Iranian Journal of Medical Education
Year:2012 | Volume:12 | Issue:2 (40)|Papers Count:10

Introduction: The gap between nurses' knowledge and their clinical practice is one of the problems in nursing. The present study was conducted to evaluate the nurses' viewpoints on the barriers to knowledge application in clinical settings.Methods: This cross-sectional study was done on a randomly selected sample of 384 nurses working in hospitals affiliated with Kashan University of Medical Sciences. Data was collected through a researcher made questionnaire and then analyzed using descriptive statistics and independent t-tests and Pearson correlation coefficient.Results: The average score of the gap was 59.97±16.62, (out of 100), that represented a wide gap between the nurses’ knowledge ant their clinical services. According to the participants such gap would severely (mean score of 66.85±18.25) affect the clients' health. A significant correlation was observed between the gap score and its perceived effect on the clients health (r=0.78, p=0.001). The highest score as a barrier to knowledge application in all wards was given to “too much writing task. However, a non-supportive head nurse, staff shortage, inappropriate environment, and not being up to date were among the important problems in critical care, internal medicine, emergency, and surgical wards respectively.Conclusion: Our nurses believed that there is a gap between the nurses' theoretical knowledge and their clinical services and this gap can affect the patients’ health. It is necessary to take some strategies to decrease or fill the gap between nurses’ knowledge and their clinical practice.

Introduction: One of the educational methods which can overcome time and distance limitations is electronic learning. Healthcare professionals, facing with such limitations, also need continuing education to keep their information up to date. This study was conducted to evaluate the utilization of electronic courses by the medical professionals in Mashhad University of Medical Sciences and its relation with the courses’ characteristics.Methods: In this descriptive study, all medical professionals under coverage of Khorasan Razavi province continuing medical education (CME) program, were included. Records of participants in all (16) electronic CME courses during the first ten months of its establishment were extracted from CME information system. Data included the topics of presented courses in this time interval, the number of subscribers in each topic and each month, the number of individuals passed the course, the duration of each course, and the number of credit points for each course. Data was analyzed using descriptive statistics and Pearson correlation test.Results: The total number of participants was 824 (five percent of the total number of eligible professionals in the province). A total of 286 subjects (34.7%) achieved the acceptance grade in different courses. There was a significant relationship between the number of participants in a program and the course’s credit points (P=0.02, r=0.63) but no relationship was observed between the course’s points and the rate of participants’ achievement (P=0.48, r=0.067). In addition, the achievement rate in short term courses(less than 6 hours) was significantly more than long term courses (P<0.03, r=-0.70).Conclusion: Online CMEs are helpful but the prerequisite is an appropriate design, presentation of short term courses, and observation on content production. These courses should be accessible for learners and endow appropriate credit points to the learners to motivate learners to utilize these programs.

Introduction: Evidence-based health care provides up to date and cost-effective strategies and procedures. Hence, it plays an important role in the quality promotion of nursing care. Despite these benefits, there are barriers to its implementation which must be investigated. Therefore, this study is an endeavor to investigate barriers to implement evidence-based care among nursing staff.Methods: This descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted on 70 nurses working in different wards of Tehran Children's Medical Center who were selected through simple random sampling method. Data gathering tool was a researcher-made questionnaire about barriers to implementation of evidence –based care. Descriptive statistics were used for data analysis.Results: From the viewpoints of nursing staff, 78.6 percent of barriers to implementation of evidence based health care were related to management aspects including lack of enough human resources and lack of sufficient awareness about the necessity of evidence-based health care. Considering the individual aspects, lack of time to review studies in this field was mentioned as an important obstacle.Conclusion: Factors related to barriers of implementing evidence-based health care are in individual and management areas. Therefore it is recommended to pay more attention to this subject through holding educational workshops and meetings, and to have more interaction and cooperation with centers which implement evidence-based care and make use of their life experiences according to existing facilities.

Introduction: Life skills are essential for dealing and overcoming life challenges, especially in the present era. These skills seem to be more essential for students according to the diverse and frequent challenges they experience. The current study has been conducted with the aim of achieving a clearer vision of the situation of life skills among students in Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences in year 2010.Methods: This was a descriptive study which was conducted on a cluster sample of 330 students of Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences. Data collected using a self administered Questionnaire which was valid & reliable (a=.78). The data were analyzed using ANOVA and T-test.Results: The average of life skills score among the students was 3.65(out of 5). There was no significant difference in life skills scores between two sexes (t=0.970, p=0.657) or in different schools (f=0.513, p=0.726).Conclusion: This study shows that level of life skills among students of Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences was acceptable. But due to the importance of life skills training in University and its relation with the students’ mental health and achievement, the University should plan suitable programs in this field.

Introduction: Surveys of students’ and faculty members’ opinion on the faculties teaching can reveal the strengths and weaknesses of their teaching performance. This study aimed to compare self-evaluation and students’ evaluation about educational performance of Hamadan dental school faculty members in 2010- 2011.Methods: In this cross-sectional descriptive and analytical study, through using census sampling method, all 46 faculty members and 77 students of Dental School in Hamadan University of Medical Sciences participated. The data were gathered by two parallel, five- point Likert scale questionnaires each consisting of 18 question items. Data were analysed through Pearson correlation coefficient, paired t-test, ANOVA, and Wilcoxon tests.Results: The mean of the faculty member's self-evaluation score was 76.02±10.5 and the mean of this evaluation by students was 71.12±9.03 which demonstrated a significant difference (p=0.041). The correlation coefficient between the scores of self-evaluation and evaluation by students was -0.299.Conclusion: Faculty members’ self- evaluation scores were higher than those of the students. Faculty members should pay more attention to the results of this study and improve their teaching performance in order to achieve higher quality educational levels.

Introduction: The world’s advanced educational systems continuously revise their objectives and activities to develop effective education. Reaching an effective nursing education can develop the students’ competency which in turn leads to provision of a more accurate and ideal care for patients in the real world. The aim of this study was to determine the nursing students’ perceptions and experiences regarding features of effective education (both theoretical and clinical).Methods: This qualitative study was carried out on 26 nursing students at Jondishapoor University of Medical Sciences, Ahvaz, Iran. The data was gathered through semi- structured interviews. After written consents, the interviews were recorded and transcribed. Data was analyzed through an inductive approach of content analysis. In order to support the validity and rigor of the data, different criteria such as acceptability, confirmability and transferability were utilized.Results: Three main themes were found as the factors involved in the effectiveness of education: 1) Teacher’s level of competency and expertise, 2) Development of students’ competency, proficiency, and professional skill; and 3) Effective and valid evaluation. The participants believed these are the key factors to the development of capability among nursing students and enables them to provide more effective health care.Conclusion: Due to the existing weakness of teachers’ professional skill and their less-effective methods of teaching and evaluation, nursing students regard themselves as nurses who are not proficient and competent enough to take care of the patients. Consequently, in order to have a comprehensive and more effective nurse training programs, it is recommended that nursing teachers and planners utilize the students’ experiences and opinions when revising the present pedagogical programs.

Introduction: Use of portfolio is growing as a functional tool in promotion and development of general and specific skills such as reflection and making link from theory to practice. This study aimed to explore nurses' perceptions and experiences of using portfolio.Methods: This qualitative study was conducted during years of 2009-2010 through qualitative content analysis method in a university hospital in Bushehr. At first, portfolio was introduced to nurses and they used portfolio in their clinical performance for a year. Finally 26 nurses were selected through purposeful sampling. Three focus group discussions were run for data collection. Interviews were recorded and transcribed verbatim. Interviews were continued until data saturation and then themes were extracted.Results: Subsequent to data analysis of participating nurses’ perceptions and experiences, theme of "ladder of reflective development" was derived from interviews. This theme encompasses steps of reflection development in nurses and four steps of feeling strange, anxiety reduction and acceptance, internalization, and learning and application was introduced.Conclusion: Steps of reflective thinking skills development indicated an inadequate knowledge level among nurses about portfolios and reflection. However, portfolio left a positive impact on reflective thinking skills of nurses and use of portfolio. Therefore, use of this tool is recommended to be considered in clinical nursing.

Introduction: Medical students should use active learning to improve their daily duties and medical services. The goal of this study is exploring medical students’ experiences on effective factors in active learning.Methods: This qualitative study was conducted through content Analysis method in Arak University of Medical Sciences. Data were collected via interviews. The study started with purposeful sampling and continued by theoretical sampling. Totally 20 medical students were interviewed within 2 months. Data were analyzed via constant comparative analyzing method.Results: Three main themes were identified: individual differences, educational and environmental conditions emerged. Proper educational planning, teaching quality, emotional and psychological stimuli, beliefs, individual abilities, learning skills, relatives’ support, financial support and appropriate environment were considered as effective factors or subthemes in active learning experience of participants.Conclusion: The findings of this study showed that active learning does depend not only on individual abilities, but also dependents on educational and environmental conditions.