Impact of educational interventions on the prevention of emerging diseases: A systematic review

Background: Seasonal influenza and severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) couldcause considerable morbidity and mortality. The present study investigates the effectiveness of educationalinterventions to prevent these diseases.Materials and Methods: We searched PubMed/Medline, Embase, and Cochrane Controlled Register of Trials(CENTRAL) for relevant clinical studies up to March 25, 2022. The following terms were used: “influenza”,“flu”, “respiratory infection”, “prevent”, "severe acute respiratory syndrome", COVID-19 “intervention”,“education”, “school-based”, and “inform”.Results: Out of 1296 studies retrieved from databases, 13 types of clinical trials met the inclusion criteria andwere included in the study. E-learning and the educational module were the most common interventions forinfluenza and COVID-19, respectively. The measured outcomes were health promotion strategies andpreventive behaviors among participants. All except one article showed a significant association betweeneducational interventions and outcomes.Conclusion: The included studies in the current systematic review indicated the efficacy of health promotioneducational interventions in improving knowledge and preventive behaviors regarding COVID-19 andInfluenza

Instruments for Measuring Medical Education Environments and Scope of These Applications

Background & Objective: Educational environment, with many components and interactions between inputs, processes and outcomes, has been considered as an integral part of the educational program. To assess these environments, several instruments have been used around the world. Due to differences in medical environments, using appropriate tools for specific environment, is essential and applying wrong tools may lead to confusion in the interpretation of results. The purpose of this paper was to introduce medical environments measurement tools and scope of these applications. Methods: We searched databases for qualitative and quantitative instruments used to measure medical education environments in the medical and clinical settings. Results: 8 instruments for measuring medical education environment at undergraduate and 11 instruments at postgraduate in five scopes identified and introduced. Conclusion: Knowing about measuring instruments and their proper use in assessment of medical education environments are of the key aspects in various stages of evaluation, modification, improvement, and development of educational programs. Keywords Medical educational environment Medical learning environment Medical educational climate Measuring medical education environmen

Impact of social problem-solving training on critical thinking and decision making of nursing students

Background The complex health system and challenging patient care environment require experienced nurses, especially those with high cognitive skills such as problem-solving, decision- making and critical thinking. Therefore, this study investigated the impact of social problem-solving training on nursing students' critical thinking and decision-making. Methods This study was quasi-experimental research and pre-test and post-test design and performed on 40 undergraduate/four-year students of nursing in Borujen Nursing School/Iran that was randomly divided into 2 groups; experimental (n = 20) and control (n = 20). Then, a social problem-solving course was held for the experimental group. A demographic questionnaire, social problem-solving inventory-revised, California critical thinking test, and decision-making questionnaire was used to collect the information. The reliability and validity of all of them were confirmed. Data analysis was performed using SPSS software and independent sampled T-test, paired T-test, square chi, and Pearson correlation coefficient. Results The finding indicated that the social problem-solving course positively affected the student' social problem-solving and decision-making and critical thinking skills after the instructional course in the experimental group (P 0.05). Conclusions The results showed that structured social problem-solving training could improve cognitive problem-solving, critical thinking, and decision-making skills. Considering this result, nursing education should be presented using new strategies and creative and different ways from traditional education methods. Cognitive skills training should be integrated in the nursing curriculum. Therefore, training cognitive skills such as problem- solving to nursing students is recommended. Keywords:Social problem solving; Decision making; Critical thinking; Nursing; Studen

Evaluation of the Effect of Feedback in Clinical Education on Students’ Interested in the Field of Education

Background & Objective: Numerous factors together are the cause of satisfaction with the field of education. Thus, the lack of presence of only one factor can reduce an individual's satisfaction or cause dissatisfaction with the field of study. Satisfaction with study is an influential construct in the education process which consists of students' perception of training programs, the circumstance required for the community, and teachers’ guidance. Since learning has a strong relationship with satisfaction with the field of study, the present study aimed to investigate the effect of feedback on interest in the field of study. Methods: This quasi-experimental study was performed on all nursing students in their 7th semester in schools of nursing and midwifery in Arak and Shazand, Iran, in the first half-year of 2014-2015. The students were undertaking their internship in the post coronary care unit (post-CCU) of Amir Kabir Hospital of Arak, Iran. The participants were randomly divided into two groups of intervention and control. Each group was divided into subgroups of 7 and 8 students and each group undertook their internship in 4 weeks in the morning shift. To determine the effects of these methods, after completion of each stage of the internship, all students completed the questionnaire and the results were compared. Results: 17 (94.4%) students in the intervention group were interested in nursing and only 1 (3.3%) student reported their lack of interest in the field of nursing. A significant difference was observed between the intervention and control groups in this respect (P < 0.007). Conclusion: It can be concluded that the feedback provided for the students during the training increased their satisfaction with the field of nursing. Key Words: Feedback, Satisfaction, Nursing students, Clinical educatio

Transforming Ophthalmology Training via Mobile Learning during the COVID-19 Pandemic

This is a Letter to the Editor and does not have an abstract. Please download the PDF or view the article HTML

Transition to Virtual Learning During the Coronavirus Disease–2019 Crisis in Iran: Opportunity Or Challenge?

[No abstract available

Educational Program Evaluation Model, From the Perspective of the New Theories

Introduction: This study is focused on common theories that influenced the history of program evaluation and introduce the educational program evaluation proposal format based on the updated theory. Methods: Literature searches were carried out in March-December 2010 with a combination of key words, MeSH terms and other free text terms as suitable for the purpose. A comprehensive search strategy was developed to search Medline by the PubMed interface, ERIC (Education Resources Information Center) and the main journal of medical education regarding current evaluation models and theories. We included all study designs in our study. We found 810 articles related to our topic, and finally 63 with the full text article included. We compared documents and used expert consensus for selection the best model. Results: We found that the complexity theory using logic model suggests compatible evaluation proposal formats, especially with new medical education programs. Common components of a logic model are: situation, inputs, outputs, and outcomes that our proposal format is based on. Its contents are: title page, cover letter, situation and background, introduction and rationale, project description, evaluation design, evaluation methodology, reporting, program evaluation management, timeline, evaluation budget based on the best evidences, and supporting documents. Conclusion: We found that the logic model is used for evaluation program planning in many places, but more research is needed to see if it is suitable for our context

The Views of Faculty Members and Basic Sciences Medical Students on the Students’ Teacher Evaluations in Islamic Azad University, Tehran Medical Sciences Branch, Iran

Background and Objectives: Teacher evaluation is among the most influential methods of quality assurance and is essential to continuous quality improvement in education systems. The current study aims to evaluate the views of faculty members and basic sciences medical students on the evaluation of teachers by students in the Islamic Azad University, Tehran Medical Sciences Branch, Tehran, Iran. Methods: The current descriptive analytical study was conducted in the faculty of medical sciences during the winter of 2015. The census sampling method was used to select the participants and 335 students and 35 faculty members were enrolled accordingly, of which 300 students (89.5%) and 33 faculty members (94.2%) completed the study. The data collection instrument used was a 20-item questionnaire (created by the researcher) scored on a 5-option Likert scale. The formal validity, content validity, content validity ratio (CVR), content validity index (CVI), and the structural validity of the questionnaire were confirmed using exploratory factor analysis. Its validity was measured by the Cronbach’s alpha. Data were analyzed with SPSS using t test. Results: It was found that the lecturer’s popularity, students’ grades, and the research evidence provided by the lecturer in the classroom were the most important factors, while gender and course type were the least important factors influencing students’ evaluation of lecturers in the current study. The mean scores of students and lecturers regarding their views on the teacher evaluation system were 79.14 ± 11.89 and 78.00 ± 8.15 respectively. According to the results of an independent t test, no significant difference was observed between the scores of lecturers and students regarding their views on the teacher evaluation system (P > 0.01). Conclusions: The questionnaire created by the researcher showed good validity and reliability to evaluate the views of facultymembers and students on the teacher evaluation system. The lecturer’s popularity, students’ grades, and the research evidence provided by the lecturer were considered as the most important factors, while gender and course type were the least important factors influencing the teachers’ evaluation, based on the comments of the faculty members and students. Keywords: Evaluation of Professors, Influencing Factors, Students, Faculty Member

Educational Strategies in Undergraduate Medical Curriculum

Background & Objective: In addition to teaching pre-designed courses, physicians are usually expected to participate directly in designing curriculum during their professional life. Today, traditional education systems are not sufficient for developing the expected competencies in physicians. One of the applications of new advancements by cognitive sciences in curriculum design is the development of strategies for improving the quality of the undergraduate medical education curriculum. Educational strategies are “fundamental-oriented decisions in teaching which are aimed to achieve educational goals.” Methods: This was a narrative review that introduced and explained the most important educational strategies in undergraduate medical curriculum, through surveying valid electronic and library resources. Results: Now, the most important educational strategies in undergraduate medical curriculum are: a series of student-centered, problem-based learning, integrated or inter-professional teaching, community-based, elective-driven and systematic strategies (SPICES), and also a set of strategies that are product-focused, relevant, inter-professional, short courses, multisite locations and symbiotic (PRISMS); and a group of realistic, integrated, feedback, learning and evaluation strategies (RIFLE), as well. Conclusion: Each strategy is represented as a spectrum. In each spectrum, the educational planner must define the position of every component of the curriculum. In order to apply these strategies, the curriculum must be intervened according to the selected strategy; so that the results of the evaluations and evidence of interventions ensure the planners that the quality of the curriculum is improved. Keywords Education Medical Undergraduate Curriculum Strategy Educational strategy Quality improvemen

Exploring Faculty Members’ Perceptions about Socially Accountable Medical Education Challenges: A Qualitative Content Analysis

Background & Objective: In recent decades, medical education has been expanding as part of the higher education system in the world. Due to the complexities of clinical education, the effect of various environmental factors on and changes in clinical environment, the importance of accountability to society and patients, and socially accountable medical education (SAME) challenges, the exploration of faculty members’ perceptions about SAME challenges is necessary. Thus, the aim of this study was to explore faculty members’ perceptions on the challenges of SAME. Methods: This qualitative study was conducted using qualitative content analysis in Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Iran, in 2014. Knowledge obtained through qualitative content analysis is based on the unique views of the participants and actual data of the text. The participants were 8 faculty members who provided the most data on the fundamental factors effective on SAME (purposive sampling). Semi-structured interviews were conducted with the participants and they were asked to describe their experiences of and views on SAME. Data collection was continued until achieving data saturation. Data collection and analysis were carried out simultaneously through consideration of trustworthiness. Results: The main themes extracted in this study were "defective education which is not community-based", "lack of adequate commitment of teachers as role models", "lack of motivation in students", and "management problems and lack of resources". Conclusion: The results of the present study illustrate the necessity for fundamental and comprehensive modification of training programs and improvement of their processes, so that they can accommodate the community’s requirements. Moreover, there is need for strategies to increase motivation among teachers and students. Key Words: Qualitative content analysis, Socially accountable medical education (SAME), Accountability, Challenge