Journal of Advances in Medical Education & Professionalism
Volume:1 Issue: 4, Oct 2013

In India, medical undergraduates think that statistics is difficult to understand. Often, it is taught just before final assessment examination using didactic lectures, with little use of medical examples and less focus on application. Hence, we prepared interactive, participatory sessions for teaching biostatistics to medical undergraduate. The sessions were delivered by a facilitator. It had clearly specified objectives, teaching learning strategies. A needs assessment was done by interviewing the students who had undergone traditional biostatistics teaching methodology. Specific learning objectives for the sessions were finalized using the Delphi technique and review of University syllabus. Two trained Community Medicine faculties designed the lesson plans ‘backwards’ from desired outcome to content, teaching/learning strategies, assessment and evaluation process (Outcomes-based lesson planning). Forty, third-semester (Para-clinical phase of the second year) medical undergraduates undertook these seven teaching sessions. The session followed adult learning principles and included group discussions, games and reflections. We evaluated the impact of the sessions using in-depth interviews, retrospective post-then-preself- assessment and a pre-announced written test. With traditional statistics teaching methodology, students perceived it as a standalone subject and were not interested in statistics. Students who underwent the sessions commented that the sessions were enjoyable, interesting, and participatory and more than %90 of them felt they were engaged throughout the session. They also narrated various instances where hey could apply the biostatistics learning. In the post-then-pre-assessment edian post-session scores for all the objectives were significantly higher (p <0.050). Use of interactive, participatory sessions for teaching biostatistics to medical undergraduates resulted in a positive reaction and better learning. They also applied these concepts while reading textbooks, listening to lectures and during clinical postings.

Graduate (PhD) students in medical sciences, who will form future faculties and investigators in Iran’s Universities of Medical Sciences, are not trained on scientific writing during their training. The present study describes the design, implementation, and evaluation of Principles of Writing Biomedical Research Paper course. The course, prepared based on an extensive search of the literature and books on writing biomedical research papers, was offered as an elective course to PhD students at Shiraz University of Medical Sciences in the second semester of 2011-2012 academic year. The structure and function of various sections of a paper and publication ethics were discussed in lecture and practical sessions over a period of 12 weeks. The course was then evaluated using a self-designed questionnaire. The majority of students gave the highest score (20) to the content and implementation of all sessions of the course. Moreover, most of them believed that the allotted time to the course was not enough, and suggested that it should be increased to 32 hours (equal to two credits). Also, almost all the participants believed that overall the materials lectured were comprehensive, the practical sessions were important in learning the lectured materials, and the course was useful in advancing their abilities and skills to write papers. The evaluation of the present course showed that it was able to increase the participants’ knowledge of the structure of scientific papers, and enhanced their abilities and skills to write papers. The evaluation was used as a basis to modify the course.

The present study aimed to investigate the psychometric properties of Grasha-Riechmann Student Learning Styles Scale. The participants included 1039 students (421 students in human and 618 students in technical sciences), selected through the stratified sampling method from Tehran University. They answered the Grasha-Riechmann student learning style scale and the data was analyzed with exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses. The findings acquired from exploratory factor analysis (n=561), using principal components analysis with varimax rotation showed that Grasha- Riechmann Student Learning Styles Scale includes six factors: Avoidant, Collaborative, Participative, Dependent, Competitive, and Independent. The factors acquired from confirmatory factor analysis (n=478), as model fit indices indicated, was confirmed by indices in exploratory factor analysis. The internal consistency of each subscale, ranging from 0.58 to 0.80, was at an acceptable level. According to the findings, it seems that Participative Styles Scale to be an instrument qualifying validity and reliability for measuring learning interactive styles.

Development of nursing profession is faced with new challenges. Role of education is important for advancement of nursing. Faculty members are experienced in education, and they are authentic sources for determining of the educational challenges in nursing. The aim of this study was to determine the educational challenges in nursing from the viewpoint of faculty members of nursing and midwifery in University of Mashhad. This study is a cross- sectional study conducted on 31 cases from faculty members of nursing in Mashhad University of Medical Sciences by using census method in 2010 2011. A combination of data collection methods was used for collection of data in two phases: preparation of assessment tool (questionnaire) and survey of the desired construct among the samples. After determining the validity and reliability, a questionnaire was given to the samples to answer. Data were analyzed in SPSS software version 11.5 using statistical tests. The most important threats in nursing include “Separation of fields such as anesthesia and operating room from nursing” (%93.6), “Increasing gap between clinical practice and education of nursing due to the increase in education of students and instructors” (90.3), “Being Theoretical courses in master’s and PhD program” (%77.5), “Decreasing the students’ motivation” (%77.5) and “Establishing new schools of nursing” (%64.5). The most important opportunities in nursing include: “Need to informatics education in education of nursing” (93.5), “localizing resources based on new issue and problems” (%84), and “Paying attention to evidence- based education in nursing education” (%83.9) and “adjusting the educational content according to ideals and standards of nursing” (%80.6). Based on the results, Returning of anesthesia and operating room branches to nursing after bachelors’, “Revising of educational content based on needs and localizing resources”, “Using new methods in nursing instruction”, “continuing the training based on clinical experiences” and “Using applied research in clinical environment” are suggested.

The scholarship domains based on Boyer’s definition includes discovery, teaching and learning, application, integration and engagement, but it is a main question that which criteria must a scholarship activities have? In this research, the characteristics of scholarship activities have been studied using a qualitative approach based on higher education experts’ viewpoints from four domains [humanities, engineering, basic sciences, and medical sciences] The method of this research was based on qualitative approach using a semi- structured interview in 2013. The sampling method was objective and 14 faculty members participated in the research. Data were analyzed using the expert’s viewpoints. The analysis of the experts’ viewpoints showed differences, infra-discipline characteristics. All of the experts reported that creativity, defining the correct problem and scientific reasoning were the first preferences and then necessity for sharing knowledge with peers, not only through publishing the articles but also in academic community in their universities. Based on the experts’ viewpoints, the research framework was designed using 6 main criteria, 15 indicators and 43 items. Since reasoning and defining the correct problem are the first step in beginning the scholarship activities and affect the quality, all of the experts emphasize them. It is necessary to establish the knowledge sharing mechanism in the entire scholarship domain.

Patient education is influenced by cultural factors. This study aims to find out the role of culture in patient education. A qualitative study was conducted on 23 Iranian nurses. Inclusion criteria were minimum 5 years of working experience in clinical nursing. Semistructured face to face interviews were used to collect the data. Interviews were taped, transcribed and analyzed using content analysis method. The main theme of ‘cultural sensitivity’ was extracted from the interviews. Sub-themes were cultural divergence, cultural connection literacybased instruction. A dynamic process of patient education is influenced by various cultural factors. Nurses must be aware of the cultural norms in patient education to meet their expectations in a respectful manner.

This study was conducted to determine the most important strengths and weaknesses of the present evaluation system in Tehran University of Medical Sciences and achieve the main factors to improve this system. It was a mixed method study design in two separate and sequential phases. The first phase was a qualitative step applying a document analysis method to interpret the present situation and the second was a quantitative phase applying a three dimensional questionnaire to collect teachers’ viewpoints for improving the system. The findings indicated that the present system had 3 strengths versus 7 weaknesses. The quantitative phase demonstrated that the comprehensive and mixed evaluation method was preferred as the best method of evaluation, followed by self evaluation, students` output and students’ evaluation of teachers. Other findings showed that %95.7 of faculty members were in favor of “using the result for correcting teachers’ practice”. %88.4 of the participants found “secret feedback of evaluation results” and %86.3 the students` comments as the best options. %95.8 mentioned that transmitting the concepts by teachers as the most appropriate question. It seems that the mixed method evaluation is the only way ending in complete feedback of teaching quality and matches 360 degree evaluation. So it is important to correct and review the students’ forms along with designing other tools for assessing managers, peers and colleagues and also designing log books and observation sheets, etc. to achieve a comprehensive and mixed package of evaluation.

Accreditation survey of Al-Kindy Teaching Hospital during the months of February–May 2011 was performed as part of its technical assistance services to the management of the hospital. The hospital had formed an accreditation committee in October 2010 and began the process of self-assessment and implementation of the 2010 Iraqi National Accreditation Standards for Hospitals. As the hospital neared the completion of its efforts in early 2011, we did accomplish a survey of the hospital and provided feedback on ways to improve the accreditation process in preparation for an Iraqi Ministry of Health survey. Although we did indicate that it would take at least 18 months for a top-performing hospital to make significant progress toward accreditation, it agreed to perform the survey in an effort to provide assistance to the hospital.