iBT-Net: an incremental broad transformer network for cancer drug response prediction.

In modern precision medicine, it is an important research topic to predict cancer drug response. Due to incomplete chemical structures and complex gene features, however, it is an ongoing work to design efficient data-driven methods for predicting drug response. Moreover, since the clinical data cannot be easily obtained all at once, the data-driven methods may require relearning when new data are available, resulting in increased time consumption and cost. To address these issues, an incremental broad Transformer network (iBT-Net) is proposed for cancer drug response prediction. Different from the gene expression features learning from cancer cell lines, structural features are further extracted from drugs by Transformer. Broad learning system is then designed to integrate the learned gene features and structural features of drugs to predict the response. With the capability of incremental learning, the proposed method can further use new data to improve its prediction performance without retraining totally. Experiments and comparison studies demonstrate the effectiveness and superiority of iBT-Net under different experimental configurations and continuous data learning.

The IFReC-SIgN Winter School on Advanced Immunology.

Nestled between the Japanese islands of Honshu and Shikoku in the Seto Inland Sea lies Awaji Island ( Awaji-shima). Thought by some to be the oldest settled area in Japan, the island found new life in January 2012 as the birthplace of the first IFReC-SIgN Winter School on Advanced Immunology, jointly organized by research institutes in Japan and Singapore.

Assessing the impact of an online dementia awareness initiative co-created with and for English, Arabic and Vietnamese speaking communities: A case study.

BACKGROUND: Awareness and understanding of dementia remain limited in ethnically diverse populations in multicultural societies due to culturally inappropriate and inaccessible information. OBJECTIVE: To establish the impact, helpers and hinderers of an online multilingual dementia awareness initiative co-created with and for English, Arabic and Vietnamese speaking people. DESIGN: A case study using mixed methods to assess the impact and implementation of an information session on dementia knowledge. SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS: The study was conducted with English, Arabic and Vietnamese speaking individuals in Canterbury-Bankstown, Australia. INTERVENTION STUDIED: A dementia alliance co-created an online multilingual dementia information session, which was delivered synchronously in English, Arabic and Vietnamese by trained facilitators. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: In-session group discussions, quizzes and a postsession survey assessed the impact on dementia knowledge. A postimplementation focus group explored the factors that helped and hindered the initiative. RESULTS: The online dementia information session successfully supported participants understanding of dementia causes, impacts and care strategies. The initiative was hindered by competing priorities and limited accessibility to target audiences, while it was helped by the support of an established organisation and feedback mechanisms. DISCUSSION: Ongoing dementia education and awareness-raising campaigns that are culturally sensitive are needed in communities to promote dementia literacy and help-seeking. CONCLUSIONS: An online multilingual dementia information session can be an effective way to improve dementia literacy and advocate for change in multicultural communities. PATIENT OR PUBLIC CONTRIBUTION: English, Arabic and Vietnamese speaking members of the Canterbury Bankstown Dementia Alliance participated in the co-creation and evaluation of this initiative.

Coffee and conversation: A genuine dialogue on authentic professional learning between genetic counselor educators.

Lifelong learning is a term frequently referred to in the training and continuing professional development of genetic counselors. It implies the ability to continuously engage in self-motivated reflection to identify knowledge gaps and develop a learning plan to address identified needs or interests. In contrast to this definition, the path to continuing professional development for most genetic counselors involves attendance at conferences; yet much data suggest that other forms of learning are more effective at leading to practice change and improved patient or quality outcomes. These conflicting ideas beg the question: what is professional learning? A dialogue between two genetic counselor educators, both with advanced training in health professional education, shares personal beliefs regarding lifelong learning in the genetic counseling profession. This discourse represents an authentic conversation that was audio-recorded and transcribed with minimal editing to improve clarity and readability. The views presented in this dialogue are highly personal, yet grounded in educational theory. References are provided to those that desire further reading on the topics discussed. Several authentic learning strategies are described, including communities of practice, peer supervision, and personal learning projects. The authors consider ways to increase knowledge acquisition from conference attendance and discuss how learning on the job becomes embedded in practice. As a result of this discourse, the authors hope to inspire genetic counselors to reflect over their continuing professional development and consider their job as a learning environment that presents rich, ongoing, and unique opportunities for growth. The authors invite and challenge readers to identify learning needs and set goals for themselves to address those needs. For those with interest in education, it is hoped that the conversation sparks new or invigorated interest that will lead to novel or more effective learning opportunities with improved outcomes for patients, students, and colleagues alike.

Innovative Self-directed, Problem-oriented, Lifelong learning, Integrated Clinical case Exercise (SPLICE) modules promote critical thinking skills, early clinical exposure, and contextual learning among first professional-year medical students.

Medical education is undergoing various transformations to promote a more personalized and contextual way of learning. In light of this, the innovative "Self-directed, Problem-oriented, Lifelong learning, Integrated Clinical case Exercise" (SPLICE) modules were designed, implemented, and evaluated for medical students in the first professional year as a strategy for early clinical exposure in a collaborative and self-directed way of learning. This is a mixed methods study involving first-year medical students. Students were divided randomly into the control and the intervention groups. Six SPLICE modules were administered to the intervention while the control group followed the traditional curricula. The educational outcome was compared using an end-of-module assessment. In addition, 13-item and 8-item questionnaires were administered to students to evaluate the SPLICE and plenary sessions on a 5-point Likert scale. Furthermore, students' feedback was obtained on a 10-point rating scale and in in-depth small-group interviews. The majority of students perceived that the SPLICE module improved their communication and encouraged meaningful, active learning. Students found the plenary sessions to be well organized, with sufficient interaction with professionals. Students also gave excellent scores for feedback on SPLICE modules, demonstrating the effectiveness of the innovation. In terms of test scores used in assessing learning outcomes, the intervention group outperformed the control group (P < 0.0001). The innovative SPLICE curriculum facilitated early clinical exposure and active self-directed learning. Students perceived SPLICE modules to be highly helpful in terms of promoting meaningful learning and the future application of knowledge.NEW & NOTEWORTHY The very essence of this innovative "Self-directed, Problem-oriented, Lifelong learning, Integrated Clinical case Exercise" (SPLICE) curriculum is the team-based learning of integrated pre-, para-, and clinical learning objectives right from the first professional year of study serving as an early clinical exposure. This unique way of learning creates a holistic educational environment by combining both academic and professional development thereby empowering the next generation of physician leaders to take autonomy of their own learning strategies and emerge as competent lifelong learners.

A scoping review of continuing education models and statutory requirements for pharmacists globally.

BACKGROUND: In the dynamic field of pharmacy amongst a diverse array of countries with disparate income levels, pharmacists play a pivotal role in integrating emerging scientific knowledge into their practice while adapting to evolving therapeutic interventions and expanding service delivery responsibilities. Lifelong Learning (LLL) is cultivated through continuing professional education (CPE) and continuing professional development (CPD), indispensable components ensuring sustained professional competence and heightened patient care quality. The global landscape witnesses diverse LLL activities tailored to pharmacists' learning needs and preferences. This scoping review maps and synthesises a comprehensive global perspective on the existing knowledge regarding CPE/CPD models, statutory requirements, and pharmacists' preferences for LLL activities. OBJECTIVE: To comprehensively investigate global models of CPE/CPD for pharmacists' and examine the statutory requirements governing pharmacists' registration and licensure. METHOD: A literature search of PubMed, Google Scholar, Web of Science, and the University of KwaZulu-Natal library search engine was undertaken for studies between January 2012 and February 2023. The article selection and reporting followed the recommendations made by PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items of Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) guidelines. The articles were tabulated based on their respective country's income level, continuing education models employed, country-specific statutory requirements, and pharmacists' preferences for LLL activities. RESULTS: Of the initial 3974 publications identified through the database search, 24 studies met the review criteria. The majority of the articles originated from high-income countries (HICs) (14/24, 58.3%), and most employed the mandatory CPD points system (21/24, 87.5%). However, in some HICs and upper-middle income countries (UMICs), the CPE/CPD is non-mandatory. While most countries (19/24, 79.2%) offer various LLL formats, the preference of pharmacists remains primarily face-to-face learning (13/24, 54.2%). However, workplace learning (3/24, 12.5%) and blended learning (7/24, 29.1%) are mentioned in some studies. CONCLUSION: Diverse models of CPE/CPD alongside statutory requirements persist globally and evolve, shaped by varied implementation experiences. HICs lead in CPD models, while the implementation in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) and low-income countries (LICs) requires further exploration for inclusivity and effectiveness. A few UMICs are either initiating or in early stages of implementing the CPD models. Structured planning for LLL activities is increasingly a global requirement for pharmacists' licensure. The essential progression of pharmacy practice in developing healthcare systems necessitates a mandatory CPD model. Ongoing research is crucial to fortify the implementation, align and unify the CPD model with evolving pharmacy profession needs.

Development and effectiveness of a BOPPPS teaching model-based workshop for community pharmacists training.

BACKGROUND/AIM: With the pharmaceutical innovation and clinical knowledge updating, the continuing education and on-the-job training are extremely important for improving community pharmacists' professional competence. Previous training often adopted traditional lecture-based teaching, and the efficacy was limited. The aim of this study is to develop a new strategy for community pharmacist training. METHODS: Based on the BOPPPS (Bridge-in, Objective, Pre-assessment, Participatory Learning, Post-assessment and Summary) teaching model and workshop method, a continuing on-the-job training program was constructed. Participates were randomly and evenly divided into two groups by random number table method. Twenty-four community pharmacists in total completed all training contents and evaluation components in this study. Twelve pharmacists in experimental group were trained via this new BOPPPS-based workshop, while others still adopted traditional didactic lecture-based approaches. RESULTS: After training, quantitative examination combined with clinical pharmacy practice tests were carried out to evaluate the effectiveness and outcomes of two training groups. For written exam, the total scores from the BOPPPS-based workshop group (82.67 ± 4.70) was higher than that of traditional lectured-base group (73.75 ± 6.15) (P < 0.001). Encouragingly, compared with the results of practical ability assessment from traditional training group (71.75 ± 4.75), the pharmacists receiving BOPPPS-based workshop training presented more excellent performance (78.25 ± 5.03), which displayed statistically significant differences (P < 0.01). In addition, an anonymous questionnaire was used to survey trainees' feelings after completing this continuing education program. The results revealed that the BOPPPS-based workshop can bring a better learning experience than traditional lecture-based training, and the percentages of positive response to each item were more than 91.7%. CONCLUSIONS: Through multi-dimensional evaluation, it was suggested that our BOPPPS-based workshop achieved desired training effects. Moreover, our research also demonstrated that this strategy had advantages of stimulating inspiration, autonomous learning, team-work spirit and pharmacy practice improvement. It may provide a reference of innovative training method for community pharmacists.

Continuous training based on the needs of operating room nurses using web application: a new approach to improve their knowledge.

INTRODUCTION: Since university education and intensive and limited pre-service training do not provide an acceptable level of performing the duties of operating room nurses, and considering the limitations of traditional training methods in the field of operating room; This study was conducted with the aim of determining the effect of using the electronic education approach based on web application, leveled, personalized and based on the needs of nurses on their level of knowledge and satisfaction. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This research is a quasi-experimental type of single-group multi-center pre-test-post-test, which during that, four stages of educational needs assessment, educational content design, web application design for training and evaluation of operating room nurses and determining the effectiveness of this method are included. Based on their knowledge and satisfaction, during this period, 36 nurses from the operating rooms that met the study criteria were included in the study by stratified random sampling based on the determined sample size. The data collection includes a four-choice test to measure the knowledge of operating room nurses in heart anatomy (score range 0-20), the principles of movement, transferring and positioning of the patient in the operating room (score range 0-15), the principles of ergonomics in the operating room (score range score 0-10) and satisfaction questionnaire (score range 0-28). Data collected using descriptive statistical tests (percentage of frequency and frequency, mean and standard deviation) and analytical tests (paired sample t-test, independent samples t-test, ANOVA, Pearson correlation, chi-square) with the software SPSS version 16 was analyzed. RESULTS: Generally, the average knowledge scores of operating room nurses before and after the intervention were 5.96 ± 3.96 vs. 13.6 ± 3.77, in the course of principles of moving, transferring and positioning the patient in the operating room were 6.3 ± 3.42 vs. 13.3 ± 1.32, respectively 8.7 ± 3.97 vs. 18.1 ± 1.07 (in heart anatomy), 1.57 ± 2.6 vs. 0.73 ± 9.1 (in the principles of ergonomics in the operating room) and the average Knowledge scores after the intervention were significantly higher than before the intervention (P<0.001). Also, the average satisfaction score of nurses was 21.3 ± 5.83 and 22 nurses (64.7%) were satisfied with the e-learning course. CONCLUSION: The use of the electronic education approach based on the web application, leveled, personalized and based on the needs of the nurses, led to the improvement of the level of knowledge and satisfaction of the operating room nurses. E-learning can be used as a complementary educational tool and method for continuous training of operating room nurses in other specialized fields of operating room and surgery. HIGHLIGHTS: • Educational content in the form of educational videos taught by professors of medical sciences universities on each of the topics of heart anatomy (28 episodes of 5-10 minutes), principles of ergonomics in the operating room (7 episodes of 5-25 minutes) and movement principles. The transfer and positioning of the patient in the operating room (16 episodes of 10-20 minutes) were designed in three primary, intermediate and advanced levels. • The results of this study showed that the use of an electronic education approach based on the web application, levelled, personalized and based on the needs of nurses, led to the improvement of the knowledge of operating room nurses. Also, operating room nurses were delighted with electronic training courses. E-learning can be used as a complementary educational tool and method for continuous training of operating room nurses in other specialized fields of operating room and surgery. • Based on the results of this study, the use of an electronic education approach based on the needs of operating room nurses can be used as a complementary tool to conventional continuous education. Since this method allows interactive, personalized education is levelled, and asynchronous. It can be used at any time and place on a laptop, tablet or mobile phone; a wide range of operating room nurses in the hospitals of the Islamic Republic of Iran can use it for educational justice to Many borders should be established in the country. However, there are studies to evaluate the generalizability and the effect of using the e-learning approach on the clinical skills of operating room nurses and to compare the effect of e-learning with other methods and educational tools on the knowledge and skills of the learners and the extent of consolidating the learned material in their memory.

"From All, To All": Implementing a collaborative online conference to reflect on the daily living of individuals with cerebral palsy.

BACKGROUND: Translating knowledge to improve paediatric rehabilitation has become a research area of interest. This study describes the development and evaluation of an online conference that brought together perspectives of individuals with cerebral palsy (CP), families, health care professionals, and researchers to discuss the daily living of individuals with CP. METHODS: We anchored the development and implementation of the online conference in the action cycle of the Knowledge to Action Framework. To develop the meeting, we included representatives from each stakeholder group in the programme committee. The conference programme was designed having the lifespan perspective of individuals with CP, from birth to adulthood, as its central core, with themes related to daily living (e.g., self-care, mobility, and continuing education). Participants' satisfaction with the conference was assessed using an anonymized online survey sent to all participants. RESULTS: The conference had 1656 attendees, of whom 675 answered the online satisfaction survey. Most participants rated the structure of the conference (i.e., quality of the technical support, audio and video, and online platform) and discussed topics (i.e., relevance, content, discussion, speakers, and available time) positively. CONCLUSION: Collaborative conferences that include stakeholders throughout the planning and implementation are a viable, effective knowledge translation strategy that allows for sharing experiences and disseminating knowledge among families and individuals with CP, health care professionals, and researchers.

Knowledge, usability and challenges of e-learning platforms for continuing Professional Development of healthcare professionals at University Teaching Hospital of Kigali.

BACKGROUND: Healthcare professionals constitute a critical component of clinical care services. To provide the expected service, they must continuously develop their profession through continuous learning. This kind of learning is recognized as continuing professional development (CPD). Traditionally, CPD is offered onsite. Onsite training is associated with some barriers that prevent healthcare professionals from attending such educational activities, including financial difficulties and long distance. This is why online learning is proposed to overcome these barriers. OBJECTIVE: The main purpose was to evaluate usability, knowledge and challenges of e-learning platforms for CPD of healthcare professionals at University Teaching Hospital of Kigali (CHUK). METHODS: The cross-sectional quantitative study approach was utilized; the data was collected at the workplace of nurses, midwives, and allied health professionals by using a pre-designed questionnaire. The data were analyzed using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) version 25 and presented as frequencies. RESULTS: A significant majority was aware of CPD e-learning platforms. For example, 95.7% of the participants were familiar with these platforms, indicating that they had some degree of knowledge about their existence and purpose. Regarding the mode of accessing CPD courses, 82.1% of participants preferred online platforms, demonstrating a strong will to use e-learning platforms. CONCLUSION: This study highlighted a high level of awareness and utilization of CPD e-learning platforms among healthcare professionals at CHUK, additionally, participants expressed confidence in using the platforms but emphasized the need for further support and training.

An Introduction to Burn Care: The Sequel.

GENERAL PURPOSE: To review burn care, with an emphasis on burn-specific issues and treatment. TARGET AUDIENCE: This continuing education activity is intended for physicians, physician assistants, nurse practitioners, and nurses with an interest in skin and wound care. LEARNING OBJECTIVES/OUTCOMES: After participating in this educational activity, the participant will:1. Select the appropriate treatment guidelines for patients who have burn injuries.2. Identify common complications of major burns.3. Choose the recommended pharmacologic approaches to burn care.

Care of burns, particularly those that are deep and/or extensive, requires a very specific approach from a multidisciplinary team of different types of experts. In contrast to many chronic lesions, large burns are also immediately life-threatening and have significant systemic effects that require specialized treatment as well. This article provides a high-level overview of burn care with an emphasis on these burn-specific issues and treatment.

Acne Vulgaris: Clinical Aspects and Treatments.

GENERAL PURPOSE: To review the clinical presentation and treatment of acne vulgaris. TARGET AUDIENCE: This continuing education activity is intended for physicians, physician assistants, nurse practitioners, and registered nurses with an interest in skin and wound care. LEARNING OBJECTIVES/OUTCOMES: After participating in this educational activity, the participant will:1. Identify a differential diagnosis of acne vulgaris.2. Recognize clinical feature of various acne vulgaris subtypes.3. Specify epidemiologic characteristics of acne vulgaris.4. Select topical, systemic, and nonpharmaceutical treatment options for a patient with acne vulgaris.

Acne vulgaris is a common chronic skin condition characterized by variable combinations of papules, pustules, cysts, and nodules that invariably arise from comedones. This article focuses on the clinical presentation of acne vulgaris subtypes and treatment options. Other related topics discussed include epidemiology and differential diagnoses.

Survey on the working, training, and research conditions of resident physicians in internistic and rheumatological continuing education-BEWUSST.

BACKGROUND: Data on the training and continuing education situation of residents in the field of internal medicine and rheumatology are not available for Germany. For this reason, the Commission for Education and Training of the German Society of Rheumatology (DGRh) initiated the BEWUSST survey on the working, training and research conditions of residents in rheumatology. METHODS: A total of 102 questions on the topics of working conditions in everyday professional life, continuing medical education and training, compatibility of career and family, compatibility of work and research, perspectives as a rheumatologist and practical activities were included in an online questionnaire. RESULTS: A total of 102 participants took part in the survey. Of the respondents 48.1% were satisfied with their professional situation, 40.2% of the participants were supervised by a specialist mentor and 54.9% were working as scientists during their work as a physician. A compatibility of family and career was possible for 34.7%. After completion of the residency 52.9% of the respondents aspired to a combined clinical and outpatient activity. CONCLUSION: Half of the trainee rheumatologists are satisfied with their professional activities, although mentoring of the assistants in training should be further improved. With respect to the desired combined clinical and outpatient activity, the existing options should be expanded or new professional fields of activity should be established, so that the specialty remains attractive for the upcoming generations.

Exploring nurses' difficulties and strategies when caring for patients with dementia in a neurological ward.

Nurses in neurological wards face numerous challenges when caring for patients with dementia, particularly those who also present other acute illnesses. However, studies focusing on this area are limited. This study aimed to explore the difficulties and strategies in caring for patients with dementia among nurses working in a neurological ward. A qualitative descriptive design was adopted. Twelve nurses from a neurology ward participated in individual semi-structured interviews. The data collected through these interviews were subjected to qualitative content analysis. Two main themes emerged from the analysis: (i) various shortcomings and concerns, which include subthemes: insufficient support, worry about patient safety, inadequate care ability of the caregiver, and insufficient self-competence, and (ii) unique clinical strategies, which include subthemes: cooperate with the caregiver, improve self-competence in dementia care, and employ meticulous resorts. The findings highlighted the nurses' dedication to minimizing patient risks and utilizing available resources as well as stakeholders to provide optimal care. To enhance patient care quality, it is essential to support nurses by addressing care-related barriers, offering continuous education, and establishing care pathways.

Retour d'expérience sur la mise en œuvre du partenariat-patient dans une formation continue en Suisse.

INTRODUCTION: Mobilizing different types of expertise helps to meet some of the challenges faced by health care systems. In French-speaking Switzerland, patient expertise has been mobilized in a new postgraduate curriculum, the Certificate of Advanced Studies (CAS) in Care Coordination and Networking, according to the different levels of engagement described in the Montreal Model. PURPOSE OF THE RESEARCH: The aim of our research was to explore a) the feasibility and acceptability of implementing different levels of patient involvement in this continuing education program, b) the factors that influence them, and c) the preliminary benefits of this implementation for students. Mixed methods were used for this exploratory study conducted between 2021 and 2022. RESULTS: All the levels of patient engagement in teaching proposed by the Montreal Model were implemented. Among the success factors, the involvement and reflective skills of the patient partners are essential. However, human, organizational, and financial resources need to be allocated to ensure the sustainability of this curriculum. Partnership seems to be a lever for organizational transformation, for the development of professional skills, and for practice improvement. CONCLUSIONS: To our knowledge, this exploratory study reflects a pedagogical and organizational innovation in the context of continuing education in French-speaking Switzerland. The results will be used to adjust the curriculum in its next edition, to disseminate it in other training contexts, to improve systemic elements to support the patient partnership in education, and to develop research.

National Continuing Professional Development (CPD) training needs of pharmacists in Ethiopia.

BACKGROUND: Continuing Professional Development (CPD) in pharmacy is a lifelong learning approach whereby individual pharmacists are responsible for updating and broadening their knowledge, skills, and attitudes. This is vital to ensure the delivery of high-quality patient care services. However, there is a lack of available data revealing the CPD needs of Ethiopian pharmacists. Thus, the objective of this study was to identify CPD training needs of pharmacists practicing in Ethiopia. METHODS: An institution-based cross-sectional study design with a quantitative approach was employed in this study. This assessment involved 640 pharmacists representing various sectors of the profession. Data were collected through a combination of an online platform and a face-to-face questionnaire administered in person. RESULT: A total of 634 participants completed and returned the questionnaires, resulting in an impressive response rate of 99.1%. A significant majority (74.1%) of the participants possessed bachelor's degree in pharmacy (B. Pharm). Pharmaceutical Logistics and Pharmacy administration was preferentially selected as a prior CPD course by 36% of participants, of them while Pharmacotherapy (17%), Leadership/Governance (13%), Community Pharmacy (12%), Research and Development (11%) were also the subsequent top choices by participants. Off-site face-to-face lectures (59.2%), Hybrid (face-to-face + e-learning) (54.8%), and on-site on-the-job training (45.5%) were the most convenient means of CPD course delivery. On the other hand, the participants least favored print-based or correspondence programs for CPD course delivery. CONCLUSIONS: CPD holds great importance in the professional lives of pharmacists. It is critical for pharmacists, CPD providers, and those responsible for accrediting CPD programs to recognize the specific CPD requirements, preferred methods of delivery, and obstacles involved. This understanding is vital for establishing priorities and effectively planning CPD activities. In light of this, our study identified the most preferred CPD training courses and convenient delivery methods for pharmacists in Ethiopia. We recommend that CPD providers and accrediting bodies in Ethiopia refer to our findings when approving CPD courses.

Continuing professional development (CPD) training needs assessment for medical laboratory professionals in Ethiopia.

BACKGROUND: Continuing professional development (CPD) is required for health workers in practice to update knowledge and skills regularly to match the changing complexity of healthcare needs. The objective of this study was to identify the training needs of Medical Laboratory professionals in Ethiopia. METHODS: A total of 457 medical laboratory professionals from five regions and two city administrations were involved in the study. Data were collected from August 02 to 21, 2021 with structured self-administered online tool with five-point Likert scale. The tool had consent, demography, cross-cutting issues, and main activity area specific to medical laboratory. RESULTS: Majority of the participants were male (80.1%). Participants from Amhara region 110 (24.1%) were the largest groups in the survey followed by Oromia 105 (23%) and Addis Ababa 101 (22.1%). The study participants comprised 54.7% with a bachelor's degree, 31.3% with a diploma (associate degree), and 14% with a master's degree. The participants had varying years of service, ranging from less than one year to over 10 years of experience. Most of the participants work as generalists (24.1%) followed by working in microbiology (17.5%) and parasitology (16%). The majority (96.9%) were working in a public sector or training institutions and the rest were employed in the private sector. Our study showed that the three most important topics selected for training in the cross-cutting health issues were health and emerging technology, computer skills and medico-legal issues. Topics under microbiology, clinical chemistry and molecular diagnostics were selected as the most preferred technical areas for training. Participants have also selected priority topics under research skill and pathophysiology. When the laboratory specific issues were regrouped based on areas of application as technical competence, research skill and pathophysiology, thirteen topics under technical competence, four topics under research skill and three topics under pathophysiology were picked as priority areas. CONCLUSION: In conclusion, our study identified that CPD programs should focus on topics that address technical competence in microbiology, clinical chemistry and molecular diagnostics. Additionally competencies in research skill and updating knowledge in pathophysiology should also receive due attention in designing trainings.

Integrating simulation and interpretive description to explore operating room leadership: critical event continuing education.

In Obstetrics and Gynecologic operating room emergencies, the surgeon cannot both operate and lead a suddenly expanded and redirected team response. However, one of the most often used approaches to interprofessional continuing education designed to improve teams' ability to respond to unanticipated critical events still emphasizes surgeon leadership. We developed Explicit Anesthesia and Nurse Distributed (EXPAND) Leadership to imagine a workflow that might better distribute emergency leadership task responsibilities and practices. The purpose of this exploratory study was to investigate teams' responses to distributing leadership during an interprofessional continuing education simulated obstetrical emergency. We used interpretive descriptive design in a secondary analysis of teams' post-simulation reflective debriefings. One-hundred sixty providers participated, including OB-Gyn surgeons, anesthesiologists, CRNAs, scrub technicians, and nurses. Using reflective thematic analysis, we identified three core themes: 1) The surgeon is focused on the surgical field, 2) Explicit leadership initiates a nurse transition from follower to leader in a hierarchical environment, and 3) Explicit distributed leadership enhances teamwork and taskwork. Continuing education which uses distributed leadership to improve teams' ability to respond to an obstetric emergency is perceived to enhance team members' response to the critical event . The potential for nurses' career growth and professional transformation was an unexpected finding associated with this continuing education which used distributed leadership. Our findings suggest that healthcare educators should consider ways in which distributed leadership may improve teams' response to critical events in the operating room.

The effects of job characteristics on physicians' orientation toward lifelong learning.

With the rapidly growing body of medical knowledge, physicians must engage in lifelong learning. Physicians' orientation toward lifelong learning is of crucial importance. This study aimed to explore the effects of job characteristics on physicians' lifelong learning. A multicenter study collecting data from physicians from three medical centers in Taiwan was performed. A total of 321 physicians were surveyed with the Chinese version of the Job Content Questionnaire (C-JCQ) and the revised Jefferson Scale of Physician Lifelong Learning (JeffSPLL) to assess their job characteristics (i.e., job demands, job control, social support) and orientation toward lifelong learning. Exploratory factor analysis was employed to validate both questionnaires. Hierarchical regression was utilized to explore the relationship of job characteristics and predictors with physicians' lifelong learning. The results revealed that job demands (ß = 0.10), job control (ß = 0.19), social support from supervisors (ß = 0.16), the interaction of job demands × job control (ß = - 0.11) and the interaction of job demands × social support from colleagues (ß = 0.13) were significantly (p < .05, p < .001) related to lifelong learning. Moreover, physicians in the active group (high demand, high control) possessed a stronger orientation toward lifelong learning (mean = 3.57) than those in the low-strain group (mean = 3.42), high-strain group (mean = 3.39) and passive group (mean = 3.20). In conclusion, examining physicians' job demands, job control and social support helps us to understand their orientation toward lifelong learning and may provide insight to improve educational strategies.