scholarly journals Empathy levels decline and sex differences in medicine students from the Caribbean

2021 ◽  
Vol 69 (4) ◽  
pp. e86227
Author(s):  
Eugenia Smirna González-Díaz ◽  
Maria Guadalupe Silva-Vetri ◽  
Patricia Díaz-Calzadilla ◽  
Aracelis Calzadilla-Núñez ◽  
Alejandro Reyes-Reyes ◽  
...  

Introduction: Empathy is an important trait in the training of medical students, as it has been shown to improve the doctor-patient relationship. Objective: To evaluate empathy levels decline and possible sex differences in empathy levels in undergraduate medical students from the Universidad Central del Este, Dominican Republic. Materials and methods: Exploratory cross-sectional study. A Spanish version of the Jefferson Scale of Empathy for Medical Students (S-version) Scale was administered in September 2018 to 1144 1st-year to 5th-year medical students (887 women and 257 men). The reliability of the data was verified using the Cronbach's alpha and the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC). Data were analyzed using a generalized linear equation model (Type III) and the Wald chi-squared test was used to determine differences in overall empathy levels and the mean scores obtained in each of its three components according to the year of medical training and to sex. Results. Cronbach's alpha was satisfactory (0.839) and the ICC was 0.834 (F=5.68; p=0.005). Variability of the estimated curves in relation to empathic behavior by course (year of medical training) and sex was observed using linear and non-linear regression equations: between courses: Wald χ2==115.6; p=0.0001, and between men and women: χ2 of Wald =12.85; p=0.001. Conclusions. There were sex differences regarding empathy levels in the study population; besides, a decline in empathy levels (overall empathy and Compassionate Care component in men, and Walking in the Patient’s Shoes component in men and women) was also observed as students progressed in their medical training. The behavior of these data raises questions regarding the need to determine the factors causing these differences and the decline in empathy levels.

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (4) ◽  
pp. 9-16
Author(s):  
Mohd Zarawi Mat Nor ◽  
Jamillah Al-Muhammady Mohammad ◽  
Najib Majdi Yaacob

Mentoring programme is an important element for personal and professional development of medical students. In specific, the most important element is mentors must focus on the real issues that the students face during the mentoring process. This study aimed at comparing the prevalence of the mentoring needs and examining the association between characteristics of demography and mentoring needs among the phase 1 medical students from Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM). A cross-sectional study was conducted in June 2017 among the first- and second-year medical students in the School of Medical Sciences, USM. The USM mentoring inventory (USM-MT-i) questionnaire was employed to collect the data. This self-administered questionnaire consists of two domains with 17 items: communication and self-leadership skills (9 items) and learning skill (8 items). Internal consistency reliability (Cronbach’s alpha) for each domain were 0.915 and 0.904, respectively. The overall Cronbach’s alpha was 0.895. The prevalence of mentoring needs was determined and its association with the year of study was assessed. This study included 208 of medical students comprised 123 and 85 of the first-year and the second-year, respectively. The prevalence of communication and self-leadership skills mentoring needs among the first-year medical students was 26.8% (95% CI: 22.9%, 30.6%) and 18.8% (95% CI: 14.8%, 23.0%) among the second-year medical students. The prevalence of learning skill mentoring need was 77.2% (95% CI: 73.6%, 81.0%) among the first-year and 63.5% (95% CI: 58.5%, 68.6%) among the second-year medical students. There was a significant association between year of study and learning skill mentoring need (χ2 (1) = 4.65, P = 0.031). None of the demographic characteristics (gender, ethnic, entry qualification, origin and scholarship) was significantly associated with the mentoring needs. The data of mentoring needs among the phase 1 of medical training is crucial to provide them an effective mentoring programme.


2014 ◽  
Vol 2014 ◽  
pp. 1-7 ◽  
Author(s):  
Asma Mostafa ◽  
Rozina Hoque ◽  
Mohammad Mostafa ◽  
Md. Mashud Rana ◽  
Faisal Mostafa

Empathy is considered to be associated with better patient compliance, satisfaction, and clinical outcomes. The aim of the study is to measure and examine empathy among a sample of undergraduate medical students of Bangladesh. It was a cross-sectional study and all the medical students of first through fifth year enrolled at Chattagram Maa-O-Shishu Hospital Medical College during the study period of 2014 were surveyed. Participants anonymously completed the Jefferson Scale of Empathy Medical Student version translated into Bengali language, a valid and reliable 20-item self-administered questionnaire. Principal component factor analysis with varimax rotation and Cronbach’s alpha coefficient were calculated to check validity and reliability of the scale. ANOVA was used to examine the differences in empathy between gender, academic years, and specialty preferences. The mean empathy score was 110.41 ± 13.59. Cronbach’s alpha coefficient was 0.88. There were significant associations between gender and empathy scores. The level of empathy in medical students gradually increases after clinical training in medical college. A nonsignificant difference was found between empathy scores and specialty preferences. It is suggested that the medical curriculum in Bangladesh should include more extensive program to promote empathy and other humanistic values among the medical students.


2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Seyedeh Somayeh Kazemi ◽  
Sedigheh-Sadat Tavafian ◽  
Alireza Hidarnia ◽  
Ali Montazeri

Abstract Background: Occupational back pain is the most prevalent health problem among nurses and needs to be assessed by a valid and multi-factorial questionnaire. The purpose of the present study was to design and develop an instrument based on the PRECEDE-PROCEED model for assessing job-related behaviors that cause low back pain. Methods: First an item pool of 49 items was generated. Then, content and face validity was carried out. Consequently, a cross-sectional study was conducted in Mazandaran, Iran. The questionnaire was distributed among a sample of nurses working in hospitals affiliated to Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences. Exploratory factor analysis was used to determine the factor structure of the questionnaire. The Cronbach’s alpha was estimated to assess the reliability and the intraclass correlation coefficient was calculated to examine stability. Results: In all 155 nurses participated in the study. The mean age of respondents was 34.1 (SD = 7.66) years, and 83.2% were female. Six factors with 30 items emerged from the exploratory factor analysis: knowledge, attitude, self-efficacy, reinforcing factors, enabling factors and behavior that jointly accounted for %66.5 of behavior change variance observed. The Cronbach’s alpha coefficient showed excellent internal consistency (alpha=0.92). The intraclass correlation coefficient with 2-weeks interval also indicated that the questionnaire has satisfactory stability (ICC = 0.97). Conclusions: The findings showed that the Occupational Back Pain Prevention Behavior Questionnaire is a reliable and valid instrument for measuring occupational back pain and prevention behaviors among nurses. Keywords: Occupational Back Pain, Prevention behaviors, Psychometric evaluation, PRECEDE-PROCEED model, Nurse


2021 ◽  
Vol 6 (3) ◽  
pp. 19
Author(s):  
Aric Vranada ◽  
Chiou-Fen Lin ◽  
Chia-Jung Hsieh ◽  
Tsae-Jyy Wang

Background: Nursing shortages are a significant problem experienced by medical institutions worldwide as well as Indonesia. Understanding nurses’ work environment is a proper strategy for enhancing the retention and overcoming shortages of nurses. The Quality Nursing Work Environment (QNWE) is a well-known tool that has been commonly used to evaluate the working atmosphere of nurses. However, the availability and validated version of the instrument for hospital nurses in Indonesia is not confirmed.Purpose: This study aims to confirm the psychometric evaluation of the Indonesian version of QNWE instruments in hospital settings.Methods: A cross-sectional study design and psychometric analyses were administered. The 65-item, eight-domain questionnaire was translated, adapted, and face-validated using content validity index (CVI) analysis. The construct validity and internal consistency of the translated version were tested using confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) and Cronbach's Alpha to 334 hospital nurses. The intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) was employed to determine test-retest and interrater reliability analysis to 33 nurses and 10 ratters in the pilot testing.Results: The CVI of the QNWE-I scale ranged from 0.86 to 1.00. The CFA determined an adequate model fit of the instrument. As to overall reliability, test-retest reliability of 0.90, ICC analysis of 0.82, and Cronbach's alpha of 0.96; was confirmed.Conclusions: The psychometric evaluation of the QNWE-I showed excellent acceptability, validity, and reliability. Therefore, the QNWE-I can serve as a comprehensive instrument for assessing the quality of nurses' work environments in Indonesia.


2021 ◽  
Vol 27 (1) ◽  
pp. 146045822097546
Author(s):  
Maria Cellina Wijaya ◽  
Yudhistira Pradnyan Kloping

Nowadays, it is common for people to look for health care information on the internet. The eHealth Literacy Scale (eHEALS) is commonly used to measure eHealth literacy. As of the publication of this study, the Indonesian version for eHEALS has not been published even though eHealth literacy is necessary, especially in the current COVID-19 pandemic. We aimed to evaluate the validity and reliability of the Indonesian version of eHEALS (I-eHEALS). A total of 100 respondents in East Java were involved in this cross-sectional study. Pearson-product moment correlation method and construct validity were used to validate the results. The reliability was determined based on the Cronbach’s alpha internal consistency measurement and intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC). The Pearson correlation analysis results are significantly higher ( r > 0.254, p < 0.01) compared to the critical value table. Single factors accounting for 57.66% variance in the scales exhibit a unidimensional latent structure. The internal consistency between items is excellent as shown by the Cronbach’s alpha coefficient (0.91). The ICC analysis shows an acceptable result (0.552, p < 0.01). The I-eHEALS is valid and reliable to be used for evaluating the eHealth literacy of the Indonesian population.


2022 ◽  
Vol 22 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Rouba Ballouk ◽  
Victoria Mansour ◽  
Bronwen Dalziel ◽  
Iman Hegazi

Abstract Background A blended learning environment is multifaceted and widely used in medical education. However, there is no validated instrument for exploring students’ learning in a blended learning environment in medical programs. This study aimed to develop and validate an instrument for exploring how medical students learn in an undergraduate medical program that employs a blended learning approach. Method Using Artino’s seven step approach, we developed a questionnaire to investigate how medical students learn in a blended learning environment. For pilot testing, 120 students completed this 19-item questionnaire. These 19-items were evaluated for construct and convergent validity across an expert medical education panel. Further item testing was analysed with principal component analysis (PCA) with varimax rotation for item reduction and factor estimation. Hence, validity was thoroughly addressed to ensure the questionnaire was representative of the key focus questions. Cronbach’s Alpha was used for item reliability testing, and Spearman’s Rho was used for the correlation between the questionnaire items and the extensively used MSLQ. Hence, validity and reliability were systematically addressed. Results Exploratory Factor analysis identified four factors F1 and F3: Resources: Accessibility & Guidance (14-items), F2: Learning behaviours: Social and Contextual (5-items), and F4: Motivational factors: Intrinsic and Extrinsic Motivation (4-items). Internal consistency and reliability tests were satisfactory (Cronbach’s Alpha ranged from 0.764 to 0.770). Conclusions The resulting Blended Learning Questionnaire (BLQ) was determined to be a reliable instrument to explore undergraduate medical students’ learning in a blended learning environment.


Author(s):  
Devendra Singh Kushwah ◽  
Beenu Kushwah

Background: Teratogenicity caused by drugs can be avoided to major extent just by creating more awareness about rational use of drugs among treating doctors. Deleterious effects of a drug upon developing foetus are directly related with the stage of embryological development at the time of exposure. Attainment of right knowledge at right time about teratogenicity of a particular drug is very crucial which requires more awareness among general doctors in a country like India where most of the pregnant females are manged by these doctors only in peripheral regions. Present study was an observational study to assess basic knowledge of undergraduate medical students regarding teratogenicity in order to make necessary changes in existing mode of training of this particular topic.Methods: Present study was a questionnaire based cross sectional observational study to assess basic knowledge of undergraduate medical students regarding different aspects of teratogenicity. It included 250 students of two medical colleges of central India.Results: Out of 250 students 146 students reported on time. Maximum students (71%) were aware about the teratogenicity property of certain harmful drugs. Although 90% of students knew that early first trimester is the most susceptible time, only 21% could state the importance of doing counselling regarding use of drugs even before pregnancy.Conclusions: Based on the findings of present study it is obvious that more emphasis should be put on improving knowledge about teratogenic drugs during early years of medical training in order to bring about necessary changes in existing practices of treating doctors.


2020 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Claudia Atala-Acevedo ◽  
Carlos Zaror ◽  
Gerardo Espinoza-Espinoza ◽  
Patricia Muñoz-Millán ◽  
Sergio Muñoz ◽  
...  

Abstract Background The Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory™ (PedsQL™) Oral Health Scale was developed to measure oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL). The aim of this study was to cross-culturally adapt the parent-reported version for toddlers of PedsQL™ Oral Health Scale into Spanish and to assess the acceptability, reliability and validity of this version in Chilean preschool population. Methods The PedsQL™ Oral Health Scale for toddlers was cross-culturally adapted for the Spanish language using the recommended standards. To assess metric properties, a cross-sectional study was carried out with 301 children aged 2 to 5 years in Carahue, Chile. Chilean versions of the PedsQL™ Oral Health Scale, PedsQL™ 4.0 Generic Core Scales, and Early Childhood Oral Health Impact Scale (ECOHIS) were completed by the children’s parents. Dental caries, malocclusion and dental trauma were examined by trained dentists. The PedsQL™ Oral Health Scale was administrated a second time 14–21 days after. The reliability of the scale was verified by analysis of internal consistency (Cronbach’s alpha) and reproducibility (Intraclass correlation coefficient – ICC). The validity of the construct was assessed by confirmatory factor analysis and known groups method. The convergent validity was assessed by calculating the Spearman’s correlation with the ECOHIS questionnaire. Results The PedsQL™ Oral Health Scale demonstrated good reliability, with Cronbach’s alpha coefficient of 0.79 and ICC of 0.85. A moderate-to-strong correlation was found between the PedsQL™ Oral Health Scale and the ECOHIS questionnaire (− 0.64); the PedsQL™ Oral Health Scale score was lower in children with poor than those with excellent/very good oral health (median 100 vs 85, p < 0.001); it also was lower in children with caries than in those caries-free (median 100 vs 90, p < 0.001). No statistically significant differences were found among groups according to malocclusion and traumatic dental injuries. Conclusions The PedsQL™ Oral Health Scale for toddlers in Spanish showed to be equivalent to the original version, and its psychometric properties were satisfactory for application in a Chilean pre-school population.


2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mike Nantamu Kagawa ◽  
Sarah Kiguli ◽  
Hannes Steinberg ◽  
Mpho P. Jama

Abstract Background It is well documented that workplace learning is a significant contributor to competence development as it offers engagement opportunities that enable students to participate in clinical activities in preparation for future clinical practice. Undergraduate medical students of Makerere University College of Health Sciences have placements at Mulago National Referral and Teaching Hospital for purposes of workplace learning. The purpose of this study was to explore the perceptions and experiences of lecturers, administrators and students about workplace learning at the hospital for the undergraduate medical students with the ultimate aim of identifying opportunities and challenges in the learning environment for purposes of improvement.Methods The study design was cross-sectional descriptive with a qualitative approach using key informant interviews for the lecturers and administrators, and focus group discussions for the students. The framework method was used to perform thematic data analysis with the help of ATLAS.tiResults The workplace at Mulago National Referral and Teaching Hospital was perceived to be well-endowed with adequate patient numbers, a suitable case mix and unrestricted access to patients for purposes of competence achievement. The challenges reported included inadequate resources such as infrastructure, equipment and supplies, poor learner agency and overcrowding which compromised competence development. The resource challenge appeared insurmountable in the context of two autonomous institutions with divergent planning priorities in terms of teaching, research and patient care. Resource challenges notwithstanding, alternative perceptions were that occasional shortages of equipment and supplies during workplace learning presented as a reality check for students to fit in with the realities of the practice setting when they finally qualify.Conclusions There were mixed perceptions about the learning environment at Mulago National Referral and Teaching Hospital with both enabling and challenging factors. It therefore requires that enabling factors are enhanced and innovative solutions are designed to address the challenges in order for workplace learning to be optimal.


Author(s):  
Renu Sethia ◽  
Gaurav Sharma ◽  
Kirti Shekhawat ◽  
Aarti Aacharya ◽  
Rekha Acharya ◽  
...  

Background: Recently there is growing concern about stress during undergraduate’s medical training. Undue stress may cause adverse health consequences and lowered academic performance. Objective of the study was to know perceived level of stress and its causes among undergraduate medical students.Methods: A cross sectional survey, using self-structured questionnaire, was conducted among 65 third year medical students. Questionnaires were related to socio-demographic profile, perceived stress scale [PSS] and 32 item list of stressors (grouped as health related, academic and psycho-social). Student’s responses were recorded on five point Likert scale.Results: Mean PSS score was 25.53±5.55 and was significantly higher for females. Psycho-social stressors occurred most frequently, followed by the academic causes.Conclusions: Medical undergraduates face high level of stress and the causes may be varied. They need more interaction, counselling and support from faculty to relieve their stress.


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