Background: Ingrained assumptions about clinical placements (clerkships) for health professions students pursuing primary basic qualifications might undermine best educational use of mobile devices.Question: What works best for health professions students using mobile (hand-held) devices for educational support on clinical placements?Methods: A Best Evidence Medical Education (BEME) effectiveness-review of "justification" complemented by "clarification" and "description" research searched: MEDLINE, Educational Resource Information Center, Web of Science, Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature, PsycInfo, Cochrane Central, Scopus (1988–2016). Reviewer-pairs screened titles/abstracts. One pair coded, extracted, and synthesized evidence, working within the pragmatism paradigm.Summary of results: From screening 2279 abstracts, 49 articles met inclusion-criteria, counting four systematic reviews for context. The 45 articles of at least Kirkpatrick K2 primary research mostly contributed K3 (39/45, 86.7%), mixed methods (21/45, 46.7%), and S3-strength (just over one-half) evidence. Mobile devices particularly supported student: assessment; communication; clinical decision-making; logbook/notetaking; and accessing information (in about two-thirds). Informal and hidden curricula included: concerns about: disapproval; confidentiality and privacy; security;—distraction by social connectivity and busy clinical settings; and mixed messages about policy.Discussion and conclusion: This idiosyncratic evidence-base of modest robustness suggested that mobile devices provide potentially powerful educational support on clinical placement, particularly with student transitions, metalearning, and care contribution. Explicit policy must tackle informal and hidden curricula though, addressing concerns about transgressions.
Continuous professional development (CPD) is crucial for physicians to maintain and enhance their skills. In response to the changing context of CPD and health care, this study applied a design thinking approach to transform and modernise the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada's Maintenance of Certification (MOC) Program. A member-wide survey and co-design sessions with physicians, CPD leaders, and patient representatives were conducted, emphasising the importance of their insights and experiences. The data revealed key themes for the programme such as fostering meaningful learning, addressing barriers to CPD, supporting collaboration, and responding to the need for modern, flexible CPD delivery methods. Using "empathy", "define", "ideate", "prototype", and "test" phases, we continuously refined the MOC framework of CPD activities based on comprehensive user experiences and needs insights. The revised framework was iteratively prototyped and validated to ensure it was user-friendly and aligned with professional and regulatory requirements. The findings underscore the effectiveness of the design thinking approach in creating a dynamic, responsive MOC framework that supports CPD and meets the evolving needs of medical professionals. This approach not only demonstrates the effectiveness of design thinking but also the importance of engaging users in the development process, making them feel valued and integral to the transformation of the MOC Program.
Background: Ingrained assumptions about clinical placements (clerkships) for health professions students pursuing primary basic qualifications might undermine best educational use of mobile devices. Question: What works best for health professions students using mobile (hand-held) devices for educational support on clinical placements? Methods: A Best Evidence Medical Education (BEME) effectiveness-review of “justification” complemented by “clarification” and “description” research searched: MEDLINE, Educational Resource Information Center, Web of Science, Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature, PsycInfo, Cochrane Central, Scopus (1988–2016). Reviewer-pairs screened titles/abstracts. One pair coded, extracted, and synthesized evidence, working within the pragmatism paradigm. Summary of results: From screening 2279 abstracts, 49 articles met inclusion-criteria, counting four systematic reviews for context. The 45 articles of at least Kirkpatrick K2 primary research mostly contributed K3 (39/45, 86.7%), mixed methods (21/45, 46.7%), and S3-strength (just over one-half) evidence. Mobile devices particularly supported student: assessment; communication; clinical decision-making; logbook/notetaking; and accessing information (in about two-thirds). Informal and hidden curricula included: concerns about: disapproval; confidentiality and privacy; security;—distraction by social connectivity and busy clinical settings; and mixed messages about policy. Discussion and conclusion: This idiosyncratic evidence-base of modest robustness suggested that mobile devices provide potentially powerful educational support on clinical placement, particularly with student transitions, metalearning, and care contribution. Explicit policy must tackle informal and hidden curricula though, addressing concerns about transgressions.
Abstract Background The importance of appropriate communication skills within a health care setting rests upon the need for effective information sharing. When successful, this provides a supportive working environment for staff and has a positive impact on patient care and outcomes. Aims The purpose of this study was to explore how knowledge/evidence is acquired, shared, and applied in the Critical Care (CC) environment for staff and patients/family members. Study Design A qualitative approach was used, consisting of semi‐structured interviews and focus groups. Data analysis was conducted using an iterative thematic approach. Results Data collected prior to the COVID‐19 pandemic from United Kingdom (UK) critical care workers ( N = 46), patients, and family members ( N = 21) identified four communication roles performed by the nursing staff: team member; diplomat; translator and friend. Conclusions It was evident that without suitable training and support, the stresses and demands placed upon the nurses could lead to disenfranchisement and burnout. Relevance to Clinical practice These findings are relevant and timely given the impact of the pandemic, highlighting the need for accessible and alternate communication strategies to support nurses by reducing stress, moral distress and increasing psychological safety. Improved communication can provide tailored information for staff and patients/family improving the CC experience for all.
Download the presentation to hear the audio track on each slidePresentation delivered by Dr. Jayne Garner, Student Support Lead at the Edge Hill University Medical School, in collaboration with colleagues Dr Peter Leadbetter, Dr Sarah Lyon and Ed Horowicz. The presentation concerns adapting student support during the current CV-19 situation.The Medical School implemented a new system for delivering student support, creating the Personal Academic Tutor (PAT) role at the start of this academic year to meet General Medical Council (GMC) standards regarding the provision of pastoral care. With the move to online delivery from March 2020 following the CV19 situation, a new weekly reporting system was introduced with a clear emphasis on ensuring students were managing the new situation personally and professionally. This session shares aspects of practical record keeping, sharing information and building the support relationship remotely to deliver positive engagement and promote student wellbeing.
Medical Education 2010: 44: 814–825 Objectives This study describes how medical students perceive professionalism and the context in which it is relevant to them. An understanding of how Phase 1 students perceive professionalism will help us to teach this subject more effectively. Phase 1 medical students are those in the first 2 years of a 5-year medical degree. Methods Seventy-two undergraduate students from two UK medical schools participated in 13 semi-structured focus groups. Focus groups, carried out until thematic saturation occurred, were recorded and transcribed verbatim. Data were analysed and coded using NVivo 8, using a grounded theory approach with constant comparison. Results From the analysis, seven themes regarding professionalism emerged: the context of professionalism; role-modelling; scrutiny of behaviour; professional identity; 'switching on' professionalism; leniency (for students with regard to professional standards), and sacrifice (of freedom as an individual). Students regarded professionalism as being relevant in three contexts: the clinical, the university and the virtual. Students called for leniency during their undergraduate course, opposing the guidance from Good Medical Practice. Unique findings were the impact of clothing and the online social networking site Facebook on professional behaviour and identity. Changing clothing was described as a mechanism by which students 'switch on' their professional identity. Students perceived society to be struggling with the distinction between doctors as individuals and professionals. This extended to the students' online identities on Facebook. Institutions' expectations of high standards of professionalism were associated with a feeling of sacrifice by students caused by the perception of constantly 'being watched'; this perception was coupled with resentment of this intrusion. Students described the significant impact that role-modelling had on their professional attitudes. Conclusions This research offers valuable insight into how Phase 1 medical students construct their personal and professional identities in both the offline and online environments. Acknowledging these learning mechanisms will enhance the development of a genuinely student-focused professionalism curriculum.
Following a multi-institutional research project, the authors formulated 12 tips for the successful implementation of peer assessment in a health-based setting. These tips relate to planning, delivery and feedback. They also offer a wide range of practical guidance and anecdotal evidence relating to peer assessment generally.
Background:
Undergraduate medical students in the UK are expected to meet numerous guidelines relating to their professional behaviour as specified by the GMC1. This guidance includes objectively appraising and assessing the performance of their colleagues2. Little is known about how students perceive and understand these requirements, and the impact this has on their learning experience.
Summary of work:
72 undergraduate students from 2 schools participated in 13 focus groups. Data were analysed using a grounded theory approach3.
Summary of results:
Focus group themes were: the context for appraising the professional behaviour of peers, the appropriate disclosure of peer appraisal, how students justified their peer appraisals, the importance of feedback for personal reflection, the importance of good role models, the teaching of professional behaviours and lifelong learning.
Conclusions:
Students understood the importance of peer appraisal as part of their professional development, although they did have reservations about delivering constructive feedback face to face. Students suggest that professional behaviour is subjective, therefore teaching and appraising professionalism is context dependent –e.g. if its on clinical placement, in a classroom setting or even on virtual environments then the feedback will be different.
Take-home message:
Students need to understand why they are appraising peers, and how this impacts upon their professional development and personal reflection.