The effectiveness of ‘practice while watching’ technique for the first aid training of the chemical industry employees

INTRODUCTION: Industrial accidents constitute about 20% of all causes of accidents. They are often sudden, unexpected and may lead to tragic consequences, which however can be partially reduced if first aid and emergency treatment are given as soon as possible. The most important part of a chain of survival is the bystanders’ response. In practice, it is highly dependent on the ability of co-workers to perform basic first-aid tasks. The aim of this paper was to present the effectiveness of ‘practice while watching’ training method for the first aid training of the chemical industry employees. The authors focused on the most important elements of the training, which have an impact on the acquisition of knowledge and skills of first aid.  MATERIAL AND METHODS: The training involved 69 employees of the chemical industry. The test sheets were used for the assessment, where each of the action steps was assigned points 0 for incorrect and 1 for a properly performed activity.  RESULTS: Each step was completed by at least 76% of workers. When providing both adult and infant CPR, the main difficulty was calling for help. Younger employees obtained better results than older colleagues.  CONCLUSIONS: The study demonstrated the high effectiveness of the ‘practice while watching’ method. In addition, workers’ age turned out to be a significant variable which affected their performance.

Good practices in asynchronous e-learning — a short guideline document for Polish medical teachers — a pilot study

INTRODUCTION: E-learning is gaining popularity also in medical education. It offers students unlimited access to educational materials, helps meet their individual preferences by adapting various learning styles, and is considered to be at least as effective as traditional lectures. However, this can only be true provided that e-learning is of good quality. Short guidelines may be used to familiarise medical teachers with good practices in e-learning, but they should meet the needs of their users, and some areas may require more attention. They should be identified, and medical teachers should be provided with additional resources covering them. This study aimed to develop a short guideline for Polish medical teachers and determine potentially troublesome areas. METHODS: A detailed review of the literature was performed to create a guideline on preparing and conducting e-learning classes. The most important items from it were listed as an evaluation template and pre-tested on a sample of 10 e-learning courses in a search for areas requiring more attention. RESULTS: Half of the courses did not provide students with a syllabus, and none of them clearly defined intended learning outcomes. Also, adult learning concepts were not introduced satisfactorily. Only seven out of 10 courses used activities at all, and they often tested simple knowledge reproduction, were limited to poorly-written test questions, and placed at the end of lessons. CONCLUSIONS: In this pilot study three potentially troublesome areas were identified: defining learning outcomes, application of adult learning theory, and choice of activities. KEY WORDS: e-learning quality, e-learning guidelines, medical teacher

Pharmacists’ Preparedness to Patients Education at the Time of Pandemic—A Cross-Sectional Study with an Example of SARS-CoV-2 Outbreak in Poland

Although pharmacy employees’ involvement in patient education has great potential, the extent to which they actually provide cognitive services seems inadequate. Given the overburdening of the healthcare system and limited access to medical services due to the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) pandemic outbreak, this study aimed to evaluate the preparedness of Polish pharmacy employees for patient education on the new threat. The study was conducted using the mystery shopper method. Two interviewers phoned 90 randomly chosen community pharmacies throughout Poland and presented some inquiries on the SARS-CoV-2. Pharmacists devoted more time to patients than pharmacy technicians (2:22 vs. 1:54), and the information they provided was significantly more comprehensive (p = 0.006). The majority of respondents provided an evidence-based recommendation on prevention, symptoms, and management of SARS-CoV-2; however, the scope of advice significantly varied. Community pharmacy staff often expressed their concern about the lack of time to address patients’ questions adequately. No statistically significant differences were found in recommendations provided by chain and non-chain pharmacy staff. Obtained results seem to confirm the possibility of involving pharmacists in public health activities during a pandemic. Nevertheless, providing proper working conditions and adequate just-in-time learning solutions is crucial

Factors affecting the self-efficacy of medical teachers during a health crisis – a qualitative study on the example of the COVID-19 pandemic

Abstract Background The diversity of tasks entrusted to medical teachers with their simultaneous responsibility for the safety of patients and the effective education of future healthcare professionals requires maintaining a skillful balance between their teaching, scientific and clinical activities. Meanwhile, the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted the work of both healthcare facilities and medical universities, forcing already overworked medical teachers to establish a new balance. One’s ability to perform effectively in new, ambiguous, or unpredictable situations was described by Albert Bandura as a self-efficacy concept. Consequently, this study aimed to identify factors affecting the self-efficacy of medical teachers and the influence of the COVID-19 pandemic on them. Methods Twenty-five semi-structured interviews with medical teachers were conducted using a flexible thematic guide. They were transcribed and analyzed by two independent researchers (researcher triangulation) with phenomenology as the qualitative approach. Results Identified themes demonstrate a process of the evolvement of clinical teachers’ self-efficacy in response to the sudden outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, namely the decline of self-efficacy in the first phase of the crisis, followed by building task-specific self-efficacy and the development of general self-efficacy. Conclusions The study shows the significance of providing care and support for medical teachers during a health crisis. Crisis management decision-makers at educational and healthcare institutions should consider the different roles of medical teachers and the possibility of overburden associated with the cumulation of the excessive number of patient, didactic, and research duties. Moreover, faculty development initiatives and teamwork should become a vital part of the organizational culture of medical universities. A dedicated tool acknowledging the specificity and context of medical teachers’ work seems necessary to quantitatively evaluate their sense of self-efficacy

Azaporphyrins Embedded on Carbon-Based Nanomaterials for Potential Use in Electrochemical Sensing—A Review

Phthalocyanines and porphyrazines as macrocyclic aza-analogues of well-known porphyrins were deposited on diverse carbon-based nanomaterials and investigated as sensing devices. The extended π-conjugated electron system of these macrocycles influences their ability to create stable hybrid systems with graphene or carbon nanotubes commonly based on π–π stacking interactions. During a 15-year period, the electrodes modified by deposition of these systems have been applied for the determination of diverse analytes, such as food pollutants, heavy metals, catecholamines, thiols, glucose, peroxides, some active pharmaceutical ingredients, and poisonous gases. These procedures have also taken place, on occasion, in the presence of various polymers, ionic liquids, and other moieties. In the review, studies are presented that were performed for sensing purposes, involving azaporphyrins embedded on graphene, graphene oxide or carbon nanotubes (both single and multi-walled ones). Moreover, possible methods of electrode fabrication, limits of detection of each analyte, as well as examples of macrocyclic compounds applied as sensing materials, are critically discussed

Current View on Green Tea Catechins Formulations, Their Interactions with Selected Drugs, and Prospective Applications for Various Health Conditions

Green tea extract (GTE) is one of the most popular beverages globally, traditionally prepared from Camelia sinensis leaves. Therefore, it is beneficial to define the impact of GTE and its ingredients on the human organism. Epigallocatechin-3-O-gallate (EGCG) is the most abundant catechin in green tea leaves, belonging to the group of tannins and flavonoids, demonstrating pharmacological activity, but so far, it has not been applied as a drug. This is because EGCG does not present sufficient stability and quickly decomposes through epimerization or autooxidation mechanisms under the influence of light, temperature, changes in pH, or the presence of oxygen. Another limiting factor is EGCG’s low bioavailability after oral administration. Nevertheless, the growing market of dietary supplements together with increasing growing consumption of green tea extracts should prompt us to pay more attention to the safety of both EGCG itself, as well as its influence on other simultaneously used drugs. Previously published data confirm the relationship between healthcare professionals’ access to professional knowledge and their willingness to engage in patient education. For this reason, in this review article, we report the formulations of EGCG and GTE, discuss the data on the safety of EGCG and its possible interactions with drugs, as well as gather various recommendations from medical specialists. Particular attention should be paid to the consumption of green tea during pregnancy and breastfeeding, as well as in the elderly. Patients taking clozapine, digoxin, and warfarin should avoid consuming GTE extracts and dietary supplements containing EGCG. Professional consultation seems especially important for patients treated with statins, calcium channel blockers, or sildenafil