Psychological well-being, stressors, coping strategies and support of undergraduate healthcare students amid COVID-19

Background: Students function better academically when psychologically well. The COVID-19 pandemic proved a new challenge to the mental wellness of undergraduate healthcare students. Students were not only faced with academic changes but also had to complete clinical practice in healthcare facilities amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Aim: This study investigated the psychological well-being, stressors, coping strategies and support of undergraduate healthcare students amid COVID-19. Setting: A South African university's faculty of health sciences. Methods: A survey design through a cross-sectional descriptive approach was used to collect data from the population of 1529 undergraduate healthcare students. One hundred and ninety-six (n = 196) students responded to the online survey. Results: Participants reported a variety of stressors influencing their psychological well-being. Participants chose mostly adaptive coping strategies to deal with stressors. They gave feedback on the support they received from the faculty and institution. Most of the participants indicated they prefer weekly online communication from the higher education institution. Conclusion: The COVID-19 pandemic influenced the psychological well-being of undergraduate healthcare students. The psychological well-being of these students is a collective responsibility between students and higher education institutions to enable academic success and positive patient outcomes. Contribution: This study found that undergraduate healthcare students had academic, psychological, financial and other stressors during the COVID-19 pandemic. Higher education institutions, especially those involved in training undergraduate healthcare professionals, in collaboration with students, need to provide students with targeted continued support and training to use healthy coping behaviours to manage various stressors.

Discussion Points for Developing Support System for Inclusion of Healthcare Students with Disabilities / 医学教育

The number of students with disabilities is increasing in healthcare and other fields. However, support systems have yet to progress, and faculty and staff often find it difficult in the field. About 10% of medical students in the United States report that they have a disability, and reasonable accommodation is provided in didactic, lab, and clinical setting. The government and others have indicated support policies for students with disabilities, and a large-scale survey of healthcare providers with disabilities has been conducted, and the issues have been clarified. This section introduces specific examples of support and reasonable accommodation for students with disabilities overseas. It is thought that the training of students with disabilities and their employment will facilitate diversity among healthcare professionals and improve the quality of healthcare. There is an urgent need to understand the overall picture of healthcare students with disabilities in Japan and to develop support systems for their inclusion.

Colonization of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus among healthcare students: an integrative review

ABSTRACT BACKGROUND: Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infection is a worldwide concern given its presence even in non-hospitalized healthy individuals, such as university students. OBJECTIVE: To identify in the literature the prevalence of colonization by MRSA among healthcare students. DESIGN AND SETTING: Integrative review of the literature conducted in Universidade Federal do Piauí. METHOD: A search for primary studies was performed in the following databases: Medical Literature Analysis and Retrieval System on-line; Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature; Web of Science; Scopus; and LILACS. RESULTS: This review included 27 studies that demonstrated MRSA infection prevalence ranging from 0.0 to 15.3% among students. CONCLUSION: The prevalence of colonization of MRSA among healthcare students is high, and the nasal cavity was cited as an important reservoir location for these microorganisms.

Medication Errors Identification Rates by Healthcare Students

Introduction:Medication errors caused devastating consequences affecting both the healthcare system and the patient’s trust. Junior doctors, pharmacists, and nurses are prone to make these mistakes. Thus, this study served a purpose to evaluate the pharmacological knowledge of the healthcare students (HCSs) i.e. pharmacy, medical, and nursing studentsthroughdetecting errors in the prescriptions, as this will reflect their performance once they come in real practice.Methodology:A cross-sectional, descriptive study was conducted using a validated research tool consisting ofdemographics attributes (gender, race, duration of pre-university and age) as well as three prescriptions. The research tool was distributed to final year HCSs. Demographic data of the respondents were required to investigate the contributing factors in medication errors’ identification. Data obtained were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics by using SPSS ver. 22.Results: 197 students responded to this study. Findings show that pharmacy students yield high percentages compared to medical and nursing students in identifying errors in the prescriptions. 91.1% of pharmacy students were successful in recognizing the errors in prescription 1, 55.0% in prescription 2 whereas 96.2% in prescription 3. There wasa significantassociation betweenthe age of the respondents and their ability in identifying the errors (p=0.012). No significant relationship was observed between race, gender and duration of pre-university in identifying the mistakes in the prescriptions (p>0.05).Conclusion: Pharmacy students had the highest percentage ofmedication error identification rates probably in light of the pharmacy curriculum focuses mainlyon pharmacology and therapeutic monitoring. This study portrays the importance of additional clinical training in undergraduate programs to enhance student’s pharmacological knowledge and their attitude towards patient safety practices

Alfabetización digital en alumnos de la carrera de Fonoaudiología / Digital literacy among phonoaudiology undergraduates

Introducción: En la actualidad las tecnologías de la información y las comunicaciones forman parte activa de la educación mundial. Vivimos tiempos de grandes transformaciones tecnológicas, que modifican la manera de enseñar y aprender, en los cuales el acceso y la generación de conocimientos pasan a ser los motores del desarrollo para generar competencias perdurables. Objetivo: Evaluar la efectividad de un programa de alfabetización digital en estudiantes de primer año de la carrera de Fonoaudiología. Métodos: Este estudio tuvo un enfoque cuantitativo y un diseño preexperimental. La población se constituyó por 393 estudiantes. Se utilizó muestreo no probabilístico con 48 alumnos; en todos ellos se implementó un programa de alfabetización digital, que contempló una evaluación inicial, un período de intervención de 13 sesiones con frecuencia semanal y una evaluación final. Los datos del pre- y postest se procesaron y analizaron mediante la prueba T para muestras relacionadas, que aceptó un nivel de significancia p < 0,01. Resultados: Los resultados obtenidos mostraron que el conocimiento y manejo de las tecnologías de la información y las comunicaciones aumentó luego de la implementación del programa de alfabetización digital, en el que se destacó un incremento en Base de datos, Excel®, Publisher® (p < 0,01). Conclusiones: El programa de alfabetización digital se asoció a un mayor conocimiento y uso de las tecnologías de la información y las comunicaciones, cuando estos fueron vinculados a los procesos de enseñanza aprendizaje en alumnos de primer año de la carrera de Fonoaudiología. Podría esperarse, por tanto, que los programas de estudio consideren su uso como recurso didáctico(AU)

ABSTRACT Introduction: Information and communications technologies are an active component of global education. These are times of great technological transformations which modify the way people teach and learn. Access to and generation of knowledge have become the driving forces of development aimed at creating long-lasting competences. Objective: Evaluate the effectiveness of a digital literacy program for first year phonoaudiology undergraduates. Methods: A quantitative pre-experimental design study was conducted of a population of 393 students. Non-probability sampling was used with 48 students, who were taught a digital literacy program which included an initial evaluation, an intervention period of 13 weekly sessions, and a final evaluation. Pre- and post-test data were processed and analyzed with the t-test for related samples, which admitted a significance level of p < 0,01. Results: Results show that knowledge and management of information and communications technologies increased upon implementation of the digital literacy program, notably in Database, Excel® and Publisher® (p < 0,01). Conclusions: The digital literacy program was associated to greater knowledge about and use of information and communications technologies when these were linked to teaching-learning processes among first year phonoaudiology undergraduates. It could therefore be expected that curricula would consider its inclusion as a didactic resource(AU)

Knowledge about HIV infection, transmission, diagnostic methods and its treatment among the students of a nursing and a Physiotherapy Colleges in Ujjain, Madhya Pradesh, India

Background: Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) impairs the host's immune system until it reaches the terminal stage; Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS). India has the third largest HIV epidemic in the world. Although healthcare workers (HCWs) can play a crucial role in prevention and control of HIV/AIDS, least attention is given to assess their knowledge and attitude on the topic.Methods: A prospective, cross sectional study was conducted (January 2014 and April 2015) to assess the knowledge of HIV/AIDS among students of a nursing and a physiotherapy college in Ujjain district of central India. All enrolled students were invited to participate, of those 98% participated voluntarily (nursing-120/120 and physiotherapy-56/60).Results: More than half of the participants were not aware that HIV is an infection causing virus and AIDS is a spectrum of conditions or a syndrome. The majority of the participants had poor knowledge about the available diagnostic tests and curative treatment of the infection. The study also reflected the participant’s belief in common myths and misconceptions. Physical contacts with intact skin during patient care and social interaction with a person living with HIV were considered as risk factors for infection transmission. More than 60% participants admitted for their inadequate knowledge and majority (>90%) were willing to participate in a training workshop on the topic.Conclusions: Extremely poor knowledge about the infection’s epidemiology, mode of transmission, diagnostics among the future HCWs might be a rick for discrimination. Discrimination-free healthcare, a prerequisite to end the epidemic, could be achieved by addressing the myths and misconceptions among the future and present HCWs

Qualitative Analysis of The Usefulness of Patient Interview Videos as Educational Material for Junior Medical and Nursing Students / 医学教育

Introduction: This study aims to reveal the characteristics of patients' narrative videos and discuss the usability of video interviews with healthcare students.Methods: One hundred six medical students and 92 nursing students participated in this study. They watched an interview video of a breast cancer patient in class and wrote a description of their impressions. Student responses related to the interview video were qualitatively analyzed using Step for Coding And Theorization (SCAT).Results: The categories that emerged from the analyzed data were "useful for healthcare professionals to know about patients' feelings" , "useful for patients with the same diseases" , "the patient's own voice was realistic" , and "want to use before clinical training" .Discussion: The interview video was thought to be useful for students as it allowed them to feel the realism of the patients' narrative. The interview video was also convenient for lectures. For these reasons, it was concluded that interview videos of patients' narratives could be a useful educational material for healthcare students.

The Impact of Physical Activity on Health Care Student Academic Performance in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

Background: It is assumed that the students of health care colleges have a greater knowledge about healthy lifestyle and dietary habits when compared to other students. The main goal of this study was to determine the prevalence and effect of exercise on the academic performance of the health care students. Materials and methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted on 376 male healthcare students at King Saud University in Riyadh from Colleges of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmacy in the period from December 2014 until March 2015. The study population was selected by multistage random sampling. A self-administered questionnaire was used for data collection. A pilot study was conducted to test its feasibility. A statistical package for the social sciences (SPSS) version 21.0 was used for data analysis. Results: 56.6% of the subjects were found to be physically active. Those who did not perform exercise, lack of time (55.8%) and lack of interest (36.2%) appeared to be the two most common Muath Ibrahim Alsabih, Hussein Saad Amin, Ali Saeed Alrawdhan, Fahad Yousef Alturki, Abdulrahman Mansour Alakeel, Yasser Abdulaziz Alrumih, Ahmed Saleh Allohidan, Ammar Abdullah Naji, Naif Abdulrahman Alarjani. The Impact of Physical Activity on Health Care Student Academic Performance in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. IAIM, 2018; 5(2): 30-37. Page 31 causes for not exercising. The effect of physical activity on academic performance was found to be statistically significant in only two domains which were being less likely to be being late to the classes (P.026) and relatively better concentration during lectures (P.001). Conclusion: The study included that a significant positive effect of exercise was found on two domains of academic performance, namely better concentration in classes and punctuality in attending lectures, but with no significant effect on GPA of students.

Knowledge of occupational diseases and immunization among healthcare students / Conhecimento de doenças ocupacionais e imunização entre estudantes de saúde

PURPOSE: To investigate the knowledge and practices of immunization against occupational diseases and its associated factors among health students. METHODS: An exploratory cross-sectional study was carried out with a random sample of 275 graduate students from the Schools of Dentistry, Physiotherapy, Pharmacy, Psychology and Nursing. During data collection we carried out individual interviews on issues related to immunization coverage, diseases and occupational accidents and sociodemographic variables. The statistical tests used were the Pearson's chi-square and Fisher's exact tests (a=0.05). RESULTS: Most students considered influenza (65.5 percent) and hepatitis B (58.5 percent) occupational diseases. Almost 30 percent of the students reported having attended to patients with infectious diseases, especially AIDS. Contact with body fluids or accidental exposure was reported by 12.7 percent being 34.3 percent by accident with drills; 88.2 percent of the students had incomplete immunization coverage due to lack of time in most cases (27 percent). None of the variables was significantly associated with vaccination coverage. CONCLUSION: The students' knowledge of occupational diseases and vaccination coverage was poor, which reflects the need for motivational policies through activities for clarification and expansion of vaccination coverage.

OBJETIVO: Investigar o conhecimento e as práticas de imunização contra doenças ocupacionais e fatores associados entre estudantes de saúde. METODOLOGIA: Foi realizado um estudo transversal exploratório, com amostra probabilística composta por 275 universitários dos Cursos de Odontologia, Fisioterapia, Farmácia, Psicologia e Enfermagem. Na coleta de dados utilizou-se entrevista individual com questões relacionadas à cobertura vacinal, ao conhecimento de doenças, a acidentes ocupacionais e fatores sociodemográficos. Os dados foram analisados por testes Qui-Quadrado de Pearson e o Exato de Fisher (a=5 por cento). RESULTADOS: A maioria dos estudantes considerou influenza (65,5 por cento) e hepatite B (58,5 por cento) como doenças ocupacionais. Quase 30 por cento relataram já ter atendido pacientes com doenças infectocontagiosas, principalmente AIDS (7 por cento). O contato com fluidos orgânicos ou a exposição acidental foi relatada por 12,7 por cento dos entrevistados, através de acidente com instrumento perfuro-cortante (34,3 por cento); 88,2 por cento dos acadêmicos apresentaram cobertura vacinal incompleta, sendo a falta de tempo o motivo mais citado (27 por cento). Nenhuma variável mostrou associação significativa com a cobertura vacinal. CONCLUSÃO: O conhecimento dos acadêmicos sobre doenças ocupacionais e a cobertura vacinal foram deficientes, refletindo a necessidade de políticas motivacionais, através de atividades de esclarecimento e ampliação da cobertura vacinal.