Impact of conflict on medical education: a cross-sectional survey of students and institutions in Iraq

Abstract Objective This article examines models of patient care and supervision for hospital-based ophthalmology consultation in teaching institutions. Design This is a cross-sectional survey. Methods An anonymous survey was distributed to residency program directors at 119 Accreditation Council for Graduated Medical Education accredited U.S. ophthalmology programs in the spring of 2018. Survey questions covered consult volume, rotational schedules of staffing providers, methods of supervision (direct vs. indirect), and utilization of consult-dedicated didactics and resident competency assessments. Results Of the 119 program directors, 48 (41%) completed the survey. Programs most frequently reported receiving 4 to 6 consults per day from the emergency department (27, 55.1%) and 4 to 6 consults per day from inpatient services (26, 53.1%). Forty-seven percent of programs reported that postgraduate year one (PGY-1) or PGY-2 residents on a dedicated consult rotation initially evaluate patients. Supervising faculty backgrounds included neuro-ophthalmology, cornea, comprehensive, or a designated chief of service. Staffing responsibility is typically shared by multiple faculty on a daily or weekly rotation. Direct supervision was provided for fewer of emergency room consults (1–30%) than for inpatient consults (71–99%). The majority of programs reported no dedicated didactics for consultation activities (27, 55.1%) or formal assessment for proficiency (33, 67.4%) prior to the initiation of call-related activities without direct supervision. Billing submission for consults was inconsistent and many consults may go financially uncompensated (18, 36.7%). Conclusion The majority of hospital-based ophthalmic consultation at academic centers is provided by a rotating pool of physicians supervising a lower level resident. Few programs validate increased levels of graduated independence using specific assessments.

Download Full-text

Exploring the global impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on medical education: an international cross-sectional study of medical learners

Canadian Medical Education Journal ◽

10.36834/cmej.71149 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Allison Brown ◽

Aliya Kassam ◽

Mike Paget ◽

Kenneth Blades ◽

Megan Mercia ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Medical Education ◽

Medical Training ◽

Well Being ◽

World Health ◽

Future Research ◽

Cross Sectional Survey ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

The World ◽

Geographic Regions ◽

The Impact

Background: The evidence surrounding the impact of COVID-19 on medical learners remains anecdotal and highly speculative despite the anticipated impact and potential consequences of the current pandemic on medical training. The purpose of this study was to explore the extent that COVID-19 initially impacted medical learners around the world and examine global trends and patterns across geographic regions and levels of training. Methods: A cross-sectional survey of medical learners was conducted between March 25–June 14, 2020, shortly after the World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a pandemic. Results: 6492 learners completed the survey from 140 countries. Most medical schools removed learners from the clinical environment and adopted online learning, but students reported concerns about the quality of their learning, training progression, and milestone fulfillment. Residents reported they could be better utilized and expressed concerns about their career timeline. Trainees generally felt under-utilized and wanted to be engaged clinically in meaningful ways; however, some felt that contributing to healthcare during a pandemic was beyond the scope of a learner. Significant differences were detected between levels of training and geographic regions for satisfaction with organizational responses as well as the impact of COVID-19 learner wellness and state-trait anxiety. Conclusions: The disruption to the status quo of medical education is perceived by learners across all levels and geographic regions to have negatively affected their training and well-being, particularly amongst postgraduate trainees. These results provide initial empirical insights into the areas that warrant future research as well as consideration for current and future policy planning.

Download Full-text

Primary care workforce and continuous medical education in China: lessons to learn from a nationwide cross-sectional survey

BMJ Open ◽

10.1136/bmjopen-2016-015145 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 7 (7) ◽

pp. e015145 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

William C W Wong ◽

ShanZhu Zhu ◽

Jason J Ong ◽

MingHui Peng ◽

Cindy L K Lam ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Primary Care ◽

Medical Education ◽

Continuous Medical Education ◽

Cross Sectional Survey ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Primary Care Workforce ◽

Education In China

Download Full-text

Medical Education During COVID-19: A Global Cross-Sectional Survey of Medical Student Experiences with Remote Learning

SSRN Electronic Journal ◽

10.2139/ssrn.3827007 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Isabella Maria de Freitas Faria ◽

Carolina B. Moura ◽

Mariana Graner ◽

Maria Luíza Cazumbá ◽

Marcela Bittencourt ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Medical Education ◽

Medical Student ◽

Student Experiences ◽

Cross Sectional Survey ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Remote Learning

Download Full-text

Internal medicine residents identify gaps in medical education on outpatient referrals

BMC Medical Education ◽

10.1186/s12909-020-02177-3 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 20 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Masha J. Slavin ◽

Mangala Rajan ◽

Lisa M. Kern

Keyword(s):

Internal Medicine ◽

New York ◽

Medical Education ◽

Clinical Information ◽

Ambulatory Setting ◽

Cross Sectional Survey ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Internal Medicine Residents ◽

Strongly Agree ◽

Residents Attitudes

Abstract Background Relevant clinical information is often missing when a patient sees a specialist after being referred by another physician in the ambulatory setting. This can result in missed or delayed diagnoses, delayed treatment, unnecessary testing, and drug interactions. Residents’ attitudes toward providing clinical information at the time of referral and their perspectives toward training on referral skills are not clear. We sought to assess internal medicine residents’ attitudes toward and experiences with outpatient referrals. Methods We conducted a cross-sectional survey in October–December 2018 of all internal medicine interns and residents affiliated with a large, urban internal medicine residency program in New York, NY. We used a novel survey instrument that included 13 questions about attitudes toward and experiences with outpatient referrals. We used descriptive statistics to characterize the results. Results Overall, 122 of 132 residents participated (92% response rate). Respondents were approximately equally distributed across post-graduate years 1–3. Although 83% of residents reported that it is “always” important to provide the clinical reason for a referral, only 11% stated that they “always” provide a sufficient amount of clinical information for the consulting provider when making a referral. Only 9% of residents “strongly agree” that residency provides sufficient training in knowing when to refer patients, and only 8% “strongly agree” that residency provides sufficient training in what information to provide the consulting physician. Conclusions These results suggest a substantial discrepancy between the amount of information residents believe they should provide at the time of a referral and the amount they actually provide. Many residents report not receiving adequate training during residency on when to refer patients and what clinical information to provide at the time of referral. Improvements to medical education regarding outpatient referrals are urgently needed.

Download Full-text

Bullying in the American Graduate Medical Education System: A National Cross-Sectional Survey

PLoS ONE ◽

10.1371/journal.pone.0150246 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 11 (3) ◽

pp. e0150246 ◽

Cited By ~ 19

Author(s):

Amar R. Chadaga ◽

Dana Villines ◽

Armand Krikorian

Keyword(s):

Medical Education ◽

Graduate Medical Education ◽

Education System ◽

Cross Sectional Survey ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Graduate Medical ◽

System A ◽

Medical Education System

Download Full-text

COVIDReady2 Study Protocol: Cross-sectional Survey of Medical Student Volunteering and Education During the COVID-19 Pandemic in the United Kingdom

10.1101/2021.02.24.21252103 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Matthew H V Byrne ◽

James Ashcroft ◽

Laith Alexander ◽

Jonathan C M Wan ◽

Anmol Arora ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Medical Education ◽

Medical Students ◽

Learning Experience ◽

Cross Sectional Study ◽

Cross Sectional Survey ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

The United Kingdom ◽

Clinical Support ◽

Qualitative Responses ◽

Education Opportunity

Background and objectives: Covid-19 has led to global disruption of healthcare. Many students volunteered to provide clinical support. Volunteering to work in a clinical capacity was a unique medical education opportunity; however, it is unknown whether this was a positive learning experience or which volunteering roles were of most benefit to students. Methods and Design: The COVIDReady2 study is a national cross-sectional study of all medical students at UK medical schools. The primary outcome is to explore the experiences of medical students who volunteered during the pandemic in comparison to those who did not. We will compare responses to determine the educational benefit and issues they faced. In addition to quantitative analysis, thematic analysis will be used to identify themes in qualitative responses. Discussion: There is a growing body of evidence to suggest that service roles have potential to enhance medical education; yet, there is a shortage of studies able to offer practical advice for how these roles may be incorporated in future medical education. We anticipate that this study will help to identify volunteer structures that have been beneficial for students, so that similar infrastructures can be used in the future, and help inform medical education in a non-pandemic setting.

Download Full-text

Medical students' perception of live lectures compared to video lectures in basic sciences medical education: a cross-sectional survey of medical colleges in Pakistan

10.1101/2021.01.13.21249740 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Maria Khan ◽

Ali Bin Abdul Jabbar ◽

Daniyal Ali Khan ◽

Muhammad Abdullah Javed ◽

Mohummad Hassan Raza Raja ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Medical Education ◽

Medical Students ◽

Teaching Quality ◽

Cross Sectional Survey ◽

Online Questionnaire ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Learning Modalities ◽

Exam Preparation ◽

Video Lectures ◽

Medical Colleges

Background: Live lectures are commonly used in medical education, yet many students prefer video lectures instead. As different learning modalities may affect knowledge, it was necessary to explore medical students' perspectives about the two learning modalities in Pakistan. Objectives: This study aimed to explore and compare the medical students' perspectives regarding live lectures and video lectures. Methods: This cross-sectional study used an online questionnaire. This was distributed to medical students via internet platforms after institutional approval. Data were analyzed with SPSS version 23 using descriptive statistics. Results: 585 students, from 11 medical colleges across six cities of Pakistan, were enrolled. 64.4% (n=377) of the students were females, while 34.0% (n=199) were males. The first years comprised 32.7% (n=191), second years, 29.2% (n=171), and third years, 38.1% (n=223) of the total. The commonest reason for attending live lectures was 'they are compulsory'. The commonest reason for not attending was 'poor teaching quality'. 5.0% (n=29) of 585 students reported live lectures and 51.8% (n=290 of 560) found video lectures to be 'very helpful' in concept clarification. 85.1% (n=258) of 303 students found video lectures more effective for learning. For 45.4% (n=254) of students, video lectures improved their grades a lot; more students used video lectures for exam preparation over the years. 50.6% (n=296) of students wanted video lectures to be compulsory, compared with 28.5% (n=167) for live lectures. The main improvement in live lectures was not using slides. Conclusion: Medical students in Pakistan prefer video lectures over live lectures for learning and exam preparation. More students wanted video lectures to be compulsory in medical education. Several improvements have been suggested for live lectures.

Download Full-text

Perceptions of medical college academics on intercalated MBBS/BSc dual degree program in Nigeria

American Journal of Health, Medicine and Nursing Practice ◽

10.47672/ajhmn.575 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 5 (2) ◽

pp. 83-91

Author(s):

Kani Yamuna Aminu ◽

Usman Ahmad ◽

Rehinat Nasir Adejumo

Keyword(s):

Medical Education ◽

Medical Students ◽

Academic Staff ◽

Degree Program ◽

Cross Sectional Survey ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Degree Programme ◽

Medical Degree ◽

Dual Degree ◽

Medical Colleges

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to determine the perceptions of academics on the acceptability of the intercalated medical degree program in an attempt to proffer solutions to breach the gaps in manpower shortages in the medical profession.Methodology: This is a descriptive cross sectional survey. Randomly selected 150 academic staff of various medical colleges spread across Nigeria, who attended an educational programme in Abuja Nigeria in September 2018 completed semi structured questionnaires after consenting to participate in the study. Data from the retrieved questionnaires were collated, entered into Microsoft excel and analyzed using descriptive statistics. Most of the analyzed data were represented in percentages for ease of comparison.Findings: Sixty five percent of the respondents were aware of the intercalated (dual) Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS)/ Bachelor of Science (B.Sc.) degree programme, offer it in their institutions and believe it is worthwhile. The merits of the dual degree programme from this study were an additional degree, more experienced medical doctors in terms of research and exit strategy for some medical students who may change their minds half way into the medical programme. The disadvantages reported were prolonged study period and increased cost of study. Majority of the respondents, who were academic staff of medical colleges were aware of, and favoured the establishment of intercalated MBBS degree programme in more Nigerian medical colleges.Unique contribution to theory, practice and policy: There is scarcity of literature on the intercalated degree programme in Nigeria. This research may influence policy change that will improve medical education. From the results of the study, it is recommended that the stakeholders in medical education should consider giving accreditation to more medical colleges that have the capacity to commence intercalated medical degree programs in Nigerian Universities as an option to interested medical students with good potentials.

Download Full-text