Opinions of healthcare students on organ and tissue donation for transplantation

ABSTRACT Objectives: to analyze the opinions of healthcare students on organ and tissue donation for transplantation. Methods: qualitative document analysis study, using the records of a database and analyzing data from two perspectives: 1) Lexical analysis, with the IRAMUTEQ software, and 2) Thematic content analysis. Results: from the analysis, 3 main categories were generated: 1) Organ and tissue donation as an act of love for others and an opportunity of a new beginning; 2) Clarification and awareness on organ and tissue donation; and 3) Importance of communicating the family and promoting organ and tissue donation. Final Considerations: despite being in favor of donation, students also recognize the presence of social taboos; the discussion in the family nucleus, promoting the theme and raising awareness in society are considered important. Additionally, the education of students is one of the possibilities of intervention for the issue.

Knowledge, Perception and Attitude of the Undergraduate Healthcare Students Relative to COVID-19 Infection at a Teaching Institute of Karachi

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has been declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization. Efforts are being made all over the world to raise awareness in order to prevent the disease from spreading. The purpose of this study was to assess undergraduate healthcare students' attitudes, perceptions, and knowledge of COVID-19 disease. We conducted a cross- sectional survey in which a questionnaire with 12 questions was transformed online on Google forms and distributed online to healthcare students. Data was collected between May and June of 2021. The convenience sampling technique was used, resulting in a sample size of 926 people. A total of 926 individual questionnaires were evaluated. The findings revealed that the majority of participants learned about COVID-19 through social media and electronic media, which was the most common source of information. The majority of participants stated that older and middle-aged people are more likely to be affected. The protective measure against symptomatic and asymptomatic COVID 19 is N95 and surgical masks, as well as sanitization. Half of the participants believe that COVID 19 is a bioweapon, and that it affects all religious groups equally. In general, undergraduate healthcare students had a fair understanding of the disease and a favorable attitude toward preventive measures. The government and the public are taking effective measures to combat disease spread; however, there is still a need for additional awareness campaigns and knowledge of safe interventions to combat disease spread.

A Structural Equation Modeling of Mental Health Literacy in Healthcare Students

Background: There is a high prevalence of mental illness among healthcare students, and most students with mental health problems are reluctant to seek help from mental health professionals. Help-seeking is a component of mental health literacy (MHL). Although MHL is conceptualized as multi-dimensional, a theory-based multi-construct of MHL is still lacking. We aimed to build a theory-based multi-construct of MHL to explore the pathways of help-seeking. Methods: The data were obtained from a survey on MHL among healthcare students in 2018 (n = 1294). The Mental Health Literacy Scale for Healthcare Students was used to measure the maintenance of positive mental health, recognition of mental illness, mental illness stigma attitudes, help-seeking efficacy, and help-seeking attitudes. Descriptive analysis and structural equation modeling (SEM) were conducted. Results: The findings of the SEM model indicated recognition of mental illness had a positive direct effect on both help-seeking efficacy and maintenance of positive mental health. Additionally, help-seeking efficacy fully mediated the relationship between recognition of mental illness and help-seeking attitudes. Conclusions: Help-seeking efficacy plays a significant role in healthcare students’ willingness to seek professional help when mental health care is needed. Accordingly, improving help-seeking efficacy strategies would increase the use of mental health services and contribute to the prevention of mental health problems.

Assessment of Depression, Anxiety and Stress among Healthcare Students during COVID-19 Pandemic: A Cross Sectional Study

Background: A Corona virus pandemic now has had a huge impact on quality of life all around the world. People's mental health has been affected by quarantine. The economic delays could have long term impacts on the psychology of students as they are more likely to be graduated later than they have expected. The number of factors contributed to gravitate the psychological disturbances including online education, financial worries and academic pressure. Aims and Objectives: This Study was to determine the level of Depression, Anxiety and Stress among Students during COVID-19 Pandemic. Furthermore, to see if there's a correlation between demographic profile and the DASS-21. Materials and methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted among the healthcare students using DASS-21 which included a conventional DASS questionnaire along with demographic characteristics. A Google form link was shared through social media-WhatsApp and E-mail and data was collected and analyzed using excel sheet to examine the levels of depression, anxiety, and stress among students. Results: The study enrolled a total of 303 students. The prevalence of moderate depression, anxiety, and stress was found to be 37.9%, 337.9%, 34.9% and 33%, respectively. Males were represented up to 54.13 percent of the population, while females accounted for 45.87 percent. Female responders were more likely than their male counterparts to experience depression and anxiety, whereas stress levels were found to be comparable in both genders. Conclusion: The average scores of depression, anxiety, and stress in this study were significantly high. Depression, anxiety, and stress are now all associated with a variety of causes. Students develop depression and anxiety as a result of a lack of academic and social life. Students may be stressed due to a lack of exercise and economic difficulties. Keywords: Depression, DASS-21, Mental Health, Pandemic, Students, Social Life

Understanding Healthcare Students’ Experiences of Racial Bias: A Narrative Review of the Role of Implicit Bias and Potential Interventions in Educational Settings

Implicit racial bias is a persistent and pervasive challenge within healthcare education and training settings. A recent systematic review reported that 84% of included studies (31 out of 37) showed evidence of slight to strong pro-white or light skin tone bias amongst healthcare students and professionals. However, there remains a need to improve understanding about its impact on healthcare students and how they can be better supported. This narrative review provides an overview of current evidence regarding the role of implicit racial bias within healthcare education, considering trends, factors that contribute to bias, and possible interventions. Current evidence suggests that biases held by students remain consistent and may increase during healthcare education. Sources that contribute to the formation and maintenance of implicit racial bias include peers, educators, the curriculum, and placements within healthcare settings. Experiences of implicit racial bias can lead to psychosomatic symptoms, high attrition rates, and reduced diversity within the healthcare workforce. Interventions to address implicit racial bias include an organizational commitment to reducing bias in hiring, retention, and promotion processes, and by addressing misrepresentation of race in the curriculum. We conclude that future research should identify, discuss, and critically reflect on how implicit racial biases are enacted and sustained through the hidden curriculum and can have detrimental consequences for racial and ethnic minority healthcare students.