scholarly journals A Study of Differences in Compulsory Courses Offering Medicine Humanization and Medical Communication in Polish Medical Schools: Content Analysis of Secondary Data

Author(s):  
Joanna Dec-Pietrowska ◽  
Agnieszka Szczepek

Medical humanity is an essential element of medical education, and the respective courses are introduced to the curricula of medical schools worldwide. However, significant differences in this type of medical education were identified in Italy, Spain, and the UK. In Poland, this issue was not yet analyzed. The classes offered on a compulsory and not elective basis secure the uniform skills of future physicians. Therefore, we were prompted to ask a question: do Polish medical students receive equal compulsory education in medical humanities? To answer that question, we performed a content analysis of mandatory classes’ frequency, types, and content on medical humanization and communication in Polish medical schools. The study used publicly available information provided on the home pages of the universities to perform content and comparative analyses. Of 22 identified universities, 15 had publicly listed teaching programs, and nine had freely available syllabi. The names and types of courses varied from school to school. The number of hours the courses offered throughout medical education ranged from 15 to 216. In some medical schools, the classes were scheduled during the early, pre-clinical part of the study, whereas in other schools they were offered each year. The content of the courses always covered the topics of physician–patient communication but rarely offered protocols, such as the Calgary Cambridge guide. We conclude that the medical humanities represented by medical humanization and communication courses are included in the publicly available compulsory curriculum of most Polish medical schools. However, to secure equal education of future Polish physicians, there is a need to unify the medical humanities program.

Author(s):  
Jeremy Howick ◽  
Lunan Zhao ◽  
Brenna McKaig ◽  
RAFFAELLA CAMPANER ◽  
Alessandro Rosa ◽  
...  

Rationale and Objectives Medical humanities are becoming increasingly popular, required, and recognized as positively impacting medical education and medical practice. However, the extent of medical humanities teaching in medical schools is largely unknown. We aimed to review medical school curricula in Canada, the UK, and the US. Our secondary objective was to compare the inclusion of medical humanities in the curricula with rankings of medical schools. Methods We searched the curriculum websites of all accredited medical schools in Canada, the UK, and the US to check which medical humanities topics were taught, and whether they were mandatory or optional. We then noted rankings both by Times Higher Education and U.S. News and World Report and calculated the average rank. We formally explored whether there was an association between average medical school ranking and medical humanities offerings using Spearman’s correlation and inverse variance weighting meta-analysis. Results We identified 18 accredited medical school programmes in Canada, 41 in the UK, and 156 in the US. Of these, 9 (56%) in Canada, 34 (73%) in the UK and 124 (79%) in the US offered at least one medical humanity that was not ethics. The most common medical humanities were Unspecified Medical Humanities, History, and Literature (Canada), Sociology and Social Medicine, Unspecified Medical Humanities, and Art (UK), and Unspecified Medical Humanities, Literature, and History (US). There was a negative relationship between the ranking of the medical school and whether they offered medical humanities. Conclusions The extent and content of medical humanities offerings at accredited medical schools in Canada, the UK, and the US varies. The quality of our analysis was limited by the data provided on the Universities’ curriculum websites. Given the potential for medical humanities to improve medical education and medical practice, this variation should be investigated further.


BMJ Open ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (7) ◽  
pp. e036026
Author(s):  
Franziska Hommes ◽  
Simon Drees ◽  
Karin Geffert ◽  
Peter von Philipsborn ◽  
Jan M Stratil

ObjectiveThe WHO Commission on Social Determinants of Health (SDH) has called for a health workforce trained in recognising, understanding and acting on the SDH. However, little is known about how current medical education prepares graduates for this challenge. This study analyses the extent to which the German medical education incorporates content on SDH.DesignFollowing a published protocol, in 2018, we conducted a qualitative and quantitative content analysis of three key document groups, defining and guiding what medical schools are expected to teach and what medical students are expected to know when graduating in Germany. We developed the coding system in a mixed inductive and deductive approach based on key WHO documents.SettingMedical schools and the medical education system in Germany.ResultsImportant gaps exist in the representation of SDH in medical education in Germany. Between 3% and 27% of the analysed document-elements made reference to SDH and only 0%–3% of those document elements made explicit references to SDH. While some aspects were covered widely (eg, topics of occupational health, early childhood development and hygiene), other topics such as health inequalities or determinants outside of the healthcare system were not or hardly represented.ConclusionsA stronger and more explicit representation of SDH in German medical education is needed to prepare the new health workforce for current and future challenges in our globalised world and for medical schools to be socially accountable.


2014 ◽  
Vol 52 (193) ◽  
pp. 751-754 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ajaya Kumar Dhakal ◽  
P Ravi Shankar ◽  
Sanjaya Dhakal ◽  
Devendra Shrestha ◽  
Rano Mal Piryani

Medical Humanities is a relatively new concept even in developed countries, and is at the infancy stage in low income countries like Nepal. Medical humanities modules in Nepal are being conducted in a few medical schools. Humanities have an essential role in medical education, the gap between the humanities and medicine has to be bridged and there should be continuous and vigorous debate about the theory and practice of medical humanities


Author(s):  
Youngsub Oh ◽  

The purpose of this study is to explore current status and future task of educational utilization of medical humanities, focusing on narrative medicine in Korea. For this end, firstly, this study reviewed Korean research literatures on medical humanities. Second, this study reviewed the educational utilization of narrative medicine in medical education and humanities education in Korea. Lastly, this study provided the implication and future task for education and research. This study is expected to be a useful reference for developing teaching and learning model to nurture medical professionals, counselors and therapists, and researchers.


2019 ◽  
Vol 29 (Supplement_4) ◽  
Author(s):  
M Ungureanu

Abstract Background Long recognised as a major source country for health professionals working in Western EU Member States, Romania has become increasingly attractive for international medical students in recent years. The current study explores the drivers of this trend, its opportunities and challenges, as well as its implications on the broader health system goals. Methods The study used secondary data analysis and interviews with key informants. Data originated in a study conducted for the OECD (grant no. EC-2017-5304 financed by the European Commission). Results Since 2011, 11 of the 13 Medical Schools in Romania have opened additional study lines in foreign languages (English and French) and gradually increased the number of places allocated to international students. Of all new-entrant student places available in the medical schools in 2018/19, nearly 30% (1740 out of 6121) are in the international study programmes - a 50% increase since 2011/12. Moreover, while the total annual number of places for new medical students have increased by nearly a fifth between 2011/12 and 2018/19 (from 5,250 to 6,121), the share of new study places in the Romanian division has decreased from 80% to 70% in the same period. For Medical Schools, internationalisation has been driven mainly by financial reasons and has had a positive impact on curriculum development and improvement. For many international medical students, in particular nationals of the EU countries, the main push factors are the numerus clausus policies limiting access to medical education in their home countries. Conclusions Internationalisation of medical education in Romania has taken place in the absence of a formal national internationalisation strategy and efforts have not translated into significant improvements in health workforce management in Romania. This suggests that potential benefits of internationalisation of health workforce education must be assessed in context of national health systems.


2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sneha Barai

UNSTRUCTURED The UK General Medical Council (GMC) explicitly states doctors have a duty to ‘contribute to teaching and training…by acting as a positive role model’. However, recent studies suggest some are not fulfilling this, which is impacting medical students' experiences and attitudes during their training. As such, doctors have a duty to act as role models and teachers, as specified by the GMC, which it seems are not currently being fulfilled. This would improve the medical students’ learning experiences and demonstrate good professional values for them to emulate. Therefore, these duties should be as important as patient care, since this will influence future generations.


2019 ◽  
Vol 2019 ◽  
pp. 1-10 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alice Malpass ◽  
Kate Binnie ◽  
Lauren Robson

Medical school can be a stressful experience for students, resulting in stress-related mental health problems. Policy recommendations from the General Medical Council (GMC), the body responsible for improving medical education in the UK, recommend the use of mindfulness training to increase well-being and resilience to stress. Students participating in an eight-week mindfulness training between Autumn 2011 and Spring 2015 were invited to complete a free text survey at the end of their mindfulness course. In addition, six qualitative interviews were conducted lasting between 60 and 90 minutes. Interviews used a topic guide and were recorded and transcribed verbatim. We used the framework approach to analyse the data. Students reported a new relationship to their thoughts and feelings which gave a greater sense of control and resiliency, an ability to manage their workload better, and more acceptance of their limitations as learners. The small group context was important. Students described improved empathy and communication skills through building inner awareness of thoughts and feelings, noticing judgments, and developing attentive observation. The findings show how resiliency and coping reserve can be developed within medical education and the role of mindfulness in this process. We present a conceptual model of a learnt cycle of specific vulnerability and describe how MBCT intercepts at various junctures in this self-reinforcing cycle through the development of new coping strategies that embrace an “allowed vulnerability.”


2021 ◽  
Vol 19 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Deborah Bedoll ◽  
Marta van Zanten ◽  
Danette McKinley

Abstract Background Accreditation systems in medical education aim to assure various stakeholders that graduates are ready to further their training or begin practice. The purpose of this paper is to explore the current state of medical education accreditation around the world and describe the incidence and variability of these accreditation agencies worldwide. This paper explores trends in agency age, organization, and scope according to both World Bank region and income group. Methods To find information on accreditation agencies, we searched multiple online accreditation and quality assurance databases as well as the University of Michigan Online Library and the Google search engine. All included agencies were recorded on a spreadsheet along with date of formation or first accreditation activity, name changes, scope, level of government independence, accessibility and type of accreditation standards, and status of WFME recognition. Comparisons by country region and income classification were made based on the World Bank’s lists for fiscal year 2021. Results As of August 2020, there were 3,323 operating medical schools located in 186 countries or territories listed in the World Directory of Medical Schools. Ninety-two (49%) of these countries currently have access to undergraduate accreditation that uses medical-specific standards. Sixty-four percent (n = 38) of high-income countries have medical-specific accreditation available to their medical schools, compared to only 20% (n = 6) of low-income countries. The majority of World Bank regions experienced the greatest increase in medical education accreditation agency establishment since the year 2000. Conclusions Most smaller countries in Europe, South America, and the Pacific only have access to general undergraduate accreditation, and many countries in Africa have no accreditation available. In countries where medical education accreditation exists, the scope and organization of the agencies varies considerably. Regional cooperation and international agencies seem to be a growing trend. The data described in our study can serve as an important resource for further investigations on the effectiveness of accreditation activities worldwide. Our research also highlights regions and countries that may need focused accreditation development support.


2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Marleen W. Ottenhoff- de Jonge ◽  
Iris van der Hoeven ◽  
Neil Gesundheit ◽  
Roeland M. van der Rijst ◽  
Anneke W. M. Kramer

Abstract Background The educational beliefs of medical educators influence their teaching practices. Insight into these beliefs is important for medical schools to improve the quality of education they provide students and to guide faculty development. Several studies in the field of higher education have explored the educational beliefs of educators, resulting in classifications that provide a structural basis for diverse beliefs. However, few classification studies have been conducted in the field of medical education. We propose a framework that describes faculty beliefs about teaching, learning, and knowledge which is specifically adapted to the medical education context. The proposed framework describes a matrix in which educational beliefs are organised two dimensionally into belief orientations and belief dimensions. The belief orientations range from teaching-centred to learning-centred; the belief dimensions represent qualitatively distinct aspects of beliefs, such as ‘desired learning outcomes’ and ‘students’ motivation’. Methods We conducted in-depth semi-structured interviews with 26 faculty members, all of whom were deeply involved in teaching, from two prominent medical schools. We used the original framework of Samuelowicz and Bain as a starting point for context-specific adaptation. The qualitative analysis consisted of relating relevant interview fragments to the Samuelowicz and Bain framework, while remaining open to potentially new beliefs identified during the interviews. A range of strategies were employed to ensure the quality of the results. Results We identified a new belief dimension and adapted or refined other dimensions to apply in the context of medical education. The belief orientations that have counterparts in the original Samuelowicz and Bain framework are described more precisely in the new framework. The new framework sharpens the boundary between teaching-centred and learning-centred belief orientations. Conclusions Our findings confirm the relevance of the structure of the original Samuelowicz and Bain beliefs framework. However, multiple adaptations and refinements were necessary to align the framework to the context of medical education. The refined belief dimensions and belief orientations enable a comprehensive description of the educational beliefs of medical educators. With these adaptations, the new framework provides a contemporary instrument to improve medical education and potentially assist in faculty development of medical educators.


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