Changing Professional Behaviors in the Digital World Using the Medical Education e-Professionalism (MEeP) Framework-A Mixed Methods Multicentre Study.

Background: There is increasing evidence on the exponential use of technology-based social media in medical field that has led to a proliferation of unprofessional behaviors in digital realm. Educating, training, and changing the behaviors of healthcare professionals are essential elements to restrain the rising unprofessional incidents. Therefore, this research was designed to determine the impact of an interventional workshop on the medical and dental students in improving their professional behaviors in the digital world using the newly developed medical Education e-Professionalism (MEeP) framework. Methods: We adopted the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) as a benchmark reference which explores constructs intertwined with the mission-based MEeP framework; values (whistleblowing-raising concerns), behaviors (being responsible in the digital world) and identity (reflective practice in the digital world). A multicentre 3-phased mixed-method study was conducted using a pre-workshop survey, an online interventional workshop, and a post-workshop survey. SPSS and NVivo were the tools used for the data analysis. Results: A total of 130 students registered for workshop out of which 120 completed the pre-workshop survey, 62 joined the workshop and 59 completed the workshop and post-workshop survey. From the whistleblowing - raising concern perspective, we found that attitudes and perceived behavioral control had a significant relationship. While for responsible in digital world category, attitude and perceived behavioral control had a significant bearing on the intentions. Third, for reflective practice, attitude and subjective norms significantly enhanced the intention of participants. A multi layered thematic analysis yielded four overarching themes of attitudes, subjective norms, perceived behavioral control and intentions. Most students showed positive attitudes of being reflective, self-directed, and humane. Students realized the subjective norms had made them conscientious, self-aware and conformative. While perceived behavioural control manifested as identity and Intentions were heavily reliant on self-actualization. Conclusion: Our mixed method study found that the interventional workshop using MEeP framework significantly improved attitudes, subjective norms, perceived behavioral control, and intentions. This study provides valuable evidence of MEeP framework evaluation using the theoretical underpinning of TPB by reporting positive changes in professional values, behaviors, and identities of undergraduate medical and dental students.

Effective coping strategies utilised by medical students for mental health disorders during undergraduate medical education-a scoping review.

BACKGROUND: Coping denotes cognitive, emotional and behavioural struggles to tackle a troubled person-environment association. Therefore, coping strategies (CSs) are vital for mental well-being. Widespread research studies have explored this domain, targeting caregivers, nurses, physicians and medical teachers, but limited research has been done to explore the common CSs utilised by medical students at the undergraduate medical education level. Therefore, we aimed to identify the frequently occurring CSs and their effects on mental health disorders (MHDs) through the evidence available in the existing literature. METHODS: For this scoping review, we searched the available literature (articles published from January 1, 1986, to March 31, 2021) on CSs at Google Scholar, PubMed and Scopus using the terms coping, medical students and undergraduate medical education. We included in our search all peer-reviewed journal articles whose central topics were the CSs employed by undergraduate medical students of any age, nationality, race and gender. RESULTS: From among the 2,134 articles that were found, 24 were ultimately included in the study. The articles were authored in 14 countries, allowing us to gather broader data to answer our research question. The first identified theme (MHDs) had four subthemes: stress (55% of the articles), depression (30%), anxiety (25%) and burnout (15%). The second theme (CSs), on the other hand, had eight subthemes: support seeking (60%), active coping (40%), acceptance (40%), avoidance/denial (40%), substance abuse (35%), faith/religion (25%), sports (25%) and miscellaneous (40%). CONCLUSIONS: Themes and subthemes were identified about the most common CSs utilised by undergraduate medical students to tackle common MHDs in the context of medical education. Among the most used CSs was support (social and emotional) seeking. Teaching medical students how to cope with challenging times is essential.

Scoping Review of frequently highlighted attributes of Medical Professionalism in an Undergraduate Medical Education Context.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Medical Professionalism (MP) establishes the trust between society and doctors. We aimed at finding frequently highlighted qualities of MP in the literature. METHODS: We searched PubMed and Scopus for attributes of MP, using terms, "Professionalism," "Medical Students," and "Undergraduate Medical Education". We included English language, original research articles with MP attributes from the perspective of undergraduate medical education, any nationality, race, gender, and age range, as the central topic of the article. Papers published from January 1st 1986 to 29th February 2020 were included. RESULTS: From 1349 identified articles, finally, 18 were included, authored in 10 countries, collectively contributing to answering the scoping review question. Two themes were identified: (1) Nurturing of MP, 11 (61.11%) out of 18 included articles, highlighted "respect" as the most dominant attribute as it appeared in 6 (54.55%) out of 11 reviews, "communication" 5 (45.45 %) studies and "honesty" and "integrity" 4 (36.36%). (2) Assessment of MP, 7 (38.89%) studies, and majority, 4 (57.14 %) assessed MP using American Board of Internal Medicine's elements of MP, viz, "altruism, accountability, excellence, duty, honor and integrity, respect for others." CONCLUSIONS: Themes exemplified MP's most discoursed issues. The attributes are frequently used worldwide. MP deliberates as a commitment toward the individual patient, society, and necessitates transforming from its present generic form to more explicit details.

Contribution of faculty developmental programmes to professional identity development of medical educators in Malaysia: A phenomenological study.

OBJECTIVE: Professional identity development (PID) of academicians is triggered by numerous elements, including faculty development programmes (FDP). The study aims at exploring how FDPs contribute to PID among junior medical educationists. METHODS: A qualitative phenomenological study was carried out in six Malaysian public medical schools from 15th March to 15th April 2019. A total of 10 junior medical educationists participated in the study. A purposive sampling technique was utilised to select eligible participants. A series of semi-structured interviews was conducted to collect the data using a pre-determined interview protocol. The collected data were then analysed using open, axial, and selective coding methods assisted by ATLAS.ti software. RESULTS: Three themes (i.e. personal growth, professional growth, and self-reflective practice) and nine sub-themes (i.e. self-awareness, intention, internal satisfaction, career pathway, maintaining professional skills, acquiring new knowledge, identifying strengths and weaknesses, and areas for improvement) emerged from the data analysis. CONCLUSION: The study showed that PID could be developed through personal growth, professional growth, and self-reflective practice. Policymakers should focus on these characteristics during training sessions designed for the professional development of their medical faculty staff.

Using Kahoot! as a formative assessment tool in medical education: a phenomenological study.

BACKGROUND: Gamification is an increasingly common phenomenon in education. It is a technique to facilitate formative assessment and to promote student learning. It has been shown to be more effective than traditional methods. This phenomenological study was conducted to explore the advantages of gamification through the use of the Kahoot! platform for formative assessment in medical education. METHODS: This study employed a phenomenological design. Five focus groups were conducted with medical students who had participated in several Kahoot! sessions. RESULTS: Thirty-six categories and nine sub-themes emerged from the focus group discussions. They were grouped into three themes: attractive learning tool, learning guidance and source of motivation. CONCLUSIONS: The results suggest that Kahoot! sessions motivate students to study, to determine the subject matter that needs to be studied and to be aware of what they have learned. Thus, the platform is a promising tool for formative assessment in medical education.