IENE 9 project: developing a culturally competent and compassionate LGBT + curriculum in health and social care education

Introduction The IENE projects (2008–2022) aim to promote a model for developing intercultural dialogue and enhance the ability to provide culturally competent and compassionate care for the health and social care professionals at national and European levels. The IENE 9 project, named “Developing a culturally competent and compassionate LGBT + curriculum in health and social care education,” builds on the work developed in the previous IENE projects and emphasizes the importance of addressing LGBT + issues in health and social care education. Method Through an innovative Massive Open Online Course (MOOC), professionals will learn the skills to work toward building an LGBT + inclusive health and social care system. Result Notwithstanding the progress made in recent years on LGBT + issues, research indicates that too little attention has been given to LGBT + needs in health and social care settings, and these remain substantial issues that are often ignored. Conclusion This letter to the editor aims to present the IENE 9 project given that greater efforts are needed to improve professionals’ skills regarding sexual and gender minority population. We strive to continue our efforts in promoting the well-being and mental health of LGBT + people in health and social care education

LGBT+ Training needs for health and social care professionals: a cross-cultural comparison among seven European countries

Introduction Research suggests that specific training on LGBT+ issues may improve the competencies and skills of health and social care (HSC) professionals, which reduces the negative attitudes toward LGBT+ people. Despite this, there seems to be a lack of coverage of LGBT+ needs in HSC education. The present study aims to explore the specific LGBT+ training needs of HSC professionals and to examine the relationship between these training needs and the four dimensions of the Papadopoulos model, i.e. cultural awareness, cultural knowledge, cultural sensitivity, and cultural competence. Methods The research used data from a cross-cultural project, “Intercultural Education for Nurses in Europe (IENE9),” which was administered to 412 HSC academics and workers (62% females; Mage=46.06, SDage=10.48) between February 2020 and July 2020, in seven European countries: UK (coordinator), Denmark, Spain, Germany, Cyprus, Italy, and Romania. Results Hierarchical multiple regression showed that higher training needs were associated with cultural awareness, cultural knowledge, and cultural competence. The need for training on LGBT+ issues was higher for Cyprus, Romania, Spain, Italy, and the UK, compared with Denmark (no differences between Germany and Denmark were found). Conclusions We believe that there has been a lack of focus on the LGBT+ training needs of HSC professionals: Greater efforts are required to develop a culturally competent and compassionate LGBT+ curriculum. Social Policy Implications Findings from the present study will inform the development of a free, Massive Open Online Course (MOOC), for culturally competent and compassionate HSC professionals in Europe to improve the quality of their car

The Impact of a One-Day Multidisciplinary Workshop on Medical Students’ Self-Assessed Confidence, Knowledge, and Teamwork Skills: A Pre-Post Study

Dumitru Sutoi,1– 3 Daian Ionel Popa,2,3 Cristian Alexandru Cindrea,2,3 Cosmin Iosif Trebuian,1,4 Carmen Williams,3 Maria Sutoi,5 Adina Maria Marza,1,2 Florina Buleu,5,6 Bogdan Chiu,7 George Marin,7 Vlad Mulcutan Chis,7 Ionut Dudau,3 Darie Luca Sabau,7 Ovidiu Alexandru Mederle1,2 1Department of Surgery, Emergency Discipline, “Victor Babes” University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Timisoara, 300041, Romania; 2Emergency Municipal Clinical Hospital, Timisoara, 300254, Romania; 3Doctoral School, Faculty of General Medicine, “Victor Babes” University of Medicine and Pharmacy Timisoara, Timisoara, 300041, Romania; 4Emergency County Hospital, Reșita, Romania; 5Emergency County Hospital „Pius Brinzeu”, Timisoara, 300723, Romania; 6Department of Cardiology “Victor Babes” University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Timisoara, Romania; 7“Victor Babes” University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Timisoara, 300041, RomaniaCorrespondence: Daian Ionel Popa, “Victor Babes” University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Piata Eftimie Murgu, No. 2, Timisoara, 300041, Romania, Tel +40 746 912 660, Email [email protected] and Objectives: Medical workshops serve as interactive learning sessions that allow medical students to apply their extensive theoretical knowledge in a structured, low-stress environment. This study aimed to evaluate the impact of a self-developed multidisciplinary workshop on participants’ self-reported confidence, teamwork, leadership skills, and theoretical knowledge acquisition.Methods: The present study gathered data from 100 participants. Two surveys, each comprising three sections, were administered: a multiple-choice questionnaire (MCQ), with distinct versions for pre- and post-workshop assessment; a self-confidence questionnaire; and a non-technical skills questionnaire structured using a Likert-scale format.Results: Regarding self-assessed confidence, significant increases were observed across all workshop stations (p 0.8). In terms of theoretical knowledge, students demonstrated substantial improvement, with the median score increasing from 5.92 to 8.2, and no significant differences identified between study years (p = 0.895). Non-technical skills, including teamwork and leadership, were assessed using two questions each, revealing a statistically significant improvement in pre- and post-intervention (p < 0.001) with large effect sizes.Conclusion: This study demonstrated that the one-day multidisciplinary workshop increases medical students’ confidence by refining their communication skills, broadening their understanding of different roles in healthcare, and improving their ability to collaborate effectively.Keywords: self-confidence, medical leadership, medical education, medical workshop, medical students, teamwor

Impact of Intermediate Hyperglycemia and Diabetes on Immune Dysfunction in Tuberculosis

Supplementary Data: Supplementary materials are available at Clinical Infectious Diseases online at https://academic.oup.com/cid/article/72/1/69/5857148#274319223 . Consisting of data provided by the authors to benefit the reader, the posted materials are not copyedited and are the sole responsibility of the authors, so questions or comments should be addressed to the corresponding author.Copyright © The Author(s) 2020. Background: People with diabetes have an increased risk of developing active tuberculosis (TB) and are more likely to have poor TB-treatment outcomes, which may impact on control of TB as the prevalence of diabetes is increasing worldwide. Blood transcriptomes are altered in patients with active TB relative to healthy individuals. The effects of diabetes and intermediate hyperglycemia (IH) on this transcriptomic signature were investigated to enhance understanding of immunological susceptibility in diabetes-TB comorbidity. Methods: Whole blood samples were collected from active TB patients with diabetes (glycated hemoglobin [HbA1c] ≥6.5%) or IH (HbA1c = 5.7% to <6.5%), TB-only patients, and healthy controls in 4 countries: South Africa, Romania, Indonesia, and Peru. Differential blood gene expression was determined by RNA-seq (n = 249). Results: Diabetes increased the magnitude of gene expression change in the host transcriptome in TB, notably showing an increase in genes associated with innate inflammatory and decrease in adaptive immune responses. Strikingly, patients with IH and TB exhibited blood transcriptomes much more similar to patients with diabetes-TB than to patients with only TB. Both diabetes-TB and IH-TB patients had a decreased type I interferon response relative to TB-only patients. Conclusions: Comorbidity in individuals with both TB and diabetes is associated with altered transcriptomes, with an expected enhanced inflammation in the presence of both conditions, but also reduced type I interferon responses in comorbid patients, suggesting an unexpected uncoupling of the TB transcriptome phenotype. These immunological dysfunctions are also present in individuals with IH, showing that altered immunity to TB may also be present in this group. The TB disease outcomes in individuals with IH diagnosed with TB should be investigated further.European Union’s Seventh Framework Programme (FP7 2007-2013 - Health) under grant agreement No 305279

Barriers to tenant engagement

No abstract available

Reaching the Harder to Reach

No abstract available

Together with Tenants: Research and Evaluation of the Early Adopters Programme

No abstract available

Organic–inorganic hybrids made from polymerizable precursors

Organic–inorganic hybrid films were prepared based on a recipe using organoalkoxysilanes’ ability to create an inorganic network combined with polymer network formation via radical polymerization of the organic groups. The starting mixtures included different triethoxysilanes (RTES), where the organic substitute (R) was varied from methyl- (MeTES), phenyl- (PTES), octyl- (OTES) to vinyl- (VTES). Additionally, films prepared using methacryloxypropyltrimethoxysilane (MPTS) were also investigated. Most of the formulations were enriched with tetraisopropyl orthotitanate (TIP). Based on phase diagrams, the limits of the one-phase liquid regions were determined for the initial (RTES–ethanol–water) ternary mixtures. Non-linear modifications of the refractive indexes versus water concentration, as well as the measured conductivity changes indicate that these apparent homogeneous systems are nanostructured as microemulsions. Based on the results of combined microscale (atomic force microscopy (AFM)) and macroscale (wettability, thermal analysis) investigations, it was possible to observe the internal structure and to explain the measured properties of the final composite films. The high resistance against solvent attack is based on the regular, granular-like structure of the end products. Heating the films (at temperatures above the thermal degradation range for the incorporated organics) forces the inorganic structures to collapse and undergo phase transformations