Introducing comprehensive sexuality education in Italian schools: from the co-construction to the evaluation of a pilot intervention.

INTRODUCTION: School-based comprehensive sexuality education (CSE) is a powerful tool that provides young people with information on all aspects of sexuality and is aimed at protecting their sexual and reproductive health and well-being throughout their lives. Currently, CSE is not integrated within the schools' curriculum in Italy. This study describes the co-construction, implementation, and evaluation of a CSE project piloted among students attending lower secondary schools, in four regions of Italy. Evidence-based evaluation will be helpful in promote the inclusion of CSE programs in the Italian schools' curriculum. METHODS: The pilot scheme was co-constructed by a multidisciplinary curriculum development group through a Delphi process, including educators who conducted the activities. The evaluation followed three directions: the program (based on a literature review of CSE principles and recommended characteristics), implementation (assessing the execution of the program through the analysis of the reflection tools used by the educators), and short-term outcomes (assessing critical thinking and conscious behavioural choices through pre-post and satisfaction surveys). RESULTS: The main goal, learning modules and content were defined and structured in five interventions with the students, and two with families and teachers. A total of 638 students were involved in the activity, across 11 schools. Data analysis of pre/post surveys reported a significant increase in knowledge in 12 of the 15 items investigated (p < 0.05), and a high level of satisfaction with the topics addressed. Qualitative analysis added information on the pivotal role of educators in CSE. CONCLUSIONS: The national piloting of this educational activity provided positive insights regarding the co-construction, implementation and short-outcome evaluation, suggesting potential for scalability and future inclusion of CSE in the curricula of Italian schools.

Design and development of an arena blended connected learning model for faculty development in health professions education: A step forward.

Current medical education and clinical practice has led to a need for advanced faculty development for medical teachers to effectively play the role of educators, researchers and administrators. There is large variability in the teaching programmes across countries, which range from a one-time activity to regularly scheduled workshops and seminars, to a highly advanced course spanning a few months to a year. Several healthcare institutes around the world offer faculty training programmes in health professions education, where the curriculum varies in design as they are developed and implemented by their own institutional body or education unit. Following a discussion of arena blended connected (ABC) learning design during a faculty training programme (Postgraduate Diploma in Health Professions Education) and the subsequent move towards an online approach to education due to the pandemic in 2019, the advisory faculty and students started to envision designing the already existing Postgraduate Diploma in Health Professions Education curriculum along the ABC model favouring blended and outcome-based education. Criteria were set for each topic with clearly defined learning levels to be implemented and the frequency of implementation. We describe the design and development of a curriculum for faculty development of health professions education using the ABC model.

Continuing Education in Digital Skills for Healthcare Professionals - Mapping of the Current Situation in EU Member States.

The rapid advancement of technology in healthcare is creating new competency requirements for professionals, such as skills for data management and the adoption of new technologies, understanding the effect of digitalisation on clinical processes, and evaluating clinical safety and ethics within the context of digitalisation. These requirements call for improved educational curricula and ongoing continuing education in digital skills. This study, as part of the Digital Skills Training for Health Care Professionals in Oncology (DigiCanTrain) project, aims to map and describe the existing continuing education in digital skills for healthcare professionals (HCPs) in European Union (EU) Member States. Using a mapping study methodology, data was collected from experts in 25 EU countries through surveys and from online sources. Qualitative content analysis was used for categorising the data. The results show variations between countries in policy strategies, training organisation, and funding mechanisms. Educational institutions, employers, third parties, and national/regional authorities were found to be the main organisers of the digital skills training. Comprehensive accreditation systems seemed to be scarce, and practices also varied between countries. The study highlights the importance of adopting a systematic approach to enhancing continuous professional development in digital skills, which would ensure that professionals have equitable access to education, resulting in consistent, quality patient care across countries and regions. The findings offer valuable insights for policymakers, educators, healthcare institutions, and professionals.

Culturally Competent Care for Diverse Populations: A Review of Transcultural Nursing Education.

Transcultural nursing is a discipline that emphasizes culturally competent care for diverse populations, recognizing the influence of culture on health beliefs, values, practices, and outcomes. It requires nurses to respect cultural differences and similarities, but faces challenges in curriculum design, faculty development, and student assessment. This paper explores transcultural nursing education's current state and future directions, addressing the American Association of Colleges of Nursing essentials for integrating cultural content into nursing curricula, reviewing Madeleine Leininger's transcultural nursing theory, diversity, equity, and inclusion concepts, and discussing the main challenges of transcultural nursing education, including lack of student diversity, training, and resources. Strategies to overcome these challenges include interprofessional collaboration, cultural immersion, and evidence-based practice. The paper concludes with how emergency department nurses should incorporate this into practice.

An Innovative Course on Involving Patients in Health Professions Education.

Background & Need for Innovation: Patients can be actively involved in various aspects of health professions education (HPE). However, learners in HPE graduate programs have minimal opportunities to learn how to involve patients in HPE. Steps Taken for Development and Implementation of Innovation: We designed, implemented, and evaluated a 12-week asynchronous, online graduate course that provides learners such opportunities. We established an advisory committee of patients, clinician-educators, and professors to guide course development. Using Thomas et al.'s framework, we established the general and targeted need for the course, identified the learning outcomes, determined the learning activities, and implemented and evaluated the course. It is offered within the asynchronous, online Diploma and Master in HPE at the University of Ottawa, Canada. Evaluation of Innovation: Forty learners participated in the course between 2020 and 2022. Using a survey with closed- and open-ended items, learners reported satisfaction with all course components, and they valued the patient narrative videos created for the course. After course completion, learners reported that the course is relevant to their professional practice. They also reported confidence in their abilities to actively involve patients in HPE. Based on the culminating assignment assessment data, learners attained course expectations. Critical Reflection: Although patients who participated in the narrative videos represented diverse age ranges, health conditions, and experiences in HPE, they were often Caucasian, educated, and from a higher socio-economic background. Also, the level of engagement between patients and learners in the course was limited. We are committed to improving our own patient involvement efforts.

An Interactive Allyship and Privilege Workshop for Trainees in Medicine.

Introduction: Despite growing efforts to increase diversity in recruitment and to teach principles of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI), representation of individuals underrepresented in medicine continues to fall short. This demonstrates a need for efforts that target the work environment and culture to increase retention alongside existing recruitment initiatives. We designed this interactive allyship workshop with a focus on building skills necessary for being an ally that has been missing in existing allyship curricula. Methods: This workshop was led by multidepartmental faculty with experience in DEI training. Participants engaged in a number of interactive activities to reflect on their own identities and privilege and practiced ways to engage in difficult conversations. Prior to the workshop, participants completed a survey that was repeated at the workshop's completion to evaluate their perspective change and understanding of allyship. We also collected responses to a self-reflective exercise during the workshop. Results: Participants included 68 anesthesia and surgery attendees, 53 of whom (78%) completed the postsurvey. Participants strongly agreed that this workshop was important to the workplace and medical training. Themes from the self-reflective exercises included endorsement of sponsorship and mentorship activities, community support, and advocacy. Discussion: Interactive skill-building activities are important and effective at helping trainees develop as allies. Long-term follow-up is needed to assess longitudinal knowledge retention and translation into behavioral change to create a more inclusive and supportive work environment.

Examination of the Knowledge Levels of Family Medicine Residents in Turkey about Oral and Dental Health.

PURPOSE: To measure the general oral and dental health knowledge level of family medicine residents who are receiving full-time specialty training in Turkey. Primary care physicians can contribute to improving the oral and dental health of patients during general health services. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The fundamentals of oral and dental health that the family medicine physicians should know about were determined, and questionnaire items on these fundamentals were prepared. The sample size was calculated as 296 individuals. The survey was conducted online. The collected data were analysed employing the following tests: chi-squared, Fisher, Kolmogorov-Smirnov, Spearman, ANOVA, Mann-Whitney U, Kruskal-Wallis, and Bonferroni. RESULTS: 302 family medicine residents in various clinics in Turkey participated in the study. The mean age of the participants was 29.6 ± 5.1. The mean knowledge scores of the resident physicians were calculated as 65.2 ± 10.9 (lowest: 27; highest: 92). The majority of resident physicians stated that they did not receive training on oral and dental health during their residency training, and that they agreed with the idea of integrating it into the residency training curriculum. CONCLUSIONS: The general knowledge level of family medicine residents in Turkey about oral and dental health was found to be moderate.

Linguistically responsive learning and teaching for non-native speakers in undergraduate nursing education: a scoping review protocol.

INTRODUCTION: Non-native-speaking nursing students as well as faculty, preceptors and mentors face specific issues related to language in undergraduate nursing education. A better understanding of the language experiences, needs, requirements, assessments and support activities will guide linguistically responsive learning and teaching and will direct future curriculum development. This scoping review aims to examine and map the extent of literature related to linguistically responsive learning and teaching for non-native speakers in undergraduate nursing education and to describe the lived experiences, barriers and facilitators, language needs, assessment tools and supportive interventions. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: This scoping review will follow the Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) methodology for scoping reviews and the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses extension for Scoping Reviews (PRISMA-ScR). In May 2023, a preliminary search was conducted. The comprehensive search will include MEDLINE (PubMed), CINAHL (EBSCO), ERIC (EBSCO) and MLA (EBSCO). OpenGrey (DANS) and reference lists of the included articles will be searched for grey literature and additional articles. Two independent reviewers will screen titles and abstracts, then review the full texts of articles. Data will be extracted using a data extraction form and will be presented in figures, tables and narrative syntheses, in line with the review questions. This review will include articles that describe the experiences of non-native-speaking nursing students, faculty or preceptors in undergraduate nursing education and clinical practice environment. Articles that report on language requirements, needs and assessment tools will also be considered as well as articles reporting on supportive activities and interventions within the study programmes. Articles related to exchange students or programmes will be excluded. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: No ethical approval is required. The findings of the review will be disseminated through peer-review publication as well as oral and poster presentations at scientific conferences.

Voices of the accelerated: key themes when considering implementation of an accelerated medical school program.

In this rapid communication, accelerated undergraduate medical education is examined using prior literature as well as experiences of those who have completed or are in the process of completing accelerated medical curricula. The Consortium of Accelerated Medical Pathway Programs (CAMPP) hosts an annual multi-institutional conference for all its members. During the meeting in July 2023, a virtual panel was convened from multiple constituent programs (N = 4) including medical students (N = 2), resident physicians (N = 4), and faculty (N = 2). Panel participants represented current learners or graduates from accelerated pathways of varying specialties (N = 5) to share firsthand experiences about acceleration to an audience representing over 25 medical schools. Five key themes were identified for accelerated students and trainees: Reduced debt as motivating factor to accelerate, Feeling prepared for residency, Ideal accelerated students are driven, Ability to form early professional relationships, and Less time for additional clinical experiences. Discourse from the CAMPP panel can inform current and developing accelerated programs at institutions looking to create or improve accelerated learning.

Public participation in healthcare students' education: An umbrella review.

BACKGROUND: An often-hidden element in healthcare students' education is the pedagogy of public involvement, yet public participation can result in deep learning for students with positive impacts on the public who participate. OBJECTIVE: This article aimed to synthesize published literature reviews that described the impact of public participation in healthcare students' education. SEARCH STRATEGY: We searched MEDLINE, EMBASE, ERIC, PsychINFO, CINAHL, PubMed, JBI Database of Systematic Reviews and Implementation Reports, the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, Database of Abstracts of Reviews of Effects and the PROSPERO register for literature reviews on public participation in healthcare students' education. INCLUSION CRITERIA: Reviews published in the last 10 years were included if they described patient or public participation in healthcare students' education and reported the impacts on students, the public, curricula or healthcare systems. DATA EXTRACTION AND SYNTHESIS: Data were extracted using a predesigned data extraction form and narratively synthesized. MAIN RESULTS: Twenty reviews met our inclusion criteria reporting on outcomes related to students, the public, curriculum and future professional practice. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION: Our findings raise awareness of the benefits and challenges of public participation in healthcare students' education and may inform future research exploring how public participation can best be utilized in higher education. PATIENT OR PUBLIC CONTRIBUTION: This review was inspired by conversations with public healthcare consumers who saw value in public participation in healthcare students' education. Studies included involved public participants, providing a deeper understanding of the impacts of public participation in healthcare students' education.

A CLIIR Pathway to a Nursing Revolution.

The time for a nursing revolution is now. To ensure a bright future for generations, we must demonstrate by showing up with courage, letting go of our baggage as we know it, continuously inspiring others to join the movement, demonstrating an innovative spirit, and taking more risks to ensure a safe environment for all. [J Contin Educ Nurs. 2024;55(8):372-374.].

Using Debriefing in Professional Development Courses.

Debriefing is a valuable tool to use when developing teamwork skills. The skill set can be either a specific outcome talent, such as a class on building teams, or a team skill set needed to successfully complete a team project. Professional development faculty can work to acquire and expand the skills described in this column. [J Contin Educ Nurs. 2024;55(8):375-377.].

Distinctive Transition to Practice Program Design Leads to Reliable Positive Outcomes.

Designing a transition to practice program to increase foundational skill competency and interprofessional collaboration before unit orientation can produce outcomes that consistently outperform benchmarks. Established structures and processes drive the program to be easily amenable to incremental improvement, further maturing and sustaining the program's positive impacts. [J Contin Educ Nurs. 2024;55(8):369-371.].

Promoting professionalism through humanities-based transformation.

INTRODUCTION: In the last two decades, academic medical centers in the United States have faced a new challenge, dealing with breaches of medical professionalism in their staff, house staff, and medical students. Medical education settings have largely directed their professionalism efforts toward responding reactively to negative outliers. DISCUSSION: This paper contends that the warrant of medical education mandates a transformative path forward. While negative behavior must be responded to meaningfully, so, too, must positive role models of professional behavior be publicly lauded for their consequential culture change in their institutions, and promoted as positive role models. Further, the promotion of medical professionalism must be part of this culture by proactively engaging all learners and health care providers with medical ethics and humanities-based knowledge, critical thinking skills, and role modeling. CONCLUSION: Professionalism programs should be vested with the authority to implement an affirmative educational program intended to nurture and promote medical professionalism in each medical student, resident, fellow, and attending and utilize methods to that end employing both virtue and care ethics.

Medical professionalism is the foundational concept grounded upon scientific- and humanities-based knowledge and skills, directed toward the promotion of patient benefit with the rejection of self-interest, delivered with excellence in comportment, and the adherence to a covenant of trust with society.Medical educators who solely emphasize the detection and punishment of negative outliers are missing essential elements in promoting medical professionalism.Medical professionalism should be comprehensively addressed through a systematic addressing of teaching fundamental knowledge, skills, and virtue, promote excellence in role modeling and mentorship, and the redress of those lacking insight in their professional conduct.

Family Health Clinical Officers: Key professionals to strengthen primary healthcare in Kenya.

Primary healthcare (PHC) is recognised as the means to achieve universal health coverage, a national priority for Kenya. With only approximately 200 family physicians for a population of over 54 million, innovative solutions for providing quality PHC are needed. Clinical Officers, as mid-level health workers, already provide much of the primary care across Kenya, but without specialised training. To provide highly trained Family Health practitioners, a Higher Diploma in Family Health for Clinical Officers (FHCO) was launched by the government in 2018. With experience in delivering innovative and strategic higher diplomas, AIC Kijabe Hospital has been involved in curriculum development of this new diploma since its inception, and in October 2021 the first cohort of FHCO trainees was admitted to Kijabe College of Health Science, graduating in 2023. The second cohort is underway with plans for an annual intake. The FHCO graduates are running Family Medicine clinics at AIC Kijabe Hospital and its satellite clinics and are heavily involved in teaching. They are well-trained to deliver comprehensive, evidence-based, cost-effective and holistic care. As the programme expands, we expect graduates to be working across the country and leading efforts in enhancing the health and well-being of individuals, families and communities within primary healthcare networks (PCNs). By training FHCOs, this higher diploma is an efficient and cost-effective way to improve PHC, particularly for underserved Kenyans, and thus is a key part of enabling the Kenyan Government to achieve universal health coverage. This model of training could easily be replicated in other countries.

Making family medicine work: Rural community-based and interprofessional medical education.

At the University of the Free State, the 5-year MBChB curriculum had to be complemented with community-based education exposure to meet the requirements of the Health Professions Council of South Africa. Following the faculty leadership's vision, an interprofessional training experience was conceptualised and implemented by a project team from the three schools in the Faculty of Health Sciences (Medicine, Nursing, and Health and Rehabilitation Sciences). For the past decade, 4th-year medical students participated in the 2-week rotation in the rural southern Free State province, of which 1 week is spent with students from other health professions programmes in a structured interprofessional learning experience. The other week focuses on the realities of nurse-driven primary healthcare services in a resource-deprived area, including exposure to the programme-guided care for patients with tuberculosis (TB) or chronic diseases, care for pregnant women and for babies, including vaccinations.