scholarly journals GHPSS Multicenter Italian Survey: Smoking Prevalence, Knowledge and Attitudes, and Tobacco Cessation Training among Third-Year Medical Students

2013 ◽  
Vol 99 (1) ◽  
pp. 17-22 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rosella Saulle ◽  
Claudio Bontempi ◽  
Vincenzo Baldo ◽  
Giovanni Boccia ◽  
Guglielmo Bonaccorsi ◽  
...  

Aims and background Healthcare professionals have an important role to play both as advisers – influencing smoking cessation – and as role models. The aims of this study were to examine smoking prevalence, knowledge and attitudes among Italian university students attending medical schools using the Global Health Professions Student Survey (GHPSS) approach. Methods and study design A multicenter cross-sectional study was conducted among University students of 9 Italian medical schools (age ranging between 19 and 29 years). The GHPSS questionnaire was self-administered. A logistic regression model was used to identify possible factors associated with tobacco smoking status. Data were analyzed with the software SPSS 19.0 for Windows. Results Seven hundred thirty medical students (response rate 100%) were enrolled. The prevalence of current smokers was 20.4% (males 22.4%, females 19.1%). Of the total sample, 87.7% believed that health professionals should receive specific training in techniques to quit smoking, and 65% believed that health professionals had a role in giving advice or information about smoking cessation. However, 89.4% answered that they had not received specific training on smoking cessation techniques. Multivariate analysis showed that students belonging to universities in southern Italy were more likely to be smokers (OR = 2.00; 95% CI: 1.03–3.97). Conclusions This Italian multicenter survey found that one fifth of future medical doctors are smokers. There is a need to adopt a standard undergraduate curriculum containing comprehensive tobacco prevention and cessation training to improve their effectiveness as role models.

2016 ◽  
Vol 54 (202) ◽  
pp. 55-62 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ebru Turhan ◽  
Tacettin Inandi ◽  
Meltem Col ◽  
Resul Bugdayci ◽  
Olga Eker ◽  
...  

Introduction: Tobacco use is an important public health problem around the world. Aim of this study is to assess attitudes,belief and observation of the students on smoking cessation and medical education.Methods: This study is part of a multi-country study called “Global Health Profession Student Survey”. The study population consisted of third year medical students in Turkey. The sample consisted of a total of 1834 medical students from randomly selected 12 medical schools.Results: Of the students, 1209 (92.1%)thought that health professionals should get specific training on cessation techniques, and that health professionals should serve as "role models" for their patients and the public. The percentage of the students who answered “Health professionals should routinely advise their patients who smoke to quit smoking” was 1211 (93.3%). Of the students, 1204 (60.8%) responded that health professionals who use other tobacco products were less likely to advise patients to stop smoking. The percentage of the students who had received a formal training on smoking cessation approaches was 48.2% (1196). Of the students, 91.5% (1203) had heard of nicotine replacement therapies in tobacco cessation programs. More than half of smokers tried to quit smoking last year, and majority of them did not take professional help or advice.Conclusions: Majority of students are aware of health professionals’ role on smoking cessation. Most of the students are willingness to take specific formal training on tobacco. Student’s behaviours and attitudes were different by gender and smoking status. Improvement of tobacco cessation issues in medical curricula will be beneficial. Keywords: Attitudes; Beliefs; Medical education; Medical students; Smoking cessation. | PubMed


2019 ◽  
Vol 34 (s1) ◽  
pp. s83-s83
Author(s):  
Luca Ragazzoni ◽  
Andrea Conti ◽  
Marta Caviglia ◽  
Fabio Maccapani ◽  
Francesco Della Corte

Introduction:Disaster medicine has been identified as a fundamental discipline for health professionals. In Italy, the role of physicians during disaster response is officially recognized by the Italian Code of Medical Ethics and by the Ministry of Education. Nevertheless, few Italian medical schools include this discipline in their curricula.Aim:With the aim of teaching basic knowledge of disaster medicine to Italian medical students, Research Center in Emergency and Disaster Medicine (CRIMEDIM) and Italian Medical Students’ Association (SISM) developed DisasterSISM, a nationwide training project in disaster medicine.Methods:DisasterSISM consists of three courses: Basic, Advanced, and Train-of-Trainers (ToT). The Basic courses are managed by medical students who are trained during the one-week intense ToT. All courses are delivered using innovative training methodologies, such as e-learning, peer education, table-top exercises, and virtual reality simulations.Results:From 2012 to 2018, a total of 122 courses (111 Basic, 5 Advanced, and 6 ToT) have been delivered. DisasterSISM reached 37 out of 45 Italian medical schools, training more than 2,500 students. A survey conducted after the end of each course showed that participants considered the knowledge in Disaster Medicine essential for their future profession, regardless of the specialty chosen. Students also expressed their appreciation about the blended-learning approach, with a predilection for virtual reality simulations. The comparison between the entrance and the final exam scores showed a significant increase in knowledge.Discussion:In six years, DisasterSISM reached the majority of Italian medical schools, providing disaster medicine knowledge to hundreds of undergraduates. Considering the fast growth and diffusion of the project, the significant increase of knowledge, and the positive feedback received from participants, we suggest that the DisasterSISM model be implemented in other countries to widely disseminate information about prevention and disaster preparedness among medical students and health professionals.


2012 ◽  
Vol 8 (7) ◽  
Author(s):  
Oluwole Adeyemi Babatunde ◽  
Olumide Adebayo Omowaye ◽  
Damilola Adigun Alawode ◽  
Owen Omede ◽  
Charles Oluwatemitope Olomofe ◽  
...  

2011 ◽  
Vol 152 (12) ◽  
pp. 469-474 ◽  
Author(s):  
József Rinfel ◽  
János Oberling ◽  
Ildikó Tóth ◽  
László Prugberger ◽  
Lajos Nagy

Medical years are very important in shaping the attitudes of future doctors. It is proven that doctors who smoke do not advise their patient to stop smoking. We have to know the students’ smoking habits and attitudes about smoking cessation to make them interested in the fight against tobacco. Aims: To investigate medical students’ smoking habits and attitudes about cessation. Methods: We applied the Hungarian translation of the Global Health Professionals Student Survey. Medical students from the first and fifth year filled in the survey anonymously during the seminars. Statistical analysis was performed with SPSS. Results: In both years 245 students filled in the questionnaire. In the first year 30.8%, in the fifth year 38.9% of the students were defined as smokers. During the academic study the number of daily smokers and the number of smoked cigarettes increases. Students require training about smoking cessation, however they would entrust it to a specialist. Conclusions: Based on our data we need a teaching block in the curricula about smoking and smoking cessation. Orv. Hetil., 2011, 152, 469–474.


2020 ◽  
Vol 70 (suppl 1) ◽  
pp. bjgp20X711281
Author(s):  
Jonathan White

BackgroundMost patients are cared for in the community by GPs, and workforce planning for the UK NHS suggests that 50% of medical school graduates need to train as GPs. While there is pressure on medical schools to provide more student teaching in general practice, general practice must be prepared for this increase in workload and teachers should have appropriate training.AimThis study examined the influence that teachers as role models can have on the development and career choices of medical students and whether GPs who teach medical students might benefit from assistance in developing positive attributes.MethodA literature search was carried out. Relevant papers were those that examined the influence of a doctor as teacher role model for medical students, both in assisting in professional development and clinical skills, and in influencing career choice.ResultsThe review identified eleven papers. There was evidence of association between a student having an influential role model as teacher and choosing specialty training in that area, although evidence of a causative connection is less convincing. A recurring theme is the recommendation that teachers should be aware of the influence they can have as role models, both positive and negative.ConclusionAs medical student teaching moves into general practice GPs who teach will need to be helped to understand and develop positive role model attributes, to promote general practice as an attractive career to the students. Further research needs to identify the extent of assistance required and whether medical schools are prepared for this extra responsibility.


2014 ◽  
Vol 71 (5) ◽  
pp. 481-490
Author(s):  
Srmena Krstev ◽  
Jelena Marinkovic ◽  
Snezana Simic ◽  
Ana Jovicevic ◽  
Ljiljana Markovic-Denic

Background/Aim. Bearing in mind a high smoking prevalence in Serbia (34% in adult population; men 38%, women 30%) and leading role of health professionals in intervention and prevention, a cross-sectional study was performed smong the representative sample of health professionals in Serbia. The aim of the study was to identify predictors of smoking and smoking cessation prior to the total smoking ban in November 2010. Methods. In this nationwide study, 3,084 physicians and nurses from 4 types of institutions and four geographical regions were selected and 2,282 included (response rate 74.0%). Data were collected using a self-administered structured questionnaire. Standard statistical methods were used to calculate prevalence rates, and multivariate logistic regressions to evaluate independent predictors of smoking pattern. Risks were expressed as odds ratios (OR) which represent approximation of relative risks of exposed persons with 95% confidence intervals (95% CI). Results. We found a high smoking prevalence of 38.0%, the same for women and men (37.8% and 37.6%, respectively; p = 0.138), higher among nurses (41.7%) than physicians (29.1%) (p = 0.000), as well as among those employed in general hospitals (42.6%) and institutes of public health (43.8%) (p = 0.000). Significantly increased risk of being an ever or current smoker was noticed for nurses (OR = 1.75, 95% CI 1.42-2.14; and OR = 1.91, 95% CI 1.52-2.40, respectively), those employed in general hospitals (OR = 1.37, 95% CI 1.09-1.73 and OR = 1.40, 95% CI 1.09-1.79, respectively), and with worse self-estimated health (OR = 1.15, 95% CI 1.02-1.30; and OR = 1.17, 95% CI 1.02-1.34, respectively). Intentions to quit smoking or to reduce the number of cigarettes were more frequent in women (OR = 1.51, 95% CI 1.01-2.27) and participants who worse evaluated their health (OR = 1.74, 95% CI 1.39- 2.18). Conclusion. High smoking prevalence in health professionals could be a barrier for the full implementation of smoking ban in health institutions in Serbia. Smoking cessation programs at workplaces, formal education in smoking cessation techniques, and better Law enforcement by health administrations should be implemented.


2014 ◽  
Vol 2014 ◽  
pp. 1-8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Giuseppe La Torre ◽  
Rosella Saulle ◽  
Brigid Unim ◽  
Italo Francesco Angelillo ◽  
Vincenzo Baldo ◽  
...  

Background. Healthcare professionals have an important role to play both as advisers—influencing smoking cessation—and as role models. However, many of them continue to smoke. The aims of this study were to examine smoking prevalence, knowledge, attitudes, and behaviours among four cohorts physicians specializing in public health, according to the Global Health Profession Students Survey (GHPSS) approach.Materials and Methods. A multicentre cross-sectional study was carried out in 24 Italian schools of public health. The survey was conducted between January and April 2012 and it was carried out a census of students in the selected schools for each years of course (from first to fourth year of attendance), therefore among four cohorts of physicians specializing in Public Health (for a total of n. 459 medical doctors). The GHPSS questionnaires were self-administered via a special website which is created ad hoc for the survey. Logistic regression model was used to identify possible associations with tobacco smoking status. Hosmer-Lemeshow test was performed. The level of significance wasP≤0.05.Results. A total of 388 answered the questionnaire on the website (85%), of which 81 (20.9%) declared to be smokers, 309 (79.6%) considered health professionals as behavioural models for patients, and 375 (96.6%) affirmed that health professionals have a role in giving advice or information about smoking cessation. Although 388 (89.7%) heard about smoking related issues during undergraduate courses, only 17% received specific smoking cessation training during specialization.Conclusions. The present study highlights the importance of focusing attention on smoking cessation training, given the high prevalence of smokers among physicians specializing in public health, their key role both as advisers and behavioural models, and the limited tobacco training offered in public health schools.


2021 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
pp. 238212052110064
Author(s):  
Trisha Kaundinya

Despite intentional efforts to improve diversity in medicine, there is pronounced underrepresentation of minority groups and non-disclosure of minority identities by medical students due to societal stigmas and fears of acceptance. One way that medical schools address this challenge in supporting diverse student backgrounds is by facilitating faculty mentorship programs with underrepresented minority (URM) students. These efforts are valuable, but they are unfortunately not available at all institutions and do not always allow URM students to engage in the process of choosing a mentor confidentially. Medical schools largely do not make self-reported information from faculty about their various identities and allyships available to medical students, which limits the resources that students have to independently forge these connections. Helping students form their own mentor-mentee relationships by making faculty demographics available can lead students to find individualized support across their medical training. Identity compatibility between students and their role models has shown to correlate with academic achievement and senses of belonging. Enforcing that all medical schools share the identities of faculty who choose to disclose this information with students will thus be helpful to further diversity as a continuous commitment in medical education.


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