The role of narrative medicine program in promoting professional ethics: perceptions of Iranian medical students

Narrative medicine (NM) is an educational tool that can be used to promote the professional competencies of medical students. This study aimed to investigate Iranian medical students’ perceptions of the first NM program offered in 2019. The study was conducted on 69 medical interns who participated in the weekly NM program that was part of the professional ethics course for two months. We used a questionnaire to determine medical interns' perceptions and personal attitudes toward NM. Three experts confirmed the validity of the questionnaire in Persian, and its reliability was verified by internal consistency (α = 0.879). The independent t-test was used to compare the differences in the total scores of students' perceptions. Data analysis was conducted using SPSS 23 software (P < 0.05). The response rate to the questionnaire was 95.65%. The results showed overall students' perceptions of the program were found to be positive. Furthermore, the scores showed a significant difference in terms of gender (P = 0.014), but none in terms of marital status (P = 0.936). According to the results, NM was effective in improving students’ reflections and their empathy with patients. Therefore, it is recommended to include NM in professional ethics education.

Security and Violence Perception of Medical Interns during Social Service Practice in Mexico

The increase of insecurity levels in Mexico, as well as the fact that violence is a frequent experience among health personnel, motivated this study whose purpose was to evaluate the perception of security and violence that social service medical interns (SSMI) had on the institutions and localities where they carried out their social work and make visible the main types of violence to which they were exposed. This was a cross-sectional study, based on a perception survey self-administered to 157 SSMI from Zacatecas, in Mexico. A high proportion of the participants (75.8%) stated that they were victims of violence, describing 134 incidents; however, only 33.6% of SSMI made an official report. The reported incidents were related to organized crime (31.9%), verbal violence (20.6%), violence by the authorities (14.7%) and sexual harassment (11.8%). One hundred percent of the victims of sexual harassment were women (p = 0.039). According to the above, it is a priority to generate strategies to prevent and reduce the risk of exposure to the violence generated in the medical units and communities where SSMI carry out their activities as medical graduates, as well as, to efficiently process formal violence reports to promote a safe environment that favors the fulfillment of the practice of SSMIs in Mexico.

Perception of medical interns and residents about specialty of microbiology and the role of microbiologists during COVID-19 pandemic

Background: The speciality of microbiology is closely associated with keeping people healthy and disease free by accurate diagnosis of infectious diseases. In spite of this, awareness about the speciality seems to be scarce. In the present scenario, public perception about microbiology has been changed a lot. The SARS-CoV-2 pandemic has highlighted the crucial role of microbiologists in the health care system. The aim of this survey was to determine the perceptions of medical interns and residents regarding the specialty of microbiology and the role of microbiologists in maintaining and promoting health of people.Methods: On-line survey using google form to identify perception of medical interns and residents about the speciality of microbiology.Results: A total 298 valid responses were obtained response rate 26.02% from the participants among them 167 (56.0%) were male and 131 (44.0%) females. Though, the attitude of medical interns and residents were found positive for the speciality of microbiology, they even recognize the importance of medical microbiology in their future role as medical practitioners, but only few (3.48%) wished to opt it as their career.Conclusions: The risks and responsibilities of a microbiologist involved in managing patients seldom get due acknowledgement. Adequate measures need to be taken to enlighten the authorities about microbiology and various responsibilities of microbiologists. The health care providers and medical teachers needed to appreciate the perception of young medical students regarding current and future trends in specialty choice and take concrete steps to meet the unmet need of health care.

THE IMPACT OF TARGETED TRAINING OF MEDICAL INTERNS ON THE SURVIVAL OF CARDIAC ARREST IN THE EMERGENCY ROOM

Introduction:The prognosis of patients with cardiac arrest is closely related to the quality of cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR). The aim of this work was to assess the impact of targeted training on CPR, in accordance with the latest international recommendations, on the management of cardiac arrests in SAUV. Methods:This is a prospective study carried out between January 1 and December 31, 2011 at the SAUV of Ibn Sina University Hospital in Rabat, including all adult patients who experienced cardiac arrest after admission. The main primary objective is to evaluate the impact of targeted training of medical interns on the survival of cardiac arrest in the ER expressed by the Hospital Discharge Survival (HDS) rate. Secondary objectives include the rate of recovery of circulatory activity (RCA), 48-hour survival, and quality of CPR performance. Results:342 patients were included, 159 before and 183 after training. There was no significant difference in terms of recovery from spontaneous circulation, 48h survival or discharge rate at home without sequelae. On the other hand, there was a statistically significant improvement in all the quality criteria for performing CPR. Conclusion:This work shows that the introduction of short training courses such improves the quality of CPR. The lack of impact on the improvement of patient survival seems to be related to numerous shortcomings, in particular basic medical training in emergency medicine, organization and protocolization of care, equipment of emergency rooms, supervision of emergency clerkship and the existence of a CA national registry. These are all areas to be developed in order to improve the prognosis of CA in our hospital structure.

Knowledge and Attitude about Immunization Recommended by Government of India and Indian Academy of Paediatrics among Medical Students

Background: Immunization being the most cost-effective treatment for preventing disease and extending life, is essential to know about its schedule and be aware of vaccines that are available up to date. Immunization is one of the most important strategies for protecting children from disease. Aim: The aim of the study is to assess the knowledge and attitude of immunization among medical students recommended by Government of India (NIS) and Indian Academy of Paediatrics (IAP). Methodology: A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted in Saveetha Medical College and Hospital, Chennai among final year MBBS students, Medical Interns using a structured questionnaire. The study was conducted between February 2021 & April 2021. Results: In a total of 259 study participants, around78(65%) of Medical Interns and 74(52%) of final year MBBS students are aware that as per NIS, BCG vaccine in catch up can be given until 1 year of age. Conclusion: The degree of knowledge among medical students should be emphasised and various initiatives regarding the knowledge and awareness about immunization among the interns and the medical students should be introduced.

Testing the efficacy and acceptability of video-reflexive methods in personal protective equipment training for medical interns: a mixed methods study

ObjectivesTo test the efficacy and acceptability of video-reflexive methods for training medical interns in the use of personal protective equipment (PPE).DesignMixed methods study.SettingA tertiary-care teaching hospital, Sydney, January 2018–February 2019.Participants72 of 90 medical interns consented to participate. Of these, 39 completed all three time points.InterventionsParticipants received a standard infection prevention and control (IPC) education module during their hospital orientation. They were then allocated alternately to a control or video group. At three time points (TPs) over the year, participants were asked to don/doff PPE items based on hospital protocol. At the first two TPs, all participants also participated in a reflexive discussion. At the second and third TPs, all participants were audited on their performance. The only difference between groups was that the video group was videoed while donning/doffing PPE, and they watched this footage as a stimulus for reflexive discussion.Primary and secondary outcome measuresThe efficacy and acceptability of the intervention were assessed using: (1) comparisons of audit performance between and within groups over time, (2) comparisons between groups on survey responses for evaluation of training and self-efficacy and (3) thematic analysis of reflexive discussions.ResultsBoth groups improved in their PPE competence over time, although there was no consistent pattern of significant differences within and between groups. No significant differences were found between groups on reported acceptability of training, or self-efficacy for PPE use. However, analysis of reflexive discussions shows that the effects of the video-reflexive intervention were tangible and different in important respects from standard training.ConclusionsVideo reflexivity in group-based training can assist new clinicians in engagement with, and better understanding of, IPC in their clinical practice. Our study also highlights the need for ongoing and targeted IPC training during medical undergraduate studies as well as regular workplace refresher training.