Development and Evaluation of a Bariatric Mannequin Simulation System.

Weill Cornell Medical College of Cornell University

Context International topics in athletic training are gaining recognition. Particularly interesting are opportunities for athletic training students to gain international experiences and develop cultural competence through study abroad. However, little is known about current international experience opportunities for these students. Objective To identify international experience opportunities for athletic training students, investigate student and faculty participation, and describe characteristics of institutions and programs offering such experiences. Design Survey. Setting Online. Patients or Other Participants All directors of Commission on Accreditation of Athletic Training Education–accredited professional athletic training programs were recruited. The response rate was 41.9% (163/389). Data Collection and Analysis An e-mail soliciting participation was sent in January 2019. The online survey had 4 sections: (1) questions about athletic training–related international experiences, (2) questions about discipline-related international experiences, (3) questions about athletic training faculty or student participation, and (4) demographic questions about the program or institution. Data were analyzed descriptively. The characteristics of programs offering athletic training–related international experiences were compared with programs offering discipline-related international experiences using χ2 tests for degree level, institution type, and athletic division. Results Twenty-nine programs (17.8%) offered athletic training–related international experiences and 68 programs (41.7%) offered discipline-related experiences. Private universities were more likely to offer an athletic training–related experience, and public universities more likely to offer a discipline-related experience (χ2 = 4.197, df = 1, P = .04). There were no other differences between institution types, program degree levels, or athletic divisions (all P > .05). Some programs reported no recent athletic training student (44%) or athletic training faculty (58%) participation in any international experience. Conclusions A minority of programs currently offer either athletic training–related or discipline-related international experiences. Characteristics of available programs vary widely. To keep pace with professional globalization, future work should identify ways to develop international experiences.

University of Missouri—Kansas City School of Medicine

There are about 1 in 20 Malaysians who are carriers of the thalassemia gene and the prevalence of this disease in Malaysia is 6-10 percent. This study was conducted to assess knowledge, awareness and participation of medical and non-medical students in the Malaysia National Thalassemia Prevention Programme. The design of the study was a cross-sectional study. A total of 300 questionnaires were distributed to selected students from the university. The collected data was analysed using SPSS version 20.0. Data analysis revealed a highly significant difference in total knowledge between medical students and non-medical students and the thalassemia awareness also showed significant statistical association between medical and non-medical students. In conclusion, medical students have better knowledge, awareness and screening rate of thalassemia.

Vaccination is a proven tool for fighting infectious diseases. With the development of the pandemic, the relevance of vaccination prevention has significantly increased, and therefore the importance of considering aspects of vaccination among various population groups has increased. Of particular importance is the commitment to vaccination of medical university students, as future doctors on the one hand, and young mothers on the other. P u r p o s e – identification of the peculiarities of adherence to vaccination of students of a separate medical university and young mothers of a certain territory to optimize the popularization of vaccination prevention. M a t e r i a l s a n d m e t h o d s . A comparative study of vaccination adherence of 167 medical university students (average age 22,3±0,79 years) and 200 mothers aged 19 to 30 years (average age 23,5±5,1 years) living in Smolensk was planned and conducted. In the course of the study, statistical, analytical methods, and open online questionnaires were used. R e s a l t s . The analysis of the results of the survey of young mothers and medical students indicates a generally positive attitude towards vaccination, the importance of which is understood by more than half of the respondents. Respondents of both groups are actively interested in the topic of vaccination prevention and would like to receive more information on this issue. The main source of information about vaccination in both young mothers and medical students are medical professionals. The majority of respondents of both sexes will vaccinate their children within the framework of the National Calendar of Preventive Vaccinations. F i n d i n g s . It is necessary to strengthen the formation of commitment to vaccine prevention among medical students and young mothers. This can be done by making changes in the educational structure; conducting webinars, seminars, conferences on immunoprophylaxis; development of informational materials for the population on vaccine prevention in the form of models, posters with the participation of students. It will be advisable to involve volunteers – medical students to speak to parents and peers on vaccination, as well as strengthening health education work among the population and talking to parents about the possible consequences of lack of vaccination.

Purpose: In most medical faculties in Iraq, scientific research is introduced late in the curriculum. Studies exhibit that the scientific engagement of medical college students can be fostered through the early introduction of the project-based learning (PtBL) strategy in the medical curriculum. To be started, PtBL approach in this study considers gestational diabetes and gestational hypertension as research areas. However, the medical education literature does not show the short-term and intermediate-term outcomes of PtBL, including those related to research projects findings. Aims and objectives: The project aimed to explore the short and intermediate-term outcomes of the PtBL approach in improving the academic knowledge and skills of medical students at the College of Medicine, University of Kerbala to aid achieving institutional mission. Methods: A mixed-method study was designed to assess the short and intermediate-term outcomes of PtBL in medical education. The project started after assessing stakeholders' needs. This was done by analyzing a needs assessment form which was answered by 83 persons, including students, faculty members, and other health care providers. The approval to conduct the project was obtained from the review board of the College of Medicine, University of Kerbala. A four-month PtBL course was designed which was endorsed by the institute's curriculum committee. Twenty five year- four medical students and ten faculty members as course facilitators were included in the study. Five research teams were developed, and two faculty members supervised each team. Participation was voluntary, and informed consent was obtained from each participant. The research projects were designed to engage students in the screening of gestational diabetes and gestational hypertension. The project outcomes were assessed through post-tests, mini CEX, semi-structured feedback questionnaires, and focus group discussions. Quantitative data were statistically analyzed using SPSS, and the qualitative data were analyzed by thematic (content) analysis. Results: Most participants, 24 out of 25 students (98%) and all the faculty participants, expressed satisfaction with the contents and delivery of the course innovation. Ninety percent of the students reported significant improvement in their conceptual background and clinical and research-based skills. Although not statistically significant, students also reported improved teamwork, interpersonal and communication skills. In addition, the faculty members reported improvement in students' scientific engagement. Notably, all faculty recommended introducing PtBL in other areas of the medical curriculum. Conclusion: The initial results indicate that community research PtBL approach is an effective method to improve scientific engagement and active learning in medical students. Teams’ research results are being followed up to be harvested and analyzed to prove the longer term community health-related outcomes of this study. Carefully designed projects involving medical students can economically and effectively address public health problems. Therefore, medical educators might consider introducing a PtBL approach associated with discrete public health research goals early in the medical curriculum. Keywords Project-based learning; Students' engagement, Curriculum Innovation .

PurposeWe aimed to study the impact of a combined faculty-student book club on education and medical practice as a part of the informal curriculum at the University of Florida College of Medicine in the United States.MethodsSixteen medical students and 7 faculties who participated in the book club were interviewed through phone and recorded. The interview was then transcribed and entered into the qualitative data analysis program QSR NVivo (QSR International, Burlington, MA, USA). The transcripts were reviewed, and thematic codes were developed inductively through collaborative iteration. Based on these preliminary codes, a coding dictionary was developed and applied to all interviews within QSR Nvivo to identify themes.ResultsFour main themes were identified from interviews: The first theme, the importance of literature to the development and maintenance of empathy and perspective-taking, and the second theme, the importance of the book club in promoting mentorship, personal relationships and professional development, were important to both student and faculty participants. The third and fourth themes, the need for the book club as a tool for self-care and the book club serving as a reminder about the world outside of school were discussed by student book club members.ConclusionOur study demonstrated that an informal book club has a significant positive impact on self-care, perspective-taking, empathy, and developing a “world outside of school” for medical school students and faculty in the United States. It also helps to foster meaningful relationships between students and faculty.

Presentation and demonstration of instant student feedback system in improving student participation and learning in pathology in fourth year medical students

Purpose: This study was performed to compare the characteristics and perceptions of medical school students and professional graduate medical school students. Methods: Study subjects were 131 medical students from a national university and 113 appli- cants of a professional graduate medical school. We developed a self-reported questionnaire ask- ing about socio-demographic characteristics; the level of satisfaction of educational environment; perception of missions of medical education and career plan and student activities during school. Results: Students from the professional graduate medical school were significantly different from medical students in socio-demographic characteristics. They also showed higher satisfaction with their education, were more supportive of student union activities and were more anxious about economic and health problems than medical students. However, there was no difference between the two groups regarding perception of missions of medical education and career plan after graduation. Conclusion: Based on the above results, it is necessary to consider the characteristics and per- ceptions of professional graduate medical students when developing educational policies for these older students. The limitation of this study includes a restricted sample, and generalization of re- sults should be done carefully. Thus, more extensive, wide-ranging studies would be useful.

Want to Promote Long-Term Care? Consider Teaching It

ObjectiveThis article explores the value of hosting a grassroots neuroscience workshop that facilitates near-peer engagement between year-one medical students and local Brain Bee finalists (high school students). Near-peer mentoring is a formal relationship in which more academically advanced students guide immediate junior students. We hypothesized that similar activities have teaching, learning, and psychosocial benefits for all and can be easily replicated.ActivityThe Grenada National Brain Bee Challenge was launched in 2009 as a competition for high school students. Annually, there are at least 100 high school students registering to participate in the national challenge. In 2018, a grassroots neuroscience symposium, a local initiative, was created to prepare high school students who participated in the preliminary rounds for the final local and International Brain Bee competition. Traditionally, it is hosted annually by faculty at St. George's University School of Medicine (SOM). However, in 2022, the symposium was hosted by medical students. The symposium is designed as an eight-hour tutorial one-day session. The students rotate between facilitators as small group teams during each teaching hour. There are icebreakers, content presentations, and neuroanatomy skills stations. The medical students demonstrate expertise in neuroscience content and other aspects of professional competence. The activity was also designed to offer students of diversified backgrounds the opportunity to affect their educational pathways through role modeling, mirroring, and mentorship. Was this change beneficial to both sets of students (medical and high school)?Results and discussionWe aim to determine the value of the near-peer relationship between the local 2022 Brain Bee finalists (high school students) (n=28) and university (medical) students (n=11). Participants were surveyed about their experience. Data were de-identified and grouped according to common themes. A thematic analysis was conducted on the data retrieved from the literature review. Data suggest that both high school and university (medical) students report benefits after participating in near-peer engagement at a grassroots neuroscience symposium. In this teaching model, the medical students are the more experienced instructors and transfer their knowledge and skills about the field to the high school students. The medical students have an opportunity to consolidate their personal learning and give back to the Grenadian community. While informal teaching occurs often, this type of near-peer engagement with students from the community helps medical students develop both personal and professional skills such as confidence, knowledge, and respect. This grassroots initiative is easily replicated in a medical curriculum. The major benefits experienced by the high school student participants (of various socioeconomic backgrounds) were access to educational resources. The symposium requires active engagement, fosters a sense of belonging, and promotes interest in pursuing careers in health, research, academia, and Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM).ConclusionParticipating high school students of various genders and socioeconomic backgrounds gained equal access to educational resources and may select careers in health-related sciences. Participating medical students developed knowledge and teaching skills and engaged in a service-learning opportunity.

BackgroundThe nature of student learning in problem-based learning (PBL) largely depends on the quality of the case scenarios presented to them. The effect of case scenarios with higher challenge degree, especially common disease with atypical symptoms (CDAS)- and rare disease (RD)-based case scenarios, on undergraduate medical students remains unclear. This study compared the impact of all scenarios pertaining to common disease with typical symptoms (CDTS) case scenarios, CDTS interspersed with CDAS case scenarios, and CDTS interspersed with RD case scenarios on perceptions of undergraduate students studying organ/system integration curriculum via PBL.MethodsAfter finishing four CDTS case scenarios, 294 third-year medical students were randomly allocated into three groups: CDTS, CDAS and RD, studying via CDTS, CDAS and RD case scenarios, respectively. A questionnaire with 15 items was conducted to evaluate the students’ perceptions. The students’ responses were scored using a 4-point rating scale. The data were analysed using the Kruskal–Wallis test.ResultsAmong the three PBL conditions, the ones with a higher degree of challenge were rated higher by the students, which included the quality of the case scenarios and the overall performances of the students. The CDAS and RD cases were more effective in developing students’ self-directed learning skills, stimulating them to acquire more knowledge required for future work. The satisfaction percentage of RD case scenario sessions was higher.ConclusionsOf all the three kinds of case scenarios, both CDTS interspersed with CDAS and RD case scenarios had more positive effects on the self-evaluated performance of students. Increasing the challenge and variety of case scenarios by the inclusion of CDAS and RD especially RD might be an effective stimulus in improving students’ performance in PBL sessions.

Background: Self-medication is quite a prevalent public health problem. It can cause serious harm to the person, like adverse drug reactions, toxicity, drug resistance, incomplete cure, drug dependence, etc. Self-medication is associated with incorrect self-diagnosis and inadequate treatment, which can result in disease progression and complications. The primary purpose of this study was to assess the knowledge, attitude, and pattern of self-medication practice among undergraduate medical and pharmacy students. Methodology: A questionnaire-based cross-sectional study was conducted in the College of Medicine and College of Pharmacy. The pre-tested, structured questionnaire was used. All medical and pharmacy students were invited to participate in the study by filling in an online study questionnaire. The study questionnaire consists of three parts. The first part includes personal and health status. The second part is related to the past year’s most frequent conditions participants had self-medication. Participants were also asked about their self-medication knowledge and perception. An electronic survey link was sent out via email. Statistical analysis was performed in SPSS 25 software. Results: Self-Medication is more prevalent among medical students (70.59 %) than among pharmacy students (62.3%). The most important condition was a cough, 83% among medical students and 67% of pharmacy students, and a sore throat, 47.1% of medical students and 44.2% of pharmacy students. The most frequent medication used among medical and pharmacy students was analgesic (paracetamol and NSAIDS). Antibiotics (41% medical and 33% pharmacy students) and Vitamin supplements were next utilized. Pharmacy students used more supplements than medical Students (33.8 percent pharmacy versus 13% medical) Conclusion: Self-medication has been found to be very common among medical and pharmacy students in Oman. The student-ts need to be educated about the harms of self-medication and the responsible use of medicine.

<sec> <title>BACKGROUND</title> University education for physicians and midwives in sexual and reproductive health (SRH), particularly regarding abortion, is shaped by broader societal debates, which are often polarized. Teaching at faith-based universities might limit the scope and quality of SRH education. The study is contextualized within Chile’s shifting legal and social landscape following the landmark 2017 reform under President Michelle Bachelet. This reform partially lifted Chile’s absolute ban on abortion, permitting it under 3 circumstances: risk to the mother’s life, fatal fetal anomaly, and a pregnancy resulting from rape. The protocol presented here intends to examine how the enacted legislation plays out in the curricula and how abortion is taught in secular and faith-based universities, which often take conflicting stances on abortion. </sec> <sec> <title>OBJECTIVE</title> This study aims to improve our understanding of how SRH, particularly abortion, is being approached by both students and faculty of medicine and midwifery in Chile. Specifically, it provides comparative evidence on attitudes, perceptions, and experiences related to abortion among medical and midwifery students and faculty in Chile. </sec> <sec> <title>METHODS</title> The study uses a cross-sectional and mixed methods design, with the participation of students and faculty within Chilean medical and midwifery programs. An interdisciplinary team developed and validated 2 instruments through an iterative process: a quantitative survey for undergraduate students to assess knowledge, attitudes, and competencies regarding abortion, and a semistructured interview guide for faculty to explore curricular decision-making. The instruments underwent expert content validation and pilot testing to ensure relevance to the local legal and educational context. Quantitative data will be analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics, while qualitative findings will undergo thematic analysis to triangulate the current state of abortion training. </sec> <sec> <title>RESULTS</title> The funding for this study was awarded by the Diego Portales University (CG 1110689019), November 2022. Data collection for both the quantitative and qualitative components was completed as of July 2025. Recruitment finalized with 2795 students for the online survey and 57 faculty members for the semistructured interviews. Data analysis is in progress, and we expect to publish the findings from June 2026 onwards. </sec> <sec> <title>CONCLUSIONS</title> This protocol examines the intersection of law, education, and public health by evaluating abortion training for Chilean medical and midwifery students. Transcending ideological debates to prioritize professional competency and health equity, the findings will guide educators and policymakers in preparing technically and ethically competent health care professionals. </sec> <sec> <title>CLINICALTRIAL</title> <p/> </sec> <sec> <title>INTERNATIONAL REGISTERED REPORT</title> DERR1-10.2196/81427 </sec>

Trust, authority and credibility in the digital environment have attracted the interest of many researchers in the recent years. Reliable and credible information are key factors for making numerous decisions in our everyday lives, from making political choices to choosing a healthy lifestyle. Various health-related narratives are present in the public sphere. Health advice and recommendations on vaccination, antibiotics, nutrition, exercise and numerous other topics are provided by different sources, scientific community, healthcare professionals, media, lay people, patients, social networks, etc. It was the infodemic associated with the coronavirus pandemic that again brought to the forefront the importance of reliable and credible health information and health information literacy in this complex digital environment. In such fragmented information ecosystem, characterized by the post-truth era, where misinformation and fake news spread by uninformed individuals or advocates of various conspiracy theories are considered equivalent to reliable scientific information, individuals have to choose whom to trust, based on their critical capacities and competencies, in order to make health decisions for themselves and their families. The young people of today, especially those born after the year 2000, represent the generation of digital natives, who grew up and spent their entire lives surrounded by digital technologies that have become an integral part of their lives. They think and process information differently than their predecessors. Most of them use the Internet as their primary source for accessing information, most often through smartphones, spend the vast majority of time online, increasingly use social networks for private and professional purposes, but at the same time have difficulty assessing the reliability of online information. The way they assess trust in digital information is different from the way they question information credibility in traditional media. Given that trust and credibility of information strongly influence the effect of information message itself, which, in extraordinary circumstances and public health crisis such as the coronavirus pandemic, is of vital importance for the lives of people, it is very important to understand how users decide whom to trust. Health information literacy is a multidimensional and dynamic concept that incorporates social, cognitive, economic, and personal skills to search, understand, and use health information in order to improve and maintain good health. The evaluation of online health information, i.e. its reliability and credibility, plays a significant role in the process of health behavior change. Research to date has not reached a consensus on unique framework for understanding the process of building user confidence in online health information. The focus of this doctoral dissertation are theoretical and analytical challenges of health information literacy as a multidimensional and dynamic concept, particularly in understanding the process of creating trust in online health information. By examining the attitudes and opinions of medical students about the evaluation of online health information we aimed to determine factors that influence the assessment of health information quality and credibility. The main research objective is to examine the element of information appraisal in the concept of health information literacy and to determine the processes of creating trust in health information in an online environment. The specific research objectives are as follows: 1. to identify factors and techniques for assessing the quality, reliability and credibility of online health information; 2. to determine the elements of cognitive heuristics for assessing the reliability of online health information; 3. to determine the impact of infodemic during a healthcare crisis on online health information trust issues; 4. to examine methods for assessing the quality and reliability of user-generated online health information; 5. to investigate medical students' attitudes and knowledge of the concepts and tools for assessing health information literacy. Our research aimed to determine common elements of information appraisal in the concept of health information literacy and related concepts dealing with online health information (health literacy, information literacy, media literacy, digital literacy, etc.). The research was performed using multiple methods conducted in three phases: 1. literature review and comparative analysis of selected tools and instruments for assessment of health information literacy and related concepts; 2. a survey questionnaire that examined the attitudes and opinions of medical students of the University of Zagreb School of Medicine regarding online health information appraisal, and 3. semi-structured interviews with a smaller subgroup of respondents in order to build on the findings from the survey questionnaire related to the determination of factors that influence trust in online health information, i.e. assessment of their quality and credibility. The results of our research demonstrated that medical students have the knowledge, skills and techniques necessary to assess the quality, reliability and credibility of online health information. Although medical students generally considered Internet to be a questionable source for health information, the majority reported that they always use online search engines as the first step when searching for health topics, regardless of their purpose (general interest, academic assignment, or personal or health problem among family and friends, etc.). Medical students consider the following analytical criteria when assessing the credibility of online health information: trustworthiness, completeness, objectivity and comprehensiveness of information, referencing other data sources and author disclosure. Apart from analytical criteria, medical students also use cognitive heuristics when assessing the reliability of online health information, especially user-generated content that is published and shared via social networks. Students also emphasized the importance of critical thinking, factual analysis, information verification on multiple sources, determination of source credentials as well as sharing information with family members, friends, colleagues, physicians and university professors who they consider as cognitive authorities in health communication. Research results indicate an overall positive relationship between perceived health information literacy of medical students, their ability to evaluate online health information and trust in the Internet as a source of health information. Students with high self-perceived level of e-health literacy more often use websites of government institutions and professional medical associations than other sources for online health information. Our research also revealed that the degree of trust that medical students have in online sources of information affects their behavior when searching and evaluating online health information. In healthcare crisis situations, medical students apply additional evaluation criteria for usergenerated health information on social media. In general, medical students expressed mistrust towards social networks, especially as a source of credible health information in the context of an infodemic. Although the majority of students use social networks only passively, they also believe that social networks present a platform that has the potential, if used appropriately, to convey reliable information and improve health information literacy. Students also stressed that, during infodemic, strategic crisis communication skills should be applied for proactive dissemination of credible, factual and scientific evidence in order to contribute to a faster and more efficient containment of the spread of misinformation and fake news on social media. The results of our research have shown that online health information should be comprehensive, accurate, evidence-based, objective and up-to-date in order to convey a quality health message. According to medical students, quality of information, source credibility, comprehensibility and readability, as well as verification of information in evidence-based sources are main predictors of trust in online health information. Understanding which health channels and sources are considered most reliable among different user groups can help health professionals reach at-risk patients in order to communicate health messages more successfully and implement interventions aimed at strengthening skills that are important for health information appraisal. By analyzing medical students` attitudes and opinions about credibility of online health information, we explored ways to promote critical thinking in the digital environment in order to empower individuals to make decisions in their everyday life based on verified and credible sources of information. Placing greater emphasis on lifelong learning about health, and formal and informal health information literacy education, enables greater autonomy and empowerment of individuals, and can be viewed as part of personal development towards an improved quality of life. Health information literacy increases individual and community resistance to harmful and misleading information and reduces the impact of the infodemic on human health. Improving health information literacy among population requires joint action and cooperation between stakeholders and policymakers (government authorities, media, scientific, educational and health institutions, healthcare professionals, scientists, researchers, librarians and others). Health information literacy is an important competence of every individual, but its implications for society are much broader. They include personal and social responsibility of individuals and taking ethical actions for the benefit of the community. A modern democratic society implies engaged citizens who autonomously reflect on political, ethical and social challenges in everyday life. Empowerment in health and social care, achieved by developing critical competencies, helps in distancing oneself from various social pressures, making independent informed decisions and taking responsibility for one's own health. Croatia, unlike most other European countries, still does not have an official strategy or action plan for developing and improving health information literacy among its population. Our research results point out the importance of including health information literacy in the national health policy and education strategy, with particular emphasis on developing critical thinking skills and competencies in evidence-based approach to online health information appraisal. The results of this research contribute to the conceptual linking of theoretical constructs on information appraisal and critical theories from information and communication sciences with constructs from the field of public health. The mentioned approach resulted in unifying the narratives of different domains, and synthesizing separate theoretical frameworks, namely health information and related literacies, which adds to the value of this research. The results of this research serve as a basis for defining skills for critical appraisal of online health information in order to increase the level of health information literacy and development of tools for evaluating the reliability of online health information. On the applicative level, this doctoral dissertation provides recommendations for communication of reliable online health information from the current infodemic perspective, in planning public health activities and interventions in the future.