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| CO-EDITORS NOTES |
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| Year : 2017 | Volume
: 30
| Issue : 1 | Page : 1-2 |
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Co-Editors' notes 30:1
Michael Glasser1, Danette Mckinley2, Maaike Flinkenflogel3
1 Co-Editor, Education for Health, University of Illinois, Rockford, USA
2 Co-Editor, Education for Health, Foundation of Advancement of International Medical Education and Research, USA
3 KIT Health (Royal Tropical Institute), Amsterdam, Netherlands
| Date of Web Publication | 13-Jul-2017 |
Correspondence Address:
 Source of Support: None, Conflict of Interest: None  | Check |
DOI: 10.4103/1357-6283.210504
How to cite this article:
Glasser M, Mckinley D, Flinkenflogel M. Co-Editors' notes 30:1. Educ Health 2017;30:1-2 |
We are happy to publish this issue of Education for Health (EfH). Contents include original research, brief communications, general articles, and letters to the editors from across the globe. Publications from multiple regions have become a hallmark of EfH. In this issue, there are contributions from Argentina, Canada, Chile, China, Egypt, Germany, India, Mozambique, Nepal, the Netherlands, Pakistan, Poland, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Significantly, many of these publications represent collaboration between institutions from different countries, including the Netherlands–Mozambique, Chile–Canada, and Egypt–Qatar.
Frambach et al. in “How Innovative and Conventional Curricula Prepare Students for Medical Practice in Sub-Saharan Africa: A Comparative Study from Mozambique” investigated curriculum outcomes, comparing students' perceived preparedness for practice within three curricula including one traditional and two innovative. They found perceived preparedness from the conventional curriculum to be significantly lower from one new curriculum yet higher than from the other. The authors conclude that, before embarking on innovative curriculum reform, medical schools need to assess their capability and motivation for innovation.
Puschel et al. present “In Our Own Words: Defining Medical Professionalism from a Latin American Perspective.” In this paper from Chile, the authors used a mixed methods approach, including literature review, a Delphi methodology, and focus groups and personal interviews, to understand professionalism and education. The authors state that their work provides an original and culturally sound definition of medical professionalism that can be useful in Latin American medical schools.
From Argentina, Borracci et al. contribute “Patients' Perceptions of Argentine Physicians' Empathy Based on the Jefferson Scale of Patients' Perceptions of Physician Empathy: Psychometric Data and Demographic Differences.” The researchers conducted a survey of 400 Spanish-speaking outpatients attending three different public or private hospitals of Buenos Aires. Related to empathy rating, the researchers observed that male and elderly patients, South American descendants, less educated people, and patients of a public hospital system were more likely to highly evaluate physician empathy. The researchers conclude that the Jefferson Scale is a valid measure of patients' perceptions of physician empathy.
In “Using a Personality Inventory to Identify Risk of Distress and Burnout among Early Stage Medical Students,” Bughi et al., from the USA, conducted a cross-sectional survey of first-year medical students assessing responses to the Myer–Briggs Type Indicator, the general well-being schedule, and Maslach Burnout Inventory Student Survey. The researchers affirm that distress and burnout are prevalent in early medical education training. They also conclude that use of a personality inventory may help identify students at risk of burnout and allow for early stress management intervention.
From India, Deshpande et al. in “Mobile Learning App: A Novel Method to Teach Clinical Decision Making in Prosthodontics” report on dental students' use of and reaction to a link to an app designed to impact on clinical decision-making skills. They found that over two-thirds of interns reported greater confidence in clinical decision-making around prosthesis using the app and 94% felt that the app should be regularly used along with conventional teaching techniques.
In “Medical Ethics Education in China: Lessons from Three Schools,” Sherer et al. describe the relatively new area of medical ethics in China. Student and faculty surveys were used to obtain information on ethics course content, teaching methods, and revisions over time. The educators conclude that the development of ethics education in China is promising though improvements are needed and that ethics education goes beyond the walls of medical schools.
Eltony et al. from Egypt and Qatar contribute “Implementation and Evaluation of a Patient Safety Course in a Problem-based Learning Program.” In this descriptive study, the educators report on the implementation and evaluation of patient safety courses in a problem-based program. The project was in response to the WHO patient safety curriculum goals. Etony et al. conclude that a patient safety education program within a problem-based learning (PBL) curriculum is positively received and that patient safety education programs should focus on emergencies, where students perceive most errors.
In “Implementation and Sex-specific Analysis of Students' Attitudes Toward a Longitudinal, Gender-specific Medical Curriculum – A Pilot Study,” Bockers et al. focus on integrating clinically relevant aspects of gender medicine into the medical curriculum. They found, despite initial resistant from the school for the newly focused curriculum, that it was possible to integrate gender issues and call for more studies on the development of student attitudes toward gender issues.
Rahib et al. present “Mimicking Rashes: Use of Moulage Technique in Undergraduate Assessment at the Aga Khan University, Karachi.” The group used an objective structured clinical examination to focus on the validity and feasibility of moulage technique where a cosmetically constructed rash was used on standardized patients. The use of this technique can help develop dermatologic lesions on simulated patients to help in the assessment of student skills.
Allison et al., from Canada, present “Life in Unexpected Places: Employing Visual Thinking Strategies in Global Health Training.” The educators used visual thinking strategies (VTS) to help construct understanding of the social determinants of health in a low-resource setting. They found that VTS helped students articulate their understanding of social determinants and demonstrated that drawing can help learners apply, analyze, and evaluate complex concepts in global health.
In “What do Faculty Feel about Teaching in This School? Assessment of Medical Education Environment by Teachers,” Shehnaz used an assessment inventory (AMEET) to examine issues affecting medical students' learning. They found that the educational environment was generally perceived as positive by faculty. Strengths and weaknesses of the evaluation provide information for curriculum planning and give guidance for future faculty development programs.
From the USA, Katz et al. provide the brief communication titled “Teaching Procedural Skills to Medical Students: A Pilot Procedural Skills Lab.” Findings indicated that an innovative Procedural Skills Lab may increase students' confidence to perform needed procedural skills. In another brief communication, Knight et al. contribute “Comparing the Academic Performance of Graduate-entry and Undergraduate Medical Students at a UK Medical School.” This descriptive study assessed graduate entry as a route to medical school, concluding that this program is a valid route to medical education in the UK.
Jindal and MacDermid, in another contribution from Canada, address health information in “Assessing Reading Levels of Health Information: Uses and Limitations of Flesch Formula.” In this paper, the authors focus on the issue of health-care professionals and researchers to develop and implement readable and understandable health information. They report that Flesch Reading Ease and Flesch-Kendall Reading Grade Level do not always take into account future research needs to develop generic and disease-specific readability measures to evaluate comprehension of a written document based on individuals' literacy levels, cultural background, and knowledge of disease.
Graddy and Wright in “Going the Extra Mile: Lessons Learned from Running Coaches Applied to Medicine,” spent time with three running coaches at different levels (high school, college, and postcollegiate online) and identified six principles employed by these coaches that seem to be particularly relevant for promoting skill development in medicine. They conclude that longitudinal, individualized coaching based on the six basic tenants may be an effective means for optimizing professional development in medicine.
Finally, there are a number of letters to the editor from Greece, Poland, Saudi Arabia, and the UK focusing on students' medical research knowledge, massively open online courses, a novel pharmacology-based role play game, and a medical school–government collaboration to implement a PBL curriculum.
Please let us know which articles are most meaningful to you as you develop community- and evidence-based curricula and programs.
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