A Nationwide Virtual Research Education Program for Medical Students in Pakistan: Methodological Framework, Feasibility Testing, and Outcomes

Introduction: Equipping young medical trainees with fundamental research skills can be a promising strategy to address the need for professionals who can understand and responsibly communicate evolving scientific evidence during a pandemic. Despite an ardent interest to partake in research, most educational institutions in Pakistan and other low-middle income countries have not yet adopted a comprehensive strategy for research skills education. The authors aimed to design and assess the feasibility of implementing the first nation-wide virtual research workshop for medical students in Pakistan.Methods: The course “Beginners Guide to Research,” designed as a nation-wide virtual research workshop series, was conducted for medical students across Pakistan in June 2020. Four interactive live workshops took place online on alternate days from June 22nd, 2020, to June 27th, 2020, each lasting 1–2 h. Outcomes included: (i) reach, (ii) efficacy as indexed by pre-post change in score pertaining to knowledge and application of research and (iii) self-rated perceptions about understanding of research on a Likert scale.Results: 3,862 participants enrolled from 41 cities and 123 institutions. Enrolled participants belonged to the following provinces: Sindh (n = 1,852, 48.0%), Punjab (n = 1,767, 45.8%), Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (n = 109, 2.8%), Azad Jammu and Kashmir (n = 84, 2.2%) Balochistan (n = 42, 1.1%). We also saw a few registrations from international students (n = 8, 0.2%). Mean (SD) age of enrolled medical students was 21.1 (2.1) years, 2,453 (63.5%) participants were female and 2,394 (62.0%) were from private-sector medical colleges. Two thousand ninety-three participants participants filled out all four pre-test and post-test forms. The total median knowledge score improved from 39.7 to 60.3% with the highest improvements in concepts of research bioethics and literature search (p < 0.001) with greater change for females compared to males (+20.6 vs. +16.2%, p < 0.001) and private institutions compared to public ones (+16.2 vs. +22.1%, p < 0.001).Conclusion: The overwhelming enrollment and significant improvement in learning outcomes (>50% of baseline) indicate feasibility of a medical student-led research course during a pandemic, highlighting its role in catering to the research needs in the LMICs.

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Barriers to Women Entering Surgical Careers: A Global Study into Medical Student Perceptions

World Journal of Surgery ◽

10.1007/s00268-019-05199-1 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 44 (1) ◽

pp. 37-44 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

I. H. Marks ◽

A. Diaz ◽

M. Keem ◽

Seyedeh-Sanam Ladi-Seyedian ◽

G. S. Philipo ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Medical Students ◽

Postgraduate Training ◽

Univariate Analysis ◽

Middle Income ◽

Subset Analysis ◽

Poor Access ◽

Low Middle Income Countries ◽

Surgical Career ◽

Heavy Workload

Abstract Background Barriers to female surgeons entering the field are well documented in Australia, the USA and the UK, but how generalizable these problems are to other regions remains unknown. Methods A cross-sectional survey was developed by the International Federation of Medical Students’ Associations (IFMSA)’s Global Surgery Working Group assessing medical students’ desire to pursue a surgical career at different stages of their medical degree. The questionnaire also included questions on students’ perceptions of their education, resources and professional life. The survey was distributed via IFMSA mailing lists, conferences and social media. Univariate analysis was performed, and statistically significant exposures were added to a multivariate model. This model was then tested in male and female medical students, before a further subset analysis by country World Bank income strata. Results 639 medical students from 75 countries completed the survey. Mentorship [OR 3.42 (CI 2.29–5.12) p = 0.00], the acute element of the surgical specialties [OR 2.22 (CI 1.49–3.29) p = 0.00], academic competitiveness [OR 1.61 (CI 1.07–2.42) p = 0.02] and being from a high or upper-middle-income country (HIC and UMIC) [OR 1.56 (CI 1.021–2.369) p = 0.04] all increased likelihood to be considering a surgical career, whereas perceived access to postgraduate training [OR 0.63 (CI 0.417–0.943) p = 0.03], increased year of study [OR 0.68 (CI 0.57–0.81) p = 0.00] and perceived heavy workload [OR 0.47 (CI 0.31–0.73) p = 0.00] all decreased likelihood to consider a surgical career. Perceived quality of surgical teaching and quality of surgical services in country overall did not affect students’ decision to pursue surgery. On subset analysis, perceived poor access to postgraduate training made women 60% less likely to consider a surgical career [OR 0.381 (CI 0.217–0.671) p = 0.00], whilst not showing an effect in the men [OR 1.13 (CI 0.61–2.12) p = 0.70. Concerns about high cost of training halve the likelihood of students from low and low-middle-income countries (LICs and LMICs) considering a surgical career [OR 0.45 (CI 0.25–0.82) p = 0.00] whilst not demonstrating a significant relationship in HIC or UMIC countries. Women from LICs and LMICs were 40% less likely to consider surgical careers than men, when controlling for other factors [OR 0.59 CI (0.342–1.01 p = 0.053]. Conclusion Perceived poor access to postgraduate training and heavy workload dissuade students worldwide from considering surgical careers. Postgraduate training in particular appears to be most significant for women and cost of training an additional factor in both women and men from LMICs and LICs. Mentorship remains an important and modifiable factor in influencing student’s decision to pursue surgery. Quality of surgical education showed no effect on student decision-making.

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Effect of peer-assisted learning on enhancing clinical research skills among medical students: students’ and tutors’ perceptions

10.21203/rs.3.rs-279191/v1 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Abdulkarim A. Jawhari ◽

Maha A. Safhi ◽

Mawadah M. Magadmi ◽

Rajwa H. Alobaidi ◽

Khaled M. Alghamdi ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Medical Students ◽

Clinical Research ◽

Research Methodology ◽

Knowledge Score ◽

Nonparametric Test ◽

Peer Teaching ◽

Alternative Methods ◽

Rank Test ◽

Peer Assisted Learning ◽

Research Skills

Abstract Background Research methodology is an essential part of evidence-based medicine. Many educational programs include clinical research methodology within their curriculum. Moreover, students’ preferences for learning methods are different to before, as they now prefer alternative methods, such as peer teaching. Peer-assisted learning enhances students’ tutoring skills. Thus, the current study aimed to evaluate the effect of peer teaching on enhancing clinical research skills. Methods Peer-assisted learning was evaluated during a four-week online research methodology course designed for medical students at King Abdulaziz University. A total of 121 students’ and 38 tutors’ attitudes and perceptions of peer teaching were evaluated using a self-administered questionnaire. The effectiveness of peer teaching was assessed using pre- and post-course knowledge tests. Chi-square used to assess the association of qualitative data and Mann-Whitney U test and Wilcoxon rank test are used as nonparametric test for the variables that are not normally distributed. Results The post-course knowledge score was significantly higher than the pre-test score. Students had a positive perception of peer-assisted learning. Over 90% of the students preferred peer-assisted learning to traditional teaching. Similarly, the tutors had significantly positive perceptions of peer-assisted teaching. Younger students who had higher post-test mean knowledge scores had a good perception of peer teaching. Conclusions The current study demonstrates students' and tutors' positive perceptions of peer-assisted learning as well as the effectiveness of peer learning. Medical schools should pay more attention to students and prepare them for peer-teacher roles.

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Students’ knowledge and attitude towards scientific research at Tbilisi State Medical University

European Journal of Public Health ◽

10.1093/eurpub/ckaa166.651 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 30 (Supplement_5) ◽

Author(s):

L Gabunia ◽

S Khetsuriani ◽

N Gamkreldze ◽

N Antia

Keyword(s):

Medical Students ◽

Positive Impact ◽

Medical Science ◽

Bologna Process ◽

Scientific Research ◽

Research Skills ◽

Ongoing Research ◽

Post Test ◽

Knowledge And Attitude ◽

Medical University

Abstract Background Since 2012, Scientific-Research Skills Center (SRSC) of Tbilisi State Medical University (TSMU) conducts “Basic of scientific research skills” course for the students of TSMU. The activities and functions of the center are derived from the competence of basic medical education in the Bologna Process. The center is continuously developing Research-Skills teaching in both, theoretical and practical terms. Objectives We conducted a survey among medical students of TSMU to assess students' knowledge about research and attitudes towards the scientific research prior and after completing “Basics of Scientific Research skills”course; to evaluate the importance of the course and reveal students' possible motivation changes towards becoming future researchers. Results To accomplish this aim, we conducted survey in two phases, before and after completion of the module. 177 students of faculty of Medicine completed the self-administered pre- and post-test anonymously. The possible answers to the questions were graded by 1-5 points (5- maximum). According to the results, 58% of students graded the question about “importance of research” by maximum points in post-tests, as opposed to pre-test (42%). Before undertaking the course, 82% of surveyed students considered research as an integral part of medical science. while, this indicator increased till 92% after the course completion. The survey results also showed that the majority of students (60% pre-test; 74% post-test) are willing to participate in scientific research in future. Conclusions scientific research skills course has a positive impact on the development and advancing scientific research skills among medical students. The course helps students to understand the importance of scientific research in health care. The course needs further development and more emphasis on practical research skills such as fieldwork, students' involvement in ongoing research projects etc. Key messages Our study showed that Tbilisi State Medical University students consider scientific research as an extremely important course in their curricula. Based on our survey findings, SRSC will further improve the course and will strengthen scientific research approaches.

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Analyzing the social context of health information and misinformation during the COVID-19 pandemic: a case of emerging inequities in Lebanon

Global Health Promotion ◽

10.1177/1757975920984178 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 175797592098417

Author(s):

Jihad Makhoul ◽

Tamar Kabakian-Khasholian ◽

Lea Chaiban

Keyword(s):

Information Exchange ◽

General Public ◽

Communication Theory ◽

Scientific Evidence ◽

Social Contexts ◽

World Health ◽

Reasons For Action ◽

Middle Income ◽

Low Middle Income Countries ◽

The World

With the far-reaching COVID-19 pandemic starting in December 2019, a surge of misinformation, now coined by the World Health Organization (WHO) as an ‘infodemic’, has also taken the world by storm. False information and variations in interpretations about the pandemic and mitigation interventions/strategies continue to spread at a faster pace than the relevant scientific evidence. The WHO has called for a fight against this infodemic, describing it as the most contagious aspect of the pandemic. In this era of rapid information exchange, public health measures, and state interventions to control the pandemic, a contextual understanding of how information is communicated and shared is important for uncovering possible reasons for action or inaction by the general public. With the Lebanese state scrambling to implement and enforce different measures to control and mitigate the spread of COVID-19, adherence by the general public is not uniform. In this paper, we refer to social science and risk communication theory to discuss how the political, economic and social contexts in the country, and not only the content of the messages that people receive from officials, affect how they interpret and act on information. We highlight how this has played out in Lebanon and identify societal aspects of importance in a low-middle income country fraught with social, economic and political inequalities which continue to undermine the efforts to contain the spread. Implications to inform state response in the context of low-middle income countries are also discussed.

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Knowledge of Alzheimer’s Disease Among Medical Students of a Medical College

Journal of Nepal Medical Association ◽

10.31729/jnma.3622 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 56 (211) ◽

pp. 666-669 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Rachana Sharma ◽

Subhash Chandra Sharma ◽

Sudarshan N Pardhan ◽

Pratikshya Chalise ◽

Luna Paudel

Keyword(s):

Medical Students ◽

Cross Sectional Study ◽

Health Concern ◽

First Year ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Middle Income ◽

Medical College ◽

Middle Income Countries ◽

Medical Study ◽

Low Middle Income Countries

Introduction:Dementia is a public health concern as the prevalence is increasing worldwide with significant increase being in low-middle income countries. However these countries appear to be less prepared in handling this rise in terms of diagnosis and management. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted in Kathmandu medical College, from June 2017 to July 2017. Purposive sampling was done and the medical students who were in their first and final year of study were included in the study after obtaining an informed consent. Results: Total 185 students were included in the study, 80 (43.24%) from first year and 105 (56.75%) from final year of medical study. The mean score of knowledge among the students was 17.44± 2.46; 15.32± 1.22 among first year and 19.06± 1.87 among the final year students. Majority of the students said they have heard about dementia however, only 3 (3.75%) of first year and 43 (41.9%) from final year students have either attended a class or CME on dementia Conclusion:The knowledge about dementia was found to be average among medical students but better among final year medical students in comparison to first year. The knowledge was found to be better statistically among those who had either attended a class or CME on dementia or had exposure through different medias. Keywords:alzheimer`s disease; dementia; knowledge; medical students.

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A Study to Evaluate the Effectiveness of Information Booklet on Knowledge regarding Coronary Angiography among 3rd Year G.N.M. students in selected Nursing School at Vijayapur, Karnataka

International Journal of Advances in Nursing Management ◽

10.52711/2454-2652.2021.00089 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 385-388

Author(s):

Shaikh Azhar Haroon

Keyword(s):

Coronary Angiography ◽

Student Nurses ◽

Sampling Technique ◽

Knowledge Score ◽

Simple Random Sampling ◽

Good Knowledge ◽

Middle Income ◽

Poor Knowledge ◽

Information Booklet ◽

Post Test

Background: Coronary heart disease contributes much to the burden morbidity and mortality from chronic diseases globally and more than 80% of CVD-related deaths worldwide now occur in low and middle income countries. In India about 30 million adults suffer from cardiovascular disease. Objectives: To assess the knowledge of 3rd year G.N.M. students regarding coronary angiography and evaluate the effectiveness of informational booklet on knowledge regarding coronary angiography. Method: Pre-experimental research design was used for the study. Information booklet is dependent variable and knowledge of student nurses regarding coronary angiography is dependent variable. The setting of the study is at selected Schools of nursing at Vijayapur, Karnataka. Simple random sampling technique is used to select the subjects. The sample size is of 60 students. Result: In pre-test majority of subjects 30 (50%) had an average knowledge; 18 (30%) had poor knowledge and 12 (20%) had good knowledge, where as in post-test 51 (85%) of them had good knowledge and 09 (15%) had poor knowledge. Study also reveals that there is no association between pre-test knowledge and selected Socio demographic variables. Study also reveals that calculated paired‘t’ value (t= 26.48) is greater than tabulated value (t= 1.960). Hence H1 is accepted. This indicates that the gain in knowledge score is statistically significant at P< 0.05 levels. Conclusion: The findings of the study conclude that there is a need for educating the student nurses regarding coronary angiography. It implies that a nursing administrator should take part in developing protocols, standing orders related to design of the educational programmes and strategies for GNM Students regarding Coronary angiography.

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Knowledge of Medical Communication-Skills Among Pre-clinical Undergraduate Medical Students: a pre-test post-test experimental study.

10.21203/rs.3.rs-20870/v1 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Sameer Timilsina ◽

Sirisa MD Ka ◽

Barun Shrestha ◽

Gopendra Prasad Deo

Keyword(s):

Medical Students ◽

Communication Skills ◽

Negative Attitude ◽

Knowledge Score ◽

Attitude Scale ◽

First Year ◽

Undergraduate Medical Students ◽

Post Intervention ◽

Medical College ◽

Post Test

Abstract Background Effective physician-patient communication is integral to building confidence, improving compliance, satisfaction and avoiding mishaps and malpractice suits. Communication-skills (CS) training is an internationally accepted essential component of medical education. This study aims to assess the communication-skills knowledge of pre-clinical undergraduate medical students pre- and post- CS course. We expect an improvement in CS knowledge post-intervention. Methods Between March and September 2019, 100 first year pre-clinical undergraduate medical students at Chitwan Medical College were enrolled in CS course. Attitude towards learning CS using communication skills attitude scale (CSAS) and assessment on knowledge of CS was conducted pre- and post-intervention. The intervention included 10 team-based learning (TBL) sessions on selective study areas based on Calgary-Cambridge model. Additionally, students’ demographic profile was collected at the start of the intervention. Results Among 100 students, 70% were males and 30% females. Positive attitude towards learning CS improved by 5%. Statistically significant progress was noted in post-intervention mean scores implying CS to be teachable and learnable. (Wilcoxon Signed ranks test z=-6.178 p<0.001). Knowledge on medical CS improved in the study participants irrespective of sex, entry-type, past-educational institute or attitude. Students with pre-intervention negative attitude showed marked improvement in post-intervention knowledge score (z=-5.674 p<0.001). Conclusion The intervention was effective in increasing students’ knowledge of medical CS, but we did not assess the skills of the students. Continuation of this study is recommended to explore whether CS training could actually improve soft skills of medical students in our part of the world.

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Training health workers at scale in Nigeria to fight COVID-19 using the InStrat COVID-19 tutorial app: an e-health interventional study

Therapeutic Advances in Infectious Disease ◽

10.1177/20499361211040704 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 8 ◽

pp. 204993612110407

Author(s):

Akaninyene Otu ◽

Okey Okuzu ◽

Emmanuel Effa ◽

Bassey Ebenso ◽

Soter Ameh ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Capacity Building ◽

Health Workers ◽

Epidemic Control ◽

Middle Income ◽

Digital Platforms ◽

Worker Training ◽

Frontline Health Workers ◽

Low Middle Income Countries ◽

Post Test ◽

Service Disruption

Background: Health worker training is an essential component of epidemic control; rapid delivery of such training is possible in low-middle income countries with digital platforms. Methods: Based on prior experience with the Ebola outbreak, we developed and deployed a bespoke InStrat COVID-19 tutorial app, to deliver accurate and regularly updated information about COVID-19 to frontline health workers and epidemic response officers across 25 states of Nigeria. The potential effectiveness of this app in training frontline health workers was assessed through online pre- and post-tests and a survey. Results: A total of 1051 health workers from 25 states across Nigeria undertook the e-learning on the InStrat COVID-19 training app. Of these, 627 (57%) completed both the pre- and post-tests in addition to completing the training modules. Overall, there were statistically significant differences between pre- and post-tests knowledge scores (54 increasing to 74). There were also differences in the subcategories of sex, region and cadre. There were higher post-test scores in males compared with females, younger versus older and southern compared with northern Nigeria. A total of 65 (50%) of the participants reported that the app increased their understanding of COVID-19, while 69 (53%) stated that they had applied the knowledge and skills learnt at work. Overall, the functionality and usability of the app were satisfactory. Conclusion: Capacity building for epidemic control using e-health applications is potentially effective, can be delivered at minimal cost and service disruption and can serve as a tool for capacity building in similar contexts.

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SIGNIFICANT PREDICTORS OF INTEREST IN GERIATRICS AMONG LOW, MIDDLE, AND HIGH INCOME COUNTRIES

Innovation in Aging ◽

10.1093/geroni/igz038.539 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 3 (Supplement_1) ◽

pp. S150-S150

Author(s):

Grace Karikari ◽

David K Lohrmann ◽

Lesa L Huber

Keyword(s):

Medical Students ◽

Scientific Evidence ◽

The Elderly ◽

High Income ◽

Fiscal Year ◽

Cochrane Library ◽

Middle Income ◽

Middle Income Countries ◽

The World ◽

Low And Middle Income

Abstract Even though the demands for physicians with geriatric related specialties are higher than the available experts around the world, some countries and economies seem to be more impacted by the workforce shortage than others. This systematic review consolidated scientific evidence reporting the significant predictors of interest in pursuing a geriatric career among medical students’ in different countries. A 20-year (1998 – 2018) systematic literature review of high-quality primary research articles was conducted using PubMed, ERIC (EBSCO), Embase and Cochrane Library. Eleven articles (n =11) met the eligibility and quality assessment criteria. For analysis, studies were categorized into (i) low- and middle-income countries and (ii) high income countries, based on the WHO and the World Bank’s income grouping for the 2019 fiscal year. Medical students involved in this review were n = 1,683 representing students from different fields of medicine and year groups. The two most significant predictors of interest in geriatrics in the high-income countries were (1) positive attitudes towards the elderly and (ii) participation in a geriatric related intervention. Lack of published peer-reviewed articles from the low and middle-income countries limited the researchers’ ability to evaluate the similarities and differences between the two income groups. There is an overall need to stimulate interest in geriatric specialization among medical students. Leaders of the LMICs should invest in geriatric education and research in order to promote interest in the field, increase the geriatric workforce, and ultimately, improve the quality of life of the elderly in their respective countries

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Effectiveness of educational intervention on knowledge regarding cervical cancer and its prevention among married women in Chandragiri Municipality, Kathmandu

Journal of Kathmandu Medical College ◽

10.3126/jkmc.v9i2.35530 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 9 (2) ◽

pp. 96-101

Author(s):

Bipsana Shrestha ◽

Narayani Paudel

Keyword(s):

Cervical Cancer ◽

Educational Intervention ◽

Knowledge Score ◽

Married Women ◽

Post Intervention ◽

Middle Income ◽

Intervention Phase ◽

Screening Programs ◽

Adequate Knowledge ◽

Post Test

Background: Cervical cancer is the leading cancer and the leading cause of cancer deaths in women in low and middle-income countries. There is lack of knowledge regarding cervical cancer and its prevention among Nepalese women which leads to inadequate screening. Although cervical cancer is acknowledged as a preventable disease, it is still a major health burden for women in many developing countries because an adequate scale of screening programs is lacking. Objective: To evaluate the effectiveness of educational intervention on knowledge regarding prevention of cervical cancer among married women in Chandragiri Municipality. Methodology: Pre-experimental research design (One-group pretest-posttest design) was used. Through non-probability purposive sampling, 65 married women of Chandragiri municipality, ward no. 04 were included in the study. The final sample size was 62 as three samples were lost during post-test. Structured questionnaire was used for data collection via an interview method. The educational intervention was administered after pretest. Posttest was done with the same instrument two weeks after intervention. Data analysis was done using SPSS version 20. Descriptive statistics and inferential statistics (paired t-test) were used, hypothesis was tested at 5% level of significance. Results: Out of 62 respondents, 54.8% of the respondents had adequate knowledge in the pre-intervention phase and 62.9% had adequate knowledge in the post-intervention phase regarding cervical cancer and its prevention. There was a significant increase in mean score of overall knowledge from 15.82 to 25.75 after educational intervention (p<0.001). Conclusion: Mean knowledge score of the respondents increased significantly after educational intervention indicating that the educational intervention was effective.

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