医学研究生灾难医学知识的初步调查及对策

目的了解医学研究生对灾难医学相关知识的认知情况。方法通过发放调查问卷,对我校2008-2011年入学的458名医学研究生进行灾难医学相关知识调查分析。结果医学研究生对灾难医学的基本概念、基本急救技术、灾后心理援助以及传染病的预防及处理相关知识掌握较好,但对灾难伤员的检伤分类、灾难医学管理相关知识掌握明显不足。结论医学研究生掌握灾难医学相关知识已明显提高,但仍存在不足,应加强医学研究生急救技能培训、开设灾难医学选修课,以提高我国灾难医学救援整体水平。     

Assessing Knowledge of,and Attitudes to,HIV/AIDS among University Students in the United Arab Emirates

Background

The Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region is among the top two regions in the world with the fastest growing HIV epidemic. In this context, risks and vulnerability are high as the epidemic is on the rise with evidence indicating significantly increasing HIV prevalence, new HIV infections and AIDS-related deaths.

Objective

The aim of the survey was to assess HIV/AIDS knowledge and attitudes related to HIV/AIDS among a wide group of university students in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

Methods

In a cross-sectional survey, a total sample of 2,294 students (406 male; 1,888 female) from four universities in three different Emirates in the UAE were approached to take part in the study. Students self-completed a questionnaire that was designed to measure their knowledge and attitudes to HIV/AIDS.

Results

The overall average knowledge score of HIV.AIDS was 61%. Non-Emirati and postgraduates demonstrated higher levels of knowledge compared to Emirati and undergraduate students respectively. No significant differences between males and females; and marital status were found. Eighty-five percent of students expressed negative attitudes towards people living with HIV, with Emirati and single students significantly holding more negative attitudes compared to non-Emiratis and those that are married respectively.

Conclusions

The findings provide strong evidence that there is a need to advocate for appropriate National HIV/AIDS awareness raising campaigns in universities to reduce the gaps in knowledge and decrease stigmatizing attitudes towards people living with HIV/AIDS.     

Higher Risk Perception of HIV than of Chlamydia and HPV among Secondary School Students in Two German Cities

Background

Chlamydia and genital human papillomavirus (HPV) are the two most common sexually transmitted infections (STIs) among teens and young adults in industrialised countries. The majority of adolescents, however, have limited or no knowledge of these infections. Within the context of a cross-sectional survey on awareness and knowledge of sexually transmitted infections, secondary school students attending the 8th grade and above in Bremen and Bremerhaven, two cities in northern Germany, were asked to rate the risk of peers to get infected with HIV, HPV or chlamydia.

Methods

Between October and December 2011, students aged 12–20 years completed an anonymous, self-administered questionnaire at their school. In addition to answering questions on awareness and knowledge of sexually transmitted infections, all students were also asked to rate the risk of peers to get infected with HIV, HPV or chlamydia. Furthermore, those reporting ever having sexual intercourse were asked to rate their own risk of getting infected with each of the three infections.

Results

1,148 students, 55% female, completed the questionnaire. 27% of the students reported having had sexual intercourse. 68% of all students rated the risk of same-aged students to get infected with HIV/AIDS as high/medium. The corresponding proportions for HPV and chlamydia were 19 and 25% respectively. Those reporting ever having sexual intercourse generally perceived their own risk of getting infected with HIV, chlamydia or HPV as lower than that of their peers.

Conclusion

Generally, the risk of getting infected with HIV was perceived as being higher than that of getting infected with HPV or chlamydia, most likely due to the fact that the students were more aware of HIV than of the other two infections. Efforts should be made to improve awareness and knowledge of HPV and chlamydia among school going adolescents, and to make them realize that these are common infections that are preventable.     

医学研究生急救技能掌握情况的初步调查

目的了解医学研究生对急救技能的掌握晴况和对培训的态度。方法对我校2008-2011年入学的458名医学研究生急救技能掌握情况进行调查,并对4项技术（徒手心肺复苏、止血、包扎、固定与搬运）进行技能考核。发放调查问卷,了解对急救技能培训的需求情况。结果医学研究生急救技能掌握普遍较差,4项技术平均合格率为27．3％;心肺复苏技能培训合格率为55．6％。92．3％的医学研究生认为急救技能非常重要,89．5％希望定期得到急救技能培训。结论医学研究生急救知识与技能掌握较差,应定期对他们进行急救技能培训。     

Developing a contextualised blended learning framework to enhance medical physics student learning and engagement

As a specialist field of study, medical physicists require a broad range of knowledge and skills to operate competently in their workplace. In Australia, these competencies are accredited by the Australasian College of Physical Scientists and Engineers in Medicine (ACPSEM). Education and training for medical physicists therefore consists of an exhaustive range of knowledge areas. This is made even more challenging due to the extremely diverse backgrounds of students in these specialist courses of study. These factors frequently lead to a disengagement by students with learning activities.To address some of these challenges, the Radiotherapy Physics unit in a Masters level Medical Physics course of study was re-designed to increase active learning that included scaffolded in-class and online tasks and supported by virtual reality simulations. These re-design initiatives were informed by a diverse team including academic and clinical medical physicists as well as education experts.A survey, conducted over two consecutive years was used to gain students perceptions about the re-design. The questions were designed to see if the students felt engaged with the various learning activities.Analysis of the survey data indicates that there was an overall improvement in students’ engagement with the learning activities and the learning content.The paper further discusses nuanced understanding about the ways in which students engaged with the various learning activities including online, in-class, practicals and industry attachments. The paper discusses the appropriately informed learning activities that can be used to improve student engagement for highly specialised, content heavy areas of study.     

高中生网络使用状况与网络成瘾知识调查与分析

目的：对高中生网络使用状况和网络成瘾知识进行调查,为学校网络教育提供依据。方法：采用问卷调查法,对北京某高中高二学生进行整群抽样。结果：学生上网目的主要依次为游戏、听歌看电影、获取信息、学习,对网络成瘾有关的知识知晓率较高,但也存在一些网络成瘾的不良行为。结论：调查对象对网络使用较为健康,网络教育尚需加强。     

Medical Students’ Attitudes toward Abortion Education: Malaysian Perspective

Background

Abortion is a serious public health issue, and it poses high risks to the health and life of women. Yet safe abortion services are not readily available because few doctors are trained to provide such services. Many doctors are unaware of laws pertaining to abortion. This article reports survey findings on Malaysian medical students’ attitudes toward abortion education and presents a case for including abortion education in medical schools.

Methods and Results

A survey on knowledge of and attitudes toward abortion among medical students was conducted in two public universities and a private university in Malaysia in 2011. A total of 1,060 students returned the completed questionnaires. The survey covered about 90% of medical students in Years 1, 3, and 5 in the three universities. About 90% of the students wanted more training on the general knowledge and legal aspects of abortion, and pre-and post-abortion counseling. Overall, 75.9% and 81.0% of the students were in favor of including in medical education the training on surgical abortion techniques and medical abortion, respectively. Only 2.4% and 1.7% were opposed to the inclusion of training of these two methods in the curriculum. The remaining respondents were neutral in their stand. Desire for more abortion education was associated with students’ pro-choice index, their intention to provide abortion services in future practice, and year of study. However, students’ attitudes toward abortion were not significantly associated with gender, type of university, or ethnicity.

Conclusions

Most students wanted more training on abortion. Some students also expressed their intention to provide abortion counseling and services in their future practice. Their desire for more training on abortion should be taken into account in the new curriculum. Abortion education is an important step towards making available safe abortion services to enable women to exercise their reproductive rights.     

Medical Student Knowledge of Neglected Tropical Diseases in Peru: A Cross-Sectional Study

In developing countries, education to health-care professionals is a cornerstone in the battle against neglected tropical diseases (NTD). Studies evaluating the level of knowledge of medical students in clinical and socio-demographic aspects of NTD are lacking. Therefore, a cross-sectional study was conducted among students from a 7 year-curriculum medical school in Peru to assess their knowledge of NTD by using a pilot survey comprised by two blocks of 10 short questions. Block I consisted of socio-demographic and epidemiological questions whereas block II included clinical vignettes. Each correct answer had the value of 1 point. Out of 597 responders (response rate: 68.4%), 583 were considered to have valid surveys (male:female ratio: 1:1.01; mean age 21 years, SD ± 2.42). Total knowledge showed a raising trend through the 7-year curriculum. Clinical knowledge seemed to improve towards the end of medical school whereas socio-demographic and epidemiological concepts only showed progress the first 4 years of medical school, remaining static for the rest of the curricular years (p = 0.66). Higher mean scores in socio-demographic and epidemiological knowledge compared to clinical knowledge were seen in the first two years (p<0.001) whereas the last three years showed higher scores in clinical knowledge (p<0.001). In conclusion, students from this private medical school gained substantial knowledge in NTD throughout the career which seems to be related to improvement in clinical knowledge rather than to socio-demographic and epidemiological concepts. This study assures the feasibility of measuring the level of knowledge of NTD in medical students and stresses the importance of evaluating education on NTD as it may need more emphasis in epidemiological concepts, especially at developing countries such as Peru where many people are affected by these preventable and treatable diseases.     

The effects of health education on knowledge and attitudes to emergency contraception by female students of a tertiary educational institution in enugu, South East Nigeria

This was an intervention study to assess the effects of health education on the knowledge and attitudes to emergency contraception (EC) by female students of University of Nigeria in southeast Nigeria. A structured questionnaire was used to collect data from 337 female students of a tertiary educational institution (150 in the study group and 187 from the control group) who were selected by multistage sampling. Subsequently, health education was conducted only among students in the study institution. Three months after this intervention, its effects were assessed through a survey using the same structured questionnaire employed in the baseline survey. Unlike the pre-intervention results, knowledge of EC was significantly higher among the study group than the controls. Attitudes to EC were also more favourable at the post- intervention survey among the study group. Health education can effectively improve knowledge and attitudes to EC among female students of tertiary institutions and this should be encouraged. Keywords: Knowledge, Attitudes, Emergency contraception, Health education, Female students, Tertiary institutions.     

Bullying among medical students in a Saudi medical school

ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND: Bullying and sexual harassment of medical students by their teachers appears to be widespread phenomenon. However, nothing is published about its prevalence in conservative countries such as Saudi Arabia. This survey aims to ascertain the extent of these mistreatments among students in a Saudi medical school. FINDINGS: A cross-sectional questionnaire survey was conducted on a group of 542 clinical years' medical students in a Saudi medical school to explore students' perceptions of their educational environment including exposure to different kinds of bullying. Bullying was defined as "a "persistent behaviour against a medical student that is intimidating, degrading, offensive or malicious and undermines the confidence and self- esteem of the recipient". Results revealed that more than one quarter (28.0 %) of the surveyed students reported exposure to some sort of bullying during their clinical . Ninety percent of the reported insults were verbal, 6 % sexual and 4 % physical. Males were more exposed but difference was not statistically significant. CONCLUSIONS: Bullying among Saudi medical students is an existing problem. A policy against bullying and harassment should be adopted in all of medical colleges to monitor this phenomenon and support students who have been bullied.     

Knowledge and opinions about tissue donation and transplantation among Polish students and physicians

The idea of transplantation seems to be commonly identified by lay and professional people only with transplantation of vascularized organs like kidney or heart. The question arises whether there is any awareness of tissue transplantation among the public. A survey was therefore undertaken to assess awareness of and approaches to tissue donation and transplantation among selected social groups. A questionnaire on donation and transplantation issues was administered to respondents from the following groups: secondary school students, non-medical university students, medical university students, physicians. On the whole, 441 non-randomly sampled respondents were surveyed. The awareness of tissue transplantation is narrower than the awareness of organ transplantation. The support for tissue transplantation is weaker than for organ transplantation. This study shows that there is an acute need for education in the legal aspects of transplantation and that ways of motivating healthcare professionals to promote transplantation should be developed.     

Pasteur, oxygen and the anaerobes revisited

As a biochemist, Louis Pasteur focused on fermentation, demonstrating that it was a vital process. In 1860, he discovered anaerobic life and the strict anaerobes, particularly those responsible for butyric fermentation. Then, in spite of his lack of medical background, Pasteur turned to investigating the role of bacteria in human and animal diseases. In 1877, Pasteur and Joubert described for the first time a pathogenic anaerobe, the 'septic vibrio' (now Clostridium septicum). Not only was the bacterium cultivated, but the disease symptoms described and the disease experimentally reproduced. Pasteur also described what are now known as mixed anaerobic infections. A historical review of Pasteur's work is made in the light of our present knowledge of this field.     

Knowledge Levels and Training Needs of Disaster Medicine among Health Professionals,Medical Students,and Local Residents in Shanghai,China

Background

Disaster is a serious public health issue. Health professionals and community residents are main players in disaster responses but their knowledge levels of disaster medicine are not readily available. This study aimed to evaluate knowledge levels and training needs of disaster medicine among potential disaster responders and presented a necessity to popularize disaster medicine education.

Methods

A self-reporting questionnaire survey on knowledge level and training needs of disaster medicine was conducted in Shanghai, China, in 2012. A total of randomly selected 547 health professionals, 456 medical students, and 1,526 local residents provided intact information. The total response rate was 93.7%.

Results

Overall, 1.3% of these participants have received systematic disaster medicine training. News media (87.1%) was the most common channel to acquire disaster medicine knowledge. Although health professionals were more knowledgeable than community residents, their knowledge structure of disaster medicine was not intact. Medical teachers were more knowledgeable than medical practitioners and health administrators (p = 0.002). Clinicians performed better than public health physicians (p<0.001), whereas public health students performed better than clinical medical students (p<0.001). In community residents, education background significantly affected the knowledge level on disaster medicine (p<0.001). Training needs of disaster medicine were generally high among the surveyed. ‘Lecture’ and ‘practical training’ were preferred teaching methods. The selected key and interested contents on disaster medicine training were similar between health professionals and medical students, while the priorities chosen by local residents were quite different from health professionals and medical students (p<0.001).

Conclusions

Traditional clinical-oriented medical education might lead to a huge gap between the knowledge level on disaster medicine and the current needs of disaster preparedness. Continuing medical education and public education plans on disaster medicine via media should be practice-oriented, and selectively applied to different populations and take the knowledge levels and training needs into consideration.     

Fit for purpose? Evaluation of an MSc. in Medical Physics

The National University of Ireland in Galway established a Master in Science (MSc.) program in medical physics in 2002. The course was designed to be 90 ECTS¹ credits and of one calendar year duration. From the outset the MSc. was designed to be part of an overall medical physics training program. MSc. programs are now widely used as part of the training and education of medical physicists. There is however paucity of data on the effectiveness of such courses and the purpose of the study reported here is to provide information on one particular MSc. course in medical physics. This is relevant to medical physicists who are involved in the development and running of medical physics training programs. The study used as methodology the Kirkpatrick levels of professional training. It was conducted through an online survey, both from students who graduated from the course and from students who were in the process of completing the course.The survey proved to be an effective way to determine attributes of modules such as learning outcomes, knowledge imparted, quality of teaching materials and others. The survey proved to be remarkably able to demonstrate interventions in the individual course modules. Although the course was shown to be effective in the imparting of the knowledge required to become a qualified medical physicist several areas for improvement were identified. These are mainly in the areas of increased practical experience and in course delivery.     

Effectiveness of School-based Education on HIV/AIDS Knowledge, Attitude, and Behavior among Secondary School Students in Wuhan, China

Background

Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) are among the most complex health problems in the world. Young people are at high risk of HIV and AIDS infections and are, therefore, in need of targeted prevention. School-based HIV/AIDS health education may be an effective way to prevent the spread of AIDS among adolescents.

Methods

The study was a school-based intervention conducted in three middle schools and two high schools in Wuhan, China, which included 702 boys and 766 girls, with ages from 11 to 18 years old. The intervention was a one-class education program about HIV/AIDS for participants. HIV/AIDS knowledge, attitude, and high-risk behaviors were investigated using an anonymous self-administered questionnaire before and after the education intervention. Chi-square test was used to compare differences before and after the intervention. Non-conditional logistic regression analysis was used to identify the factors that affect HIV/AIDS knowledge.

Results

Misconceptions about basic medical knowledge and non-transmission modes of HIV/AIDS among all the students prevail. Approximately 10% to 40% of students had negative attitudes about HIV/AIDS before the intervention. After the intervention, all of the students had significant improvements in knowledge and attitude about HIV/AIDS (P<.05), indicating that educational intervention increased the students’ knowledge significantly and changed their attitudes positively. Logistic regression analyses indicated that before the intervention the students’ level of knowledge about HIV/AIDS was significantly associated with grade, economic status of the family, and attitudes toward participation in HIV/AIDS health information campaigns.

Conclusions

HIV/AIDS education programs were welcomed by secondary students and positively influenced HIV/AIDS-related knowledge and attitudes. A systematic and long-term intervention among secondary school students must be conducted for the prevention of HIV.     

Increasing smoking prevalence among pupils of several Croatian secondary medical schools between 1990 and 2006

Smoking among pupils of secondary medical schools is of particular public health interest because of their role in the health system in the future. The study was part of the survey of smoking among students of Croatian medium medical schools. Data of 3 survey periods were available (1990-2002-2006). Specific smoking trends among 14-18 year olds were examined using odds ratios and multiple regressions. Sex ratios were calculated for each survey period. Daily smoking prevalence in 1990 was 15.9% in boys and 14.1% among girls. Occasional smoking in 1990 occurred among 8.9% of boys and 15.0% of girls. Twelve years after, smoking prevalence increased for daily smoking in boys to 32.9% and among girls to 30.4%. Occasional smoking decreased to 6.3% in boys, and increased to 17.8% among girls. There were no remarkable changes in prevalence from 2002 to 2006. Among adolescents in Croatia, there was high risk for smoking among adolescent population. High smoking rate among pupils of medical schools predicts not only high mortality due to smoking over 20-30 years, but also implicates for bad habit among professional health workers, if no policy interventions were taken.     

五年制高职护理学生乙型肝炎KAP及需求调查

目的：通过了解高职护理学生对乙型肝炎（简称＂乙肝＂）流行病学知识及在医疗护理过程中对乙肝病毒感染防护措施的知晓程度,了解感染乙肝病毒（HBV）后对学生的心理行为和社会功能的影响,为今后有针对性地开展学校传染病管理和宣传工作提供依据。方法：对盐城卫生职业学院2006级552名高职护理学生采用问卷调查的方式进行乙肝相关知识及职业暴露防护相关措施的调查。结果：高职护理学生对乙肝相关知识的了解比较丰富,主要原因是接受过乙肝流行病学的专业学习;但对在医疗护理过程中预防乙肝病毒感染的措施缺乏了解,并且感染乙肝后对其心理、学习、人际交往等方面均有不同程度的影响。结论：高职护理学生乙肝相关知识掌握的较丰富,但就预防乙肝病毒感染和病毒感染后的行为水平较低,学校应加强学生的职业暴露防护及健康心理行为的教育。     

医学生抗生素及微生态学相关知识认知水平调查

抗生素过度使用是一个全球性问题,我国抗生素过度使用问题较为严重和普遍。而微生态制剂以其安全、有效的优点以及可一定程度上替代抗生素等特点正引起越来越广泛的关注。医学生作为未来的医务工作者,其对上述二者相关知识的认知直接关系到这一问题的解决。本文阐述了作者通过调查问卷得出的当代医学生对抗生素及微生态学知识的认知水平的调查结果,并进行了相关分析。     

Perceptions of family medicine and career choice among first year medical students: a cross-sectional survey in a Turkish medical school

Public attitudes to family medicine in Turkey have lagged behind its rapid academic development. The effect of undergraduate training in primary care on medical students' attitudes to family medicine has not been assessed. Objectives of this study were to assess the attitudes of first year medical students at Uludag University School of Medicine in Bursa, Turkey to family medicine and to determine their career aspirations. The study was a survey of the first year medical class in 2003-2004. The response rate was 95% (248/261 students). Students were positive about their choice of medicine as a career but had negative opinions of general practice. Female students were more positive in this respect. Initial preference was for specialization in fields other than general practice with little knowledge of the academic specialty of family medicine. Greater undergraduate exposure to family medicine is needed in order to increase knowledge of the field and influence student career choices.     

Science attitudes and knowledge among preclinical medical students in Pokhara, Nepal

Knowledge of science and the scientific method are important in learning about and using evidence-based medicine in practice. Courses in research methodology have been introduced for both medical students and practicing doctors. In Pokhara, the basic science subjects are taught in an integrated manner during the first four semesters of the undergraduate medical course. Studies on students' attitudes towards and knowledge of science are lacking in medical colleges in Nepal. Hence the study was carried out to obtain information on students' attitude towards and knowledge of science and scientific methodology among preclinical medical students and note the association, if any, of students' attitudes and their demographic characteristics. The study was carried out in March 2005 among the students of the first four semesters at the Manipal College of Medical Sciences, Pokhara, Nepal using a questionnaire developed by Hren and coworkers. Two hundred and twenty students (overall response rate 73.3%) successfully completed the questionnaire. Seventy-five respondents were Nepalese, 115 were Indians, 27 were Sri Lankans and 3 belonged to other nationalities. The X +/- SD total attitude score was 147.4 +/- 10.8 (neutral score 135). The X +/- SD scores on the subscales, value of science to humanity, value of scientific methodology and value of science to medicine were 51.3 +/- 5.4, 39.6 +/- 3.7 and 58.5 +/- 5.9 (neutral scores were 36, 51 and 48 respectively). The knowledge score measured using a set of 8 multiple choice questions was 3.3 +/- 1.4. The attitude scores were lower and the knowledge score was comparable to that reported previously in a study in Croatia but higher than that reported from Southeast Europe.