Experience of an online course on sexuality during pregnancy for residents

Analysis of the current situation and demand for perinatal education in pregnant women in general grade A tertiary hospitals in China: a cross-sectional survey

OBJECTIVES

This study aimed to assess the factors influencing pregnant women's participation in perinatal education and their demand for educational courses.

DESIGN

A cross-sectional study.

SETTING

Tertiary hospital in Suzhou, China, July-September 2022.

PARTICIPANTS

Pregnant women from a general grade A tertiary hospital in Suzhou were recruited via online survey invitations during the specified period.

MEASURES

A self-designed scale was used to evaluate pregnant women's demand for perinatal education. Multiple response sets were employed for the assessment of multiple-choice items and analyses included frequency and cross-tabulation. Logistic regression analysis was conducted to assess the factors influencing pregnant women's participation in perinatal education.

OUTCOME

The primary outcome measured was the demand for perinatal education among pregnant women.

RESULTS

A majority (53.8%) of pregnant women expressed a preference for a mixed teaching mode combining online and offline formats. Logistic regression analysis showed that education level significantly influenced pregnant women's participation in online learning. Specifically, women with higher education levels were more likely to participate actively in online courses. Additionally, compared with those with first-born children, pregnant women with second-born children participated less actively in online learning. Pregnant women in their second and third trimesters showed greater engagement in online learning compared with those in their first trimester.

CONCLUSIONS

These findings indicate that Chinese pregnant women's preferences for perinatal education are influenced by their educational background, pregnancy history and the mode of teaching employed. The variability in educational needs underscores the importance of regularly updating course content based on participant feedback.

Comparing the effect of face-to-face education and using educational films on couples' sexual dysfunction during pregnancy

BACKGROUND

Pregnancy is a special period in a woman's life during which physical, mental, social, and cultural changes would affect sexual desires during this period. The present study was conducted to compare the effect of face-to-face education and using educational films on the sexual dysfunction in couples.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

The present study was a semi-experimental research. Study population contained pregnant women and their husbands. Samples were selected randomly. Data were gathered using demographic characteristic questionnaire and sexual dysfunction in men and women questionnaire. Sample size was 96 couples (32 couples in the face-to-face group, 32 in the educational films group, and 32 in the control group). Data were analyzed using SPSS20 software.

RESULTS

The mean total score of preintervention sexual function in face-to-face education group was 46.72 ± 9.79, in educational film group 47.82 ± 13.07, and in control group 43.84 ± 12.76. In the case of postintervention, it was, respectively, 60.62 ± 9.72, 57.37 ± 14.74, and 43.61 ± 14.21. Face-to-face education led to the treatment of sexual dysfunction during pregnancy (P < 0.001). In the educational film group (P = 0.40), sexual dysfunction during pregnancy was not treated, but there was an improvement in sexual function (P = 0.001). In the control group, there was a significant difference regarding the decrease in the score of sexual function and untreated sexual dysfunction during pregnancy (P = 0.001). Furthermore, no improvement was observed in the sexual dysfunction during pregnancy (P = 0.90).

CONCLUSIONS

According to the results, face-to-face and film education are effective in sexual function during pregnancy, but face-to-face education in pregnancy is more effective in the treatment of sexual dysfunction, and so this causes promoting sexual health during this period.

Development, Implementation, and Initial Participant Feedback of an Online Anatomy and Radiology Contouring Bootcamp in Radiation Oncology

BACKGROUND

The Anatomy and Radiology Contouring (ARC) Bootcamp was a face-to-face (F2F) course designed to ensure radiation oncology residents were equipped with the knowledge and skillset to use radiation therapy techniques properly. The ARC Bootcamp was proven to be a useful educational intervention for improving learners' knowledge of anatomy and radiology and contouring ability. An online version of the course was created to increase accessibility to the ARC Bootcamp and provide a flexible, self-paced learning environment. This study aimed to describe the instructional design model used to create the online offering and report participants' motivation to enroll in the course and the online ARC Bootcamp's strengths and improvement areas.

METHODS

The creation of the online course followed the analysis, design, development, implementation, and evaluation (ADDIE) framework. The course was structured in a linear progression of locked modules consisting of radiology and contouring lectures, anatomy labs, and integrated evaluations.

RESULTS

The online course launched on the platform Teachable in November 2019, and by January 2021, 140 participants had enrolled in the course, with 27 participants completing all course components. The course had broad geographic participation with learners from 19 different countries. Of the participants enrolled, 34% were female, and most were radiation oncology residents (56%), followed by other programs (24%), such as medical physics residents or medical students. The primary motivator for participants to enroll was to improve their subject knowledge/skill (44%). The most common strength identified by participants was the course's quality (41%), and the most common improvement area was to incorporate more course content (41%).

CONCLUSIONS

The creation of the online ARC Bootcamp using the ADDIE framework was feasible. The course is accessible to diverse geographic regions and programs and provides a flexible learning environment; however, the course completion rate was low. Participants' feedback regarding their experiences will inform future offerings of the online course.

Evaluation of e-learning for medical education in low- and middle-income countries: A systematic review

In low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), e-learning for medical education may alleviate the burden of severe health worker shortages and deliver affordable access to high quality medical education. However, diverse challenges in infrastructure and adoption are encountered when implementing e-learning within medical education in particular. Understanding what constitutes successful e-learning is an important first step for determining its effectiveness. The objective of this study was to systematically review e-learning interventions for medical education in LMICs, focusing on their evaluation and assessment methods. Nine databases were searched for publications from January 2007 to June 2017. We included 52 studies with a total of 12,294 participants. Most e-learning interventions were pilot studies (73%), which mainly employed summative assessments of study participants (83%) and evaluated the e-learning intervention with questionnaires (45%). Study designs, evaluation and assessment methods showed considerable variation, as did the study quality, evaluation periods, outcome and effectiveness measures. Included studies mainly utilized subjective measures and custom-built evaluation frameworks, which resulted in both low comparability and poor validity. The majority of studies self-concluded that they had had an effective e-learning intervention, thus indicating potential benefits of e-learning for LMICs. However, MERSQI and NOS ratings revealed the low quality of the studies' evidence for comparability, evaluation instrument validity, study outcomes and participant blinding. Many e-learning interventions were small-scale and conducted as short-termed pilots. More rigorous evaluation methods for e-learning implementations in LMICs are needed to understand the strengths and shortcomings of e-learning for medical education in low-resource contexts. Valid and reliable evaluations are the foundation to guide and improve e-learning interventions, increase their sustainability, alleviate shortages in health care workers and improve the quality of medical care in LMICs.

Sexualidade durante todas as fases da gravidez: experiências de gestantes

Resumo Objetivo Explorar e compreender as experiências sexuais de gestantes durante a gravidez. Métodos O estudo foi realizado em dois centros de saúde no Distrito Sanitário de Almería, sul da Espanha. Os participantes incluíram gestantes que receberam atendimento pré-natal e/ou educação para maternidade. Os critérios de inclusão foram estar grávida, manter atividade sexual e concordar em participar do estudo. Os critérios de exclusão foram ter limitações na atividade sexual por prescrição médica. A amostra foi composta por 15 gestantes selecionadas por meio de amostra de conveniência, das quais cinco participaram de grupo focal (GF) e 10 de entrevistas em profundidade (EP). Os dados foram coletados entre os meses de junho e dezembro de 2016. Os participantes foram contatados pelo pesquisador principal e foi realizada uma consulta para conduzir o GF ou EP. Resultados Três categorias principais emergiram: Falsas crenças e uma abordagem holística da sexualidade durante a gravidez, que está relacionada ao conceito de sexualidade, falsas crenças e aconselhamento sexual limitado durante a gravidez. Limitações: Do medo no início à dificuldade física no final, referindo-se às flutuações no desejo sexual, bem como às mudanças físicas que limitam a atividade sexual. Adaptação às mudanças: práticas seguras e satisfação com a imagem corporal, que engloba preocupações com os riscos e a relação entre imagem corporal e autoestima. Conclusão A falta de aconselhamento sexual durante a gravidez leva à criação de falsas crenças, que, juntamente com mudanças físicas, preocupações com o risco e flutuações no desejo e interesse sexual, provocam uma diminuição na atividade sexual. Mas a sexualidade permanece um aspecto importante da gravidez, em relação ao qual os participantes devem adotar uma abordagem mais ampla e não limitada ao ato sexual, além de adotar práticas adaptadas às mudanças físicas e emocionais que ocorrem durante esse período.