Role-play versus lecture methods in community health volunteers

The design and evaluation of gamified online role-play as a telehealth training strategy in dental education: an explanatory sequential mixed-methods study

To evaluate user perceptions and educational impact of gamified online role-play in teledentistry as well as to construct a conceptual framework highlighting how to design this interactive learning strategy, this research employed an explanatory sequential mixed-methods design. Participants were requested to complete self-perceived assessments toward confidence and awareness in teledentistry before and after participating in a gamified online role-play. They were also asked to complete a satisfaction questionnaire and participate in an in-depth interview to investigate their learning experience. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, paired sample t-test, one-way analysis of variance, and framework analysis. There were 18 participants who completed self-perceived assessments and satisfaction questionnaire, in which 12 of them participated in a semi-structured interview. There were statistically significant increases in self-perceived confidence and awareness after participating in the gamified online role-play (P < 0.001). In addition, the participants were likely to be satisfied with this learning strategy, where usefulness was perceived as the most positive aspect with a score of 4.44 out of 5, followed by ease of use (4.40) and enjoyment (4.03). The conceptual framework constructed from the qualitative findings has revealed five key elements in designing a gamified online role-play, including learner profile, learning settings, pedagogical components, interactive functions, and educational impact. The gamified online role-play has demonstrated its potential in improving self-perceived confidence and awareness in teledentistry. The conceptual framework developed in this research could be considered to design and implement a gamified online role-play in dental education. This research provides valuable evidence on the educational impact of gamified online role-play in teledentistry and how it could be designed and implemented in dental education. This information would be supportive for dental instructors or educators who are considering to implement teledentistry training in their practice.

Empowering Student Pharmacists to Counsel Patients on Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals through Interactive Role-Play

Preparing the next generation of pharmacists to succeed in practice and provide premier care starts with ensuring pharmacy education standards are met and align with innovative practices and that education incorporates topics that are important to promoting health. For example, recent reports link endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) to numerous diseases such as reproductive disorders, metabolic diseases, and developmental abnormalities. Considering the suboptimal awareness and knowledge about EDCs, it is imperative to provide public health education through a pharmacy curriculum. The objective of this study was to evaluate student pharmacists' perceptions of the impact of a role play activity on their knowledge of EDCs and counseling skills. A secondary objective was to explore student pharmacists' perceptions of how role play might impact their future career as a pharmacist. A retrospective qualitative study consisting of a lecture, a pre-brief, a low-fidelity simulation centered on role-play, and debrief to develop knowledge of EDCs to practice counseling skills, and a post reflection was implemented to explore this aim. Third year student pharmacists who were enrolled on the public health elective course were eligible to participate in the study. All reflections were de-identified, imported into a qualitative software, Dedoose®, Version 9.2.6 and thematically analyzed using an inductive approach. Thematic analysis revealed three master themes, which tell the story of an initial lack of familiarity with EDCs that was rectified by the lecture and low-fidelity simulation. In the first theme, we can see that all of the participants noted their positive perceptions of the low-fidelity simulation, especially the role playing on a topic they lacked familiarity with. In the second theme, participants revealed the activity's impact on their performance or behaviors. Finally, the third theme explores the future implications of a pharmacist's impact on public health. This novel study contributes to a growing body of literature on the impact of pharmacy education practices and instruction on public health. The findings suggest that pharmacy educators might consider incorporating role playing instruction for public health topics, EDCs, or topics not traditionally taught in the pharmacy curriculum.

Comparison of gamification and role-playing education on nursing students' cardiopulmonary resuscitation self-efficacy

BACKGROUND

Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) is one of the most fundamental skills a nursing student should be trained in. Gamification in education involves using game elements to increase motivation, engagement, and personalization of the learning process. The gamification method creates competition among students using various methods, comparing to the role-playing method which is a teaching method that allows individuals to actively engage in simulated scenarios. Therefore, this research aimed to compare the effect of CPR education using gamification and role-playing on the self-efficacy of nursing students.

METHODS

This research was a quasi-experimental intervention type with three groups. A total of 154 nursing students participated in this study and were divided into intervention with role-playing (n = 53), gamification (n = 60) and conventional (lecture) (n = 41) groups. In the conventional method, CPR skills were taught to students using practical exercises. In the role-playing method, after training with moulages, a scenario was presented, and students were assigned roles. In the gamification method, after training with moulages, a scenario was presented, and after that, Kahoot software was used to create a sense of competition and excitement in the game. Self-efficacy scores were measured before and after interventions. Self-efficacy in CPR, knowledge, and skills of nursing students in CPR were assessed in each of the three groups using The Basic Resuscitation Skills Self- Efficacy Scale.

RESULTS

In the present study, 154 nursing students, including 92 females and 62 males, participated. There was a statistically significant difference in the mean self-efficacy scores before and after training in both the gamification and role-playing groups (P < 0.05). There was a statistically significant difference in the mean self-efficacy scores among the three groups (gamification, role-playing, and lecture) (P < 0.05).

CONCLUSION

Based on results it can be concluded that the teaching method used in CPR training affects the self-efficacy of CPR. Active methods, have a greater impact on CPR self-efficacy.

Educational interventions for promoting sexual and reproductive health in school counselors: a three-arm, randomized control trial comparing lecturing, buzz group and role-play

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE

School-based sexual and reproductive health (SRH) education is often reported as being inadequate and/or inconsistent. This study aimed to investigate the educational interventions for promoting SRH in school counselors and compare the results in three groups: lecturing, buzz group and role-play.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

An intervention quasi-experimental design was employed to evaluate the usefulness of educating SRH topics by using interactive teaching methods for 120 school counselors. Changes in the participants' knowledge, attitudes and self-efficacy toward SRH education were evaluated by each group using a pretest and a posttest.

RESULTS

The results of this study revealed that 75% of counselors deemed SRH training vital and felt that the best SRH educators are health care providers and the reason might be their lack of educational skills. They also stated that the most significant barriers to education in schools include concerns about parental feedback and lack of appropriate abilities.

CONCLUSION

The present study showed that the use of all three methods (lecturing, buzz groups and role-play) in SRH training improves the level of knowledge, attitude and self-efficacy; although role-play could have been more effective than lecturing in improving counselors' knowledge.

PrEP-aring stylists: Development of a stylist educational workshop to increase PrEP awareness and knowledge among Black women in the US south

BACKGROUND

Black cis-gender women are disparately affected by HIV and require prioritization in prevention efforts, including pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP). Preparing trusted community leaders such as salon stylists as health-based opinion leaders may be promising to increasing awareness, knowledge, and uptake of PrEP among Black women. We sought to develop training and better understand stylists who may participate in a salon-based PrEP intervention for Black women.

METHODS

A community-research partnership designed a stylist training workshop for stylists with a majority Black women clientele. A two-session workshop focused on HIV knowledge, HIV prevention including PrEP, and the role of an opinion leader to influence community social and health norms. An exploratory research design and analysis was conducted to examine stylists and provide training feedback.

CONCLUSIONS

Stylists showed a high level of knowledge and willingness to serve as an opinion leader in their salons and with their communities. Stylists also verified medical mistrust in the healthcare system that makes community-based interventions attractive. This article discusses how the training was piloted and accepted by stylists.

The effect of in-bed turning and mobilization training given to patients who undergo lumbar disk surgery on postoperative first mobility level: A single-blind, randomized controlled trial

OBJECTIVE

This study was conducted to investigate the effects of mobilization and in-bed turning training given through the role-playing technique to patients to undergo lumbar disk surgery on the patient's pain, strain and dependence level during the first postoperative mobilization (turning, sitting, standing and walking).

METHODS

Patients who would undergo a lumbar disk hernia surgery were recruited from a neurosurgery clinic in Turkey. Patients who met inclusion criteria and agreed to participate (n = 40) in the study were randomly assigned to an intervention group (in-bed turning and mobilization training simulated with the role-playing technique, n = 19) and a control group (usual clinical care, n = 21). The outcome of the study was patient mobility and observer mobility scale scores.

RESULTS

Postoperative scores obtained from the patient mobility and observer mobility scale were lower in the intervention group than the scores of the control group, and the difference between the groups was found statistically significant (p < 0.05). The anxiety levels of the intervention group before (38.00 ± 6.59, p < 0.001) and after mobilization (31.63 ± 4.57, p = 0.032) were significantly lower.

CONCLUSION

The findings indicate training improves patient care outcomes for first postoperative mobility. It is recommended that structured training for in-bed turning and mobilization should be integrated into routine clinical care in the preoperative period for patients to undergo lumbar disk hernia surgery.

PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS

Preoperative training increases the patient's willingness to be mobilized and decreases the anxiety level and perceived pain and strain.

Developing a scale for Japanese public health nurses supporting resident groups toward community-building

OBJECTIVE

This study developed a scale for public health nurses supporting resident groups toward community-building and verified its reliability and validity.

DESIGN AND SAMPLE

In this cross-sectional investigation, self-administered questionnaires were distributed to 1,924 public health nurses in Japanese municipalities.

MEASUREMENTS

The questionnaire included items on the public health nurses' demographic attributes, the developmental stage of the resident groups they supported, a draft scale, and an external criterion. Reliability was verified by calculating the alpha coefficient and test-retest reliability. To clarify construct validity, we conducted exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses.

RESULTS

We analyzed 570 questionnaires. The scale was structured using 30 items covering four factors: "Creating opportunities to connect with community residents, other groups, and governments," "Stimulating activities by improving organizational capacity," "Promoting stable organizational management," and "Providing opportunities to review community health issues and activities." The Cronbach's alpha coefficient for this scale was 0.944. The intraclass correlation coefficient was 0.923 using test-retest relativity. Correlations were noted for criterion-related validity (r = 0.388, p < .01). Confirmatory factor analysis with structural equation modeling revealed a reasonable fit to the data.

CONCLUSIONS

The scale for public health nurses supporting resident groups toward community-building was confirmed to be reliable and valid.

Use of Alternative Methodologies in Veterinary Medicine Learning and Acceptance of Students

Different university degrees focus on students acquiring theoretical and practical knowledge, aiming to develop their professional activity in the future. However, the usual study plans often forget other skills that will be very useful for the correct performance of their professional activity. In the case of veterinarians, these can range from dialogue with farmers to the unification of knowledge, so that they can provide a simple and effective solution to the different questions that may arise throughout their work activity. On the other hand, the perception of the world and the ways of acquiring knowledge have been changing over the years. Currently, our students require new ways of being presented with the information and knowledge that they should acquire, using, in most cases, new technologies. The present study was carried out with two cases. First, we used gamification through role-play as an alternative methodology to generate a method to unify the knowledge acquired in the subject and, mainly, to acquire skills such as the transfer of this acquired knowledge to other classes and situations. The second case aims to verify if the use of new technologies, specifically the use of interactive videos, can improve the acceptance of students and their training. A total of 2 h of videos were recorded, and 31 min and 42 s of that footage were ultimately used. A special edition and some specific illustrations and designs were made for this work, taking care of the format–background relationship. The results obtained show that these alternative-learning methodologies could be applied to many subjects, so that students, in a playful and relaxed way, are able to unify all the knowledge they are acquiring in their training as veterinarians, preparing them to face the exercise of their future professional activity with greater ease and safety. Finally, we provide the degree of acceptance of these new learning methodologies by students.

Relationship between emotional intelligence and job well-being in Chinese clinical nurses: multiple mediating effects of empathy and communication satisfaction

BACKGROUND

Nursing work is associated with great pressure, and nurses are often overwhelmed. Therefore, correct emotional regulation is essential to improve nurses' job well-being and promote better engagement in nursing work. The purpose of this study was to establish a structural model to estimate the impact of Chinese clinical nurses' emotional intelligence on job well-being, using multiple intermediaries to explain the internal mechanisms underlying the relationship.

METHODS

This was a cross-sectional study of 1475 registered nurses from a Chinese hospital who provided responses to emotional intelligence, empathy, communication satisfaction, and job well-being scales. Path analysis using a multiple mediation model was performed using AMOS 23.0.

RESULTS

Among all clinical nurses who participated in the survey, 1475 (98.33 %) completed the questionnaire. The nurses' job well-being score was 83.61 ± 12.63. There was a significant positive correlation between job well-being and communication satisfaction, emotional intelligence, and empathy ability (r = 0.346-0.570, P < 0.001). Empathy and communication satisfaction partially mediated the relationship between emotional intelligence and job well-being, with effect sizes of 0.047 and 0.227, respectively. The chain mediating effect of empathy and communication satisfaction had a value of 0.045.

CONCLUSIONS

It is recommended that hospital managers take actions to improve nurses' emotional intelligence level, and conduct professional psychological training to improve nurses' empathy and communication satisfaction, and ultimately improve their job well-being.

Preventing child maltreatment: Key conclusions from a systematic literature review of prevention programs for practitioners

Child maltreatment (CM) is a worldwide social problem and there is a large consensus that its prevention is of crucial importance. The current literature review highlights CM prevention studies that target practitioners, with the aim of assessing the knowledge in this area, informing future efforts and benefiting the international task of mitigating CM. Specifically, the study presents key conclusions from prevention programs evaluated in peer-reviewed journals from the last decade selected using the PRISMA systematic literature review guidelines. Out of the 26 manuscripts that discussed prevention programs targeted at practitioners, 20 programs were identified. While sexual abuse prevention programs were the most common, followed by programs addressing general child maltreatment, only two studies addressed child physical abuse. More than a third of the prevention programs were interdisciplinary, while healthcare providers had the highest number of specifically tailored programs. The discussion addresses the considerable lack of detail in the relevant manuscripts and urges future efforts to further elaborate on necessary details to enable other researchers and practitioners to better assess and determine the congruence between child maltreatment research and prevention programs. Additionally, some methodological issues in the included manuscripts, such as the lack of control groups and the related challenges, are discussed.

Role-play of real patients improves the clinical performance of medical students

BACKGROUND

This study aimed to evaluate whether the role-play (RP) of real patients by medical students as part of interactive clinical reasoning training can improve medical students' clinical performance.

METHODS

A total of 26 medical students volunteered to portray real patients within this program and were treated as the RP group while the other 72 students as the non-RP group. In the interactive morning meeting, the medical students practiced how to approach the RP student as if they were encountering a real patient. All students were evaluated by mini-clinical evaluation exercises (mini-CEX) before and after this training program.

RESULTS

We found that all students had an increased total mini-CEX score after 4-week training, especially for interviewing skills. Notably, after training, the RP students had significantly elevated total mini-CEX scores (51.23 ± 1.06 vs 53.12 ± 1.11, p = 0.028), and for counselling (7.15 ± 0.14 vs 7.54 ± 0.18, p = 0.015) and overall clinical competence (7.27 ± 0.15 vs 7.65 ± 0.16, p = 0.030). In contrast, the non-RP students had lower scores compared with the RP group, as revealed by both the pre- and post-training tests. Moreover, their mini-CEX scores were not improved after training.

CONCLUSION

Medical students who were motivated to RP real patients had better performance scores than those who did not. In addition, RP can enhance their counselling skills and clinical competences.

Evaluation of a course to prepare volunteers to support individuals with dementia in the community

With an ageing demographic, the number of people living with dementia in the community is increasing, putting huge pressure on individuals, carers, health and social care services and societies. Collaborative working between the public and voluntary sector is one way to help alleviate this pressure, with the voluntary sector playing an important role in keeping people living with dementia at home for as long as possible. This paper presents a novel training course commissioned by a voluntary sector organisation for 13 of their volunteers who provided a sitting service for people living with dementia. Evaluative questionnaires were completed pre- and post-teaching demonstrating an overall increase in volunteer's knowledge and confidence in working with people living with dementia and increased awareness of the importance of safeguarding. Participants valued being able to learn with other volunteers and share experiences. The course content and methods used were evaluated positively, although the use of roleplay was somewhat divisive. Recommendations were made to increase the rigour of the study by the use of a validated questionnaire, as well as following up the participants to see if their increased knowledge translated into increased competence in their role.

A systematic review of global health capacity building initiatives in low-to middle-income countries in the Middle East and North Africa region

INTRODUCTION

Low-and Middle-Income Countries (LMICs) in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region are facing increasing global health challenges with a reduced ability to manage them. Global Health Capacity Building (GHCB) initiatives have the potential to improve health workforce performance and health outcomes, however little is known about the GHCB topics and approaches implemented in this region. This is the first systematic review of GHCB initiatives among LMICs in the MENA region.

METHODS

An academic database search of Medline (OVID), PubMed, Scopus, Embase.com , and Open Grey was conducted for articles published between January 2009 and September 2019 in English. Next, a grey literature search following a recommended search framework was conducted. Reviewed records addressed a global health topic, had a capacity building component, looked at specific learning outcomes, and reflected an LMIC in the MENA. Primary outcomes included country, topic, modality, pedagogy, and population.

RESULTS

Reports of GHCB initiatives were retrieved from grey sources (73.2%) and academic sources (26.8%). Most GHCB initiatives were mainly conducted face-to-face (94.4%) to professional personnel (57.5%) through a theoretical pedagogical approach (44.3%). Dominant global health themes were non-communicable diseases (29.2%), sexual and reproductive health (18.4%), and mental health (14.5%). When matched against the Global Burden of Disease data, important gaps were found regarding the topics of GHCB initiatives in relation to the region's health needs. There were limited reports of GHCB initiatives addressing conflict and emergency topics, and those addressing non-communicable disease topics were primarily reported from Egypt and Iran.

CONCLUSION

Innovative and practicum-based approaches are needed for GHCB initiatives among LMICs in the MENA region, with a focus on training community workers. Regional and country-specific analyses of GHCB initiatives relative to their health needs are discussed in the manuscript based on the results of this review.

Comparison of pre-hospital triage training by role playing and lecture on nursing students' knowledge, attitude and performance

Aim

The objective of this study was to determine and compare the effectiveness of two methods of role playing and lecture on knowledge, attitude and performance of nursing' students in the context of pre-hospital triage.

Design

This was a pre-test-posttest quasi-experimental study.

Methods

A total of 66 nursing students (third year) were assigned to two groups, the control group (N = 23) and intervention group (N = 23). START pre-hospital triage was taught to two groups by using a lecture (control group) and role playing (intervention group) method. Immediately before the intervention and 4 weeks after the training, students' knowledge, attitude and practice in both groups were assessed through a questionnaire and a checklist. Data were analysed using SPSS software version 21.

Results

The results showed that the mean scores of knowledge, attitude and performance increased after intervention in both groups (p < .05). The mean (SD) difference of total performance score from baseline to follow-up in the experimental group and the control group was 23.91 (13.83) and 7.00 (13.20), respectively (p < .001). While there was no significant difference between the mean (SD) difference of knowledge and attitude scores in the experimental group and the control group before and after the intervention (p > .05).

Are the doctors of the future ready to support breastfeeding? A cross-sectional study in the UK

Background

Currently there is no published data on the inclusion of breastfeeding education within the UK medical school curriculum. This study aims to address this knowledge gap and explore students’ perceptions of their readiness to support breastfeeding.

Methods

An online survey was used to collect data from 32 UK undergraduate medical schools and their students. All students in their final two years of study at the 30 universities offering a 5- or 6-year medicine course, were eligible.

Results

Curriculum data was obtained from 26 (81%) institutions. Compulsory breastfeeding education was provided by 85% (N = 22) institutions with 81% (n = 21) providing lecture-based teaching and 19% (n = 5) offering formal clinical education. Overall, 411 students from 22 institutions participated. A moderate ability to identify the benefits of breastfeeding was observed; however, self-rated confidence in practical skills was poor. Assisting with latching was the least confident skill, with confidence in only 3% (14/411) students. Most students (93%) viewed doctors as playing an important role in breastfeeding, with those interested in either women’s health, paediatrics or general practice perceiving the role of doctors as more important. Overall, 93% (381/411) students requested further breastfeeding education.

Conclusions

This study suggests UK medical schools are not adequately preparing students to support breastfeeding patients. Further studies should explore the competency of doctors to meet the needs of lactating women, and design optimal training for UK medical students.