A Qualitative Exploration of Health Profession Students' Experiences of Resilience and Burnout Using the Coping Reservoir Model during the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Phenomenon: The Coping Reservoir Model is a useful theoretical and analytical framework through which to examine student resilience and burnout. This model conceptualizes wellbeing as a reservoir which is filled or drained through students' adaptive and maladaptive coping mechanisms. This dynamic process has the capacity to foster resilience and reduce burnout or the inverse. This study aimed to explore health profession students' coping mechanisms and their experiences of resilience and burnout during the unprecedented COVID-19 pandemic. Approach: Employing the Coping Reservoir Model, qualitative focus groups involving health profession students enrolled at Qatar University were conducted, in October 2020, to solicit their lived experiences of stress and burnout during the pandemic. The Coping Reservoir Model was used to structure the topic guide for the focus group discussion and the Framework Analysis Approach was used in the data analysis. Findings: A total of 43 participants comprised eight focus groups. Health profession students encountered myriad personal, social, and academic challenges during the pandemic which adversely impacted their wellbeing and their capacity for coping. In particular, students reported high levels of stress, internal conflict, and heavy demands on their time and energy. The shift to online learning and uncertainty associated with adapting to online learning and new modes of assessment were exacerbating factors. Students sought to replenish their coping reservoir through engagement in a range of intellectual, social, and health-promoting activities and seeking psychosocial support in their efforts to mitigate these stressors. Insights: Students in this region have traditionally been left to their own devices to deal with stress and burnout during their academic training, wherein the institutions focus exclusively on the delivery of information. This study underscores student needs and potential avenues that health profession educators might implement to better support their students, for instance the development and inclusion of longitudinal wellbeing and mentorship curricula geared to build resilience and reduce burnout. The invaluable contributions of health professionals during the pandemic warrant emphasis, as does an examination of the stress associated with these roles to normalize and justify inclusion of wellbeing and resilience modules within the curriculum. Actively engaging health profession students in university-led volunteer activities during public health crises and campaigns would provide opportunities to replenish their coping reservoirs through social engagement, intellectual stimulation, and consolidating their future professional identities.

A qualitative assessment of medical students' readiness for virtual clerkships at a Qatari university during the COVID-19 pandemic.

BACKGROUND: This study aims to qualitatively examine the readiness of medical students to change to virtual clerkship (VC) during the pandemic, from both the faculty and students' perspectives. METHODS: A qualitative study was conducted based on the framework of readiness to change. Focus group discussions with students, and semi-structured interviews with clinical faculty members were done using appropriate online platforms. Transcripts were then analyzed using inductive-deductive approach. RESULTS: Twelve themes emerged which are (1) Perceptions about the university's decision and its communication to students, (2) A Perceived lack of clinical experience, (3) Students' role as members of the medical team facing the pandemic, (4) Student safety, (5) Quality and design of VC and the skills it offered, (6) Belief in own ability to succeed in the VC, (7) Confidence that VC would reach its goals, (8) New enhanced learning approaches, (9) Preparing students for new types of practice in the future (10) Acquired skills, 11) Academic support and communication with faculty and college, and 12) Psychological support. Medical students showed limited readiness to undertake a virtual clerkship and not play their role as healthcare professionals during the pandemic. They perceived a huge gap in gaining clinical skills virtually and asked for a quick return to training sites. CONCLUSION: Medical students were not ready for virtual clerkships. There will be a need to integrate novel learning modalities such as patient simulations and case-based learning in order to meet future demands of the medical profession and enhance the efficiency of virtual clerkships.

Development and implementation of interprofessional education activity among health professions students in Jordan: A pilot investigation.

Implementing interprofessional education (IPE) in health professions curricula requires considerations of students' attitudes and readiness. Interventional studies that assess students' perceptions about IPE are needed. As IPE is an emerging concept in Jordan, our study aimed at exploring the attitudes of health profession students about IPE and collaborative practice before and after implementing an IPE activity. Students completed the validated Interprofessional Attitudes Scale (IPAS) before and after completing a 3-hour interprofessional activity. Students' attitudes toward IPE were compared using the subscales and total IPAS scores. A total of 41 health profession students attending the professional health programs of Doctor of Pharmacy, Medicine, Nursing, Nutrition, or Pharmacy completed IPAS before and after conducting the interprofessional activity. Students reported positive attitudes toward IPE prior to the activity. Significant increases were observed in IPAS scores from pre- (median [interquartile range: IQR] score = 4.19 [0.61]) to post-activity (median [IQR] = 4.48 [0.65]), and in its subscales (teamwork, roles and responsibilities, diversity and ethics, and community-centeredness). Students' experience with the IPE activity was positive and optimistic. The findings revealed for the first time the perception and readiness of health profession students toward IPE and collaborative practice in Jordan. This readiness can help draw a path for strategic integration of IPE in health profession curricula.

A systematic review on the impact of pharmacist-provided services on patients' health outcomes in Arab countries.

WHAT IS KNOWN AND OBJECTIVE: The pharmacist's role has evolved dramatically over the last few decades and shows considerable impact globally. The aim of this systematic review was to describe the nature and extent of studies evaluating the impact of pharmacist-provided services on clinical, humanistic and economic outcomes in different healthcare settings across the Arab world. METHODS: A systematic literature search was conducted using the following databases from their inception until June 2020: Cochrane, Embase, MEDLINE, PubMed, ScienceDirect and Scopus. Reporting was done according to PRISMA guidelines, and the quality assessment utilized the Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION: Thirty-five eligible studies were included in this review, the majority of which were randomized controlled trials (RCT) (n = 26) conducted in hospital settings (n = 26). Most of the studies involved patients with specific medical conditions (n = 29) and pharmacist's interventions involved mainly medication therapy management (n = 32), counselling and education (n = 29), and medication therapy recommendations (n = 12). Several studies showed a positive impact (i.e., a statistically and/or clinically significant difference in favour of pharmacist-provided care or intervention) of pharmacist-provided services on clinical (n = 28), humanistic (n = 6) and economic (n = 5) outcomes. Conversely, five studies showed neutral or mixed effect of pharmacist interventions on clinical and humanistic outcomes. WHAT IS NEW AND CONCLUSION: The findings of this systematic review demonstrate a positive impact of pharmacist-provided services on clinical, humanistic and economic outcomes across diverse settings in the Arab world. Most of the included studies evaluated clinical outcomes and were from hospital setting. Directed approaches are needed to advance pharmacy practice across various healthcare settings in the Arab world.

A systematic review of the use of simulation and reflection as summative assessment tools to evaluate student outcomes following interprofessional education activities.

Despite the increasing emphasis on interprofessional education (IPE) in curricula and the potential benefits for student learning, there appears to be a lack of evidence directing authentic and accurate assessment of student-learning outcomes and translation of assessment data into scores and grades. Given the increasing importance of reflection and simulation in IPE, the purpose of this systematic review was to identify, appraise, and synthesize published literature using reflection and simulation as summative assessment tools to evaluate student outcomes following IPE activities. The Crowe Critical Appraisal Tool was used to appraise the included articles for quality. This systematic review yielded only five studies of marginal quality that could highlight the limited rigorous use of either reflection or simulation for summative assessment purposes. This review has identified a need for summative IPE assessment alongside formative assessments. Furthermore, training needs to be offered to both faculty assessors, to ensure they are competent and results are reproducible, and students, to equip them with the knowledge, critical thinking skills, and attitude for becoming reflective practitioners who are able to practice interprofessionally. The assessment of IPE remains a challenge, and there is a clear gap in the literature where research needs to grow.

Mental health, burnout and resilience in community pharmacists during the COVID-19 pandemic: A cross-sectional study.

Background: The study aimed to assess burnout, resilience, and levels of depression, anxiety, stress and fear among community pharmacists during the pandemic, and examine if fear of COVID-19 is associated with these outcomes of interest. Methods: A cross-sectional survey of community pharmacists in Qatar was conducted. Pharmacists' burnout was measured by the Maslach Burnout Inventory: Human Services Survey for Medical Personnel (MBI-HSS™ for MP-Mindgarden). Resilience was assessed using the Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale-10 (CD-RISC-10). Depression, anxiety, and stress were measured by the Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale (DASS-21). Fear of COVID-19 was assessed by the Fear of COVID-19 Scale (FCV-19S). Results: 256 respondents completed the survey and were included in the final study analysis (response rate: 42.7%). Overall, participants reported a moderate level of burnout as illustrated in the mean scores of the three burnout dimensions; 20.54 (SD = 12.37) for emotional exhaustion, 6.76 (SD = 6.22) for depersonalization, and 36.57 (SD = 9.95) for personal accomplishment. Moreover, depression, anxiety and stress were reported by 44.8%, 53.2% and 25.4% of particiants respectively. Participants had shown moderate resilience (mean score: 27.64 (SD = 8.31)) and their mean score fear of COVID19 was 15.67 (SD = 6.54). Fear of COVID-19 was a statistically significant and an independent predictor of depression, anxiety, and stress levels. Conclusions: The pharmacists experienced moderate burnout but moderate resilience, which indicates their potential to overcome difficulties. Future interventions at the personal, national and organizational levels are required to enhance the pharmacists' wellbeing by decreasing stress, improving self-efficacy and resilience, and preventing burnout.

Insights from healthcare academics on facilitating interprofessional education activities.

Facilitators are of paramount importance to the success of interprofessional education (IPE) activities; hence, it is crucial to explore their perspectives and experiences in delivering IPE in Qatar. Using an exploratory case study approach, semi-structured interviews were conducted, in 2018, among faculty members, who had facilitated at least one IPE activity in Qatar, from healthcare professional education programs at Qatar University Colleges of Pharmacy, Medicine, and Health Sciences, Weill Cornell Medicine in Qatar, the University of Calgary in Qatar, and the College of North Atlantic. Interviews were recorded and transcribed verbatim. Inductive thematic content analysis was implemented. Twenty-one interviews were conducted with the following professions represented: medicine (n = 6), pharmacy (n = 5), nursing (n = 4), biomedical science (n = 3), respiratory theory (n = 2) and public health (n = 1). Four main themes emerged from the interviews: drivers to facilitator involvement that included interest and commitment to IPE and awareness of collaborative practice benefits; facilitator participation which was based on facilitator attributes and preparedness and readiness for IPE facilitation; the organizational support in terms of dedicated structure for IPE and IPE design and delivery and; student participation in terms of group dynamics and student engagement. Some key recommendations include having a dedicated unit for IPE, scheduling protected time for IPE, and organizing facilitators' training and debriefing workshops. The facilitators valued and appreciated IPE in preparing students for future collaborative practice. These findings can inform the development of quality and sustainable IPE activities in the future.

Top tips for interprofessional education and collaborative practice research: a guide for students and early career researchers.

Interprofessional research within the contexts of education and health and social care practice has grown exponentially within the past three decades. To maintain the momentum of high-quality research, it is important that early career researchers embarking on their first research journey and new to interprofessional education or interprofessional collaborative practice feel supported in making their contribution to the field. This guide, developed by the Center for the Advancement of Interprofessional Education (CAIPE) Research Group, has been written with these groups in mind who are embarking on their first research journey, and new to the interprofessional field. It aims to raise awareness of academic resources and share practical advice from those who have previously experienced problems when undertaking interprofessional research in education or health and social care practice.

Evaluating prescribing competencies covered in a Canadian-accredited undergraduate pharmacy program in Qatar: a curriculum mapping process.

BACKGROUND: The objective of this study was to evaluate the existing Bachelor of Science in Pharmacy [BSc (Pharm)] curriculum at Qatar University College of Pharmacy (QU CPH), for addressing international prescribing competencies. METHODS: The Australian National Prescribing Service (NPS MedicineWise) Competencies Required to Prescribe Medicines framework (the Prescribing Competencies Framework) was used in the BSc (Pharm) curriculum mapping process. The NPS MedicineWise Prescribing Competencies Framework outlines seven competency areas that are essential for pharmacist prescribing. The first mapping activity assessed the learning outcomes (LOs) of 62 courses within the BSc (Pharm) curriculum for covering and addressing the NPS MedicineWise competencies. The second mapping activity involved matching the LOs identified to address the NPS MedicineWise prescribing competencies, to the 2017 Association of Faculties of Pharmacy of Canada (AFPC) educational outcomes, on which the QU CPH BSc (Pharm) program is based. The AFPC educational outcomes address seven key program-level learning outcomes. RESULTS: The QU CPH BSc (Pharm) curriculum addresses most of the prescribing competencies listed in the NPS MedicineWise Prescribing Competencies Framework. However, gaps were identified in the curricular content and in the LOs that were related, but not restricted, to the following: electronic prescribing, physical examinations/preparing patients for investigations, and policies/procedures and quality assurace related to prescribing. Other gaps identified include legislative and workplace requirements for obtaining consent to access confidential patient's health information. CONCLUSION: The curriculum mapping exercise provided evidence that, for the most part, the existing BSc (Pharm) curriculum at QU CPH prepares pharmacy graduates for prescribing. However, there are areas that need better alignment between the taught curriculum and training on prescribing in practice. The results of this study are important to consider if pharmacist prescribing is to be implemented in Qatar.

Perceptions of who is in the healthcare team? A content analysis of social media posts during COVID-19 pandemic.

Social media posts can be used to explore public perceptions of interprofessional teams and healthcare professionals. The aim of this study was to use social listening technique to explore unfiltered public perceptions of the professionals involved in healthcare teams during the COVID-19 pandemic, in a naturalistic online setting, and to elaborate on the emotional reactions in response to an online social media post. A cross-sectional retrospective review of comments on a specific social media post was conducted between 15 March and 28 April 2020 using summative content analysis. One image that was widely circulated on social media platforms with two questions: 'Who society thinks works at hospital? versus who really works at hospitals?' was selected. Three platforms were searched, Facebook®, Twitter®, and LinkedIn®. Only publicly available posts were included. Out of the initial 40 posts identified, 21 posts which had 1759 comments were analysed and 1576 were included for coding. Of the emerging nine themes, perceptions of who is in the team was the largest (40.5%, n = 639), followed by agreement (23.1%, n = 364) and feeling excluded (16.2%, n = 255). Of emotional expressions, 42.1% were positive and 57.9% negative. The most frequent emotions were frustration (54.4%, n = 857) followed by gratitude (16.3%, n = 257) and relief (15.9%, n = 250). The post brought considerable attention to the role of the interprofessional team and generated many feelings of frustration and exclusion. For this reason, the response to this social media post is very important and not to be overlooked. Healthcare professionals need to work together to strengthen their presence as an interprofessional team, united to deliver safe effective quality care for patients. The current COVID-19 pandemic and the media attention should be taken as an opportunity by the interprofessional community to work together to combat negative media stereotypes. Further research is warranted on public perceptions of the healthcare team.

Doing interprofessional research in the COVID-19 era: a discussion paper.

The COVID-19 pandemic, and ensuing physical distancing measures, poses challenges for researchers in the field of interprofessional care. Pandemic management has highlighted the centrality of interprofessional working to effective healthcare delivery during crises. It is essential to find ways to maintain interprofessional research that has commenced, while also designing research to capture important learning from pandemic management and response. However, it also creates opportunities for new research projects and novel research designs. This discussion paper explores ways of adapting existing research methodologies and outlines potential avenues for new research. Specifically, considerations to bear in mind when designing interprofessional research during the pandemic include research ethics and integrity, research design, data collection methods, research opportunities, implications and limitations. Interprofessional research can continue to make a valuable contribution in informing global responses to COVID-19 and in planning for future global health crises. We call for, insofar as possible, for interprofessional research to continue to be developed during this time.

Does the delivery of interprofessional education have an effect on stereotypical views of healthcare students in Qatar?

Interprofessional education (IPE) is an evolving educational approach for preparing healthcare professional students to provide patient care in a collaborative team atmosphere. One of the important outcomes to be achieved is understanding the stereotypical views of health professionals held by themselves and by others to eventually reduce negative and harmful stereotypes and to foster an environment of mutual respect and trust amongst healthcare professionals. The primary aim of this study was to investigate whether there is a change in healthcare students' stereotypical belief about the characteristics of healthcare professionals before and after an IPE activity focused on smoking cessation. The Student Stereotype Rating Questionnaire (SSRQ) was used to assess the students' stereotype ratings of their professions and other healthcare professions before and after the IPE activity. The ratings were made in relation to nine attributes. Sixty-eight students from five different majors (Medicine, Nursing, Pharmacy, Public Health, and Respiratory Therapy) participated in the IPE activity. All the students involved in the activity responded to both the pre and post surveys (response rate, 100%). The participating students' combined ratings revealed a significant change in the perspectives of medical, pharmacy, and respiratory therapy students in all of the nine attributes. While for public health students, differences were significant in two aspects: professional competence and practical skills. Three central themes emerged after the IPE session from the open-ended questions: roles and responsibilities, patient-centered care, and integrated healthcare team. Overall, the findings from this study suggest that stereotyping exists among different healthcare profession student groups in Qatar and that IPE can impact both hetero-stereotypes and auto-stereotypes. The positive change in perception following the IPE activity indicates the effectiveness and the value of these short duration IPE activities in negating stereotypical views.

Pharmacy academics' perspectives toward interprofessional Education prior to its implementation in Qatar: a qualitative study.

BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to explore the perspectives of faculty members and academic administrators, at Qatar University College of Pharmacy, towards interprofessional education (IPE) and collaborative practice by identifying enablers, barriers and resources needed to implement IPE within the pharmacy curriculum. METHODS: A qualitative methodology was employed using focus groups discussions. Two focus groups were conducted, one focus group with faculty members (n = 5) and another focus group with academic administrators (n = 5) at Qatar University College of Pharmacy. Focus groups were audio recorded and transcribed verbatim by an independent experienced transcriber and validated by the study principal researcher. Thematic analysis was undertaken to generate key themes and subthemes. RESULTS: The study participants highlighted a number of enablers and challenges encountered as a result of the initial IPE events, for integrating IPE into the pharmacy curriculum. Many provided recommendations and suggestions for effective implementation of IPE. Analysis of the results focused on three main categories: enablers, barriers and recommendations. Overall, seven major themes were identified: 1) intrinsic enabling factors (initial IPE experiences, cross-appointed faculty, accreditation); 2) extrinsic enabling factors (national policy & legislation and advances in pharmacists' role); 3) student related benefits (roles & responsibilities and agents for change); 4) student hindering factors (student engagement, perceptions & attitudes and gender issues); 5) partnering academic institutions (logistical issues, familiarity with other curricula and commitment); 6) practice environment (hierarchy, healthcare professionals' attitude and lack of collaborative practice) and 7) IPE delivery (dedicated structure, IPE curriculum and extrinsic support). CONCLUSION: Pharmacy academics had positive perceptions towards IPE suggesting a high level of support and readiness to pursue IPE and an opportunity for pharmacy academics to drive the IPE agenda forward in Qatar. However, a number of challenges were reported. These are important to consider to ensure the development of effective strategies for the integration and enhancement of IPE and collaborative practice.

Perspectives of pharmacy students in Qatar toward interprofessional education and collaborative practice: a mixed methods study.

In an IPE environment, students are expected to have better understanding of the roles, responsibilities, and contribution of other health care professions to enhance interprofessional working and collaboration with an end result of improving patient-centred and team-based care. Although many studies have investigated students' attitudes, very few employ a mixed methods design and hardly are from Middle Eastern countries. A two-staged sequential explanatory mixed method design was used to comprehensively capture the perspectives of pharmacy students toward IPE and collaborative practice. A quantitative survey was conducted as the first stage of the study, followed by an in-depth discussion of these perspectives through a qualitative phase by conducting two focus groups. For the quantitative surveys, the overall response rate was 102/132 (77%) for pharmacy students in Qatar. This was followed by two focus groups with a total of 27 participants from senior and junior students. In exploring the qualitative data, three main themes were identified in relation to the pharmacy students' perspectives. These were on the pharmacy students' perception on the enablers (professional related benefits, patient-related benefits and current positive influences), barriers (previous IPE experiences, educational related issues and current working practices and processes), and recommendations to implementing IPE and collaborative practice (future IPE and pharmacy profession).Overall, the results demonstrate a strong readiness and positive perception by pharmacy students toward IPE and collaborative practice. This study has highlighted different dimensions in pharmacy students' perceptions. It also provided a useful insight into the readiness of pharmacy students in a Middle Eastern university. Students are seeking more IPE experiences formally incorporated into their curriculum and hence educators should capitalise on these positive and enthusiastic attitudes to identify the most effective means for delivering IPE and inform curricula planning. Collaborative practice-ready graduates will produce better-educated professionals delivering higher quality care.

A Middle Eastern journey of integrating Interprofessional Education into the healthcare curriculum: a SWOC analysis.

BACKGROUND: Interprofessional education (IPE) is an emerging concept in the Middle East with a number of health professional degree programs continually striving to meet international accreditation requirements to enhance the quality of education and ensure high standards are maintained. Using the College of Pharmacy at Qatar University (CPH QU) as a model, this article describes the IPE initiatives coordinated through the College's IPE Committee, with representation from fourteen programs at four Healthcare institutions: Qatar University; Weill Cornell Medical College in Qatar; the University of Calgary in Qatar; and the College of North Atlantic in Qatar. These activities are based on the model proposed by the University of British Columbia across the different pharmacy professional years. Learning objectives for these initiatives were selected from the IPE shared competency domains and competency statements developed for Qatar context. METHOD: A meeting with six faculty members, who have been instrumental to designing and executing the IPE activities in the previous 2 years, was convened. Faculty members reflected on IPE activities and collaborations with other participating programs. A structured SWOC (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Challenges) framework was used to guide discussion. The discussion was recorded and notes were taken during the meeting. Raised points were categorized into each SWOC category for the final analysis. RESULTS: Implementation of IPE program is a major undertaking with a number of challenges that require invested time to overcome. This article highlights the importance of incorporating IPE into healthcare curricula to graduate students ready for collaborative practice in the workforce. Learning objectives for IPE initiatives need to be based on shared competency domains. When developing and implementing an IPE program it is necessary to align activities under a strong theoretical framework. This should be done under the leadership of an IPE steering group or committee to oversee the integration of IPE into the healthcare curriculum. CONCLUSION: The article presents many lessons learned through IPE implementation that are relevant to other academic institutions keen to incorporate IPE into their programs and also provides a successful model for integrating IPE into healthcare curricula.

Interprofessional education in the Arabic-speaking Middle East: Perspectives of pharmacy academics.

The current status of interprofessional education (IPE) in Arabic Middle Eastern countries is largely unexamined and there is a need to assess IPE and collaborative practice in these countries. As faculty attitudes towards IPE are believed to be one of the main factors that affect the successful integration of IPE into the different healthcare curricula, this article aims to explore the attitudes and views of pharmacy academics in Arabic-speaking Middle Eastern countries towards IPE and collaborative practice. The findings from this article are part of a larger study investigating pharmacy's perspectives of IPE and collaborative practice in Qatar and the Middle East. An online survey which included three validated scales was used to gather information from pharmacy academics at 89 pharmacy schools in 14 countries. The response rate was 107 out of 334 (32%) and the majority of the respondents were from Jordan, Qatar, Lebanon, and Saudi Arabia. Statistical analysis was completed descriptively as well as inferentially using a series of independent t-tests. Overall pharmacy academics had positive attitudes towards IPE. The majority of the respondents, 90.8% (n = 99), perceived IPE to be important. Age, likelihood to engage in IPE, and years of IPE experience were the factors that were related to faculty members' attitudes towards IPE. Highly perceived barriers for implementing IPE included cultural challenges for each profession, scheduling common courses, and activities in addition to limited resources. The study findings indicated that pharmacy academics in the Middle East are ready to pursue IPE. These results can serve as impetus for implementing IPE in Middle Eastern countries.

A Cross-Sectional Study of Vaccination-Related Education in Pharmacy Programs in the Middle East.

OBJECTIVE: Pharmacists play pivotal roles in improving vaccination rates. However, absence of vaccination-related undergraduate education impedes their ability for these roles. The study aims were to scope vaccination-related education in pharmacy colleges in the Middle East (ME) and to describe potential facilitators and barriers to vaccination administration education using Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research. METHODS: A multinational survey of pharmacy faculty across 14 Arabic-speaking ME countries, involving 132 colleges, examined vaccination education. Data collection involved contacting deans for faculty nominations. Data was analyzed using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences. RESULTS: The questionnaire response rate was 64.7% (89/132), with 89.9% of colleges including vaccination in their curricula. The topics commonly covered included vaccine development (n = 44, 97.8%), vaccine routes of administration (n = 43, 97.7%), and vaccine indications (n = 38, 95%). Planning and marketing vaccination programs (n = 35, 77.8%), documentation and record-keeping of vaccinations (n = 33, 75.0%), and legal and regulatory issues related to vaccinations (n = 32, 69.6%) were the least adequately covered topics. Most common methods used in teaching were didactic lectures (n = 74, 92.5%). Overall, 53 of 87 respondents (60.9%) responded that their college does not currently teach "vaccination administration". Lack of resources, attitudes of other health professionals and not prioritizing vaccination were considered as barriers for implementing vaccination administration. CONCLUSION: Most pharmacy colleges in the ME cover vaccination-related topics in undergraduate curricula, yet they underemphasize vaccination administration and lack experiential learning methods. Implementing vaccination administration education requires addressing barriers related to the outer and inner settings, and planning, with stakeholder engagement.

Experiences of burnout, anxiety, and empathy among health profession students in Qatar University during the COVID-19 pandemic: a cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND: The prevalence of burnout and anxiety is constantly increasing among health profession students worldwide. This study evaluates the prevalence of burnout and its relationship to anxiety and empathy during the COVID-19 pandemic among health profession students in the main governmental institution in Doha, Qatar using validated instruments. METHODS: A cross-sectional survey of health profession students using validated instruments was employed. The Maslach Burnout Inventory-General Students Survey (MBI-GS(S)) to measure burnout; The Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD-7) to measure anxiety; and Interpersonal Reactivity Index (IRI) to measure empathy were utilized. Descriptive statistics and multivariable linear regression were used. RESULTS: Of the 1268 eligible students, 272 (21.5%) completed the online survey. Burnout was found to be prevalent amongst the students. The mean scores for the MBI-GS(S) subscales of emotional exhaustion, cynicism, and professional efficacy were 4.07, 2.63, and 3.97, respectively. Anxiety was found to be a strong predictor for burnout and burnout was positively associated with empathy. CONCLUSIONS: Findings from this study demonstrated relationships between health profession students' burnout, anxiety, and empathy. These findings might have an impact on the development of curriculum interventions to enhance student well-being. More burnout awareness and management programs that cater to the specific needs of health profession students are needed. Furthermore, findings of this study may have implications for future educational interventions during times of crisis or how this can be used to improve student experiences in normal times.