College Students’ Knowledge of Ticks in Oklahoma: Assessment and Insights

Ticks (Arachnida: Acari) are common in Oklahoma and may transmit tick-borne diseases (TBDs) to people. Due to the difficulty in reducing tick populations, awareness of tick bite prevention, proper tick removal, and knowledge of when to seek medical treatment are critical. However, outreach and extension programs are hampered by a lack of knowledge of what community members know about ticks. To address this limitation, we surveyed college students enrolled in three non-major Entomology courses at Oklahoma State University in 2018. Of the 483 students invited to take a survey, 224 (46.4%) students took both surveys. Pre-survey responses indicated lower levels of knowledge of tick biology compared to post-survey responses. For both pre- and post-survey respondents, “ticks can jump” and “ticks reside up in trees” received the fewest correct responses. A majority of survey respondents considered Lyme disease to be the predominant TBD in Oklahoma, although it is not established in Oklahoma. Supplemental education overcame these knowledge gaps, with the exception of knowledge of Lyme disease which was still considered to be the predominant TBD in the post-survey. Our results can be used to develop assessment tools to improve extension programs and enhance protection from TBDs.

The Opioid Awareness and Support Team: an innovative example of medical education and community partnership

Implication Statement The Opioid Awareness and Support Team (OAST) at the Memorial University Faculty of Medicine is a novel student-led initiative designed to supplement medical student learning related to opioid use disorder and the opioids crisis. OAST has focused on grounding educational initiatives related to opioid use disorder in the local community context, working with community partners, and bringing in individuals with lived experience. We present initial findings from an Opioid Education Day that suggest student-led supplemental education for medical students can improve student knowledge surrounding opioid use.

How much is needed? Patient exposure and curricular education on medical students’ LGBT cultural competency

Background For medical students, providing exposure to and education about the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) patient population are effective methods to increase comfort, knowledge, and confidence in caring for LGBT people. However, specific recommendations on the number of patient exposures and educational hours that relate to high LGBT cultural competency are lacking. Methods Medical students (N = 940) at three universities across the United States completed a survey consisting of demographics, experiential variables (i.e., number of LGBT patients and LGBT hours), and the 7-point Likert LGBT-Development of Clinical Skills Scale (LGBT-DOCSS). LGBT-DOCSS scores were stratified by 1-point increments, and experiential variable means were computed per each stratification to characterize the mean LGBT patients and hours of medical students with higher scores and those with lower scores. Results Medical students reported caring for some LGBT patients annually (M = 6.02, SD = 20.33) and receiving a low number of annual LGBT curricular hours (M = 2.22, SD = 2.85) and moderate number of annual LGBT extracurricular hours (M = 6.93, SD = 24.97). They also reported very high attitudinal awareness (M = 6.54, SD = 0.86), moderate knowledge (M = 5.73, SD = 1.01), and low clinical preparedness (M = 3.82, SD = 1.25). Medical students who cared for 35 or more LGBT patients and received 35 or more LGBT total hours reported significantly higher preparedness and knowledge. Conclusions Medical students have shortcomings in LGBT cultural competency and limited LGBT patient exposure and education. To improve LGBT cultural competency, medical schools and accrediting bodies should consider providing medical students with at least a total of 35 LGBT patient contacts and 35 LGBT education hours (10 h of required curricular education and 25 h of supplemental education).

Using Applied Conversation Analysis in Medical Education

Successful implementation of patient medical education is contingent on the communication strategies used by nurses, patients, and caregivers. Applied conversation analysis (A-CA) is a sociological and linguistic technique aimed at understanding how interaction is accomplished. In this demonstration of A-CA, the authors draw on an 18-month iterative-formative evaluation of patient education that precedes autologous stem cell transplant for persons diagnosed with multiple myeloma (N=70), a type of cancer which disproportionately impacts older adults. In this study, patients and caregivers received supplemental education videos before their formal education session with a nurse coordinator. Using A-CA, we examined how nurses, patients, and caregivers orient toward the videos; including demonstrated knowledge by patients and caregivers. Nurses justified repeating topics from the videos. Through a focus on the function that language plays in sequences of interaction, it may be possible to determine strategies for improving patient education, and, consequently positively impact patient care..

Orientation of Target Audience to Selection of Engineering Specialization in Institutions of Supplemental Education

This article analyzes the issue of motivating parents upon making decision about selection of supplemental education in the light of importance of propaganda of engineering specialization as a factor of state competitiveness. This work is aimed at revealing promotional methods of motivating parents to select educational robotics as supplemental education for a child. The experimental methods are comprised of comparative analysis of approaches by child’s robotics studios to promotion of engineering specialization among target audience and sociological survey among parents interested in educational robotics as a kind of child’s engineering creativity. It has been revealed that most respondents are not aware of robotics as a program of supplemental education and of its global demand not at the game level. While searching for objects of comparative analysis, it has been revealed that numerous institutions of supplemental education are not inclined to implement robotics as an analog of engineering specialization into educational program not only due to expensive equipment but, first of all, due to unavailability of required specialists for arrangement of such child’s engineering creativity. As a consequence of the comparative analysis of approaches to attraction of target audience, it has been revealed that numerous studios of R&D creativity pay insufficient attention to advertising of their companies due to moderate budget. On the basis of the experimental results, recommendations have been developed on organization of motivating communication campaign for studios of educational robotics with consideration for psychological and behavioral characteristics using available advertising tools.

A systematic review and meta-analysis of supplemental education in patients treated with oral anticoagulation

Oral anticoagulants (OACs) are indicated for treatment and prevention of thromboembolic diseases. Supplemental patient education (education) has been proposed to improve outcomes, and this systematic review assesses the effect of education on mortality, thromboembolic events (TEEs) including venous thromboembolism (VTE), and bleeding in patients taking OACs. Randomized controlled trials were included, and 2 authors independently screened articles and assessed risk of bias. In 9 trials (controls, n = 720; intervention group patients, n = 646), 4 assessed critical outcomes of mortality, TEEs (VTE, stroke, and systemic embolism), and bleeding to estimate absolute risk ratios. When comparing education with usual care, in 1000 patients, there may be 12 fewer deaths (95% confidence interval [CI], 19 fewer to 154 more) and 16 fewer bleeding events (95% CI, 34 fewer to 135 more), but this evidence is uncertain; the evidence also suggests 6 fewer VTEs (95% CI, 10 fewer to 16 more) and 8 fewer TEEs (95% CI, 16 fewer to 18 more). The mean difference in time in therapeutic range may be 2.4% higher in the education group compared with usual care (95% CI, 2.79% lower to 7.58% higher). We also found very low certainty of evidence for a large increase in knowledge scores (standardized mean difference, 0.84 standard deviation units higher; 95% CI, 0.51-1.16). Overall, the certainty of evidence was low to very low because of serious risk of bias and serious imprecision. Additional sufficiently powered trials or different approaches to education are required to better assess supplemental education effects on outcomes in patients taking OACs.