Ways of teaching: Striving to enhance student\u27s understanding in classroom setting

Learning is enhanced when instruction is being designed in-relation to students’ learning styles. Attention to learning styles and learner’s diversity has shown an increase students’ motivation towards learning. Effective teaching is defined as maximizing learner educational achievement, and teacher and student subject contentment. The key attributes of effective teaching are teacher’s preparation; knowledge on the subject; attitude; enthusiasm; and content clarity. Moreover, applying various theories of learning such as behaviorism, cognitivism and humanism are the effective ways to enhance students’ learning journey. Therefore, these effective teaching strategies should be promoted and encouraged in the real world of teaching

Insights from Nursing Students about Factors Affecting and Strategies Supporting their Mental Health

Introduction: Nursing students experience high stress and mental health issues. It is essential to pay adequate attention to students’ mental health so they are trained to deliver quality patient care in complex settings. In order to provide a healthy environment to student nurses, it is essential that nursing students’ voices are heard. This study aims to explore nursing students’ perceptions about factors that influence their mental health and understand strategies that support mental health during nursing education. Methods: The study used an exploratory descriptive qualitative design to achieve the objective. Purposive sampling was used to recruit nursing students from a university representing undergraduate and graduate nursing programs. Data were collected using four focus group discussions. All discussions were audio recorded and transcribed. Coding was generated by the research team to drive key themes and sub themes. Results: The 28 participants identified teachers’ attitude, university environment and family responsibilities as key factors influencing their mental health. They also recommended several strategies for nursing institutions to promote students’ mental health during training. Conclusion: Nursing students are the future of healthcare systems. It is important that their mental health is given priority during nursing training. Promoting mental health would help nursing institutions create environments that foster health and well-being of students. These findings may also be useful for promoting mental health of students in other healthcare disciplines

Telesimulation innovation on the teaching of Spikes model on sharing bad news

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) brought to the world, an unprecedented emergency, which dramatically affected the face-to-face teaching in higher education academia. University faculty and students had to shift overnight to an online and remote course instruction. They were neither trained nor prepared and had limited resources and infrastructure. Palliative Care and Oncology Stream Faculty at Aga Khan University, School of Nursing and Midwifery, Pakistan, piloted an innovative academic project using telesimulation (TS). Trainee nurse interns were taught communication skills and the art of breaking bad news to palliative clients using the SPIKES model through TS. To incorporate best practices for simulation-based experiences, we used the International Nursing Association for Clinical Simulation and Learning to standardize and implement TS with 141 interns. This review article documents how the faculty planned and implemented the TS strategy during COVID-19. It outlines the challenges and the lessons learnt from implementation and feedback from faculty and students. This information could be useful in the future execution of TS, in any communication and counseling course, since COVID-19 has impacted the future educational course design and pedagogy worldwide

Women experiences of using external breast prosthesis after mastectomy.

Objective: The aim of this study was to identify the experiences of breast cancer patients using external breast prostheses (EBP) in the context of the Pakistani society. Methods: A qualitative descriptive exploratory design was used in the study. In-depth individual interviews were conducted with 15 postmastectomy women using EBP. A semi-structured interview guide with open-ended questions was used for the interviews. The analysis of the data was organized into four categories according to the study questions including reasons for using EBP, feeling about EBP, challenges for using EBP, and coping with lost breast. Each category was further divided into subcategories. Results: Women used EBP because they felt strange, incomplete, and embarrassed in front of other people, due to the asymmetrical shape of the chest after mastectomy. They faced several challenges with regard to obtaining and using the EBP. While EBP was used as an alternative of their lost breast, they experienced sadness and embarrassment. They found it challenging to take care of the EBP and were required to make changes in their lifestyle. However, they accepted living with their lost breast, either through rationalization, family support, or faith and prayers, which helped them to cope. Conclusions: The study findings have given insight into some real experiences of mastectomy patients. Mastectomy not only affects women\u27s physical health but also their psychological health, as a result of which they become reluctant to socialize. Using EBP can help them to improve their body image and body posture. Health-care providers\u27 support is very important to the families of the patients specifically where patients are very shy to openly seek information due to cultural constraints

Hidden voices of hermaphrodites

Gender is a psychological component which is given by the society to a person, while sex is a biological component which is awarded by the God. However, there are certain conditions in which the biological aspects are put to challenge with the social and psychological aspects of gender. Hermaphrodites are a third gender role, who is neither male or female man nor woman but contains the element of both. One may question that if they are neither male nor female then who they are and whether they are equally treated in our society. Looking at the challenges faced by hermaphrodites, one need to question what choices these hermaphrodites have in our society. We being a responsible citizen of the society, how can we make their lives less miserable and make them respectable or functional members of our society. This paper raises several questions to us: do these neglected and deprived community has means of education or employment; what possible choices can be offered to them other than begging, prostitution or dancing at weddings or baby showers. It is our responsibility as a society to treat them as humans and provide them social and legal rights so that they can also become an acceptable member of the society and can benefit the society with more sense of security and less burden

Social Aspects of Violence: Cultural Dowry Practices and Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) in Pakistan

Dowry is a transfer of materialistic goods or money from bride’s parents to bridegroom family at the time of marriage. However, as dowry demand rises, it has a significant detrimental impact on the lives of women. This chapter discusses the history of dowry and its practices, the positive and negative impact, and policy implications. The keywords used for this search were: “Dowry AND Pakistan,” “Pakistan culture AND Violence against women,” “social aspects AND Dowry practices,” and “Intimate-partner violence AND Pakistan.” To ensure that readers would receive valid information on the subject, authors searched from reliable engines. Dowry is a common tradition, particularly in South Asian countries. It is originated from Hindu culture, but later adopted and practiced by other Islamic and European-American nations. Though it provides an opportunity for women to get their share of pre-mortem inheritance from their parent’s property. However, it may be the leading cause of violence and abuse that poses an enormous burden on the brides. Violence prevention is achievable, but it requires efforts by the government, health institutions, and civil society. This is an additional contribution by the authors to raise awareness regarding “Dowry,” which is one of the preventable predictors of violence

Experiences of breast cancer patients using external prosthesis after mastectomy in the contexts of a Pakistan society

Mastectomy is one of the common treatment modalities for breast cancer, which causes a noticeable change in the shape of women\u27s body, consequently, affecting women’s physical and psychological health. Studies in other countries suggest that the use the of external breast prostheses (EBP) helps women overcome stress and improve their self-esteem. Objective. The aim of this study was to identify the experiences of breast cancer patients using EBP, in the context of the Pakistani society. Methodology. A qualitative descriptive exploratory design was used in the study. A total of 15 post mastectomy women were recruited, through purposive and snow ball sampling, from the private hospital of Karachi, Pakistan, for participating in this study. The data was collected through in depth interviews, by using a semi-structured interview guide. All the interviews were audio- taped and transcribed verbatim, and then translated into English. Findings. The analysis of the data was organized into four categories according to the study questions, including: reasons for using EBP, challenges for using EBP, living with EBP, and coping strategies, and each category was further divided into sub categories. Women used EBP because they felt weird, incomplete, and embarrassed, in front of other people, due to the asymmetrical shape of the chest after mastectomy. They faced several challenges with regard to obtaining and using the EBP. While EBP was used as an alternative of their lost beast, they experienced sadness and embarrassment. Moreover, they found it challenging to take care of the EBP, and made changes their life style. However, they accepted living with EBP, either through rationalization, family support, or faith and prayers, which helped them to cope. Conclusion. This study identified the experiences of women using EBP, and their significance for post mastectomy rehabilitation. This study has implications for nurses and other health care professionals

Rape: crime hidden under social stigma.

Nurses and heath care professionals frequently experience ethical and moral dilemmas on their work place; however, the challenge for them to take efficient decisions to resolve the dilemma. In order to resolve culturally sensitive issues, and dilemmas, nurses need to have sufficient knowledge, and experience in their assign field. Patercia Crisham has suggested a systemic way to resolve the ethical dilemmas through MORAL model, these five steps model provides assistance to the nurses to analyze, explore and resolve the ethical dilemmas in a better way. MORAL Model begins with massaging the scenario; followed by outline the opinions, review the criteria, affirm position and, ACT and lastly look back the complete process. This paper presents culturally sensitive ethical dilemma in clinical nursing, and its resolution through MORAL model. This culturally sensitive dilemma not only provides awareness to nurses but stakeholders to bring change in society

Intimate partner violence through the lens of gender, finance, and ethics

Intimate partner violence (IPV) is a pervasive public health concern affecting women around the globe. It refers to the detrimental actions that cause harm physically or psychosexually to the partner predominantly women, in an intimate relationship. Regardless of any age, sexual orientation, or ethnicity, women make the most vulnerable group to IPV by virtue of their customary social and demographic characteristics. The traditional and preset societal roles have a direct influence on the development of intimate partner relationships. The predetermined gender roles tend to uphold male privileges and degrade women for subordination. However, a patriarchal society based on male dominance is produced by the socioeconomic and political systems. Financial impediments among women along with the societal subservience further limit their freedom and autonomy, ultimately forcing them to submit to the vices of their male partners. IPV is a serious medico-legal offense which has various ethical implications. Various ethical frameworks establish the connections between IPV and medical ethics and guide the ways to address them. A collaborative and multidisciplinary approach is essential to effectively address the issue of intimate partner violence (IPV), which is prevalent in both developing and developed countries. The chapter explains IPV in association to the gender roles, power disparities, financial insecurities, and biomedical ethics and outlines the key recommendations for mitigation

Social aspects of violence: Cultural dowry practices and intimate partner violence (IPV) in Pakistan

Dowry is a transfer of materialistic goods or money from bride’s parents to bridegroom family at the time of marriage. However, as dowry demand rises, it has a significant detrimental impact on the lives of women. This chapter discusses the history of dowry and its practices, the positive and negative impact, and policy implications. The keywords used for this search were: “Dowry AND Pakistan,” “Pakistan culture AND Violence against women,” “social aspects AND Dowry practices,” and “Intimate-partner violence AND Pakistan.” To ensure that readers would receive valid information on the subject, authors searched from reliable engines. Dowry is a common tradition, particularly in South Asian countries. It is originated from Hindu culture, but later adopted and practiced by other Islamic and European-American nations. Though it provides an opportunity for women to get their share of pre-mortem inheritance from their parent’s property. However, it may be the leading cause of violence and abuse that poses an enormous burden on the brides. Violence prevention is achievable, but it requires efforts by the government, health institutions, and civil society. This is an additional contribution by the authors to raise awareness regarding “Dowry,” which is one of the preventable predictors of violence