Many medical students develop an aversion to neurology because of insufficient understanding of neuroanatomical structures and limited educational opportunities. Extended reality (XR), an umbrella term encompassing virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR), and mixed reality (MR), has attracted considerable attention as a potential educational tool for addressing challenges in neuroanatomy education. In this study, questionnaire-based evaluations were conducted to investigate medical students’ perceptions of an MR-based head-mounted display (HMD) as a potential adjunct to future neuroanatomy education. Three-dimensional images derived from neurosurgical cases were created and displayed using an MR-based HMD. Thirty-one medical students experienced the educational program and subsequently completed a questionnaire. Each of the 10 questionnaire items (Q1-Q10) was quantitatively evaluated using an 11-point rating scale ranging from 0 to 10. To quantify learners’ psychological constructs, seven questionnaire items (Q1-Q7) were aggregated into two Likert scales: the “Usefulness” scale (Q1- Q4) and the “Interest and Motivation for Learning” scale (Q5-Q7). The mean scores for the “Usefulness” scale and the “Interest and Motivation for Learning” scale were 9.27 ± 1.21 and 8.85 ± 1.44 (mean ± standard deviation), respectively. The median score was 10 (25th–75th percentile: 9–10) for the “Usefulness” scale and 10 (25th–75th percentile: 8–10) for the “Interest and Motivation for Learning” scale. In contrast, the mean score for “User Satisfaction with Operability” (Q8) was 7.42 ± 1.84. The mean score for Q10, which assessed dizziness, nausea, or discomfort, was 2.26 ± 2.21, with a median (25th–75th percentile) of 1 (1–2). Medical students reported high perceived usefulness and high interest and motivation for learning with the MR-based HMD, whereas satisfaction with operability was relatively lower and self-reported physical discomfort was generally low. These findings describe students’ perceptions after a single educational session and do not establish improvement in neuroanatomical knowledge or educational efficacy. Controlled studies using objective learning outcomes are needed to determine the educational effectiveness of MR-based HMDs.
The health information environment is characterised by rapid circulation of scientific evidence, misinformation and conspiracy narratives. Validated psychometric instruments capture stable predispositions toward conspiracy thinking but are less suited to continuously evolving health narratives, particularly in multilingual post-Soviet societies, where historical experience, institutional trust and a shared Russian-language information environment shape exposure to health information. This study examined medical students’ agreement with contemporary health-related statements and its association with vaccination in Kazakhstan. A cross-sectional, anonymous online survey was conducted among medical students at Marat Ospanov West Kazakhstan Medical University (Aktobe) in January–March 2024 (977 analysed responses; >80
The increasing complexity of healthcare delivery and nursing care necessitates continuous attention to professional competencies among nurses. Understanding nurses’ attitudes and practices regarding methods for maintaining and upgrading professional competencies is essential for designing effective continuing education programs. This study aimed to determine the attitudes and practices of nurses working in teaching hospitals in Iran, regarding methods for maintaining and enhancing professional competence. This cross-sectional study was conducted with 189 nurses employed in clinical centers affiliated with Guilan University of Medical Sciences. Participants were selected through convenience sampling. Data were collected using a three-part questionnaire comprising: (1) demographic characteristics, (2) an attitude assessment scale (20 items on a 7-point Likert scale, score range 20–140), and (3) three questions regarding practice assessment. Data were analyzed using SPSS version 21, employing descriptive statistics, independent t-tests, One-Way ANOVA, and chi-square tests. The mean age of participants was 33.2 ± 7.3 years, with a mean work experience of 8.7 ± 5.5 years. The majority were female (68.3
Teaching anti-seizure medications (ASMs) to undergraduate medical students is genuinely difficult. Their mechanisms do not map neatly onto each other, their indications overlap depending on seizure type, and the adverse effect lists are long enough that students frequently resort to rote memorisation rather than genuine understanding. Standard revision strategies consolidate surface knowledge but rarely build the kind of integrated understanding that persists into clinical training. This paper describes our evaluation of When Drugs Speak, a 30-minute classroom activity in which second-year Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS) students wrote from the first-person perspective of an anti-seizure medication, giving it a voice, a personality, and a story shaped by its own pharmacological properties. The activity involved no financial cost, required no technology, and took place within a scheduled lecture hour. This was a single-session feasibility and acceptability study using an exploratory convergent parallel mixed-methods approach. Of 60 s-year MBBS students enrolled at the Department of Pharmacology, JIPMER Karaikal, 56 participated (93.3
This qualitative study explored the educational challenges faced by emergency medical services (EMS) students in managing obstetric and gynecologic emergencies. Using a Conventional Qualitative Content Analysis, we conducted semi-structured interviews with 14 purposively selected undergraduate students and recent graduates between September and December 2025. The mean age of participants was 22.0 ± 1.3 years. Data were analyzed through systematic coding and categorization based on the conventional content analysis approach described by Hsieh and Shannon. MAXQDA software was used to facilitate systematic data organization and management. The analysis generated 1,532 initial codes, 37 subcategories, six categories, and one higher-order category, entitled “Disconnects Between Educational Preparation and the Real-World Demands of Obstetric and Gynecologic Emergencies.” The six categories comprised challenges in educational content and approaches, barriers and deficiencies in clinical education and practical skills, communication and cultural barriers in the clinical environment, resource and support limitations, challenges in motivation and educational justice, and management and transparency challenges in educational processes. The findings indicate a need for practical educational reforms, including curriculum refinement, increased use of simulation-based and experiential learning, expanded clinical exposure, improved educational resources and supervision, and gender-sensitive communication training. Implementing these strategies may strengthen the preparedness of EMS students to provide safe and effective care in obstetric and gynecologic emergencies.
