Students' perceptions and experiences in a health promotion course using interactive learning.
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ABSTRACT:
SUBMITTER: Al-Natour A
PROVIDER: S-EPMC8213902 | biostudies-literature |
REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature
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Project description:The growing diversity and uptake of social media has increased the sources of health information available to young people. YouTube is one of the most popular social media platforms for young people in the United Kingdom, and YouTubers are the most important influencers on the platform producing diverse health content. They are increasingly recognized by popular media and public health organizations as a potentially influential source of health information for young people. This study aimed to qualitatively explore young people's experiences and perceptions of YouTuber health content. Focus groups (November 2017 to January 2018) with 85 young people (13-18 years) were recruited from schools in a single county in North West England. The findings suggest young people's engagement with YouTuber health content is dependent on how they encounter it, YouTubers' motivations for producing it, and the perceived relatability, sincerity, and generalization present in this content. The study confirms YouTuber health content was one of the many sources of health information used by young people and was most frequently encountered during young people's routine viewing. Collaboration between public health organizations and YouTubers could be promising in communicating health messages to young people already engaged with these YouTubers, as part of wider campaigns or interventions. These messages could be particularly effective if they focused on experiences and norms rather than advice, remained consistent with YouTubers' existing health content, incorporate clear indicators of accuracy into their narrative, and state their intention to benefit young people.
| S-EPMC7961622 | biostudies-literature
Project description:ObjectivesResearch into interdisciplinary education, where concrete examples and empirical evidence of interdisciplinary teaching is explored, is limited. Furthermore, there are no standardized guidelines on best practices for designing and implementing an interdisciplinary curriculum. Recently, in healthcare settings there has been a drive to adopt interdisciplinary or transdisciplinary practices, creating a need for training individuals capable of working across discipline-specific boundaries, or to even adopt a transdisciplinary practice. This is partially attributed to recognizing that local and global complex health challenges are interlinked and share common factors and often require a new integrated approach to management. In response, a new interdisciplinary course using a modified snowflake model of interdisciplinary course design was launched at a medical school. The course aimed to provide a broad foundation for lifelong learning with a strong emphasis on the development of knowledge, skills, and professional values essential for interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary practice in applied health promotion for individuals and society.MethodsA semi-structured focus group with students (n = 15% of the inaugural cohort) having completed at least 1 year of the course was undertaken to investigate student perspectives on best approaches for the development and delivery of interdisciplinary learning and teaching.ResultsResults highlighted the importance of providing training and opportunity for students to practice integration within the curriculum. Additionally, it was noted that including a module to introduce students to different disciplines and guiding students to explore their inherent interconnectedness is essential in helping them develop interdisciplinary thinking and skills. Crucially, the role of integrated assessments was also recognized as fundamental for demonstrating and practicing interdisciplinarity.ConclusionOverall, this study provides valuable insights and recommendations for educators with the objective of developing interdisciplinary learning in new or existing higher education courses or those seeking to prepare learners for contemporary and emergent societal challenges more generally.
| S-EPMC11311164 | biostudies-literature
Project description:We conducted a focus group discussion with bus workers to evaluate their experiences and perceptions, as well as their reasons for participating in a program for vulnerable workers. The study also sought to identify the strengths and weaknesses of the program. A total of nine bus workers participated in the focus group discussion. The focus group discussion was conducted based on a semi-structured guide, which was developed from discussions among the researchers and a review of major preliminary studies. The verbatim transcriptions were analyzed using content analysis. The sole existence of a health promotion program for vulnerable workers in Ulsan was sufficient to attract participants who had not been involved in other health management programs. Participants reported that participation in the program mitigated some of their musculoskeletal symptoms, which are often faced by bus workers. The findings of this study may contribute to the expansion of the health promotion program targeting workers in vulnerable working environments in Ulsan and other places. In order to increase users' satisfaction and the sustainability of the program, it is necessary to develop a strategy to increase the accessibility of the program and enhance the self-efficacy of participants.
| S-EPMC7143465 | biostudies-literature
Project description:BackgroundWith the increasing popularity of e-learning programs, educational stakeholders are attempting to promote critical thinking in the virtual education system. This study aimed to explore the experiences of both the instructors and the students about critical thinking promotion within the virtual education system.MethodsThis qualitative study recruited the instructors and students from four academic disciplines provided by the Virtual School of Tehran University of Medical Sciences (Tehran, Iran). All programs were master's degree programs and utilized a blended (combination of e-learning and face to face) training. Semistructured interviews with the participants were used to collect data.ResultsThe participants had a variety of experiences about how to promote critical thinking. These experiences were conceptualized in four main themes, namely, instructional design, educational leadership and management, local evidence, and belief systems.ConclusionThe present study clarified the factors affecting critical thinking promotion in e-learning. Not only the instructors but also the educational designers and leaders can benefit from our findings to improve the quality of virtual education programs and promote critical thinking.
| S-EPMC4862758 | biostudies-literature
Project description:ObjectiveTo evaluate whether a training program offered by family physicians in the official medical curriculum on principles and strategies to help patients change risk behaviours (HPCRB), produces changes in perceptions, opinions, and attitudes regarding this type of intervention.DesignQuasi-experimental before-after study.SettingA School of Medicine.ParticipantsAll students in their 4th year (n=110).InterventionsExperiential training course on communicative strategies for HPCRB.MeasurementsOpinions and perceptions were evaluated before and after the course using an ad hoc survey.ResultsAfter the course, students (n=103) changed their ideas about motivation as an 'internal' (15, 13%) to 'internal-external' factor (71, 61%) (P=.003), reinforcing their opinions about the clinician's ability for HPCRB (high: 72, 62%; low: 10, 12%; P=.008). They considered themselves more capable to respect patient autonomy when they make decisions or follow harmful behaviours (easy: 58, 50%; difficult: 28, 24%; P=.001), and increased their perception of their ability to cope with this type of interview (83, 72% vs. 1, 1%; P<.001).ConclusionsThis training course seems to contribute to creating positive perceptions and attitudes in students, as regards key aspects when conducting an interview for HPCRB. This is a key preliminary aspect to implement this type of strategy.
| S-EPMC6839202 | biostudies-literature
Project description:BackgroundThe environment for medical education in Iraq has been difficult for many years. The 2003 invasion of Iraq accelerated a steady emigration of faculty and graduates. Kidnappings and deaths of doctors became commonplace. To understand current career plans, expectations and perceptions of medical students, three Baghdad medical schools were surveyed.MethodsWritten questionnaires were completed by 418 medical students variously in their 4th, 5th and 6th (final)years of training. We asked about perceptions of the quality of their medical education, the quality of health services in Iraq generally, and about deaths, injuries and migration of faculty, classmates and family.ResultsThe average age of students was 22 years, with 59% women. Most students (90%) were originally from Baghdad. Although there were some positive responses, many students (59%) rated the overall quality of their medical education as fair or poor. Three-fourths of students believed the quality of hospital care in Iraq to be only fair or poor. A majority of students (57%) stated they were thinking frequently or all the time about leaving Iraq after graduation. Reasons given for leaving included the desire for further education, seeking a better lifestyle and fleeing conflict. Leading reasons for staying included the pull of friends and family, familiarity with the health system, and a sense of responsibility to the country. Nearly one in five (18%) students reported the death of a family member attributable to intentional violence, and 15% reported the violent death of a medical school classmate or faculty member since the 2003 invasion. Half the students reported at least one school faculty members had left Iraq because of the war.ConclusionMedical students hold a mediocre view of the quality of their medical education and of Iraq's health system. Many of their faculty members have left the country. The majority of students may leave Iraq after graduation, afforded the opportunity. This poses a significant problem for staffing an already demoralized and stressed health system. Current circumstances suggest the situation will continue to deteriorate.
| S-EPMC5870482 | biostudies-literature
Project description:BACKGROUND:Communication skills (CS) are vital for doctors. Indeed, as the most important element of consultations, are highly valued by patients. CS are core, teachable skills, however, have not been widely taught in South Asian medical schools, unlike their western counterparts. Patan Academy of Health Sciences, is one of the first in Nepal to have CS central to its' aims and curriculum. CS are taught from the first weeks of medical school and re-enforced during preclinical study (first 2 years). Our study seeks to explore students' perceptions and experiences of CS teaching in this South Asian, Nepal context. METHODS:This study is a qualitative evaluation of a CS course in Nepal, exploring the experiences and perceptions of participants. The study aims to also identify aspects that were helpful or not for student learning and areas for potential development. A purposive sample of twenty: second, fourth and Intern year students was selected for interview. Data were collected through audio recorded semi-structured interviews following a piloted schedule. Interview transcripts were manually coded and thematically analysed. Codes were arranged into themes and subthemes. RESULTS:The two main themes: 1. Positivity 2. Experiential learning. Results demonstrate participants' positive perceptions of CS teaching: believing it is important, effective, relevant and valuable for personal development. Participants identified experiential learning features as valuable for CS acquisition. Intern students recognised CS relevance and requested expanding teaching to clinical years,incorporating challenging communication scenarios. DISCUSSION:This study shows that PAHS' CS course is well perceived and valuable to learners. Experiential learning is powerful for CS development. Expansion of formal, structured CS teaching through all years in a spiral curriculum, should be considered. Violence towards doctors in South Asia is increasing. Students recognised CS teaching's significance in addressing this. CONCLUSION:CS teaching,still in its' infancy in South Asia, is a pressing issue for medical educators here. Our study provides evidence it is well perceived with positive impacts in this context, particularly when employing experiential learning. Medical schools in south Asia should be encouraged to incorporate and strengthen their CS teaching curriculum. .
| S-EPMC7596984 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Learning the tools and conventions of expert communication in the sciences provides multiple benefits to bioscience students, yet often these skills are not formally taught. To address this need, we designed a writing-intensive microbiology course on emerging infectious diseases to provide upper-division students with science-specific writing skills along with disciplinary course content. The course followed the guidelines of our university's Writing Intensive Curriculum (WIC) program. Students wrote a press release, a case study, a controversy/position paper, and a grant prospectus, and revised drafts after feedback. To assess the course, in 2015 and 2016 we administered pre-post surveys and collected writing samples for analysis. Students reported on their experience, training, skills, and knowledge before taking the course. They then rated the extent to which the assignments, lectures, in-class activities, and writing activities contributed to their attainment of the learning outcomes of the course. Students entering the class were inexperienced in tools of science writing and the specific genres covered by the class. Their confidence levels rose in both skills and knowledge. Feedback from instructors was cited as most helpful in the majority of the areas where students reported the most gains. The survey provided evidence that discipline-specific knowledge had been acquired through writing activities. Teaching science writing by allowing the students to write "fiction" (e.g., a case report about a fictional patient) was effective in maintaining a high level of interest, both in learning the conventions of the genre and in seeking out detailed information about emerging infectious diseases. Both the course structure and the specific assignments would be useful at other institutions to teach science writing.
| S-EPMC5969401 | biostudies-other
Project description:BackgroundThe use of distance education using digital tools in higher education has increased over the last decade, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic. Therefore, this study aimed to describe and evaluate nursing students' experiences of the pedagogical transition from traditional campus based learning to distance learning using digital tools.MethodsThe nursing course Symptom and signs of illness underwent a transition from campus based education to distance learning using digital tools because of the COVID-19 pandemic. This pedagogical transition in teaching was evaluated using both quantitative and qualitative data analysis. Focus group interviews (n = 9) were analysed using qualitative content analysis to explore students' experiences of the pedagogical transition and to construct a web-based questionnaire. The questionnaire comprised 14 items, including two open-ended questions. The questionnaire was delivered to all course participants and responses were obtained from 96 of 132 students (73%). Questionnaire data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and comments from the open-ended questions were used as quotes to highlight the quantitative data.ResultsThe analysis of the focus group interviews extracted three main dimensions: didactic aspects of digital teaching, study environment, and students' own resources. Social interaction was an overall theme included in all three dimensions. Data from the questionnaire showed that a majority of students preferred campus based education and experienced deterioration in all investigated dimensions after the pedagogical transition. However, approximately one-third of the students appeared to prefer distance learning using digital tools.ConclusionsThe main finding was that the pedagogical transition to distance education reduced the possibility for students' social interactions in their learning process. This negatively affected several aspects of their experience of distance learning using digital tools, such as reduced motivation. However, the heterogeneity in the responses suggested that a blended learning approach may offer pedagogical benefits while maintaining an advantageous level of social interaction.
| S-EPMC7814979 | biostudies-literature
Project description:BackgroundReflective writing provides an opportunity for health professionals and students to learn from their mistakes, successes, anxieties, and worries that otherwise would remain disjointed and worthless. This systematic review addresses the following question: "What are the experiences of health professionals and students in applying reflective writing during their education and training?"MethodsWe performed a systematic review and meta-synthesis of qualitative studies. Our search comprised six electronic databases: MedLine, Embase, Cinahl, PsycINFO, Eric, and Scopus. Our initial search produced 1237 titles, excluding duplicates that we removed. After title and abstract screening, 17 articles met the inclusion criteria. We identified descriptive themes and the conceptual elements explaining the health professionals' and students' experience using reflective writing during their academic and in-service training by performing a meta-synthesis.ResultsWe identified four main categories (and related sub-categories) through the meta-synthesis: reflection and reflexivity, accomplishing learning potential, building a philosophical and empathic approach, and identifying reflective writing feasibility. We placed the main categories into an interpretative model which explains the users' experiences of reflective writing during their education and training. Reflective writing triggered reflection and reflexivity that allows, on the one hand, skills development, professional growth, and the ability to act on change; on the other hand, the acquisition of empathic attitudes and sensitivity towards one's own and others' emotions. Perceived barriers and impeding factors and facilitating ones, like timing and strategies for using reflective writing, were also identified.ConclusionsThe use of this learning methodology is crucial today because of the recognition of the increasing complexity of healthcare contexts requiring professionals to learn advanced skills beyond their clinical ones. Implementing reflective writing-based courses and training in university curricula and clinical contexts can benefit human and professional development.
| S-EPMC8299581 | biostudies-literature