Health science students' preparedness for climate change: a scoping review on knowledge, attitudes, and practices.

INTRODUCTION: Climate change (CC) is a global public health issue, and the role of health professionals in addressing its impact is crucial. However, to what extent health professionals are prepared to deal with CC-related health problems is unclear. We aimed to evaluate the knowledge, attitudes, and practices of health students about the CC. METHODS: We conducted a scoping review through systematic searches in PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, Proquest, and EBSCO. We included original scientific research with no language or time restrictions. Two authors independently reviewed and decided on the eligibility of the studies, then performed data extraction. RESULTS: 21 studies were included, with a total of 9205 undergraduate nursing, medical, pharmacy, and public health students mainly. Most health science students (> 75%) recognized human activities as the main cause of CC. However, they perceived a lack of knowledge on how to address CC. Moreover, we found inadequate coverage or limited development of CC in related curricula that may contribute to incomplete learning or low confidence in the theoretical and practical concepts of students. CONCLUSION: The findings of our scoping review suggest that while health sciences students possess a general understanding of CC, there is a significant gap in their knowledge regarding its specific health impacts. To address this gap, there is a need for targeted education and training for future health care professionals that emphasizes the health effects of CC.

Diversity and development of Indigenous rehabilitation professional student identity.

BACKGROUND: In Canada, disparities between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Peoples continue to exist in health and education because of the past and current harms of racism and colonization. One step towards closing health gaps is clinicians who can provide health and social care services that are free of racism and mistrust. Indigenous health providers are in the best position to provide this culturally relevant and safe care to their own communities. Therefore, more Indigenous students graduating from health professional programs are required to meet these needs. Indigenous identity support can be a facilitator for Indigenous student academic success but developing one's Indigenous identity can be challenging in post-secondary education environments. We explored how Indigenous rehabilitation students expressed, and wanted to be supported in their identity and academic success. METHODS: Using a narrative inquiry approach, we conducted interviews with seven students from the occupational, physical, and respiratory therapy programs of a Canadian university. Students were asked to tell their story of learning about, applying to, and being in their rehabilitation program and how their Indigenous identity impacted these experiences. Data analysis was conducted by Indigenous and non-Indigenous team members, analyzing the stories on interaction of the participant with (1) themselves and others, (2) time, and (3) situation or place. RESULTS: The researchers developed seven mini-stories, one for each participant, to illustrate the variation between participant experiences in the development of their Indigenous and professional identity, before and during their rehabilitation program. The students appreciated the opportunities afforded to them by being admitted to their programs in a Indigenous Peoples category, including identity affirmation. However, for most students, being in this category came with feared and/or experienced stigma. The work to develop a health professional identity brought even more complexity to the already complex work of developing and maintaining an Indigenous identity in the colonized university environment. CONCLUSION: This study highlights the complexity of developing a rehabilitation professional identity as an Indigenous student. The participant stories call for universities to transform into an environment where Indigenous students can be fully accepted for their unique gifts and the identities given to them at birth.

Evaluation and students' perception of a health equity education program in physical therapy: a mixed methods pilot study.

BACKGROUND: Health equity is a common theme discussed in health professions education, yet only some researchers have addressed it in entry-level education. PURPOSE: The purpose of this study is to serve as an educational intervention pilot to 1) evaluate students' perception of the effectiveness of the DPT program in providing a foundation for health equity education, with or without the benefit of a supplemental resource and 2) establishing priorities for the program related to educating students on health inequities in physical therapy clinical practice. A mixed method design with a focus-group interview was utilized to explore students' perceptions of the DPT program's commitment to advancing health equity. METHODS: A three-staged sequential mixed methods study was conducted. Stage 1 began with quantitative data collection after completing the DEI Bundle utilizing the Tripod DEI survey. Stage 2 involved identifying themes from the Tripod Survey data and creating semi-structured interview questions. Stage 3 consisted of a focus group interview process. RESULTS: A total of 78 students completed the Tripod DEI survey upon completing 70% of the curriculum. Thirty-five students, eight core faculty, 13 associated faculty, and four clinical instructors completed the APTA DEI Bundle Course Series. According to the Tripod DEI Survey results, program stakeholders found the program's commitment to DEI and overall climate to be inclusive, fair, caring, safe, welcoming, and understanding of individuals from different backgrounds, including a sense of student belonging where students feel valued and respected. Three themes emerged from the qualitative focus group interviews, including the value of inclusivity, health equity curricular foundations, and DEI in entry-level DPT education. CONCLUSIONS: This study highlights the value of incorporating health equity and DEI topics into curricula while fostering an incluse program culture.

Clinical students' perception of educational environment in a Nigerian university: a mixed method study.

BACKGROUND: Learning environment (LE) research has been given priority in higher education institutions globally because of its influence on learning processes and outcomes. Although studies reporting the perceptions of health science students about LE in Nigeria are available, none have compared the perceptions of students from different health professions. Therefore, this study aimed to assess final-year clinical students' perceptions of their LE from four programs (dentistry, medicine, nursing, and physiotherapy) and compared their LE perceptions. METHODS: This study adopted a cross-sectional study design using a mixed method approach. The quantitative survey involved all the final-year clinical students at the University of Ibadan, and they completed the Dundee Ready Education Environment Measure (DREEM) questionnaire. The qualitative aspect involved 24 consenting students in four focus group discussions. RESULTS: A total of 214 out of 223 copies of the DREEM questionnaire were duly completed and returned, yielding 96.0% response rate. The participants' mean age was 24 ± 2.3 years (ranged between 22 and 25 years, p = 0.001). The mean DREEM scores of the students from the four programs ranged between 119.68 ± 18.02 and 147.65 ± 15.89 out of a maximum of 200, interpreted as more positive than negative perceptions of LE. Physiotherapy students' DREEM score was significantly higher than those of medical, dental, and nursing students (p < 0.001). The DREEM scores of other students did not differ significantly (p > 0.05). Dental and medical students had similar positive perceptions. The qualitative aspect revealed that the students had positive perceptions of their teachers' knowledge base and self-acquisition of knowledge but negative perceptions of their teachers' communication skills, infrastructural facilities, lecturer-student relationships, and hostel accommodations. CONCLUSION: Although the survey indicated that these clinical students had more positive than negative perceptions of their learning environment, the qualitative aspect of the study revealed many challenges that the students were confronted with. The clinical students' perception of their learning environment could be improved if the university authorities would address these challenges.

Intercultural sensitivity in Chilean healthcare profession students.

Each culture has unique health care related values, habits, perceptions, expectations, norms, etc., that makes cultural competence an important attribute to be developed by healthcare professionals, to ensure they provide effective treatment. Intercultural sensitivity (IS) is the affective dimension of cultural competence. The objective of this study is to explore the self-perceived level of IS in first and last year students of three health sciences professions (i.e., Dentistry, Medicine, and Nursing) at the Universidad de la Frontera, Temuco, Chile. This study adopted a cross-sectional design and a group comparison (e.g., year of study). 312 students completed the Intercultural Sensitivity Scale (ISS). Findings showed that overall ISS scores ranged from 1.83 to 4.94, with a mean score of 4.11 (s.d. 0.43). Group comparison between first and final year students showed statistically significant differences (4.18 vs. 4.00; p < 0.001). Medical and nursing students had a significantly higher overall mean IS score compared to dental students (4.21 and 4.16, respectively vs. 4.02; p < 0.01). There were also significant differences between three factors (interaction engagement; interaction confidence; and interaction enjoyment) by healthcare profession. These findings allow for discussion of the need for explicit incorporation and development of cultural competence in on health care professional curricula. Longitudinal research is needed to explore how IS changes over time, along with generating qualitative data from the student populations IS experiences and exposure.

Relationship between readiness for interprofessional learning and academic self-efficacy among nursing students: a cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND: Modern medicine emphasizes that medical professionals engage in interprofessional collaboration to better meet the diverse needs of patients from physical, psychological, and social perspectives. As nursing students are the future reserve of the clinical nursing workforce, nursing educators worldwide should pay close attention to nursing students' interprofessional learning attitudes and take responsibility for training qualified interprofessional nursing personnel. However, little is known about the relationship between nursing students' readiness for interprofessional learning and academic self-efficacy. Thus, this study aims to investigate the level of readiness for interprofessional learning and academic self-efficacy among nursing students, and to explore the relationship between the two. METHODS: A cross-sectional survey was conducted with a sample of 741 undergraduate nursing students pursuing four-year degrees from a school in Jinan, Shandong Province, China from November to December 2021. The social-demographic questionnaire, Readiness for Interprofessional Learning Scale, and Academic Self-efficacy Scale were used for data collection. Descriptive statistics used to analyze the data included: Cronbach's alpha, t-test, one-way ANOVA, Pearson's correlation, and multiple linear regression analysis. RESULTS: Readiness for interprofessional learning mean score was (3.91 ± 0.44) and mean academic self-efficacy was (3.47 ± 0.42). Significant differences were found in the research variables according to participants' sex, grade, choice of nursing profession, and frequency of communication with health-related major students in studies (p < 0.05, p < 0.001). Pearson correlation analysis showed that academic self-efficacy was positively related to readiness for interprofessional learning (r = 0.316, p < 0.01). The hierarchical regression analysis showed that academic self-efficacy was positively related to readiness for interprofessional learning (ß = 0.307, p < 0.001), The model explained 15.6% of the variance in readiness for interprofessional learning (F = 18.038, p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Readiness for interprofessional learning and academic self-efficacy were in the middle level among nursing students. Moreover, there was a significant positive correlation between the two. Therefore, it is very important for nursing educators to improve nursing students' academic self-efficacy before improving their readiness for interprofessional learning.

Evaluation of the knowledge of and attitudes towards pharmacovigilance among healthcare students in China: a cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND: Knowledge of pharmacovigilance (PV) and adverse drug reactions (ADRs) are the core competencies that healthcare students should acquire during their studies. The objective of this study was to assess attitudes towards and knowledge of PV and ADRs among healthcare students in China. METHODS: An online, cross-sectional survey was conducted nationally among healthcare students in China from April through October 2023. Knowledge of PV and ADRs was assessed using a questionnaire based on current PV guidelines. We performed logistic regression analysis to determine the potential factors related to knowledge of and attitudes towards PV and ADRs. RESULTS: A total of 345 students were included in the analysis. Among the healthcare students who participated in the survey, 225 (65.22%) students correctly defined PV, while only 68 (19.71%) had a correct understanding of ADRs. Among all respondents included in the analysis, only 71 (20.58%) reported having taken a PV course. Pharmacy students were more likely to have taken PV courses at a university and to demonstrate superior knowledge compared to other healthcare students. The logistic regression model revealed that the significant predictors of a higher level of PV knowledge were being female (odds ratio [OR]: 1.76; 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.06-2.92; P value: 0.028) and having previously taken PV-related courses (OR: 2.00; 95% CI: 1.06-3.80; P value: 0.034). CONCLUSIONS: This study revealed that healthcare students' knowledge of PV and ADRs is unsatisfactory. However, there were a limited number of universities providing PV education. Given the vital role of healthcare professionals in identifying and reporting ADRs, our findings raise significant concerns. Hence, more efforts should be made to enhance PV education for future healthcare professionals.

Measuring sociocultural engagement of health professions education students: a psychometric study.

BACKGROUND: Sociocultural engagement of students refers to broadening viewpoints and providing awareness of, and respect for, diverse backgrounds and perspectives. However, there are no existing validated instruments in the literature for measuring sociocultural engagement of health professions education (HPE) students. Therefore, the aim of this study is to develop and validate a questionnaire designed to assess sociocultural engagement among HPE students. METHODS: The study included undergraduate HPE students (n = 683) at Gulf Medical University. The initial version of the sociocultural engagement of students' questionnaire (SESQ) was developed after extensive literature review and guided by the Global Learning Qualifications Framework. We then tested the content validity of the questionnaire by using focus group discussion with subject experts (n = 16) and pilot testing with students (n = 20). We distributed the content-validated version of the SESQ (16 items) to undergraduate students in six HPE colleges. To examine the construct validity and construct reliability of the questionnaire, we conducted exploratory factor analysis, followed by confirmatory factor analysis. RESULTS: Confirmatory factor analysis supported the two-factor structure which consists of 13 items with good fitness indices (χ2 = 214.35, df = 61, χ 2/df = 3.51, CFI = 0.98, RMSEA = 0.06, SRMR = 0.025, and AIC = 208.00). The two factors were sociocultural interactions (8 items) and sociocultural adaptation (5 items). The construct reliability of the total questionnaire is 0.97 and the two factors were 0.93 and 0.92 for sociocultural interactions and sociocultural adaptation, respectively. In addition, there were significant weak correlations between both factors of sociocultural engagement scores and student satisfaction with the university experience (r = .19 for each, P = .01). CONCLUSIONS: The sociocultural engagement of students' questionnaire exhibits good evidence of construct validity and reliability. Further studies will be required to test the validity of this questionnaire in other contexts.

vSEMERA: pilot project assessing health profession students' experiences in an international virtual research program.

BACKGROUND: The "Virtual Semester for Medical Research Aachen" (vSEMERA) is an international, interdisciplinary, virtual education program developed for health profession students. The first edition (2021) was hosted by the Medical Faculty of RWTH Aachen University (Germany) in cooperation with Centro Universitário Christus (Brazil) and Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia (Peru). The primary aim of the 12-weeks program was to provide students with skills in health science research and prepare them for scientific career paths. METHODS: vSEMERA was built on a virtual learning platform, the "vSEMERA-Campus", designed to foster students' learning process and social interactions. Maximum flexibility was offered through synchronous and asynchronous teaching, enabling participants to join via any device from any part of the Globe alongside their regular studies. For the program's first edition (September - November 2021), health profession students from Germany, Brazil, Peru, Spain, and Italy filled all 30 available spots. Satisfaction, quality of the program and courses offered, as well as perceived learning outcomes, were examined using questionnaires throughout and at the end of the program. RESULTS: The program received a rating of 4.38 out of 5 stars. While it met most expectations (4.29 out of 5), participants were unable to attend as many courses as intended (2.81 out of 5), mainly due to scheduling conflicts with the home university schedule (46%), internships (23%), and general timing issues (31%). Participants acknowledged considerable improvements in their scientific skills, English language skills, confidence in scientific project management, research career progression, and enthusiasm for a scientific career. CONCLUSIONS: vSEMERA represents a promising example of an online international learning and exchange program using pedagogical and technological elements of virtual collaboration and teaching. In addition to advancing future vSEMERA editions, our results may offer insights for similar projects that address the targeted integration of scientific research education into an international, digital learning environment.

Scientific approach, attitudes, and perspectives on research among Swedish physiotherapy students-a cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND: Scientific evidence is important to evidence-based practice. Hence, the application of evidence-based practice requires relevant skills and an understanding of science, which therefore need to be learned and trained during the undergraduate program in physiotherapy. The aim of this study was to investigate attitudes, perceived competence, and conditions for a scientific approach among physiotherapy students in Sweden, and to compare attitudes and perceived competence between students in different program years. METHODS: Physiotherapy students from six universities (n = 1499) were invited to respond to a digital survey. The survey contained questions regarding attitudes toward science, perceived competence in research interpretations and open comments regarding requirements for a strengthened scientific approach during education. Comparisons between education years were performed with ANOVA/Kruskal‒Wallis test (scale outcomes) and logistic regression (binary outcomes). RESULTS: A total of 466 students responded to the survey. In total, 57% (n = 266) of the students had a high interest in science. No significant difference in interest in science was found between students in the three program years, but 75% (n = 347) reported increased interest during the program. A perceived high ability to understand the structure and performance of scientific studies was reported by 31% (n = 144), to evaluate the methodology by 16% (n = 72) and to interpret statistical results from scientific studies by 12% (n = 55). The lowest perceived competence was reported among students in their second year (p < 0.05). A majority of the students (88%; n = 410) reported a perceived personal need for strengthened conditions for a scientific approach, with suggested prerequisites during education via increased theoretical and applied understanding of the research. CONCLUSION: Even though this study does not fully cover physiotherapy students at all undergraduate programmes in Sweden, the results support that a scientific approach and training should be strengthened during education to enable physiotherapists to understand and interpret science and to fully apply an evidence-based approach in upcoming clinical practice. Both theoretical and applied knowledge and understanding are needed.

The relationship between social support and professional identity of health professional students from a two-way social support theory perspective: chain mediating effects of achievement motivation and meaning in life.

BACKGROUND: Studies has suggested that receiving social support improves the professional identity of health professional students. According to the two-way social support theory, social support includes receiving social support and giving social support. However, the effect of the two-way social support on health professional students' professional identity has not been clarified yet. METHODS: To explore the mechanism of how two-way social support affects health professional students' professional identity, an observational, cross-sectional study was conducted among a convenience and cluster sample of 1449 health professional students from two medical schools in western China. Measures included a short version of the two-way social support scale, a health professional students' professional identity questionnaire, an achievement motivation scale, and a meaning in life scale. Data were analyzed by use of SPSS26.0 software and PROCESSv4.0 plug-in. RESULTS: Receiving social support, giving social support, achievement motivation, meaning in life, and professional identity were positively correlated with each other. Receiving and giving social support not only directly predicted health professional students' professional identity, but also indirectly predicted health professional students' professional identity through the mediating roles of achievement motivation and meaning in life, and the chain mediating roles of achievement motivation and meaning in life, respectively. The effectiveness of predicting health professional students' professional identity varied among different types of two-way social support, which could be depicted as two-way social support > mainly giving social support > mainly receiving social support > low two-way social support. CONCLUSION: In the medical education, the awareness and ability of health professional students to receive and give social support should be strengthened. More attention should be drawn on the chain mediating effect of achievement motivation and meaning in life between two-way social support and professional identity. The current results shed new light on exploring effective ways of improving health professional students' professional identity, which suggested that more attention should be paid to the positive effects of mainly giving social support and two-way social support rather than only on the effects of receiving social support.

Clinical Physician Assistant Students' Perceptions of Evidence-Based Medicine Resources: A Cross-Sectional Examination.

Evidence-based medicine (EBM) instruction is required for physician assistant (PA) students. As a follow-up to an initial didactic year survey, this study seeks to understand which attributes of EBM resources clinical PA students find most and least useful, their self-efficacy utilizing medical literature, and their usage of EBM tools in the clinic. Results indicate that students preferred UpToDate and PubMed. PA students valued ease of use, which can inform instructors and librarians. Respondents utilized EBM tools daily or a few days a week, underscoring the importance of EBM tools in real-world scenarios. After their clinical year, students felt moderately confident utilizing the medical literature, emphasizing EBM training.

Social work involvement on student interprofessional teams: a qualitative investigation.

Social workers on interprofessional teams help highlight the mental health aspects of wellness and alert teams to potential social barriers to care. Social work students have been valued in new interprofessional education (IPE) initiatives across the United States; however, researchers have shown that social work practitioners often feel outside of and not valued by interprofessional teams. Social work student reflections were analyzed as research data to explore experiences on student IPE teams. This was an inductive, qualitative study informed by literary analysis methods, reading for power dynamics and implicit bias. This analysis uncovered social work students holding on to stereotypes of other professions as well as detrimental stereotypes of their own profession. Displays of respect for social work and early opportunities for successful advocacy allowed social work students to feel confident in their role and encouraged participation. This study considers how social work participation can be encouraged on interprofessional student teams.

Unpacking interactions among student teams in a practice-based IPE setting: a qualitative evaluation study.

In many healthcare settings, teams change composition regularly, so healthcare students must be trained to function effectively in dynamic teams before entering the workforce. Interprofessional clinical rotations provide an ideal venue for learners to practice these skills, but little is known about how student teams interact in such settings. In this qualitative observational evaluation, learners from multiple health professions at a single institution participated in scheduled clinics in low-income housing communities for older adults. Interprofessional student teams met with program participants for care coordination, health and wellness assessments, and assistance in setting and achieving health goals; team composition changed from week-to-week. A purposive sample was selected from video-recorded encounters between student teams and their program participants. The aim of this study was to explore team interactions and document learner behaviors. Two researchers independently reviewed discrete segments of each video, recorded their observations and reflections, and then the team discussed, categorized, and identified relevant examples of both effective and ineffective behaviors. Four major themes were observed: inclusiveness, leadership, joy of practice, and sharing of clinical knowledge. Students demonstrated both positive and negative examples of behaviors that aligned with each theme. Understanding how students behave on teams in dynamic settings where patient care is taking place can help educators establish practice-based interprofessional education models that better prepare learners to function effectively and strategies that may improve team interactions.

Large-scale, mobile and technology-enhanced serious game for interprofessional education: pilot study and lessons learnt.

Recent research suggests that serious gaming is a promising strategy for interprofessional education (IPE). This report describes the design and pilot testing of a large-scale, mobile, technology-enhanced serious game embedded in the IPE curriculum in Geneva, Switzerland. Organized into teams of eight, the students were tasked with finding a young patient who had just escaped from the intensive care unit. Through a series of 10 stations, they explored hospital- and community-based locations of the healthcare system and were engaged in various learning and game activities; they were rewarded with cues to unveil the mystery. A total of 582 undergraduate students from seven disciplines (medicine, midwifery, nursing, nutrition-dietetics, pharmacy, physiotherapy, and technology in medical radiology) took part. Survey results (response rate: 62.8%) suggest that an overall majority of students valued the game, particularly the collaborative experience of actively learning from others in autonomous teams. Qualitative feedback allowed us to identify future areas for improvement: simplifying the adventure storyline and optimizing student flow. Educational institutions across the world facing challenges when creating IPE activities will find in this report ideas and lessons learnt to use mobile technology and serious gaming for large cohorts of students.

The impact of using an authentic patient video on health professional students' attitudes toward interprofessional and person-centered care.

Authentic patient activities in an interprofessional education (IPE) setting can develop collaborative, practice ready health professionals who have the skills to work within and across teams with patients at the center of their care. In this qualitative study, the student experience of a novel interprofessional case study activity, with lived experience content delivered via an authentic patient video was explored. Transcripts were analyzed using reflexive thematic analysis and identified three major themes: (a) from disease-centered to person-centered care, (b) reflecting on roles in interprofessional collaborative practice, and (c) teamwork and lived experience facilitates learning. When considered within the Interprofessional Education Collaborative (IPEC) framework, the student experience suggested positive change in all four core competencies: interprofessional communication, values and ethics, roles and responsibilities and teamwork. In addition, students highly valued the interprofessional learning experience, and the patient video created a more realistic case study by reducing clinical assumptions. In conclusion, a short, single exposure to a written case followed by an authentic patient video in an IPE setting had an immediate positive impact on entry-level student health professionals. This simple methodology is a viable way of bringing the authentic patient voice into the classroom with additional benefit from the interprofessional format.

Healthcare Students' Perceptions About Approaching Spirituality in Their Training and Patient Care: Online, Cross-Sectional Survey.

Objective: Recent scientific literature points out that religiosity and spirituality play a relevant role in many aspects of life, including health issues. We aimed to evaluate the healthcare students' perceptions about approaching spirituality in their training and patient care in Brazilian universities. Methods: A cross-sectional observational study was conducted following the STROBE guidelines. Through an anonymous online survey, adult healthcare students from two universities in the city of Pelotas (Brazil) answered a questionnaire about their perceptions on approaching spirituality in their training and patient care. Chi-squared tests were performed, and P ≤ .05 was considered statistically significant. Results: A total of 163 students were included in the analysis. Most believed that spirituality is important for their training (74.8%) and patient care (84%). However, a minority had had contact with the theme of spirituality during their training (48.5%) or had experienced a situation in which the spiritual aspects of a patient were addressed (47.2%). The students from the private university had more contact with the theme of spirituality in healthcare during their training. Nursing students had significantly more contact with the theme of spirituality in healthcare (P = .008) and had experienced more situations in which the spiritual aspects of a patient were addressed (P = .031) than other students. Conclusion: Most students believed that the theme of spirituality in healthcare is important for their training and patient care. However, they still had insufficient contact with it during their education. More studies with greater statistical power are needed to better understand this situation globally.

Mental Disorders Among Healthcare Students Attending a Large University Hospital in Milan, Italy.

BACKGROUND: The high incidence rates, treatment difficulties, and tendency to become chronic, which subsequently affects personal and occupational functioning, make mental health disorders among the most important public health concerns. In this context, healthcare university students (HS) appear to be more vulnerable to psychological distress than others. OBJECTIVE: Investigate the prevalence of diagnosed mental illness among different groups of HS to detect students who may be psychologically vulnerable and determine whether the implementation of support interventions is necessary. METHODS: All HS who had a clinical examination performed by an occupational physician at our occupational health unit between 2021 and 2022 were included in our case series. Data were collected and analyzed as part of the occupational physicians' health surveillance program. RESULTS: out of 679 HS (507 females, 172 males, aged 22.2±3.9 mean±s.d) undergone clinical examination at our Occupational Health Unit, 36 (5.3%) reported a diagnosed psychiatric illness, and 20 were receiving pharmacological therapy at the time of the visit. A higher prevalence of psychological disorders has been highlighted in females (6.1% vs 2.9% in males) and students of the mental health sector (11.1%) when compared with others. A fit-to-work judgment with prescription was necessary for 16.7% of students with mental diseases. The presence of psychiatric disorders was associated with underweight (27.8%) and higher smoking habit (44.4%). CONCLUSIONS: These results underline the necessity of improving the current health surveillance protocols, which should also evaluate students' psychological fragility and implement effective intervention strategies to promote their health and wellbeing.

Interprofessional identity and motivation towards interprofessional collaboration.

INTRODUCTION: It is unknown whether interprofessional identity is able to explain interprofessional behaviours. Extended professional identity theory provides clues by combining two psychological identity approaches. The aim of this study is to investigate whether interprofessional identity is a source for intrinsic motivation towards interprofessional collaboration related to wider group membership. METHODS: Participants of this double-blinded study were 47 dentistry and 41 dental hygiene students (86.3% response) without interprofessional education (IPE) experience. Group productivity was used as indicator of group effort and equal communication as indication for interprofessional direction. The extended professional identity scale (EPIS) was used to measure interprofessional identity eight weeks prior to a mandatory IPE course. Based on EPIS levels, students were assigned to a low or high interprofessional identity group condition. Subsequently, 12 interprofessional teams (four to five members) were randomly composed per condition. Each group received eight problems (regarding roles, responsibilities and collaborative practice) for which they were expected to provide up to 10 solutions. Six trained psychologists rated the validity of solutions after which the percentage of solutions per group was calculated. Additionally, the psychologists rated interprofessional direction by observing team communication (asking questions, topic control, prosocial formulations, and speech frequency) during the second group meeting. RESULTS: No interprofessional identity differences were found with regard to gender and profession. The mean difference between groups with low versus high interprofessional identity was 0.5 (M = 3.4; SD = 0.5 and M = 3.9, SD = 0.4, respectively), t = -5.880, p < 0.001. Groups with high identity generated more solutions compared to low identity groups (91.5% vs. 86.4%), t = -2938, p = 0.004. The correlation between individual interprofessional identity and group effort was significant, r = 0.22, p = 0.036. Groups with high identity showed more interprofessional direction, t = -2.160, p = 0.034. DISCUSSION: Interprofessional identity has a positive effect on congruent interprofessional behaviours after 10 weeks. More research is required to understand interprofessional identity in relation to performance in education and work.

The impact of community of inquiry and self-efficacy on student attitudes in sustained remote health professions learning environments.

BACKGROUND: Sustained remote learning environments, like those experienced in late 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, share characteristics with online courses but were not intentionally designed to delivered virtually. The purpose of this study was to investigate the impact of Community of Inquiry, a widely used online learning environment framework, and self-efficacy on perceived student attitudes within sustained remote learning environments. METHODS: An interinstitutional team of health professions education researchers collected survey data from 205 students representing a wide range of health professions in five U.S. institutions. Latent mediation models under structural equation modeling framework were used to examine whether student self-efficacy mediates the relationship between Community of Inquiry presence and student's favorability of sustained remote learning delivered in the prolonged stages of the COVID-19 pandemic. RESULTS: Higher levels of teaching presence and social presence in the remote learning environment were associated with higher levels of remote learning self-efficacy which, in turn, predicts variance in positive attitudes toward remote learning. When mediated by self-efficacy, significant variance in student's favorability of sustained remote learning was explained by teaching presence (61%), social presence (64%), and cognitive presence (88%) and self-efficacy. Significant direct and indirect effects for teaching and social presence, and only direct effects for cognitive presence were observed. CONCLUSIONS: This study establishes the Community of Inquiry and its three presence types as a relevant and stable framework for investigating sustained remote health professions teaching and learning environments, not only carefully designed online learning environments. Faculty may focus course design strategies which enhance presence and increase student self-efficacy for the sustained remote learning environment.