scholarly journals Portuguese Medical Students’ Knowledge and Attitudes Towards Homosexuality

2016 ◽  
Vol 29 (11) ◽  
pp. 684 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lucas Lopes ◽  
Jorge Gato ◽  
Manuel Esteves

Introduction: Lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people still face discrimination in healthcare environments and physicians often report lack of knowledge on this population’s specific healthcare needs. In fact, recommendations have been put forward to include lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender health in medical curricula. This study aimed to explore factors associated with medical students’ knowledge and attitudes towards homosexuality in different years of the medical course.Material and Methods: An anonymous online-based questionnaire was sent to all medical students enrolled at the Faculty of Medicine - University of Porto, Portugal, in December 2015. The questionnaire included socio-demographic questions, the Multidimensional Scale of Attitudes Toward Lesbians and Gay Men (27 items) and a Homosexuality Knowledge Questionnaire (17 items). Descriptive statistics, ANOVAs, Chi-square tests and Pearson’s correlations were used in the analysis.Results: A total of 489 completed responses was analyzed. Male gender, religiosity and absence of lesbian, gay or bisexual friends were associated with more negative attitudes towards homosexuality. Attitudinal scores did not correlate with advanced years in medical course or contact with lesbian, gay or bisexual patients. Students aiming to pursue technique-oriented specialties presented higher scores in the ‘Modern Heterosexism’ subscale than students seeking patient-oriented specialties. Although advanced years in medical course correlated significantly with higher knowledge scores, items related with lesbian, gay or bisexual health showed the lowest percentage of correct answers.Conclusion: There seems to be a lack of exploration of medical students’ personal attitudes towards lesbians and gay men, and also a lack of knowledge on lesbian, gay or bisexual specific healthcare needs. This study highlights the importance of inclusive undergraduate curriculum development in order to foster quality healthcare.

2019 ◽  
Vol 19 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Carlos Gutiérrez-Cirlos ◽  
J. Jesús Naveja ◽  
Manuel García-Minjares ◽  
Adrián Martínez-González ◽  
Melchor Sánchez-Mendiola

Abstract Background The choice of medical specialty is related to multiple factors, students’ values, and specialty perceptions. Research in this area is needed in low- and middle-income countries, where the alignment of specialty training with national healthcare needs has a complex local interdependency. The study aimed to identify factors that influence specialty choice among medical students. Methods Senior students at the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM) Faculty of Medicine answered a questionnaire covering demographics, personal experiences, vocational features, and other factors related to specialty choice. Chi-square tests and factor analyses were performed. Results The questionnaire was applied to 714 fifth-year students, and 697 provided complete responses (response rate 81%). The instrument Cronbach’s alpha was 0.8. The mean age was 24 ± 1 years; 65% were women. Eighty percent of the students wanted to specialize, and 60% had participated in congresses related to the specialty of interest. Only 5% wanted to remain as general practitioners. The majority (80%) wanted to enter a core specialty: internal medicine (29%), general surgery (24%), pediatrics (11%), gynecology and obstetrics (11%) and family medicine (4%). The relevant variables for specialty choice were grouped in three dimensions: personal values that develop and change during undergraduate training, career needs to be satisfied, and perception of specialty characteristics. Conclusions Specialty choice of medical students in a middle-income country public university is influenced by the undergraduate experience, the desire to study a subspecialty and other factors (including having skills related to the specialty and type of patients).


2016 ◽  
Vol 10 (04) ◽  
pp. 536-540
Author(s):  
Sara Mohammad Al Taweel ◽  
Huda Ahmed Al Shehri

ABSTRACT Objective: The objective of this study was to evaluate the knowledge and attitudes of dental interns at King Saud University College of Dentistry (KSUCD) regarding denture adhesives (DAs). Materials and Methods: Surveys were distributed to dental interns at KSUCD (n = 100). Cross-tabulations with the Pearson's Chi-square test were used to compare variables using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (P ≤ 0.05). Results: Approximately, 85.5% of the respondents had learned about DAs as part of their undergraduate curriculum, 71% agree that DAs can be a beneficial adjunct in the fabrication of dentures, and 87% agree that dentists should routinely inform all denture patients of the proper use and misuse of DAs. Conclusion: Most of the participants have adequate knowledge and attitude toward DAs.


POCUS Journal ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 2 (2) ◽  
pp. 15-17
Author(s):  
Rimi Sambi, MD ◽  
Heather Sawula, MD ◽  
Brent Wolfrom, MD ◽  
Joseph Newbigging, MD

As point of care ultrasound (PoCUS) becomes increasingly popular and a standard of care in many clinical settings, the interest for integration in medical undergraduate curriculum is also growing [1]. This project aims to assess whether formal bedside Focused Abdominal Scan for Trauma (FAST) exam training of medical students increases their knowledge and comfort with the use of bedside ultrasound in a family medicine setting at Queen’s University. Third year medical students (n=18) were recruited to participate in a training session involving a 1-hour online video and 2-hour hands-on session. Knowledge based surveys were completed before and after the training. A survey was completed 4 months after the teaching session evaluating knowledge retention, comfort, and application of skills. Student knowledge of PoCUS and FAST increased and was maintained (pre-training 56%±20%, post-training 82%±10%, p<0.001). Self-evaluation of comfort performing a FAST examination (5-point Likert scale) similarly increased post-training session (pre-training 1.4±0.8, post-training 3.8±0.9, p<0.005), but decreased 4 months later (3±1.2, p<0.005). Students in this study were unanimously interested in ultrasound training and the methods used effectively increased theoretical knowledge and comfort with use. Students did not retain their comfort levels with FAST exam 4 months after the training session, nor did they have the opportunity to utilize the skills learned. Further evidence is required to identify the applicability of these results to undergraduate curriculum development.


Author(s):  
Abdulaziz Abuabat ◽  
Abdulrahman Alfarhan ◽  
Raed Alahmari ◽  
Waleed Alanazi ◽  
Abdulaziz AlJaafary ◽  
...  

Author(s):  
Dur-e- Nishat

Background: Family medicine is a field in which complete and detailed set of healthcare services are provided to the patients and their families. In developed countries, freshly graduated students choose family medicine as a priority for their career. However, in Pakistan it is not the case. The present study is undertaken to determine the perceptions of final year medical students’ about Family Medicine as a viable career. Methods: A total number of 504 students participated in the study. This was a cross-sectional study. The study participants were in their final year of medical college. Data was collected using a preapproved questionnaire. Data was entered and analyzed via SPSS version 17 and Chi-Square test was used post-stratification. Results: Only 14.3% (n=72) medical students had heard about Family Medicine. Only 18% (n=92) would select family medicine as a profession. The most frequent rationale for choosing the field of Family Medicine was the variety of patients seen in general practice (55.4% n=51). Conclusion: There is a dire need to focus on increasing awareness about the field of family medicine among medical students. The students should be counseled on the advantages along with the disadvantages of choosing this field as a medical profession.


2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 519-520
Author(s):  
Priyanka Shrestha ◽  
Erica Husser ◽  
Diane Berish ◽  
Long Ngo ◽  
Marie Boltz ◽  
...  

Abstract Delirium is a serious and potentially life-threatening problem, but it remains clinically under-recognized. Various factors contribute to this under-recognition, including limited understanding of delirium, insufficient training and application of delirium assessments, potential stigma for the patient and increased workload for the clinician. As a part of an NIH funded study testing a rapid two-step delirium identification protocol at two hospitals in the U.S. (one urban and one rural), clinicians completed a 12-item survey to assess their knowledge and attitudes about delirium and their confidence in preventing and managing delirium. Survey response options followed a 5-point rating scale (strongly disagree, disagree, undecided, agree, strongly agree). The sample for this analysis included 399 clinicians (MDs=53; RNs=235; CNAs=111). Chi-square was used to test for group differences between clinician types. Less than half of the clinicians reported agreeing with the statement, “delirium is largely preventable” (MDs: 47%; RN: 44%; CNA: 41%, p-value=0.021). MDs and RNs indicated a high level of confidence in recognizing delirium while CNAs endorsed lower levels of confidence (MDs: 87%; RN: 81%; CNA: 65%, p-value=0.001). All types of clinicians reported lower confidence in managing delirium (MDs: 29%; RN: 36%; CNA: 44%, p-value=0.117). 47% of CNAs and 37% of RNs agreed there is a need for additional training in caring for persons with delirium while only 21% of MDs agreed (p = 0.031). Understanding how different types of clinicians think and feel about delirium will inform training and communication initiatives, clinical implementation, and research on best practices for delirium identification and management.


Author(s):  
AA Toubasi ◽  
BR Khraisat ◽  
RB AbuAnzeh ◽  
HM Kalbouneh

Objective Medicine is considered one if not the most stressful educational field. Thus, the aim of this study is to investigate the prevalence of stress and poor sleeping quality among medical students and the association between them. Method This cross-sectional study was conducted at the University of Jordan on second- and third-year medical students. The questionnaire consisted of: 1) Demographics; 2) The assessment tools which were Pittsburgh Quality of Sleep Index (PSQI) and Kessler Psychological Distress Status (K10). Binary logistic regression, chi-square and linear regression were used to investigate the association between PSQI, K10, and their determinants. Results The mean for PSQI score was 6.76 ± 3.32. PSQI scores interpretation revealed that 61.7% of the 282 participants of this study were poor sleepers. Logistic regression results showed that only the category of not napping at all from the napping hours variable was significantly associated with sleeping quality. Furthermore, the mean of K10 scores was 24.5 ± 8.5. K10 scores revealed that 66.3% of the participants were stressed. Logistic regression results showed that gender and regular exercise were significantly associated with psychological distress. Additionally, chi-square test, logistic regression and linear regression showed that PSQI was significantly associated with K10 (P <0.01). Conclusions Stress and poor sleeping quality in medical students at the University of Jordan were highly prevalent and strongly associated. What determined PSQI was daytime napping, and for K10 were regular exercise and gender. Further investigations into stress and sleep quality in the Arabian region are needed.


2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Nadia Younes ◽  
Anne Laure Delaunay ◽  
M. Roger ◽  
Pierre Serra ◽  
France Hirot ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Training in psychiatry requires specific knowledge, attitudes, and skills that are obtainable by simulation, of which the use is only recent and still needs further development. Evidence is accumulating on its effectiveness but requires further validation for medical students. We aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of a single-day optional teaching program in psychiatry by simulation for medical students and validate a scale measuring Confidence in Psychiatric Clinical Skills (CPCQ), as part of the assessment. Methods This was a controlled study in a French University that compared (using paired-sample Student t-tests) knowledge and attitudes (university grades and CPCQ scores) before, just after teaching with simulated patients, and 2 months later. Satisfaction with the program (including the quality of the debriefing) was also investigated. The CPCQ scale was validated by assessing the factor structure, internal consistency, and test-retest reliability. Finally, a comparison was run with a control group who received the usual psychiatric instruction using covariance analyses. Results Twenty-four medical students were included in the simulation group and 76 in the control group. Just after the simulation, knowledge and attitudes increased significantly in the simulation group. Satisfaction with the training and debriefing was very high. The CPCQ scale showed good psychometric properties: a single-factor structure, acceptable internal consistency (α = 0.73 [0.65–0.85]), and good test-retest reliability (ICC = 0.71 [0.35–0.88]). Two months after the simulation, knowledge and attitudes were significantly higher in the simulation group than the control group, despite a lack of difference in knowledge before the simulation. Conclusions Adding a simulation program in psychiatry to the usual teaching improved the knowledge and confidence of medical students. The CPCQ scale could be used for the evaluation of educational programs.


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