Framework for an interprofessional experience addressing health and disability for health professional students.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: A Health and Disabilities Interprofessional Education (IPE) course was implemented to join three healthcare disciplines together to collaboratively plan, implement, and reflect on professional roles and responsibilities. The goal and purpose of this course was to create an advancement of interprofessional education and practice within health science professions early in their students' programs utilizing innovative teaching methods working directly with individuals with disabilities. EDUCATIONAL ACTIVITY AND SETTING: 72 students were assigned to interprofessional teams of 10-11 people. Through asynchronous and synchronous learning activities, student teams worked together to plan and conduct community-based client interviews. FINDINGS: Quantitative and qualitative evaluation methods were used to explore the impact of interprofessional experiential learning experiences. Qualitative data showed a greater awareness and understanding of the different roles and responsibilities in interprofessional teams as well as a greater appreciation for the value of interacting with persons with disabilities (PWD) during their training. Quantitative data showed a significant change in students' understanding of their roles and responsibilities as a member of an interprofessional team, their confidence with working with PWD in a future healthcare capacity, as well as their understanding of how the social determinants of health may influence the healthcare experience of a PWD. SUMMARY: Interprofessional education and experiential learning opportunities are good ways to facilitate "real" patient care experiences and team roles and responsibilities. This enables healthcare students to practice communication, build relationships, and understand the lived experience of their patients.

Actitudes hacia el aborto deseado en estudiantes de ciencias de la salud chilenos / Attitudes towards wanted abortion among Chilean health sciences students

Introducción: La interrupción del embarazo mediando principalmente la voluntad de la mujer, es decir, cuando una mujer desea abortar para terminar su embarazo por cualquier razón, es un procedimiento controversial. Las actitudes individuales de los profesionales de la salud hacia este procedimiento influirían sobre la aceptación o el rechazo de realizarlo y, por ende, afectarían su acceso en el sistema de salud. Objetivo: Relacionar actitudes hacia la interrupción del embarazo con características sociodemográficas y académicas de estudiantes chilenos de enfermería, medicina y obstetricia y puericultura. Método: Estudio cuantitativo con diseño observacional, transversal y descriptivo. Reclutamos estudiantes universitarios con un muestreo no probabilístico. Recolectamos datos mediante cuestionarios virtuales autoadministrados. Preguntamos por la intención de realizar o asistir un aborto médico o quirúrgico frente a 15 escenarios distintos y creamos un índice con estas respuestas. Calculamos estadísticas descriptivas básicas y creamos modelos de regresión lineal. Consideramos significancia estadística si p < 0,05. Resultados: Participaron 229, 306 y 233 estudiantes de enfermería, medicina y obstetricia y puericultura, respectivamente (en total, 768). En el modelo de regresión lineal múltiple, declararse cristiano (β = −0,248) y afirmar que la religión es muy o totalmente importante en la vida (β = −0,269) se asociaron más fuertemente y de manera inversa y significativa con el índice de intención de realizar o asistir un aborto médico o quirúrgico. Conclusiones: La religión es un factor que influiría decisivamente sobre las actitudes hacia la interrupción del embarazo. Los escenarios más positivamente valorados podrían explicarse considerando que las leyes reflejarían los valores predominantes de una sociedad.

Introduction: Termination of pregnancy mediated primarily by the womans will, i.e., when a woman wishes to have an abortion to terminate her pregnancy for any reason, is a controversial procedure. The individual attitudes of health professionals towards this procedure would affect the degree of acceptance or rejection of performing this procedure and, therefore, would affect its accessibility in the health system. Objective: To relate attitudes towards abortion with sociodemographic and academic characteristics of Chilean nursing, medicine and midwifery students. Method: Quantitative study with observational, cross-sectional and descriptive design. We recruited university students with non-probabilistic sampling. We collected data through self-administered virtual questionnaires. We asked about the intention to perform an abortion in 15 different scenarios and created an index with these responses. We calculated basic descriptive statistics and created linear regression models. We considered statistical significance if p < 0.05. Results: 229, 306 and 233 students from nursing, medicine and midwifery participated, respectively (total: 768). In the multiple linear regression model, declaring oneself a Christian (β = −0.248) and stating that religion is very or totally important in life (β = −0.269) were inversely and significantly associated with the index of intention to perform an abortion. Conclusions: Religion is a factor that would decisively influence attitudes toward termination of pregnancy. The more positively valued scenarios could be explained by considering that laws would reflect the predominant values of a society.

Psychological Safety as an Educational Value in Interprofessional Health Education.

The Interprofessional Education Collaborative competency on values and ethics is defined as "work[ing] with individuals of other professions to maintain a climate of mutual respect and shared values." Essential to mastery of this competency is acknowledging biases, many of which are rooted in historically entrenched assumptions about the value of medical supremacy in health care, popular cultural representations of health professionals, and students' lived experiences. This article describes an interprofessional education activity in which students from several health professions discuss stereotypes and misconceptions about their own professions and other health professions and professionals. Psychological safety in the learning environment is key, so this article also canvasses how authors revised the activity to promote and facilitate open communication.

Scale to measure medical, nursing and midwifery students' engagement in an e-learning histology course / Escala para medir la participación de estudiantes de medicina, enfermería y obstetricia en un curso de histología e-learning

SUMMARY: E-learning courses become increasingly important and relevant in medicine and health sciences over the last decade. However, there are few teaching experiences of e-learning histology courses published in the literature worldwide. Moreover, most of these studies focus on the didactic aspects of the course without exploring student participation. The study presented below aimed to validate a scale to measure student participation in an e-learning histology course. We provide evidence of validity of the instrument based on its internal structure for use with medical, nursing, and midwifery students. The participants in this study were a group of 426 Chilean medical, nursing and midwifery students from a public university who completed the questionnaire in two consecutive semesters (2020-2021). Data from the first group of students were used to perform an exploratory factor analysis (EFA), while data from the second group of participants were used to perform a confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). The three factors identified according to the CFA were: "Habits of online," "Motivation for online learning," and "Interaction of online". After eliminating one of the initial items of the instrument, the scale showed acceptable psychometric properties suggesting that it is a useful instrument to measure students' perception of their participation in e-learning histology courses. The factors identified through the validation of the instrument provide relevant information for teachers and curriculum developers to create and implement different ways of encouraging student participation in e- learning histology courses to support online learning.

Los cursos e-learning han tomado mayor importancia y relevancia durante la ultima década en carreras de medicina y ciencias de la salud. No obstante, existen escasas experiencias docentes de cursos de histologia e-learning publicadas en la literatura mundial. Además, la mayoría de estos estudios se centran en los aspectos didácticos del curso sin explorar la participación de los estudiantes. El estudio que presentamos a continuación tuvo por objetivo validar una escala para medir la participación de los estudiantes en un curso de histología e-learning. Aportamos evidencia de validez del instrumento basada en su estructura interna para su uso con estudiantes de medicina, enfermería y obstetricia. Los participantes de este estudio fueron un grupo de 426 estudiantes chilenos de medicina, enfermería y obstetricia de una universidad pública quienes completaron el cuestionario en dos semestres consecutivos (año 2020-2021). Los datos del primer grupo de estudiantes se utilizaron para realizar un análisis factorial exploratorio (AFE), mientras que los datos del segundo grupo de participantes se utilizaron para realizar un análisis factorial confirmatorio (AFC). Los tres factores identificados según el AFC fueron: "Hábitos de los estudiantes en línea", "Motivación por el aprendizaje en línea", "Interacción de los estudiantes en línea". Luego de la eliminación de uno de los ítems iniciales del instrumento, la escala mostró propiedades psicométricas aceptables sugiriendo que es un instrumento útil para medir la percepción de los estudiantes sobre su participación en cursos de histología en formato e-learning. Los factores identificados mediante la validación del instrumento entregan información relevante para que los profesores y curriculistas desarrollen e implementen diferentes formas de estimular la participación de los estudiantes en cursos de histología e- learning y así apoyar el aprendizaje en formato online.

Atitudes quanto as normas não equitativas de gênero: propriedades psicométricas da versão curta de uma subescala da Gender Equitable Men / Attitudes regarding non-equitable gender standards: psychometric properties of the short version of a Gender Equitable Men subscale / Actitudes acerca de las nomas de género no equitativos: propiedades psicométricas de la versión corta de una subescala de la Gender Equitable Men

O estudo objetivou validar a versão curta de uma subescala da Gender Equitable Men (GEM) em universitários da área da saúde. A escala original possui 24 itens e avalia atitudes quanto às normas de gênero equitativas e não equitativas em relacionamentos íntimos. A partir de uma amostra censitária de 2.295 universitários da área da Saúde do Centro-Oeste brasileiro, foram realizadas análise fatorial exploratória (AFE) por meio de correlações policóricas com rotação direct Varimax e análise fatorial confirmatória (AFC) por meio da técnica de Modelagem por equações Estruturais. Outros 347 estudantes participaram na avaliação da estabilidade teste-reteste. A solução unifatorial com oito itens encontrada na AFE se mostrou satisfatória (χ²20=47,733; p<0,005; CFI=0,988; RMSEA=0,025[0,016-0,034]; SRMR=0,045), assim como na AFC (RMSEA=0,025; CFI=0,988; SRMR=0,033), obtendo-se α de Cronbach geral de 0,99. O modelo final apresentou bom ajuste e houve indícios de estabilidade moderada. A subescala da GEM versão-curta apresentou evidências de validade e fidedignidade, permitindo a avaliação de normas de gênero em adultos escolarizados com número reduzido de itens.(AU)

The study aimed to validate the short version of a subscale of the Gender Equitable Men (GEM) Scale with healthcare university students. The original scale has 24 items and assesses equitable and inequitable gender norm attitudes in intimate relationships. With a sample of 2,249 students in the health area of a university in the central west of Brazil, exploratory factor analysis (EFA) was performed using polychoric correlations with direct Varimax rotation and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) using the Structural equation modeling technique. Another 347 students participated in the test-retest stability assessment. The single-factor solution with eight items was satisfactory in the EFA (χ²20=47.733; p<.005; CFI = .988; RMSEA=.025[.016-.034]; SRMR=.045), and in the CFA (RMSEA=.025; CFI = .988; SRMR=.033), obtaining a general Cronbach's α of .99. The final model presented a good fit and there were signs of moderate stability. The GEM short-version subscale presented evidence of validity and reliability, which allows the assessment of gender norms in university educated adults with a reduced number of items.(AU)

El estudio tuvo como objetivo validar la versión corta de una subescala de la Gender Equitable Men (GEM) en estudiantes universitarios del área de la salud. La escala original de 24 ítems evalúa las actitudes hacia las normas de género equitativas y no equitativas en las relaciones íntimas. A partir de una muestra censal de 2.295 estudiantes universitarios del área de la salud de la región Centro-Oeste brasileño, se realizó un análisis factorial exploratorio (AFE) mediante correlaciones policóricas con rotación Varimax directa y un análisis factorial confirmatorio (AFC) mediante la técnica de Modelo por ecuaciones Estructurales. Otros 347 estudiantes participaron en la evaluación de la estabilidad test-retest. La solución de un factor con ocho ítems encontrados en el AFE resultó satisfactoria (χ²20=47.733; p<0.005; CFI=0.988; RMSEA=0.025 [0.016-0.034]; SRMR=0.045), así como en el AFC (RMSEA=0,025; CFI=0,988; SRMR=0,033), obteniendo un α de Cronbach general de 0,99. El modelo final presentó un buen ajuste y hubo signos de estabilidad moderada. La subescala GEM de versión corta presentó evidencia de validez y confiabilidad, lo que permitió la evaluación de las normas de género en adultos escolarizados con un número reducido de ítems.(AU)

Relación de variables sociodemográficas con niveles de depresión, ansiedad y estrés en estudiantes universitarios / PRelation of socio-demographic variables with levels of depression, anxiety and stress in university students

RESUMEN: Introducción: La salud mental en universitarios es un tema que cada vez cobra más relevancia y la importancia que tiene identificar factores que afectan su aparición, así como también en qué medida influyen en el desempeño académico. Método: Se utilizó un diseño cuantitativo no experimental, descriptivo, correlacional y de corte transversal. Se aplicó Chi Cuadrado para evaluar asociación entre variables. La muestra fue no probabilística de 166 estudiantes de enfermería, nutrición y dietética, fonoaudiología y kinesiología. Se aplicó la versión chilena abreviada de las escalas de depresión, ansiedad y estrés DASS - 21, constituida por 21 ítems, con cuatro alternativas de respuesta en formato en escala Likert y un cuestionario sociodemográfico, éste instrumento consideró variables personales, etnia Mapuche y nivel de escolaridad de los padres. El protocolo de investigación realizado fue aprobado por el Comité Ético Científico del Servicio de Salud Del Reloncaví. Resultados: El 54, 82% de la muestra presenta algún nivel de alteración o riesgo de padecer ansiedad, un 47,59% de estrés y un 31,33% depresión. El 42,17% se identifica como perteneciente a la etnia mapuche, mientras que el 56,02% se identifica como no mapuche. En relación al nivel de escolaridad del padre y de la madre, el porcentaje más alto corresponde a la categoría de enseñanza media completa (padre 37,95% y madre 36,14%). Conclusiones: Existe una asociación entre sexo femenino y los niveles ansiedad, estrés y depresión. Además, una relación entre pertenecer al género femenino, cursar las carreras de Enfermería y nutrición y dietética con presentar algún nivel de ansiedad, destacándose una asociación entre ansiedad, depresión y estrés.

ABSTRACT Introduction: Mental health in university students is a topic that is becoming more and more relevant and the importance of identifying factors that affect its appearance, as well as to what extent they influence academic performance. Method: A non-experimental, descriptive, correlational and cross-sectional quantitative design was used. Chi Square was applied to evaluate the association between variables. The sample was non-probabilistic of 166 students from nursing, nutrition and dietetics, speech therapy, and kinesiology. The abbreviated Chilean version of the DASS-21 depression, anxiety and stress scales was applied, consisting of 21 items, with four response alternatives in Likert scale format and a sociodemographic questionnaire, this instrument considered personal variables, Mapuche ethnic group and level of parental education. The research protocol carried out was approved by the Scientific Ethics Committee of the Del Reloncaví Health Service. Results: 54.82% of the sample presented some level of alteration or risk of suffering from anxiety, 47.59% stress and 31.33% depression. 42.17% identify themselves as belonging to the Mapuche ethnic group, while 56.02% identify themselves as non-Mapuche. Regarding the level of education of the father and mother, the highest percentage corresponds to the category of complete secondary education (father 37.95% and mother 36.14%). Conclusions: There is an association between female sex and levels of anxiety, stress and depression. In addition, there is a relationship between belonging to the female gender, studying nursing, nutrition and dietetics careers with presenting some level of anxiety. An association between anxiety, depression and stress stands out.

Adjusting to university: Perceptions of first-year health professions students.

BACKGROUND: The transition experience into university can be challenging for health profession students as they are required to rapidly learn diverse and adaptable problem solving skills and advanced reflective thinking processes which are necessary to address complex patient-care problems, particularly in the face of uncertainty within a dynamic and rapidly evolving learning environment. METHODS: A mixed-methods study was conducted to identify factors influencing this transition for first-year medical, dental, and pharmacy students at a regional Australian university. The Student Adaption to College Questionnaire (SACQ) examined participants' levels of adjustment to university, while Schlossberg's 4 S transition model was utilised in a framework analysis of the focus group and interview responses. RESULTS: Complete survey responses were obtained from 198 students, 17 of whom also participated in focus group discussions or interviews. Mean adjustment ratings obtained from the SACQ responses were academic (6.09 ± 1.3) personal-emotional (5.53 ± 1.55), social (6.30 ± 1.38), and institutional attachment (6.96 ± 1.6). These results indicate that the personal and emotional aspects of this transition were more challenging for the students. Analysis of the qualitative data revealed that generally, for these highly motivated health-professions students, dropping out of university was not an option and this had a positive influence on their ability to adjust to their new learning environment. Nonetheless, the transition involved role change; school-leavers were excited about their newly found independence, while for mature-aged students, returning to university allowed them to pursue their lifelong dreams. Adjustment was more challenging for international, mature-aged and female students, with personal and social factors influencing the transition for each of these demographic groups. CONCLUSIONS: To facilitate smooth transition into university, tertiary education institutions must consider tailored on-going support strategies that promote social interaction among students with varied backgrounds and personal characteristics.

The Value of Programmatic Assessment in Supporting Educators and Students to Succeed: A Qualitative Evaluation.

BACKGROUND: Programmatic assessment has been proposed as the way forward for competency-based assessment, yet there is a dearth of literature describing the implementation and evaluation of programmatic assessment approaches. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the implementation of a programmatic assessment and explore its ability to support students and assessors. DESIGN: A qualitative evaluation of programmatic assessment was employed. PARTICIPANTS/SETTING: Interviews with graduates (n = 8) and preceptors (n = 12) together with focus groups with faculty assessors (n = 9) from the one Australian university explored experiences of the programmatic approach, role of assessment in learning, and defensibility of assessment decisions in determining competence. ANALYSIS PERFORMED: Data were analyzed into key themes using framework analysis. RESULTS: The programmatic assessment increased confidence in defensibility of assessment decisions, reduced emotional burden of assessment, increased value of assessment, and identified and remediated at-risk students earlier when philosophical and practice shifts in approaches to assessment were embraced. CONCLUSIONS: Programmatic assessment supports a holistic approach to competency development and assessment and has multiple benefits for learners and assessors.

Institutional and Faculty Partnerships to Promote Learner Preparedness for Health Professions Education.

By the year 2060, it is projected that 57% of the US population will be members of minority groups, with no one group being the majority. While there is increasing diversity of the population, there remain significant disparities in morbidity and mortality affecting minority groups, and persistent low numbers of underrepresented students in the health professions. Increasing the numbers of underrepresented minority students in health care and decreasing the disparity gap have been a priority for many institutions. Increasing diversity requires an approach that not only involves health professions schools but also involves undergraduate institutions, faculty, and other professionals who provide pre-health training to students. In 2018, a group of academic medicine leaders convened the Innovators, Collaborators, and Leaders conference with faculty at institutions across the state of North Carolina to discuss ways to improve learner preparedness for health professions education and increase numbers of underrepresented students pursuing health careers. In this manuscript, the authors share results from the conference and how institutional and faculty partnerships can promote learner preparedness for health professions education.

Effects of a service-learning experience on health-related students' attitudes toward the homeless.

OBJECTIVES: A community engagement service-learning experience was planned to provide health services for the homeless during a local 1-day event. The objectives were to (a) determine the feasibility of a service-learning experience, and to (b) examine the effects on students' attitudes toward persons experiencing homelessness. METHODS: A quasi-experimental, institutional review board approved study, including health-related students enrolled in a local university or community college, was planned. The attitudes toward the homeless survey was administered before and after participation in the service-learning experience. Qualitative data were through student reflections of the experience. RESULTS: Participants (n = 106) completed a pre and post questionnaire and a self-reflection. A statistically significant t(26) = -2.2, p = .04 change in attitudes toward the homeless were found. Three themes were revealed from the reflections: inherent bias, individualized care, and the societal context of people experiencing homelessness. CONCLUSION: Both quantitative and qualitative findings may help students reflect on preconceived stereotypes; therefore, affecting their attitudes toward the homelessness.

Evaluating the effectiveness of the PA Foundation's Mental Health Outreach fellowship.

OBJECTIVES: Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) is designed to help the general public acquire the knowledge and skills needed to respond to a person in a mental health emergency and offer support to someone in emotional distress. Through the PA Foundation's Mental Health Outreach Fellowship, 16 physician assistants (PAs) were selected to become MHFA instructors and teach the course to members of their local communities over 1 year. METHODS: MHFA course evaluations, completed by course participants, were reviewed to determine the effectiveness of the PA fellows as instructors. RESULTS: The fellows' mean evaluation instructor presentation score was 4.82 and the mean course content score was 4.75. The national mean for instructor presentation was 4.72 for presentation and 4.66 for course content. The maximum possible score in each category was a 5. CONCLUSIONS: The PAs selected for the Mental Health Outreach Fellowship were effective MHFA instructors. Benefits to having a PA serve as the instructor include positively affecting communities by increasing the public's mental health literacy, reducing the stigma associated with mental illness, increasing visibility and promotion of the PA profession, and enhancement of a PA's individual career through education and service.

Using Photovoice to Encourage Reflection in Health Professions Students Completing a Short-term Experience in Global Health.

Objective. To engage health professions students in a photo and caption sharing methodology to stimulate reflection and inculcate principles related to global health at a formative time in training. Methods. Undergraduate and graduate students from multiple colleges enrolled in a course that would prepare them for an in-country global health experience. As part of the course, participants took photos to illustrate one of three topics: global health ethics, interprofessional practice, or social determinants of health. The iterative and participatory photovoice process was used for students to analyze, discuss, and reflect on their work in country and upon return. Final photos with captions were displayed online. Researchers analyzed photos and captions using content analysis to identify unifying themes. All students were required to complete the photovoice assignment, but only those who gave informed consent were included in the qualitative analysis. Results. Twenty-six students were included in the analysis. Two overarching themes emerged: revelation and adaptation. Revelation encompassed novel elements that surprised the students, including differences and similarities between the United States and Ecuador. Coded segments related to adaptation discussed participants' resourcefulness while challenging work environments, and how they would apply this new perspective to their future practice in the United States. Conclusion. This global health photovoice project provided a unique medium for reflection for health care trainees. This project enhanced our understanding of the learners' perspectives and this new means of expression offered the learners a greater opportunity for deeper reflection. The assignment also revealed gaps in learning related to social determinants of health and areas of concern related to solidarity and privilege.

Creating a Film to Teach Health Professions Students the Importance of Interprofessional Collaboration.

Objective. To produce, implement, and evaluate the effectiveness of a film to develop the foundational knowledge and skills of health professions students and teach them the importance of interprofessional collaboration. Methods. An existing interprofessional case study about a Hispanic man suffering from multiple chronic health conditions and the impact his health had on his family served as the basis for the film. To ensure a high-quality production, faculty members partnered with a local theatre company to produce the film. Upon completion, the film was integrated into an annual interprofessional forum and evaluated by both students and faculty members in 2016, 2017, and 2018. Results. The 22-minute film, entitled Meet Fred Santiago: Improving Care Through Interprofessional Collaboration, was shown to 1921 students and 250 faculty members who participated in the interprofessional forum over the three years. Of these, 1858 students and 174 faculty members completed a program evaluation following the forum. The majority (>86%) of student and faculty respondents agreed or strongly agreed that the film presented a realistic view of the challenges faced by people with multiple chronic health problems. The majority of students (>85%) agreed or strongly agreed that the film helped them appreciate the breadth of issues confronting individuals with multiple chronic health problems. Conclusion. The film, Meet Fred Santiago, is an effective tool for introducing health professions students to the complex interrelationship of medical, psychological, and social issues experienced by individuals with chronic health conditions.

Knowledge and Attitudes of Physical Therapy Students Across a Longitudinal Healthcare Systems-Focused Patient Safety Curriculum.

BACKGROUND: Most professions increased system-focused safety competencies after the release of the Institute of Medicine reports on errors, patient safety, and core competencies for health professions beginning in 1999. The physical therapy profession remained focused on individual safety, driven by accreditation requirements. PURPOSE: To describe change in the knowledge and attitudes Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) students following a longitudinal system-focused patient safety curriculum and 22 weeks of clinical education. METHODS: Nine sessions of systems-focused patient safety discipline-specific and interprofessional curricular content. Knowledge/attitude change assessed via a modified Attitudes of Patient Safety Questionnaire (APSQ-III) and culture and professional questions from the Patient Safety Attitudes, Skills and Knowledge Scale (PS-ASK) questionnaire. RESULTS: There was a 100% and 97% survey response rate to pre and post surveys, respectively. Statistically significant changes in the mean response pre to post-survey were found for four of nine APSQ-III subscales. Eighteen of the 25 APSQ-III questions improved towards the desired direction, while 2 remained unchanged at 100%. Culture-focused attitude questions on the PS-ASK remained very low or did not change. CONCLUSION: Student knowledge and attitudes improved in several important domains of patient safety including patient safety training, situational awareness, role of provider competence, and disclosure responsibility. Challenges remain in understanding professional responsibility and healthcare culture and its connection to error.

An educational intervention improved knowledge of dietary supplements in college students.

BACKGROUND: We have previously reported on the prevalence of dietary supplements among college students; it was deduced that their intake of supplements increased according to their grade (i.e., 13.1% in the first grade to 20.5% in the sixth grade). We also reported that some students had experienced adverse events in Japan due to their intake of these supplements. However, awareness of dietary supplements among college students remains limited, even among pharmaceutical students. Being appropriately educated about them is important for pharmaceutical students, both for themselves as well as for their future careers as pharmacists. METHODS: We conducted a lecture-based educational intervention about dietary supplements on 328 college students in Japan-184 from pharmaceutical science and 144 from environmental science or food and life science disciplines. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of an educational intervention on college students' understanding of dietary supplements. The intervention involved a lecture that covered the quality of dietary supplements, how they differed from drugs, and a summary of their adverse events. The lecture was evaluated using a 14-question questionnaire. We then compared the pre- and post-intervention responses to the same questionnaire using a Wilcoxon signed-rank test. The questions were assessed using a Likert scale that ranged from "strongly agree" to "strongly disagree"; the latter being the preferred answer. RESULTS: Before the intervention had taken place, the students' understanding of dietary supplements was shown to be deficient. Conversely, post-intervention, their knowledge levels had significantly improved, especially concerning agreement on whether "Dietary supplements are safe because they are just food items". Pre-intervention, 2.7% strongly agreed and 37.5% agreed; post-intervention, 1.2% strongly agreed and 15.6% agreed. On whether "Dietary supplements made from natural ingredients or herbs are safe", at the pre-intervention stage 2.8% strongly agreed and 44.0% agreed and post-intervention, 2.2% strongly agreed and 16.9% agreed. On whether "Dietary supplements made from food items are safe", 4.0% strongly agreed and 43.6% agreed pre-intervention and 0.9% strongly agreed and 16.6% agreed post-intervention. Despite there being a greater number of pharmaceutical students who had a correct understanding of dietary supplements before the intervention, these students still showed improvement after the lecture. CONCLUSION: An intervention in the form of a single educational lecture has the capacity to improve college students' understanding of dietary supplements. It is important for pharmacists to be appropriately educated about dietary supplements when they consult with patients. We will evaluate the long-term effects of the intervention on the alumni (pharmacists) in a subsequent study.

Medical, pharmacy and nursing students in the Baltic countries: interactions with the pharmaceutical and medical device industries.

BACKGROUND: Interactions between pharmaceutical and medical device industries and students can lead to commercial influences on educational messages, with a potential to bias future treatment choice. This is the first study in the Baltic countries describing exposure and attitudes of medical, pharmacy and nursing students towards cooperation with industry. METHODS: A cross-sectional on-line survey of current medical, pharmacy and nursing students (n = 918) in three Baltic countries was carried out. RESULTS: We found that most students participate in events organized or sponsored by industry and accept a range of gifts and benefits. Students in the Baltic countries consider cooperation with industry important; at the same time, most do not feel that they have sufficient training on how to ethically interact with pharmaceutical and medical device companies and believe that these interactions can influence their prescribing or dispensing patterns. There is a tendency to rationalize cooperation with industry by referring to the current economic situation and patient benefits. Pharmacy students have higher rates of participation and they accept gifts and other benefits more often than nursing or medical students; therefore, they are likely to be more vulnerable to potential industry influence. CONCLUSIONS: The findings highlight the need to include topics on ethics and conflicts of interests in cooperation with industry in curriculum of health care students in Baltic countries. Without proper training, students continue to be at risk to industry influence and may develop habits for their further practice differing from evidence-based practice in prescribing and dispensing of medicines, as well as use of medical devices.

Knowledge and attitudes of mental health professionals and students regarding recovery: A systematic review.

This review was conducted to synthesize and critically appraise the literature on knowledge, attitudes, understanding, perceptions, and expectations of mental health professionals (MHPs) and mental health professional (MHP) students' regarding recovery. A systematic search in Scopus, CINAHL, PsycINFO, Web of Science, Medline, and Embase as well as Google scholar and web-based repositories was conducted. The searches were conducted using a combination of key terms: "mental health professionals", "students", 'knowledge', "understanding", "perception" "attitude", "expectation", "recovery". After screening and quality assessment, the review included 29 studies (18 quantitative, 8 qualitative, and 3 mixed-method studies) published in English, from January 2006 to June 2019, and was analysed systematically using a mixed-method synthesis. The findings revealed that there is increasing evidence (especially among MHPs) of knowledge, attitudes, understanding, perceptions, and expectations regarding recovery. However, there are disparities in how MHPs perceive and understand recovery. While some understood it to mean a personal process, others explained it as a clinical process. In addition, there was limited knowledge among the MHPs and MHP students regarding the nonlinearity nature of the recovery process and expectations regarding recovery. The implications from these findings are the need for more in-service training for MHPs, and examination of the curriculum used to educate MHP students. In particular, they should be sufficiently informed about the nonlinearity nature of the recovery process and how to develop hopeful and realistic expectations for consumers throughout the recovery process. The review was preregistered with PROSPERO (Registration No: CRD42019136543).

Health-promoting factors in higher education for a sustainable working life - protocol for a multicenter longitudinal study.

BACKGROUND: The World Health Organization has highlighted the importance of health promotion for health service providers in order to ensure sustainable working life for individuals involved in providing health services. Such sustainability begins when students are preparing to manage their own future health and welfare in working life. It has been suggested that universities, employees and trainee health professionals should adopt or follow a salutogenic approach that not only complements the providing of information on known health risks but also favors health promotion strategies. This paper describes the study design and data collection methods in a planned study aiming to explore health-promoting factors for a sustainable working life among students in higher education within healthcare and social work. METHODS: This protocol describes a multicenter longitudinal study involving Swedish students on higher education programs in the healthcare and social work sectors. In 2018, the study invited students on seven education programs at six universities to participate. These programs were for qualification as: biomedical laboratory scientists (n = 121); dental hygienists (n = 87); nurses (n = 1411); occupational therapists (n = 111); physiotherapists (n = 48); radiographers (n = 60); and, social workers (n = 443). In total, 2283 students were invited to participate. Participants completed a baseline, a self-reported questionnaire including six validated instruments measuring health-promoting factors and processes. There are to be five follow-up questionnaires. Three while the students are studying, one a year after graduating, and one three years after graduating. Each questionnaire captures different health-promoting dimensions, namely: health-promoting resources (i.e. sense of coherence); occupational balance; emotional intelligence; health and welfare; social interaction; and work and workplace experiences/perceptions. DISCUSSION: This study focuses on the vastly important aspect of promoting a sustainable working life for healthcare and social work employees. In contrast to previous studies in this area, the present study uses different, validated instruments in health promotion, taking a salutogenic approach. It is hoped that, by stimulating the implementation of new strategies, the study's findings will lead to education programs that prepare students better for a sustainable working life in healthcare and social work.

Factors affecting HBV vaccination in a Medical training College in Kenya: A mixed methods Study.

BACKGROUND: Hepatitis B Virus (HBV) is highly endemic in Sub-Saharan Africa with 70 to 90% of the population becoming infected before the age of 40 years. Healthcare workers (HCWs) including healthcare students (HCSs) are at an increased risk of contracting HBV due to occupational exposure. HCSs are especially at a high risk because of their inexperience with infection control procedures and insufficient knowledge about the level of risk when dealing with patients. Despite the availability of an effective vaccine, and its recommendation by Kenya's Ministry of Health, few HCW and students are vaccinated. The aim of this study was to evaluate the influence of awareness, attitude, practices, and access factors on hepatitis B vaccination uptake by HCSs at Kenya Medical Training College (KMTC). METHODS: This was a concurrent mixed methods study. For the quantitative arm, a structured questionnaire was used to assess the awareness, knowledge, attitudes and practices towards HBV disease and vaccination. Accessibility of the HBV vaccine in the participating campuses was also assessed. Two FGDs were carried out: one comprised of student representatives of the participating campuses while the second comprised of members of staff. Quantitative data was analysed using STATA (version 15) while NVIVO (version 11) was used for qualitative data. RESULTS: Out of 634 students invited to participate in the study, 487 participated (response rate 76.8%). Majority of the respondents were from Nairobi Campus (44.2%) and from the Department of Nursing (31.2%). HBV vaccine uptake rate was 85.8% while the non-vaccination rate was 14.3%. Full vaccination was reported by only 20.2% of respondents. The major reason for not receiving the recommended doses was the unavailability of the vaccine when students went for it. The qualitative study revealed challenges in the implementation of the vaccination program at KMTC. CONCLUSIONS: Full vaccination rates remained low despite good knowledge of HBV infection and positive attitude towards vaccination. There is therefore need to streamline vaccination programs in medical colleges to ensure availability and accessibility of the vaccine to healthcare students.