Consolidating medical education in Sudan during war

Providing quality medical education in Sudan faces challenges due to armed conflicts. This short communication explores practical solutions for ensuring the continuity of medical education during the conflict in the Sudanese context. Methods: A comprehensive literature review covered relevant articles published from 1915 to 2023. Four major databases (PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, and Google Scholar) were searched using keywords related to medical education, war, armed conflict, and affected countries. Data synthesis identified common themes, challenges, and trends and suggested solutions for medical education in conflict zones. Case studies from Ukraine, Liberia, and Iraq were included for a comprehensive understanding. Results: Collaborative alliances among medical schools facilitate resource sharing and support. Engaging the Sudanese diaspora through virtual collaborations, mentorship programs, and faculty exchanges enhance educational experiences. Stable regions as educational hubs ensure uninterrupted academic progress for students from conflict-affected areas. Online and remote education, including asynchronous learning and social media platforms, overcome access barriers and fosters knowledge sharing. Ambulatory teaching provides practical experience and adaptability. Prioritizing faculty well-being and professional development through training and support is crucial. Emphasizing resilience and adaptability in student education prepare them for healthcare delivery in resource-limited settings. Research and innovation contribute to evidence-based strategies. International collaboration and support offer opportunities for knowledge exchange and infrastructure improvement. Conclusion: Implementing collaborative strategies and innovative approaches helps Sudanese medical schools overcome challenges during armed conflicts and maintain quality medical education. These solutions empower students and faculty, enhance resilience, and contribute to improving healthcare systems in post-war Sudan.

Utilization of YouTube and Twitter as source of information for research by medical students at Usmanu Danfodiyo University, Sokoto

YouTube and Twitter have been used as a social media handles for a number of purposes; however, using same tools for research purposes among undergraduate medical students is the major reason for this study. The study investigated the utilization of YouTube and Twitter as sources of information among undergraduate's medical students in Usmanu Danfodiyo University, Sokoto (UDUS),Nigeria. Descriptive survey was used with the population of 65,469 medicals students drawn from three (3) faculties' namely, Health sciences, Medical sciences and Laboratory sciences. A sample size of 398 undergraduates was drawn using Slovene's formula. Questionnaire was used as a data collection instrument and distributed to 398 undergraduate medical students, out of which a total of 379 copies was returned and used for analysis. Data collected were analyzed with the use of Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS). It was found that medical students in UDUS make use of YouTube and Twitter to a great extent and they use it majorly for academic purposes. Furthermore, information overload, epileptic power supply and Spam and false news media platforms werefound to be the most prominent challenges faced by medical students in UDUS using YouTube and Twitter as sources of information for research. The recommendations proffered include: lecturers should ensure that they engage the students in tasks that can require them to visit and search for academic information on YouTube and Twitter among others.

Gender-based violence in a rural Nigerian community during the COVID-19 era: a call for policy action

Introduction: gender-based violence (GBV) is a global pandemic which is deeply rooted in culture, hence the need to contextually understand its occurrence and patterns in rural settings. The objective of this study assessed respondents´ attitude, prevalence, the perceived risk factors, patterns and predictors of GBV in Ife-Odan, Osun State, Nigeria. Methods: cross-sectional study design was used and multi-stage sampling method employed to recruit 450 consenting adults. A pretested interviewer-administered, semistructured questionnaire was used for data collection. Both descriptive and inferential statistics were carried out. Results: mean age (±SD) of the respondents was 30.73±7.0, 58.7% of them were females and 88.0% had negative attitude to GBV. Prevalence of any form of GBV was 16.2%. Predominant GBV types included intimate partner violence (IPV) (58.3%), female genital mutilation (FGM) (31.1%), Sexual violence (6.9%) and incest (3.4%). Perceived risk factors of GBV included cultural acceptance, substance abuse, lack of punishments for GBV offenders, indecent female dressing styles, social media influences, effects of COVID-19 lockdown and male dominance. However, gender (AOR=7.82; 95%CI=2.35-8.17), marital status (AOR=3.23;95%CI=1.82-3.78), religion (AOR=5.02;95%CI=1.78-9.63) and attitude (AOR=4.23; 95%CI=2.267-5.82) were the significant predictors of past GBV experiences in the study setting. Conclusion: gender-based violence (GBV) is prevalent in the study setting, with IPV being the most common. There is need for policymakers to focus on cultural transformation by designing a robust awareness campaign against GBV in rural Nigerian communities. Traditional and religious leaders should be sensitized and involved in the campaign programs using all available channels of communication. Laws prohibiting perpetration of GBV need to be fully implemented.

Using signalling theory to assess the Government of Ghana's risk communication during the COVID-19 pandemic

Background: The proliferation of information through social media and on other communication networks during the corona virus disease 2019 (COVID-19) era altered information transfer in many countries. The content of the messages from government officials, media coverage and alternative narratives, affected the level of compliance in adhering to the various health protocols amongst the public. Aim: This article aimed to determine the relationship between the message used, media coverage, alternative narratives, the public's attitude towards staying at home and their commitment to stay at home during the COVID-19 pandemic campaign period in Ghana. Setting: A total of 352 respondents was sampled from the Kumasi metropolis. Methods: A survey sample strategy and a convenience sampling technique were used while structural equation modelling with Partial least square (PLS) version 3.0 was used for the analysis. Results: The study revealed that the nature of media coverage employed and the alternative narratives had a significant positive effect on the attitude of the respondents, whilst the content of the message had insignificant effects on the attitude of the public. Finally, the attitude of the people had a significant positive influence on their respective commitment to stay home. Conclusion: Developing countries in Africa need to fight pandemics using purely subsidised health officials or directorates rather than have government-appointed health experts and officials spearheading activities during a pandemic.

Is social media promoting covid-19 vaccine uptake? A case of hausa language youtube videos

The importance of social media in spreading health information, COVID-19 inclusive cannot be over emphasized and YouTube as one of the social media platforms is the most popular video-sharing platform widely. Studies in other languages showed that, videos on YouTube spread misinformation about COVID-19 vaccine. Objective: To assess the nature of information in Hausa language YouTube videos on COVID-19 vaccine uptake.Materials and Methods: This was a cross-sectional descriptive study of Hausa language YouTube videos on COVID-19 vaccine uptake. A filtered search was conducted on YouTube on 19th September, 2021 using the Hausa words for Coronavirus Vaccine as search terms. The words used were "Allurar Rigakafin Coronavirus" and "Rigakafin coronavirus". Fifty-five videos were included, YouTube video information were collected and video source and video metrics categorization were also collected. The videos were assessed to determine if they were pro-vaccination and for content, by extracting data based on information on COVID-19 vaccination contained in the videos using a predesigned proforma. Data analysis was done using Microsoft Excel 2016 and SPSS version 20. Results: About 65% of the videos had views of 0-100 with no dislike and were uploaded in the last 6 months. Only about onethird (36.4%) of the videos were pro-vaccination. Factual information on COVID-19 vaccine and information on vaccine safety, efficacy, side effects and dangers of vaccine rejection were contained in 36.4% or less of the videos. Outright misinformation was contained in as much as 25.5% of the videos. Conclusion: Most of the Hausa language YouTube videos on COVID-19 vaccine uptake were not pro-vaccination, they were not sufficiently informative on COVID-19 and some contained misinformation. Such videos with questionable content should be deleted from YouTube to forestall misleading the populace

Benefits, disadvantages and challenges of virtual conferencing in the COVID-19 era: Adjusting to the new normal

Objective: The COVID-19 pandemic has had tremendous effect on the medical and scientific community. Measures instituted to curb the spread of the disease such as physical distancing and ban on large gatherings have significantly altered conferencing activities of medical professional associations. With no end in sight to the pandemic, it is certain that medical professional associations may have to make do with purely virtual or hybrid conferencing for some time to come. The objective of this paper is to highlight the benefits, disadvantages and challenges of virtual conferencing Methods: We searched Pubmed, Embase, Scopus, and AJOL databases from January 1, 2021 to December 31, 2021 for publications describing the benefits, disadvantages and challenges of virtual conferencing during the pandemic. This, together with authors' experience formed the resource base for this work. Conclusion: We propose ways the scientific community in Nigeria can maximize the virtual conferencing while the pandemic lasts. We also advocate increased discussion about how to improve the virtual conferencing culture and the development of guidelines for purely virtual or hybrid scientific conferences

Objectif de l'étude: La pandémie de COVID-19 a eu un effet considérable sur la communauté médicale et scientifique. Les mesures instituées pour freiner la propagation de la maladie, telles que l'éloignement physique et l'interdiction des grands rassemblements, ont considérablement modifié les activités de conférence des associations professionnelles médicales. Sans fin en vue de la pandémie, il est certain que les associations professionnelles médicales devront se contenter de conférences purement virtuelles ou hybrides pendant un certain temps encore. L'objectif de cet article est de mettre en évidence les avantages, les inconvénients et les défis de la conférence virtuelle. Méthodes de l'étude : Nous avons effectué des recherches dans les bases de données Pubmed, Embase, Scopus et AJOL du 1er janvier 2021 au 31 décembre 2021 pour trouver des publications décrivant les avantages, les inconvénients et les défis des conférences virtuelles pendant la pandémie. Ceci, combiné à l'expérience des auteurs, a constitué la base de ressources pour ce travail. Conclusion : Nous proposons des moyens pour que la communauté scientifique du Nigéria puisse maximiser les conférences virtuelles pendant la durée de la pandémie. Nous préconisons également une discussion accrue sur la manière d'améliorer la culture des conférences virtuelles et l'élaboration de lignes directrices pour les conférences scientifiques purement virtuelles ou hybrides

Perceived causes of change in Nigerian adolescent sexual risk behaviour ­ Results from semi-structured mobile instant messaging interviews

The study explores the perceived causes of change in sexual risk behaviour among Nigerian adolescents over the past years. By embedding the results into a theoretical context, the study aims to further develop interventions targeting adolescent sexual health. To do so, 23 semi-structured interviews are conducted through the mobile-instant-messaging tool WhatsApp. The interview sample consists of both female and male adolescents and adults from different regions in Nigeria. The interviews are conducted as simultaneous chats and analysed based on the qualitative content analysis approach. Respondents perceive a multitude of different factors as causes of change in sexual risk behaviour among Nigerian adolescents. They can be categorised into (1) individual actors, (2) structural factors, and (3) socio-cultural factors. Interrelations between the different factors can partly be observed. The other factors are mostly modifiable and can therefore contribute to reducing adolescent SRB.

Students' prior knowledge and skills in computer and internet use: An exploration of incoming first year undergraduate health sciences students at Gulu University, Uganda

Internet has provided infrastructure that enables access to a variety of information resources for use by medical students at Gulu University in Northern Uganda. However, little attention has been put to explore prior internet knowledge of undergraduate medical students in Uganda. Cross-sectional research design was used. Fifty-six first year undergraduate health sciences students participated in the study. Self-administered structured questionnaire was used for data collection and analysis was done using SPSS version 16. Results shows that a majority of the participants had prior knowledge of computer 48 (86.0%) and internet 44 (79.0%). 38 (68.0%) participants had access to internet and 34 (61.0%) owned computer before joining the University. Majority owned mobile phones 41 (73.0%) and used it for internet access 43 (84.0%). Use of internet was high in social media 46 (86.8) and searching general information 44 (84.6%). Participants expected easy access to teaching materials 52 (94.5%) and communication 49 (90.7%) via internet. These findings suggest need for healthcare librarians to train incoming medical students on use of ICTs; including social media platforms and mobile phones to improve their ICT literacy skills to enable them access the best academic information resources to enhance medical education.

Occupational therapy students' use of social media for professional practice

Background. The use of social media for professional practice is an emerging trend for healthcare professionals; however, limited literature exists on the phenomenon. Social media usage is prevalent among students, as it is incorporated into many health professions education curricula. This poses potential ethical dilemmas.Objective. To examine the nature of social media usage and knowledge of ethical considerations by occupational therapy (OT) students for professional purposes.Methods. A quantitative, cross-sectional survey was administered to the entire cohort of OT students (N=128) enrolled at the University of KwaZulu- Natal, Durban, South Africa in 2016. Data were analysed descriptively using Microsoft Excel 2013 (Microsoft, USA).Results. The most commonly used device to access social media was mobile phones, with WhatsApp and YouTube frequently used for both general and professional purposes. Uses included accessing social media for developing professional skills and knowledge, and in fulfilling academic requirements. Ethical dilemmas were evident among students, who indicated that social media ethical considerations should be incorporated into the curriculum.Conclusion. The study highlighted that most students use some form of social media as part of their professional practice, which has the potential to be used effectively to enhance learning opportunities. Future studies of a qualitative nature could shed light on students' perceptions of social media and practical implications for practice

#PlasticSurgery: an overview of the internet presence and utilisation of social media platforms by South African plastic surgeons

Background: Information about plastic surgery procedures is becoming more easily accessible everyday as the influence of social media expands rapidly. Plastic surgeons may use these platforms to advertise their practices and facilitate patient education. This study aimed to investigate the online presence of South African plastic surgeons with regard to personal practice websites and social media profiles. Methods: Plastic surgeons listed on the Association of Plastic, Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgeons of South Africa (APRASSA) website were searched for on the internet. Professional websites were examined for links to social media (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter). Personal profiles on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram were excluded.Results: The total number of South African plastic surgeons listed on the APRASSA website totaled 148 at the time of collation. Three surgeons (2%) had direct links to their personal website on the APRASSA listing. Sixty-four plastic surgeons (42.7%) had websites directly related to their plastic surgery practice. Of those, only 15 provided links to any form of social media. Twelve surgeons had links to a Facebook page (18.75%) pertaining to their practice. Eleven had links to a Twitter profile (17.8%), and only one had links to an Instagram account (1.6%).Conclusion: The role of social media in the plastic surgery community appears to have significant implications for the future of the specialty. Adoption of these platforms is necessary to maintain interaction with patients and colleagues in the digital age

The relationship between Nairobi adolescents' media use and their sexual beliefs and attitudes

Adolescents in sub-Saharan Africa are at risk for contracting HIV. Although media campaigns have educated the population as a whole, few studies are available about the time sub-Saharan African youth spend listening to and viewing sexual messages via the entertainment and informational media. The goals of this project were: 1) to investigate what programming Nairobi adolescents access; and 2) to investigate the association between frequency of access and level of focus on physical relationships with adolescents' perceptions of descriptive norms of peer sexual behaviour, and their attitudes regarding men as sex driven, women as sex objects, and dating as a sport. A total of 464 students from 6 Nairobi secondary schools were surveyed. When students' favourite musicians had a strong focus on physical relationships in their songs, those students estimated the prevalence of risky sexual behaviours among their peers higher. These students also endorsed gender stereotypical and casual attitudes about sex. Large amounts of time spend on the Internet was predictive of all sexual attitude variables. Students whose favourite TV programmes had a strong focus on physical relationships also estimated prevalence of peer sexual behaviour as high

Can Facebook® be used to administer a distance-learning module of evidence-based medicine? An observational study

Introduction: There is a small volume of published literature describing the use of social networking sites, such as Facebook®, in medical education. However where this literature is available, only poor outcome measures such as learner satisfaction have been measured.Objectives: The primary aim of this study was to create and measure the use of a novel distance-learning module on the practice of evidence based medicine (EBM). This programme was to be delivered using an established and free web-based social-networking site, Facebook®.Methods: A prospective observational study was performed. 31 postgraduate residents enrolled to participate in a module that was delivered by Facebook® over five simultaneous weeks. A standardised tool, the Columbia EBM Instrument, was used to measure outcome measures such as "comfort-level", "self-reported practice", and "knowledge" before and after the module. Results: 12 residents (40%) engaged with the Facebook® activities. The residents' knowledge of EBM did increase, though a quasiexperimental analysis revealed that this increase of knowledge could not be attributed to the Facebook® group.were aged 3 years and younger. Scalds were by far the commonest type of burn occurring in 93% of the patients. Partial thickness burns accounted for 91.7% of cases. The average length of hospital stay was 20.9 days and the mortality rate 16.7%. Total Body Surface Area (TBSA) burned greater than 25% and full thickness burns were associated with mortality.Conclusion: Residents did not engage with the Facebook® groups despite the feasibility of doing so being high. The results of this study should guide educators to use Facebook® with caution as students may not engage with the activities

Social Media in the Healthcare Context: Ethical Challenges and Recommendations

The popularity of social media has grown rapidly and healthcare practitioners and students commonly use sites such as Facebook. The ethical and professional implications and their benefits and hazards must be considered. Concerns include blurring of boundaries between an individual's public and professional lives; maintaining privacy and confidentiality of patient information; damaging the public image of the profession and inter-professional relationships. The same laws that apply to conduct in the real world also apply in cyberspace. Harmful or derogatory posts may result in a defamation lawsuit. The internet may also provide opportunities for patient education through peerreviewed websites and to build professional networks. Institutions should have policies on the uses of social media. Emerging technology will continue to change the landscape of social media and social networking and the way patients and practitioners use websites will continue to evolve. Practitioners should proactively manage digital identity by reviewing publicly available material and maintaining strict privacy settings about their information

Perceptions of Nursing Students Regarding Responsible Use of Social Media in the Eastern Cape

Background: Social media have become a popular communication system that has transformed communication from the traditional to the Web-based model. Because social media use has no limitations to place and time; it is now used extensively at clinical facilities. Social media useis becoming a popular activity amongst students at Nursing Education Institutions (NEI) in South Africa. However; lack of accountability and unethical use of social media by nursing students in South Africa has been reported. Objectives: The aim of the study was to explore and describe the perceptions of nursing students regarding responsible use of social media.Methods: A qualitative; descriptive; explorative and contextual research design was used to explore and describe the perceptions of nursing students regarding the responsible use of social media. Twelve nursing students registered for the undergraduate nursing degree were purposely selected and interviewed individually using a semi-structured interview method. Results: The results of this research study demonstrate that nursing students use social media irresponsibly. Nursing students experience blurred boundaries between personal and professional lines and lack accountability when using social media.Conclusion: The extensive use of social media in the clinical environment; by healthcare students; requires a joint effort by Nursing Education Institutions and healthcare facilities to ensure that social media are used in an ethically acceptable manner. The implementation of the recommendations of this research study could positively influence legally and ethically acceptable use of social media at healthcare facilities