Internet-Based Support for Cardiovascular Disease Management

With significant declines in cardiovascular disease (CVD) mortality, attention has shifted to patient management. Programs designed to manage CVD require the involvement of health professionals for comanagement and patients' self-management. However, these programs are commonly limited to large urban centers, resulting in limited access for rural patients. The use of telehealth potentially overcomes geographical barriers and can improve access to care for patients. The current research explores how an Internet-based platform might facilitate collaboration among healthcare providers comanaging patients and enhance behavioural change in patients. Forty-eight participants were interviewed including: (a) patients (n = 12), (b) physicians (n = 11), (c) nurses (n = 13), and (d) allied health professionals (n = 10). The results were organized and analyzed in three central themes: (1) role of technology for CVD management, (2) challenges to technology adoption, and (3) incentives for technology adoption. Health care providers and patients supported future implementation of Internet-based technology support for CVD management

Tl’azt’en Learning Circle: Information Technology, Health and Cultural Preservation

A Community Learning Centre (CLC) is an innovative model of delivering health care and health information based firmly on the idea of community engagement. It has two interrelated components: 1) a community-based facility with Internet-linked computers accessible to all community members; and 2) community developed web-based resources relevant to community defined needs and priorities. This article describes a pilot CLC implementation in a remote British Columbia First Nations community. A CLC supports the acquisition of health information as well as research and technology skills by facilitating access to, and uptake of, relevant resources developed by and for community members

Recruiting the next generation of rural healthcare practitioners: the impact of an online mentoring program on career and educational goals in rural youth

Introduction: There is increasing recognition that encouraging and supporting rural youth to pursue healthcare careers could be a promising strategy for addressing shortages of rural healthcare practitioners. Although rural students in health science programs often return to their home communities to practice, they continue to be underrepresented in these programs. Geographic isolation and small community sizes create barriers to entry for rural students, including a lack of educational and outreach services and a smaller pool of role models with experience in pursuing health science careers. Online mentoring has the potential to overcome these barriers by connecting rural youth with experienced role models from outside their communities; therefore, we tested whether this type of intervention could be used to increase interest in and guide rural youth towards rural healthcare careers. Methods: From 2016 to 2020, our intervention, Rural eMentoring BC, matched 364 youth in rural British Columbia to near-peer mentors enrolled in health science programs. Through an online platform, dyads discussed career and educational options and pathways through a semistructured curriculum consisting of eight units. To determine the likelihood of mentees pursuing a career in rural health care after participating in the program, we deployed pre- and post-unit surveys that evaluated their interest in the following areas: healthcare careers, post-secondary education, working rurally, and finding allies. After completing the program, 209 mentees were invited to complete a program evaluation, which consisted of short-answer questions intended to capture their overall impressions of the program. Results: After completing the career exploration unit, 63 students (out of the 103 who completed the unit) indicated that they were interested in healthcare careers, compared to 37 before. However, students' attitudes towards post-secondary education and finding allies did not change after completing those units, nor did their opinion of working rurally (although there was no unit dedicated to this topic). Encouragingly though, most already held positive opinions of these areas before entering the program. Of the 41 students who took our program evaluation, most viewed the program and their mentors favorably; discussion topics they found most useful included career exploration, learning life skills, and learning how to prepare for, and what to expect from, post-secondary education. Conclusion: This study suggests that online mentoring can direct rural youths' career interests toward, and provide a refreshing approach to imparting information about, healthcare professions. Although its longitudinal impacts need to be studied, the changes in attitudes and gains in knowledge observed while participating in this program put these students on the right track for eventually transitioning to health science programs. Arming rural youth with the knowledge and motivation to pursue healthcare careers through near-peer mentorship could be a unique strategy for increasing rural student representation in health science programs, and ultimately the number of rural healthcare professionals

Journeys toward becoming teachers : subtitle charting the course of professional development

The purpose of this study was threefold: 1) to illustrate how preservice teachers undergo identity transformations toward becoming teachers, 2) to understand the challenges these preservice teachers face as they navigate their B.Ed, program and 3) to identify potential impacts of prior perspectives on their journeys and challenges. Twenty-three secondary preservice teachers completed the Teaching Perspectives Inventory (TPI) twice and were interviewed twice over the course of their one-year B.Ed, program. TPI data were analyzed using a pre/post design along with comparisons of dominant teaching perspectives held at the beginning and end of the program. Analyses of the TPI data revealed an increase in participants' grouped mean scores on the Developmental perspective. The comparison of dominant perspectives showed that by the end of the program two shifts were evident: seven of twenty-three participants held no dominant teaching perspective and ten moved away from their initial dominant perspective to another dominant one. The multidimensional nature of these movements was reinforced by the analysis of interview data. Relying on a constant comparative method the interview analysis revealed the importance of participants' perceptions of their teaching identity and their commitment to the profession. These two dimensions were used to 'profile' participants in terms of their position at the beginning of the program and the changes (journeys) participants made over the course of their teacher education. The analysis of participants' journeys reinforced the notion of multidimensionality. Participants began with various levels of a teacher identity and a variety of reasons for why they began teacher education. Similarly, participants ended the program with different perceptions of themselves as teachers and wanted to engage in a variety of different teaching careers options (i.e., full time contract, teacher-on-call). The final analysis focused on what challenges participants experienced over the course of their teacher education program. Three themes emerged from the analysis: structural, professional, and role challenges. Initial perceptions of teacher identity strongly differentiated how participants experienced the challenges.Education, Faculty ofEducational and Counselling Psychology, and Special Education (ECPS), Department ofGraduat

Internet-Based Support for Cardiovascular Disease Management

With significant declines in cardiovascular disease (CVD) mortality, attention has shifted to patient management. Programs designed to manage CVD require the involvement of health professionals for comanagement and patients' self-management. However, these programs are commonly limited to large urban centers, resulting in limited access for rural patients. The use of telehealth potentially overcomes geographical barriers and can improve access to care for patients. The current research explores how an Internet-based platform might facilitate collaboration among healthcare providers comanaging patients and enhance behavioural change in patients. Forty-eight participants were interviewed including: (a) patients (n = 12), (b) physicians (n = 11), (c) nurses (n = 13), and (d) allied health professionals (n = 10). The results were organized and analyzed in three central themes: (1) role of technology for CVD management, (2) challenges to technology adoption, and (3) incentives for technology adoption. Health care providers and patients supported future implementation of Internet-based technology support for CVD management

Aboriginal Youth Experiences with Cyberbullying: A Qualitative Analysis of Aboriginal e-mentoring BC

Technology has transformed interactions among adolescents from face-to-face to instantaneous virtual communication. Yet the use of digital media among adolescents can be potentially harmful with the risk of cyberbullying. While cyberbullying is a growing concern, few researchers have explored cyberbullying experiences among Aboriginal adolescents. The present study addresses this gap by examining qualitative data regarding cyberbullying experiences provided by Aboriginal youth participants between ages 11 and 17 in Aboriginal e-mentoring BC, which was an internet-based mentoring program in the province of British Columbia, Canada. The analysis of the data highlighted 4 themes: (1) perceptions and use of technology, (2) awareness of online safety and netiquette, (3) cyberbullying prevalence, and (4) prevention and coping skills. Transcending these themes was the importance of Aboriginal perspective and knowledge in mentoring and anti-cyberbullying initiatives. The results of the work presented in this study highlight the potential benefit of incorporating online safety and technology use in interventions to promote wellbeing among Aboriginal youth. The study findings on Aboriginal adolescents’ online experiences and perceptions of online safety can assist researchers and Indigenous health providers to better understand the cyberbullying phenomenon

La COVID-19 en tant que catalyseur : les étudiants en médecine portent un regard sur la formation de l’identité professionnelle pendant la pandémie

Background: As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, a national decision was made to remove all medical students from clinical environments resulting in a major disruption to traditional medical education. Our study aimed to explore medical student perspectives of professional identity formation (PIF) during a nationally unique period in which there was no clinical training in medical undergraduate programs. Methods: We interviewed fifteen UBC medical students (years 1-4) regarding their perspectives on PIF and the student role in the setting of the COVID-19 pandemic. Data were analysed iteratively and continuously to create a codebook and identify themes of PIF based on interview transcripts. Results: We identified three key themes: (1) Medical students as learners vs contributing team members (2) Decreased competency as a threat to identity and (3) Doctors as heroes.  Conclusions: The impact of disruptions due to COVID-19 catalyzed student reflections on their role within the healthcare system, as well as the role of self-sacrifice in physician identity.  Simultaneously, students worried that disruptions to clinical training would prevent them from actualizing the identities they envisioned for themselves in the future.  Ultimately, our study provides insight into student perspectives during a novel period in medical training, and highlights the unique ways in which PIF can occur in the absence of clinical exposure.Contexte : En réponse à la pandémie de la COVID-19, la décision a été prise de retirer les étudiants en médecine des milieux cliniques à l’échelle nationale, ce qui a entraîné une perturbation majeure de l’enseignement médical traditionnel. Notre étude visait à explorer les opinions des étudiants en médecine sur la formation de l’identité professionnelle (FIP) au cours de cette période unique marquée par l’absence de formation clinique dans les programmes d’études médicales pré-doctorales.Méthodes : Nous avons sondé quinze étudiants en médecine de l’Université de Colombie-Britannique (1re à 4e année) pour recueillir leur point de vue sur la FIP et sur le rôle des étudiants dans le contexte de la pandémie. Les données ont été analysées de manière itérative et continue afin de créer une liste de codes et de dégager les thèmes en rapport avec la FIP à partir des transcriptions de ces entretiens. Résultats : Nous avons identifié trois thèmes clés : (1) les étudiants en médecine, en tant qu’apprenants versus en tant que membres actifs d’une équipe (2), la diminution des compétences comme menace pour l’identité et (3) les médecins comme héros. Conclusions : L’impact des perturbations dues à la COVID-19 a suscité chez les étudiants une réflexion sur leur rôle au sein du système de santé, ainsi que sur le rôle de l’abnégation dans l’identité du médecin. Parallèlement, les étudiants craignaient que les bouleversements de la formation clinique les empêchent de concrétiser leur identité professionnelle telle qu’ils l’envisageaient. En somme, notre étude donne un aperçu des réflexions des étudiants au cours d’une période inédite de la formation médicale et met en évidence les façons uniques dont l’identité professionnelle peut se construire en l’absence d’exposition clinique

COVID as a catalyst: medical student perspectives on professional identity formation during the COVID-19 pandemic

Background: As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, a national decision was made to remove all medical students from clinical environments resulting in a major disruption to traditional medical education. Our study aimed to explore medical student perspectives of professional identity formation (PIF) during a nationally unique period in which there was no clinical training in medical undergraduate programs.Methods: We interviewed fifteen UBC medical students (years 1-4) regarding their perspectives on PIF and the student role in the setting of the COVID-19 pandemic. Data were analysed iteratively and continuously to create a codebook and identify themes of PIF based on interview transcripts.Results: We identified three key themes: (1) Medical students as learners vs contributing team members (2) Decreased competency as a threat to identity and (3) Doctors as heroes. Conclusions: The impact of disruptions due to COVID-19 catalyzed student reflections on their role within the healthcare system, as well as the role of self-sacrifice in physician identity.  Simultaneously, students worried that disruptions to clinical training would prevent them from actualizing the identities they envisioned for themselves in the future.  Ultimately, our study provides insight into student perspectives during a novel period in medical training, and highlights the unique ways in which PIF can occur in the absence of clinical exposure.Contexte : En réponse à la pandémie de la COVID-19, la décision a été prise de retirer les étudiants en médecine des milieux cliniques à l’échelle nationale, ce qui a entraîné une perturbation majeure de l’enseignement médical traditionnel. Notre étude visait à explorer les opinions des étudiants en médecine sur la formation de l’identité professionnelle (FIP) au cours de cette période unique marquée par l’absence de formation clinique dans les programmes d’études médicales pré-doctorales.Méthodes : Nous avons sondé quinze étudiants en médecine de l’Université de Colombie-Britannique (1re à 4e année) pour recueillir leur point de vue sur la FIP et sur le rôle des étudiants dans le contexte de la pandémie. Les données ont été analysées de manière itérative et continue afin de créer une liste de codes et de dégager les thèmes en rapport avec la FIP à partir des transcriptions de ces entretiens. Résultats : Nous avons identifié trois thèmes clés : (1) les étudiants en médecine, en tant qu’apprenants versus en tant que membres actifs d’une équipe (2), la diminution des compétences comme menace pour l’identité et (3) les médecins comme héros. Conclusions : L’impact des perturbations dues à la COVID-19 a suscité chez les étudiants une réflexion sur leur rôle au sein du système de santé, ainsi que sur le rôle de l’abnégation dans l’identité du médecin. Parallèlement, les étudiants craignaient que les bouleversements de la formation clinique les empêchent de concrétiser leur identité professionnelle telle qu’ils l’envisageaient. En somme, notre étude donne un aperçu des réflexions des étudiants au cours d’une période inédite de la formation médicale et met en évidence les façons uniques dont l’identité professionnelle peut se construire en l’absence d’exposition clinique