it is inevitable that healthcare professionals will work with people with dementia during their career and across a variety of settings. To deliver effective person-centered care, healthcare professionals need to have the capacity and skills to practice with empathy. Greater empathy can lead to better patient relationships, reduced burnout, and enhanced recognition of personhood. However, people with dementia frequently report episodes of care that lack empathetic approaches. To improve the quality of care, high quality dementia education needs to be provided at undergraduate level. To inform the design and delivery of suitable educational resources, this study aimed to understand the major factors that impact the development of empathy towards people with dementia during undergraduate education.Methods:A constructivist, longitudinal grounded theory study (Charmaz, 2014) was conducted. Data were collected in 2019 using semi-structured interviews with undergraduate nursing, physiotherapy, and medical students (n=30). A second interview was completed with students (n=26) eighteen months later. Emergent findings were informed by simultaneous data collection and analysis using constant comparison techniques, and the use of theoretical memo writing.Results:Preliminary findings suggested that the development of empathy towards people with dementia was impacted by social and emotional exposure during undergraduate years. Data centered on four sub-categories. While there were barriers connecting and understanding people with dementia, students experienced conflicting expectations about empathy more widely. Positive and negative cultural experiences during placement led to emotional changes and a shift in ideals.Conclusion:Environments that promote empathetic practice during clinical placement could impact the development of empathy in undergraduate healthcare education more widely. This study highlights a need for educational design that focuses on both the patient and the environment.

Nurses’ Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices regarding perinatal bereavement care in Malaysia: A Cross-sectional Study

Background: Perinatal bereavement occurs when a parent experiences the loss of a baby during pregnancy or shortly after birth. Coping with this loss can be incredibly challenging and emotionally taxing for the parents involved. They often have complex and intense emotional and psychosocial needs to navigate during this difficult time. Objective: This study aimed to investigate nurses’ knowledge, attitudes, and practices regarding perinatal bereavement care (PBC) and its correlation with their selected sociodemographic factors. Methods: In 2021, a cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted utilising a structured questionnaire for data collection. A total of 182 nurses were sampled conveniently, comprising 45 registered nurses, 124 registered midwives, and 13 community nurses. The data was subjected to descriptive statistical analysis using IBM SPSS Version 28.0. Results: The finding shows that 67% had a poor understanding of perinatal bereavement. However, the majority (85.2%) had positive attitudes towards providing care for those affected by perinatal bereavement, and 58.8% displayed favourable care behaviour. The results also indicated that nurses who had experience working with grieving parents had a higher level of knowledge regarding perinatal bereavement care (p<0.005). Additionally, the study found that nurses who had been working in the field for longer had more positive attitudes toward bereavement care (p<0.05). Furthermore, the practices of perinatal bereavement care were found to be related to work designation and qualifications (p<0.05). Conclusion: It is recommended that perinatal bereavement care education be included in undergraduate healthcare education, postgraduate education, and Continuing Professional Education (CPE) workshops. Evidence-based policies and protocols on perinatal bereavement care are also recommended to support parents and family members during their experience of bereavement.

Changes in medical students\xb4 and anesthesia technician trainees\xb4 attitudes towards interprofessionality \u2013 experience from an interprofessional simulation-based course

BackgroundInterprofessional simulation based education (IPSBE) programs positively impact participants' attitudes towards interprofessional collaboration and learning. However, the extent to which students in different health professions benefit and the underlying reasons for this are subject of ongoing debate.MethodsWe developed a 14-h IPSBE course with scenarios of critical incidents or emergency cases. Participants were final year medical students (FYMS) and final year anesthesia technician trainees (FYATT). To assess attitudes towards interprofessionalism, the University of the West of England Interprofessional Questionnaire was administrated before and after the course. Using focus group illustration maps, qualitative data were obtained from a subcohort of the participants (n = 15).ResultsAfter the course, self-assessment of communication and teamwork skills, attitudes towards interprofessional interactions and relationships showed comparative improvement in both professions. Attitudes towards interprofessional learning improved only in FYMS. Qualitative data revealed teamwork, communication, hierarchy and the perception of one’s own and other health profession as main topics that might underlie the changes in participants’ attitudes. An important factor was that participants got to know each other during the course and understood each other's tasks.ConclusionsSince adequate communication and teamwork skills and positive attitudes towards interprofessionality account to effective interprofessional collaboration, our data support intensifying IPSBE in undergraduate health care education.

Implementation of a structured practical activity to analyse student healthcare worker perceptions and compliance with prescribed infection control procedures

BackgroundNon-compliance with infection control guidelines has been reported within healthcare settings. Infection control education in undergraduate healthcare education programs forms a critical component in preparing student healthcare workers for vocational roles.MethodsClinical sciences students (nutrition science, paramedicine, pharmacy, podiatry, optometry studying for qualifications recognised by the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency) self-reported hygiene perceptions and practices and collected microbiological swabs from personal or medical equipment items before and after recommended disinfection procedures.ResultsCultivable microorganisms were isolated from 95% of student medical equipment items. Disinfection significantly reduced microbial growth on student medical equipment items (P < 0.05).ConclusionsStudent perceptions of infection control procedures do not always correlate with infection control practice. Infection control education of undergraduate healthcare students requires ongoing assessment to ensure successful translation into clinical practice.

“Nursing and speech and language students’ perspectives of reflection as a clinical learning strategy in undergraduate healthcare education: A qualitative study”

AimThe aim of this study was to explore nursing and speech and language students’ perspectives of reflection as a clinical learning strategy during years three and four of their undergraduate education programmes. BackgroundReflection is recognised as a core student learning activity which is widely used in undergraduate healthcare education for clinical practice. Studies indicate that structured models and frameworks do help novice students to develop the process of reflection-on-practice particularly in years one and two. However, there is limited research on healthcare students’ perspectives of reflection as a clinical learning strategy in the latter years of their undergraduate healthcare education (years 3 and 4). DesignA qualitative descriptive design was used. MethodsUsing a self-reporting method whereby students respond to a series of questions posed by the researchers, data were collected from nursing (n = 20) and speech and language students (n = 26) in one university in Ireland and analysed using thematic analysis. ResultsThe findings from both nursing and speech and language students were similar. Three themes identified included: description of reflection, undertaking reflection and contribution to clinical learning. Most students expressed beneficial effects of reflection for personal and professional clinical learning. Some students reported negativities to the written reflections, expressing a preference for more diverse and less structured strategies and more face-to-face reflective discussions with clinical educators. ConclusionsWhilst the benefits of reflection for clinical practice are well versed in this study, the authors suggest that academic and clinical educators employ more diverse and innovative reflective tools for healthcare students who are at a more competent level of their undergraduate education programme. Further interprofessional research in relation to different clinical reflective strategies for healthcare students in years three and four of their undergraduate education programmes is warranted.

Editorial for JCBE

Editorial for JCBE

COVID-19 era healthcare ethics education: Cultivating educational and moral resilience.

The COVID-19 pandemic crisis has had profound effects on global health, healthcare, and public health policy. It has also impacted education. Within undergraduate healthcare education of doctors, nurses, and allied professions, rapid shifts to distance learning and pedagogic content creation within new realities, demands of healthcare practice settings, shortened curricula, and/or earlier graduation have also challenged ethics teaching in terms of curriculum allotments or content specification. We propose expanding the notion of resilience to the field of ethics education under the conditions of remote learning. Educational resilience starts in the virtual classroom of ethics teaching, initially constituted as an "unpurposed space" of exchange about the pandemic's challenging impact on students and educators. This continuously transforms into "purposed space" of reflection, discovering ethics as a repertory of orientative knowledge for addressing the pandemic's challenges on personal, professional, societal, and global levels and for discovering (and then addressing) that the health of individuals and populations also has moral determinants. As such, an educational resilience framework with inherent adaptability rises to the challenge of supporting the moral agency of students acting both as professionals and as global citizens. Educational resilience is key in supporting and sustaining professional identify formation and facilitating the development of students' moral resilience and leadership amid moral complexity and potential moral transgression-not only but especially in times of pandemic.

Teaching handover in undergraduate education: an evidence-based multi-disciplinary approach.

This article was migrated. The article was marked as recommended. Poor standards of handover threaten patient safety and continuity of care, contributing significantly to morbidity and mortality. Handover practices has risen to the forefront of the patient safety agenda, with a call to develop and implement undergraduate handover modules into undergraduate healthcare education. Recent systematic reviews demonstrate a common failure of educational interventions to demonstrate a theoretical and pedagogical framework underpinning the delivery of education and method of assessment. The authors developed and piloted a multi-disciplinary evidence-based undergraduate handover training program to health care students studying at a UK university. The intervention was designed based on underpinning educational theories. It has been developed in a manner that supports dissemination and replication, with a model that is cost effective. The intervention was designed to assess learner reaction, attitudes and confidence, and knowledge and skills. This was achieved through a pre- and post-intervention attitude questionnaire, and an externally validated pre- and post-intervention knowledge assessment. 46 undergraduate students participated, with a statistically significant increase in self-reported attitudes (p < 0.001) and knowledge (p < 0.001) following the handover intervention. Students participated from the disciplines of medicine, adult nursing, pharmacy, mental health nursing, paramedic practice and operating department practioners. This intervention serves as a significant resource for those looking to develop local interventions and stands as a truly multi-disciplinary approach to handover education, mirroring the clinical reality. The introduction of this handover intervention immediately improves the attitudes, knowledge and skills of undergraduate healthcare students. Future work should sample beyond the selected 6 professions, investigating the transference of outcomes to the workplace, as well as the impact on patient safety.

The Overarching Themes From the CLER National Report of Findings 2018.

The Overarching Themes From the CLER National Report of Findings 2018.

Sustainable care improvement programs supported by undergraduate health care education

Background: The Care for Better Region program was developed to achieve sustainable care improvement focusing on fall prevention. Key ingredients involved improvement teams developing and implementing a falls reduction plan, Practice Development; facilitation of improvement teams by lecturers and undergraduate health care students; an implementation phase. This study evaluates the impact of this program on: (1) the number of falls incidents, and (2) the sustainability of care improvement practice.Methods: A realist evaluation design was used. Nine improvement teams participated in the Care for Better Region program. Staff members registered falls incidents in two measurement cycles in the participating teams (N = 143 older adults) and in a control group (N = 93). Data collection on improvement sustainability involved participative observations, interviews, logs of students and lecturer coaches, minutes and evaluations.Results: The falls incidents on the participating wards decreased over 12 months from 13.3% to 1.4%. At the control wards they stabilized. Sustainability of improvement practice: (1) Involvement of improvement teams was enhanced by measurements of falls incidents. However, involvement of ward staff was difficult to accomplish; (2) Students, lecturer coaches and project leaders of the improvement teams learned how to involve stakeholders, implement project management, and how to prevent falls incidents; (3) Network facilitation was promoted by the central meetings. The project leaders’ meetings continued after the project; (4) Students facilitated the improvement teams. The change of students after six and twelve months inspired the teams to renew their focus.Conclusions: This exploratory realist evaluation study shows how the Care for Better Region program improved sustainability of falls incidents reduction. The program also had a positive impact on the sustainability of improvement practice. Nursing education should focus on the development of innovation and facilitation skills in students. Nursing practice may improve by interdisciplinary collaboration with undergraduate health care education in care improvement programs.

How do we enhance undergraduate healthcare education in dementia? A review of the role of innovative approaches and development of the Time for Dementia Programme.

ObjectivesTraditional healthcare education, delivered through a series of time‐limited clinical placements, often fails to deliver an understanding of the experiences of those with long‐term conditions, a growing issue for healthcare systems. Responses include longitudinal integrated clerkships and senior mentor programmes allowing students' longer placements, continuity of contact and opportunities to learn about chronic illness and patient experience. We review their development and delivery in dementia and present the Time for Dementia (TFD) Programme, a novel 2‐year interdisciplinary educational programme.DesignThe study design involves a scoping review of enhanced placements in dementia for healthcare professionals in training including longitudinal integrated clerkships and senior mentor programmes and a case study of the development of TFD and its evaluation.ResultsEight enhanced programmes in dementia were identified and seven in the USA. None were compulsory and all lasted 12 months. All reported positive impact from case study designs but data quality was weak. Building on these, TFD was developed in partnership between the Alzheimer's Society, universities and NHS and made a core part of the curriculum for medical, nursing and paramedic students. Students visit a person with dementia and their family in pairs for 2 h every 3 months for 2 years. They follow a semi‐structured interaction guide focusing on experiences of illness and services and complete reflective appraisals.ConclusionsWe need interprofessional undergraduate healthcare education that enables future healthcare professionals to be able to understand and manage the people with the long‐term conditions who current systems often fail. TFD is designed to help address this need. © 2016 The Authors. International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

A narrative review of undergraduate peer-based healthcare ethics teaching.

ObjectivesThis study explores the literature in establishing the value of undergraduate peer-based healthcare ethics teaching as an educational methodology.MethodsA narrative review of the literature concerning peer-based ethics teaching was conducted. MEDLINE, EMBASE, CINAHL, SCOPUS databases, and the Cochrane Library, were systematically searched for studies of peer-based ethics or professionalism teaching. Selected studies related peer-based teaching to ethics education outcomes.ResultsTen publications were identified. Selected studies were varied in their chosen intervention methodology and analysis. Collectively, the identified studies suggest peer-based ethics education is an effective and valued educational methodology in training healthcare professionals. One paper suggests peer-based ethics teaching has advantages over traditional didactic methods. Peer-based ethics teaching also receives positive feedback from student participants. However, the limited literature base demonstrates a clear need for more evaluation of this pedagogy. ConclusionsThe current literature base suggests that undergraduate peer based healthcare ethics teaching is valuable in terms of efficacy and student satisfaction. We conclude that the medical community should invest in further study in order to capitalise upon the potential of peer-based ethics teaching in undergraduate healthcare education.

Effective interprofessional simulation training for medical and midwifery students

IntroductionGood interprofessional teamworking is essential for high quality, efficient and safe clinical care. Undergraduate interprofessional training has been advocated for many years to improve interprofessional working. However, few successful initiatives...

Want to Graduate Clinicians Who Care? A Caring Behavior Scale for Healthcare Students (S740)

Objectives Discuss the importance of incorporating a caring behavior measuring instrument into palliative care education. Summarize the process of developing an instrument. Describe the psychometric properties of The Caring Behavior Scale. Background. Caring is the core and essence of quality humanized care. However, caring and other affective objectives receive little to no attention in healthcare education compared with the current emphasis on the acquisition of technical skills. A valid and reliable tool to measure caring behaviors of healthcare students could help cultivate and motivate their caring behaviors. However, no caring behaviors measuring instrument is currently available that is designed from an educational perspective. Research Objective. The development and the psychometric evaluation of an instrument to measure healthcare students’ caring behaviors. Methods. The study consisted of two phases and five steps. The first phase was concerned with the development of content domains and items, while the second phase focused on the initial psychometric evaluation and data analysis of the scale. In phase I, content domains were defined based on a qualitative study conducted by the researcher to examine the meaning of caring for patients in Egypt. Scale items were generated, the instrument content validity was evaluated, and the instrument was pretested. In phase II, the instrument was used to measure the caring behaviors of 112 nursing students. The derived data was used in the factor analysis to determine construct validity. Results. The scale was proved to be valid with a CVI (Content Validity Index) of 0.97 and showed high internal consistency reliability with a Cronbach’s alpha of .93. The resulting scale consists of 28 items in three subscales. Subscale I: ‘‘Having a relationship as a human being/Presencing,’’ subscale II: ‘‘Preserving patient’s dignity’’ & subscale III: ‘‘Comforting.’’ Conclusions. The Caring Behavior Scale is a reliable and valid instrument to measure caring behaviors of healthcare students. Implications. Further research is needed to accumulate evidence for the validity and reliability of the scale. Incorporating the scale into undergraduate healthcare education and ongoing behavioral training of healthcare professionals could help promote the perception of patients and their families of the quality of clinicians’ caring behaviors.

Collaborative Learning in Maternity and Child Health Clinics

The health and wellbeing problems of the families with children have become more complex today. Improving preventive services and facilitating an early intervention in health and wellbeing problems of the families are the main challenges. A better interprofessional collaboration (IPC) of the professionals is needed to maintain the well-being level of the families high. These are skills to be learned during undergraduate education. An interprofessional pair training (IPT) for maternity and child health clinics was implemented in collaboration with primary health care centre and two universities of Oulu to develop an interprofessional education (IPE) model for undergraduate level students. Fifth year medical students (n = 101) and fourth year public health nurses (n = 31) and teachers participated in the training program during 2010-2012. The study aimed at investigating students’ attitudes and readiness for interprofessional learning (IPL), at strengthening their professional skills and at gathering clients’ experiences. The interprofessional student pairs met with the client visits independently. One pair contacted three clients during the day. They examined and observed the examination of the other pair. The feedback was collected from the students and the clients. Students’ attitudes and readiness for IPL were assessed using RIPLS (Readiness for interprofessional learning scale). Both medical and nurse students attached great importance to teamwork and collaboration. Nurse students appreciated the learning of roles and responsibilities more important in comparison to the medical students. A tendency for stronger professional identity among medical student was noted. The clients’ expectations were fulfilled. The training periods gave valuable experience to develop IP pair training for collaborative practices in primary health care and undergraduate health care education. The study results are important for curriculum development as well.

Innovations in interprofessional learning and teaching: providing opportunities to embed patient safety within the pre-registration physiotherapy curriculum. A Pilot Study

Background: Despite recognition of the need to embed patient safety within undergraduate healthcare education, there are limited examples of how this has been achieved within physiotherapy. The purpose of this regional initiative was to develop a course and teaching resources to support Higher Education Institutions in the United Kingdom (UK) when embedding the World Health Organization (WHO) multiprofessional patient safety curriculum into undergraduate healthcare education.Objectives: In this pilot study, researchers assessed the impact of the interprofessional simulation-based education (IPSE) course on students’ perceptions of interprofessional learning and patient safety post-course, and explored the participants’ perceived application of knowledge and skills 3 months later.Methods: A sequential mixed-methods evaluation was conducted, including pre- and post-course Readiness for Interprofessional Learning Scale (RIPLS) questionnaires and two course evaluation questionnaires featuring open and closed items (administered immediately post-course and 3 months later). Participants included undergraduate physiotherapy, medical, nursing, and pharmacy students.Results: The IPSE course enabled students to develop an appreciation of each other’s professional roles and particularly their individual and collaborative practices that may positively impact upon patient safety. Post-course students reported being able to influence patient safety through an increased application of their ability to identify errors and influence their colleagues’ practices, thus impacting directly upon patient safety.Conclusion: This paper provides an evaluation of an innovative method of providing interprofessional patient safety learning and teaching opportunities within undergraduate healthcare curricula.

Educational potential of a virtual patient system for caring for traumatized patients in primary care.

BackgroundVirtual Patients (VPs) have been used in undergraduate healthcare education for many years. This project is focused on using VPs for training professionals to care for highly vulnerable patient populations. The aim of the study was to evaluate if Refugee Trauma VPs was perceived as an effective and engaging learning tool by primary care professionals (PCPs) in a Primary Health Care Centre (PHC).MethodsA VP system was designed to create realistic and engaging VP cases for Refugee Trauma for training refugee patient interview, use of established trauma and mental health instruments as well as to give feedback to the learners. The patient interview section was based on video clips with a Bosnian actor with a trauma story and mental health problems. The video clips were recorded in Bosnian language to further increase the realism, but also subtitled in English. The system was evaluated by 11 volunteering primary health clinicians at the Lynn Community Health Centre, Lynn, Massachusetts, USA. The participants were invited to provide insights/feedback about the system’s usefulness and educational value. A mixed methodological approach was used, generating both quantitative and qualitative data.ResultsSelf-reported dimensions of clinical care, pre and post questionnaire questions on the PCPs clinical worldview, motivation to use the VP, and IT Proficiency. Construct items used in these questionnaires had previously demonstrated high face and construct validity. The participants ranked the mental status examination more positively after the simulation exercise compared to before the simulation. Follow up interviews supported the results.ConclusionsEven though virtual clinical encounters are quite a new paradigm in PHC, the participants in the present study considered our VP case to be a relevant and promising educational tool. Next phase of our project will be a RCT study including comparison with specially prepared paper-cases and determinative input on improving clinical diagnosis and treatment of the traumatized refugee patient.

Medical humanities in healthcare education in Italy: a literature review.

The introduction of medical humanities (MH) in undergraduate medical education in Italy has been an issue of debate since the 90's and few years later it was extended to other healthcare degrees. The aims of this Italian literature review, after considering the international scene, are: to evaluate the extent to which the interest in this subject has gradually developed throughout the country; which professional groups have contributed to the debate; to identify which theoretical constructs led to the introduction of MH in undergraduate medical education; to identify whether a clear and shared definition of MH exists in Italian literature; to verify what kinds of MH experiences have been accomplished in Italy. A comprehensive literature search was conducted, including electronic databases, bibliographies, manual sorting of articles in paper format, congress proceedings. The analysis of the chosen articles underlines that, however limited, Italian literature does not present a very different picture from the international scene. It emerges that teaching MH is believed to be an important feature in undergraduate education of healthcare professionals who intend to propose a bio-psychological-social approach to care, in spite of the difficulty to measure its short and long term effectiveness. The lack of a multidisciplinary, multi-professional approach is also evident. Further research aiming to implement the quantity and quality of MH studies in the curricula of undergraduate healthcare education is desirable.