Student Pharmacists Self-Perceived Confidence in Communication Skills With Healthcare Practitioners Before and After a Seminar Course

2021 ◽  
pp. 089719002110184
Author(s):  
Kimberly L. Barefield ◽  
Caroline Champion ◽  
Lucy Yang ◽  
Brent Rollins

Introduction: Competent pharmacy practice requires the ability to critically evaluate the medical literature and communicate pharmacotherapy information and recommendations to healthcare practitioners. Given the limited research on how these skills are taught, a seminar course in the third year of the pharmacy curriculum was designed to strengthen these skills and abilities. Methods: This was a prospective, pre- and post-cohort survey design. Students were informed of the study’s intent with participation being voluntary and not affecting their course grade. Students received the same survey at the beginning and end of the semester. The 20-question survey assessed self-perceived confidence in the domains of communication and literature evaluation using a 5-point, Likert-type Strongly Disagree-Strongly Agree Scale. Demographic information and students’ previous pharmacy work and internship experience were collected as a part of the survey. Descriptive statistics and Student’s t-test were used to assess the research question and comparisons of student demographics. Results: Sixty-eight of a possible 91 students (75% response rate) completed both the pre- and post-survey. There was no statistically significant differences between any of the measured demographics. Overall, students slightly agreed they were confident in their communication and literature evaluation skills in the pre-course evaluation, with communicating drug interactions as the least confident area. Post-course, students were significantly more confident in all but 5 of 20 measured areas. Conclusion: The Seminar course resulted in a positive change in students’ perception of confidence to communicate with healthcare professionals and ability to evaluate drug literature.

2015 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 113-121 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kirk J. Armstrong ◽  
Amanda J. Jarriel

Context Researchers have reported that interacting with standardized patients (SPs) is a worthwhile and realistic experience for athletic training (AT) students. These encounters enhance students' interviewing skills, confidence as a clinician, clinical skill development, and interpersonal communication. Objective To determine how SP encounters impacted students' confidence in performing clinical evaluations. Design Pretest-posttest survey design. Setting Athletic training simulation lab. Patients or Other Participants Thirty-five students from the junior (n = 20) and senior (n = 15) AT cohorts from a public liberal arts institution in the Southeast. Intervention(s) Athletic training students completed 2 SP encounters per semester throughout an academic year in the AT program, totaling 4 SP encounters. Main Outcome Measure(s) Each student completed a 17-item Likert scale (1 = strongly disagree, 5 = strongly agree) that rated confidence levels immediately before and after each SP encounter. The confidence rating assessed students' confidence regarding how the SP encounter affected their confidence in completing patient evaluations (eg, identifying history questions, interpreting results of special tests). We computed descriptive statistics for all items Wilcoxon signed rank tests determined differences in pre-encounter and should be postencounter confidence ratings. Results Overall, students from both cohorts reported that the SP encounter improved confidence in completing clinical evaluations. Specifically, students reported a significant increase from pre-encounter to postencounter confidence ratings after nutrition-based (Z = −2.991, P = .004), knee (Z = −3.261, P = 0.001), concussion (Z = −3.294, P = .001), psychosocial intervention (Z = −3.062, P = .002), and general medical (Z = −3.524, P > .001) SP encounters. Conclusions The authenticity and fidelity of the SP encounter provided the AT students a real-time clinical evaluation in a nonthreatening environment. Students reported that their confidence improved after each encounter. By providing these experiences, AT students can become comfortable interacting with patients in clinical evaluations.


2021 ◽  
pp. 0160323X2110092
Author(s):  
Laura A. Reese ◽  
Xiaomeng Li

This research focuses on change within informal service provision networks, specifically examining the impact that changes within a key organization can have on the larger network. Employing a before and after survey design with a treatment at the midpoint and participant observation, it asks: What is the impact of a major change within one organization on the larger external network? What is the nature of the organizational ties? and, How do political factors exogenous to the network impact the network evolution process? The findings suggest that internal change within a focal actor can have ripple effects throughout the network increasing density. Public service provision at the local level can be enhanced through an increase in partnerships between the public and nonprofit sectors. However, network evolution can be limited by the larger political environment and lack of a coordinating role on the part of local government.


2021 ◽  
Vol 20 ◽  
pp. 153473542098834
Author(s):  
Abdolazim Sedighi Pashaki ◽  
Kamal Mohammadian ◽  
Saeid Afshar ◽  
Mohammad Hadi Gholami ◽  
Abbas Moradi ◽  
...  

Objective: Fatigue associated with malignant conditions and their treatments is a disabling condition. This trial assessed the anti-fatigue effects of melatonin coadministration during adjuvant treatment of patients with the breast cancer. Material and Methods: Patients with breast cancer were randomly assigned to receive melatonin or placebo during adjuvant chemotherapy and radiotherapy. Thirty-seven patients were randomly enrolled in each group. The mean ages of patients in the intervention and control groups were 50.47 ± 10.79 and 46.05 ± 10.55 years, respectively ( P = .223). The intervention group received oral melatonin (18 mg/day) from 1 week before until 1 month after the adjuvant radiotherapy. The level of fatigue was assessed before and after intervention using Brief Fatigue Inventory (BFI) in both groups. To analyze data, the Student’s t-test and the Chi-square test were used at a significance level of P ≤ .05. Results: The BFI score was similar before the intervention in both groups, however, after the intervention, it was significantly lower in the melatonin group ( P < .001). Moreover, the frequency of severe fatigue in the melatonin group was significantly lower than in the placebo group after intervention (42.1% vs 83.3%, P < .001). Conclusion: Coadministration of melatonin during adjuvant chemotherapy and radiotherapy of women with breast cancer decreased the levels of fatigue associated with the malignant condition and its treatments.


Sci ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
pp. 29
Author(s):  
Syra Madad ◽  
Eleanor Tolf

The purpose of this evaluation was to determine the effect of intensive, interactive training on hospital workers’ preparedness for special pathogen cases by utilizing the Frontline Facility Special Pathogens Training Course created by the Systemwide Special Pathogens Program at New York City Health + Hospitals (NYC H+H). An 8 h course was offered in 2018 and 2019 to healthcare employees throughout the Department of Health and Human Services Region 2, mostly from NYC H+H. Evaluation included multiple-choice pre and post exams, a 26-question survey about level of preparedness before and after the training, and follow-up interviews focused on changes in facility protocols. As a result, 61% of survey respondents indicated that they had never previously attended a hospital-sponsored special pathogen training. After the training, there was a 53.3% report rate of feeling “very prepared,” compared to 14.6% before the training. Additionally, there was an 11% improvement in test scores. Furthermore, 77% of respondents reported that their facility had changed protocols relating to topics of the course after their training date. Survey participants reported general satisfaction with the course, as well as an increased level of preparedness for special pathogen cases. Together, the results of the exams, survey, and interviews suggest that this interactive, mixed-method training increases special pathogen preparedness across different healthcare sectors. With the ongoing threat of special pathogens, the need for continued training and maintaining a state of readiness is paramount in healthcare.


2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Javier Caviedes-Bucheli ◽  
Nestor Rios-Osorio ◽  
Diana Usme ◽  
Cristian Jimenez ◽  
Adriana Pinzon ◽  
...  

Abstract Background The purpose of this study was to evaluate the changes in canal volume after root canal preparation in vivo with 3 different single-file techniques (Reciproc-Blue®, WaveOne-Gold® and XP-EndoShaper®), with a new method using CBCT and 3D reconstruction. Methods In this prospective study, thirty human lower premolars from healthy patients were used, in which extraction was indicated for orthodontic reasons. All the teeth used were caries- and restoration-free with complete root development, without signs of periodontal disease or traumatic occlusion, and with only one straight canal (up to 25º curvature). Teeth were randomly divided into three different groups: Reciproc-Blue, WaveOne-Gold and XP-EndoShaper. CBCT scans before root canal preparation were used to create a 3D reconstruction with RHINOCEROS 5.0 software to assess the initial canal volume, and then compared with 3D reconstructions after canal preparation to measure the increase in canal volume. Student’s t test for paired data were used to determine statistically significant differences between the before and after canal volumes. Anova test was used to determine statistically significant differences in the percentage of canal volume increase between the groups and Tukey's post-hoc test were used to paired comparison. Results Reciproc-Blue showed the higher increase in canal volume, followed by WaveOne-Gold and XP-EndoShaper (p = 0.003). XP-EndoShaper did not show a statistically significant increase in canal volume after root canal preparation (p = 0.06). Conclusion With this model, Reciproc-Blue showed higher increase in root canal volume, followed by WaveOne-Gold, while XP-EndoShaper did not significantly increase root canal volume during preparation.


Stroke ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 51 (Suppl_1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Erin Supan ◽  
Lauren Patton ◽  
Julie M Fussner ◽  
Colin Beilman ◽  
Martha Sajatovic

Introduction: University Hospitals Health System (UHHS) has seen an interest by nursing in using simulation and case studies as an adjunct to classroom education to instruct in emergency situations and mock codes. UHHS is currently expanding neuroscience services at 2 community hospitals while maintaining services at the quaternary care hospital. There is a need for further neuroscience education of both experienced nurses who have limited neuroscience exposure and novice nurses employed in neuroscience specialty areas. Patient simulators have been used in a variety of education settings, yet their effectiveness in training nurses to manage neurologic patients and neurologic emergencies has not been widely examined. The purpose of this project is to evaluate the use of high-fidelity simulation on nurses’ assessment skills, critical thinking and comfort in caring for neuroscience patients. Methods: A pre and post survey design was used for this project with nurses completing a survey immediately prior to and after participating in 3 simulation scenarios: intracerebral hemorrhage with intracranial pressure, subdural hematoma with seizures, and brain tumor complicated by pulmonary embolism. After completion of each scenario a debriefing occurred. Surveys allowed nurses to assess their confidence levels in responding to neurologic emergencies using a 5-point Likert-type scale (1= strongly disagree to 5 = strongly agree). Results: Comfort level was assessed in five different categories. Comfort in performing a neurologic assessment improved from a pre-survey average of 4.02 to a post-survey average of 4.59, a variance of 11.4%. Comfort in managing a stroke patient improved from 3.98 to 4.45, a variance of 9.5%. Comfort in administering emergency medications improved from 3.02 to 3.98, a variance of 19.1%. Comfort in identifying neurologic changes improved from 3.82 to 4.43, a variance of 12.3%. Comfort in communicating neurologic changes to the provider improved from 4.00 to 4.66, a variance of 13.2%. There was an overall improvement in the variance in all 5 categories of 13.1%. Conclusion: The use of high-fidelity simulation allowed nurses to gain comfort in assessment, management, and provider communication specific to neuroscience patients.


2015 ◽  
Vol 28 (3) ◽  
pp. 437-445 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vanessa da Silva Neves Moreira Arakaki ◽  
Alana Monteiro de Oliveira ◽  
Trícia Bogossian ◽  
Viviane Saraiva de Almeida ◽  
Gustavo Dias da Silva ◽  
...  

AbstractIntroduction The high-risk newborns may require long periods of hospitalization until they reach clinical stability for hospital discharge. Avoiding babies to be in only one body position may be an effective way to cause respiratory and neuro-psycho-motor benefits, comfort and preventing pressure ulcers.Objectives This study investigated the impact of physiotherapy/nursing integration in update on body positioning of the newborn in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit.Methods A questionnaire was administered to nurses and nursing technicians of the neonatal unit of Maternity School of UFRJ and nurses of the Advanced Course in Neonatal Nursing from the same institution. Two classes were taught by the physical therapist of the sector and the questions answered before and after these lessons. It was also a brief characterization of professional participants of the study. We used the Student's t test to compare the correct answers before (PRE) and after (POST) the classes, considering p < 0.05.Results There was a significant increase in the degree of knowledge of nurses and nursing technicians when compared the responses before (nurses: 68.8%; technicians: 70.1%) and after classes (nurses: 78.4 %; technicians: 88.9%). The nurses were less than five years of graduated (45%) and little time of professional experience in neonatology (60%). Forty-seven percent of technicians had less than five years of training and 82% had less than 10 years of experience.Conclusion The use of training by the nursing staff was significant, showing the importance of multidisciplinary approach and the integration of knowledge in the search for a humanized and effective care.


2017 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
pp. 26-32
Author(s):  
Anna Dobrzycka ◽  
Iwona Wilk

Background: Primary menstrual pain affects approximately 45-95% of women between 20-25 years of age. A non-invasive method in reducing menstrual pain by relaxing muscle tension is a massage. It brings the structural tension to normal levels and restores correct blood flow in the pelvic region. Aim of the study: The aim of this study was to test the usefulness of a self-massage in reducing the primary menstrual pain. Materials and methods: Out of 180 female students, 34 women aged 19-30 were qualified for the study with the use of a survey. Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index questionnaire and visual analog pain scale (VAS) were used for the assessment before and after the therapy. Women in the experimental group performed tensegrity selfmassage a few days before the onset of bleeding for two menstrual cycles. Results were analyzed using Student’s t test and one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA). Results: Applying the self-massage statistically proved to significantly reduce the perception of pain (p=0.001) and the number of days with pain (p=0.007) in the experimental group. Within this group, the difference was noted in all participants except one. In addition, a third measurement was taken in order to assess the duration of the effect. The result of the average pain and number of days of pain after the extension was higher than in the second evaluation, but significantly lower than before the experiment. The significance was in accordance with the evaluation of pain, p=0.002 and number of days p=0.03. Evaluation of the quality of sleep in the experimental group was significantly better (p = 0.04) than before treatment. Conclusions: Self-massage reduces primary menstrual pain in women and can be used as an assisted form of self-therapy. It improves the quality of sleep.


Author(s):  
I. V. Somina ◽  
V. L. Kondakov ◽  
M. V. Kondakov

Emotional intelligence is the sum of a person's skills and abilities to recognize emotions, to understand the intentions, motivations and desires of other people and their own, as well as the ability to manage their emotions and the emotions of other people in order to solve practical problems. The purpose of the study is to develop and test a methodology for the development of emotional intelligence as a fundamental quality of leadership formation in conjunction with managerial competencies. The study involved 576 students. The following complex of methods was used in the work: theoretical analysis and generalization of scientific and special literature data; conceptual-terminological and systemic-structural analysis; testing: a questionnaire of general empathic tendencies; communicative tolerance; tolerance test; test for assertion; diagnostics of self-esteem and level of aspirations; factorial personality questionnaire by R. Cattell; diagnostics of emotional intelligence N. Hall; pedagogical experiment; analysis and generalization of the results of experimental studies; methods of mathematical statistics. Summing up the results of our research, it should be noted that all thirteen studied parameters showed positive dynamics of their development. Eight of them have significant differences in the results before and after the experiment according to the Student's t-criterion (P ? 0.01): empathy, tolerance, tact, the significance of empathy, the significance of tolerance, the significance of tact, the level of self-esteem and aspirations. It is important to note that for three of them: the significance of empathy, the level of self-esteem and aspirations - the reliability according to the Student's t-criterion is P ? 0.05. Upon completion, N. Hall's emotional intelligence was diagnosed. Of the 70.14% of students with a low level of development of emotional intelligence, at the end of the formative experiment, only 5.90% remained in this group. The proposed methodology includes structural diagnostics of the level of development of emotional intelligence, generalization of the results in order to identify problem areas and the development of recommendations that contribute to the development of emotional intelligence.


This study was carried out to identify the administrative role performances of headmasters of primary schools in Ebonyi state, southeast Nigeria. The study also identified the challenges faced the headmasters in performing their roles and strategies for handling these challenges. Three research questions were developed in line with the purpose of the study. Three null hypotheses were formulated and tested at 0.05 level of significance. The study adopted descriptive survey design. The population of the study is 1471 headmasters and 10,188 teachers, and the sample comprised 150 headmasters and 1000 primary school teachers from the area of study. This sample was drawn using multi-stage sampling technique. A–21 item instrument termed “Headmasters’ Administrative Role Performance Assessment Questionnaire” (HARPAQ) was used by the researcher for data collection. The instrument was first validated by experts and reliability was determined using Cronbach Alpha Statistics and the reliability got was 0.85. The administration and retrieval of instrument were through direct contact and use of research assistants with the respondents. Data collected were analysed using mean and standard deviation for the research question while z-test statistics were used for testing the null hypotheses. The findings of the study revealed that all the 21 items were accepted by the respondents. Findings on the hypotheses tested revealed that there was no significant difference in the mean responses of headmasters and primary school teachers from Ebonyi state on the items presented. Adequate funding, prudency and accountability in fund management, regular leadership training of headmasters, formation of formidable umbrella union for the headmasters to always interact with government on issues of school funding and management, involving the PTA and community in school management among others were recommended.


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