Iranian Journal of Medical Education
Year:2005 | Volume:5 | Issue:1 (13)|Papers Count:11

Introduction: Clinical skills training program provides an opportunity for medical students to improve their clinical skills in a simulated setting which is designed and equipped for learning a number of key skills by practicing on manikins and related equipments. The aim of this study was to determine the effect of clinical skills training program on clinical competencies of medical students in the management of vaginal delivery in Tabriz Medical University. Methods: In this quasi-experimental research with one group, pre- and post-test design, 50 medical students were selected randomly and assessed using a valid and reliable questionnaire asking about their clinical competencies in the management of different stages of vaginal delivery and also about their suturing skill. Likert scale was used for determining the level of competency based on self-assessment approach. Data analysis was done by SPSS software using descriptive analysis, paired t-test, ANOVA and Pearson correlation coefficient. Results: A significant increase was observed in the mean score of skills related to pre-delivery stage (from 14±13.65 to 89±10.72), skills needed during performing the delivery (from 18.17±13.3 to 88.95±9.26), and skills needed during the post-delivery stage such as suturing and dressing (from 31.07±16.57 to 85.17±12.78). There was a significant difference between the mean score related to the skills needed before, during and after delivery, before and after education. Conclusion: Practicing in Clinical Skills Center considerably increased perceived self-efficacy of medical students for doing the skills needed for the management of a safe vaginal delivery which in turn could lead to increasing their skills in confronting patients.    

Introduction: Medical education leaders in different countries try to pay attention to the appropriateness of medical education programs and their role in the development of medical graduates' competencies. This study was performed to determine the role of basic science courses in promoting the medical graduate's competencies in medical schools of Iran. Methods: In a descriptive study 165 basic science faculty members from 11 medical schools of Iran were randomly selected through multi-stage method. Data-gathering tool was a questionnaire which assessed the nine main competencies in medical graduates using 5point ranking scale ranging from very much to never. The results were analyzed by SPSS software using frequency distribution and mean of the frequencies. Results: Based on faculty members' view points, role of basic science courses was assessed less than %20 in promoting the competencies such as: "effective communication", "basic clinical skills ", "using the science in guiding diagnosis, management, therapy and prevention ", "life long learning ", "self-awareness, self-care and personal development "L ;'social context and community health care ", "moral judgment and clinical reasoning ", "problem solving" and "professionalism and role cognitions" in medical graduates. Conclusion: The role of basic science courses for developing the nine competencies in medical graduates was assessed "low". It is recommended that the use of specific strategies in teaching basic science courses and also, integration of basic sciences and clinical courses in medical curriculum be considered.      

Introduction: Different problems could lead to reducing the efficiency of field training for nursing students identifying and solving these problems is necessary to reinforce some effective educational methods. The aim of this study was to determine the problems in clinical field training for nursing students from the viewpoints of nursing teachers and nursing students in Shah id Sadoughi University of Medical Sciences. Methods: In this descriptive study 22 nursing instructors and 36 last year nursing students were selected by census method. The data gathering tool was a valid and reliable researcher made questionnaire. The data was analyzed by SPSS software using frequency distribution, mean and standard deviation and t-test. Results: The majority of nursing students and teachers (over 50%), evaluated this programme as relatively weak to weak, in attaining "holistic view and community-oriented nursing", and acquiring "skills in nursing process and patient education". They stated some problems in clinical training such as "inadequate access to educational and welfare facilities", "lack of health care team cooperation", and "scattered training in clinical wards". They believed that some changes are necessary in field training. There was no significant difference between the mean scores of nursing students' and instructors' view points. Conclusion: Although field training is appropriate for promoting skills and students' independency for providing community-oriented services in different fields of nursing; and the total view towards this program is positive, there are numerous problems in the process of field training that have to be addressed by nursing educational leaders.      

Introduction: Most factors which make infants susceptible to pneumonia arise from incorrect infant care in the family and also insufficient knowledge of mothers about correct infant care which makes this problem even worse. The present research was carried out to determine the effect of a Designed Care Plan on mothers' performance in caring for the infants with pneumonia in Children Medical Center in Tehran. Methods: In a quasi- Experimental study 66 mothers of hospitalized infants aged between 1-12 month and suffering from pneumonia, were selected by convenience sampling method and assigned randomly to two experimental and control groups. Data collection tools included questionnaire and observational interviewing checklist. The designed Care Plan was presented both theoretically and practically to the experimental group at home with an eye to the strengths and weaknesses of mothers' performance and their need, while the control group received only the current care program. The mothers' performance in infant care was assessed during repeated measurements before and after the intervention. All study subjects were followed for 3 months after the intervention. Results: The mean score for mothers' performance in infant care during pneumonia showed a significant increase in the experimental group and a significant decrease in the control group, after the intervention. While, there was a significant difference between the mean score of mothers performance in prevention of reinfection with pneumonia before and after the intervention in the experimental group. Moreover, there was a significant difference between the total score of experimental and control groups in infant care during the disease and also in prevention of reinfection with pneumonia, after the intervention. Conclusion: Using a Designed Care Plan is an effective approach for improving mothers' performance in caring for infants suffering from pneumonia,' moreover, the results indicated that home-training is a good strategy in the betterment of mother's caring behaviors.      

Introduction: Today, the subject of patient education as well as education for their families is mainly about acceptance of self care by patients. Therefore, proper conditions should be provided for patients to be able to take care of themselves. This study attempts to examine the effects of a self-care program on quality of life of patients having permanent pacemaker. Methods: A quasi-experimental study using two groups/two stages design was performed. Thirty four patients with pacemakers referred to Chamran Hospital Pacemaker Clinic in Isfahan, were selected through convenience sampling and divided to two 17 person groups. One week after installing the pacemaker, the quality of life of both experiment and control groups was studied by a valid and reliable questionnaire. Then, the self care program consisting of individual education, demonstration and practice, was held for the experimental group. After two months, the quality of life was checked again in both groups. The data was analyzed by descriptive statistics, independent and paired t-tests, and Chi square using SPSS software. Results: In both experimental and control groups, there was a significant difference between the qualify of life scores before and after intervention. However, two months after the intervention, the mean score of quality of life in experimental group was significantly more than control group. Conclusion: The self care program is effective in promoting the quality of life of the patients with permanent pacemaker. This is supported by other studies as well. It is suggested to include these educational programs in post-operative care plans of patients having permanent pacemaker.      

Introduction: The first basic step in developing any quality improvement program is determining the quality gap and, adopting strategies for removing or reducing this gap. This study was performed to determine the quality gap in educational services at Zahedan University of Medical Sciences, based on students perceptions and expectations. Methods: In this cross-sectional descriptive study, 386 students selected by stratified random sampling method, were studied in the year 2004. A questionnaire which measured the quality gap in 5 dimensions of service, and proved to be valid and reliable, was used for data collection. For data analysis, descriptive statistics, Willcoxon and Friedman tests were applied using SPSS software. Results: According to the majority of students (81.6%) there was an overall negative quality gap in educational services. The smallest gap with the mean and standard deviation of -1. 10 ±0.99 belonged to "reliability" dimension and the largest gap with the mean and standard deviation of -1.73 ±1.04 to "responsiveness". There was a significant difference in quality gap between five dimensions. Conclusion: A negative quality gap in five dimensions of services was observed. It is recommended that workshops on customer serving, communication skills and personnel's technical skills development be held. Also, allocating more resources for improving educational facilities and physical environment is suggested.    

Introduction: Studying the educational situation of surgery residents according to the perspective of residents and attending surgeons could lead to recognizing the strengths and weaknesses of their education and also to evaluating faculty performance. The purpose of this study was to determine the residents' viewpoints on evaluating their attending surgeons and compare the obtained results with their own attending' perspective in this regard. Methods: Seventeen surgical residents selected through census sampling method took part in this descriptive study by filling a valid and reliable questionnaire including 20 items, in which they evaluated all their 18 attending surgeons on doing their educational duties in the operating room, surgical ward, clinic and conference. The same written evaluation forms were distributed among the faculty members to examine their own performance in the units mentioned above. SPSS software was used for statistical analysis and, independent t-test and paired t-test for comparisons. Results: The mean scores that residents considered for attending surgeons in the operating room, other clinical settings and overall scores were 3.97±0.62, 3.86±0.57 and 3.91±0.58 out of 5, respectively. The mean scores for attending' self-evaluation in this three sections were calculated 4.22±0.67, 4.05±0.85 and 4.14±0.67 out of 5, respectively. The attending surgeons who completed the self-evaluation forms received higher scores from residents but no significant difference was observed. Conclusion: This study shows that attending surgeons should pay more attention to teaching the side effects of surgeries as well as providing appropriate feedback for residents and also to designing and supervising educational system. The results of these kinds of study can help attending surgeons to recognize the strength and weaknesses of their education. More studies are recommended to help for promoting the educational situation of surgery residents.      

Introduction: Continuous evaluation is necessary for improving and promoting the quality of clinical education. The purpose of this study was to determine the views of nursing and midwifery students of Gonabad University of Medical Science about the condition of clinical education. Methods: This was a cross-sectional survey in which 140 nursing and midwifery students registered as day or night students were selected by census sampling method. They were studied using a questionnaire consisted of 4 sections about instructor's performance, cooperation of staff, patients and students, facilities and equipments of clinical environment and clinical evaluation system. Data was analyzed by SPSS software using descriptive statistics, t-test, Mann Whitney and Pearson correlation coefficient. Results: Most of the students evaluated the instructor's performance, good with the mean and standard deviation of 62.3±15.7,cooperation of staff, patients and students, at a borderline level(between good and intermediate) with the mean and standard deviation of 51.4±22.4, facilities and equipments, at an intermediate level with the mean and standard deviation of 30.64±19.2and clinical evaluation system at an intermediate level with the mean and standard deviation of 37.6±27.7.There was no significant difference between nursing and midwifery students' viewpoints about different aspects of clinical education. Conclusion: In order to improve the situation of clinical education in nursing, it is recommended to provide facilities and equipments for clinical environments and revise the tools and process of clinical evaluation. These points have been confirmed by other studies as well. Improving instructors' performance and encouraging professional cooperation could lead to the improvement of clinical education.      

This article reviews some of the ethical aspects of collaborative research or collaboration of national and international centers in health car researches. Scientific collaborations are of potential advantages, but, it's a challenging task to successfully accomplish a collaborative research on ethically sound grounds. Current trends in international collaborative healthcare researches reflect limited benefits for the majority of world population. Collaborative research among scientists and researchers of universities and industry section usually has financial considerations. Successful cross-cultural and international collaborations have to overcome many regional and global barriers. Despite these difficulties, most scientific collaborations usually begin with an informal meeting or contact. With the advancement in global communications, scientists have greater responsibility towards world community while considering the impact of their collaborative partnerships. This article reviews the main factors required for developing a collaborative partnership and discusses the needed strategies for sustaining this relationship. Finally, it is concluded that health care researchers can play an important role in establishing harmony and resolving international and global problems in the field of collaboration.