Education for Health: Change in Learning & Practice 

About: Education for Health: Change in Learning & Practice is an academic journal published by Taylor & Francis. The journal publishes majorly in the area(s): Health care & Curriculum. It has an ISSN identifier of 1357-6283. Over the lifetime, 182 publications have been published receiving 5966 citations.

Community-based participatory research: policy recommendations for promoting a partnership approach in health research.

Abstract: Community-based participatory research in public health focuses on social, structural, and physical environmental inequities through active involvement of community members, organizational representatives, and researchers in all aspects of the research process. Partners contribute their expertise to enhance understanding of a given phenomenon and integrate the knowledge gained with action to bene® t the community involved. This article presents key principles of community-based participatory research ( CBPR ), discusses the rationale for its use, and provides a number of policy recommendations at the organizational, community and national levels aimed at advancing the application of CBPR. While the issues addressed here draw primarily upon experiences in the United States, the emphasis throughout this article on the establishment of policies to enhance equity that would serve both to increase the engagement of communities as partners in health research, and to reduce health disparities, has relevant applications in a global context.

Teaching empathy to first year medical students: evaluation of an elective literature and medicine course.

Abstract: Background: Empathy is critical to the development of professionalism in medical students, and the humanities-particularly literature-have been touted as an effective tool for increasing student empathy. This quantitative/qualitative study was undertaken to assess whether reading and discussing poetry and prose related to patients and doctors could significantly increase medical student empathy and appreciation of the relevance of the humanities for their own professional development. Method: In 2000-2001, first year students (n = 22) volunteered for an eight-session literature and medicine elective and were randomly assigned to either immediate participation in the class or a wait-list group, who participated in the same class 6 months later. Complete pre- and post-intervention data for 16 students from both groups were obtained for two quantitative measures of empathy and an attitudes-toward-the- humanities scale. Students also participated in a qualitative group interview pre- and post-intervention. Results: Empathy and attitudes toward the humanities improved significantly (p 5 0.01) after participation in the class when both groups of students were combined. The scaled treatment effect size was in the moderate range ( 5 0.60 standard deviation units) for both measures that had statistically significant pre-to-post changes. Furthermore, student understanding of the patient's perspective became more detailed and complex after the intervention. Students were also more likely post-intervention to note ways reading literature could help them cope with training-related stress. Conclusion: A brief literature-based course can contribute to greater student empathy and appreciation for the value of humanities in medical education.

Educational environment in traditional and innovative medical schools: a study in four undergraduate medical schools.

Abstract: Introduction: The undergraduate curricula of medical schools in King Abdul Aziz University, Saudi Arabia, Umm Al-Qura University, Saudi Arabia and Sana'a University, Republic of Yemen are traditional, like most of the medical schools in the Middle East region. The curriculum in Dundee University Medical School, UK, claims to follow the prescriptions of the UK General Medical Council to be outcome based with three interlocking phases and students encouraged to take responsibility for their own learning. The aim of this study is to measure the educational environment, using the 50-item Dundee Ready Education Environment Measure (DREEM), in each medical school and to compare the educational environment as perceived by the responding students of the traditional medical schools in developing countries with that of the ''modernised'' medical school in Dundee University, UK. Methods: The DREEM was administered to 1072 medical students in the four different universities. Using SPSS, data were expressed as means of scores. Comparisons between schools, years of study and gender were made using non-parametric tests. Results: For all three traditional medical schools, the mean scores of the inventory were lower compared with Dundee Medical School. Students from traditional schools rated their learning and teaching environment significantly lower than their counterparts in

Problem-based learning in online vs. face-to-face environments.

Abstract: UNLABELLED This study compared outcomes of problem-based learning between synchronous online groups and face-to-face tutorial groups. Specifically, the study compared learning outcomes, time-on-task and learning issue generation. METHODS AND PROCEDURES A post-test only control group design was used to investigate the effects of learning conditions on learning outcomes and processes. The experimental learning condition was defined as computer-mediated problem-based learning (CMPBL) and the control condition was traditional problem based learning in face-to-face groups (TPBL). The learning process consisted of four elements: an initial tutorial, a period of self-directed learning, a second tutorial and a laboratory session. During the initial tutorial students generated learning issues that they submitted to the research assistant. In the self-directed learning phase, students researched their learning issues and returned for the second tutorial with their findings. Students in the CMPBL groups interacted with the resource person electronically via email, chat room or bulletin board. At the second tutorial, groups shared information related to their learning issues and completed their products for the problem. RESULTS There was no difference in learning outcomes between groups. The CMPBL group spent significantly more time on learning than the TPBL group. There was no overall difference between groups on generation of learning issues; however, there was a significant relationship between number of learning issues generated and higher score on the examination regardless of tutorial medium.