Socioeconomic differences in matriculant composition may emerge because fewer people apply, applicants are accepted at a lower rate, acceptees matriculate at a lower rate, or these processes operate together. We compared the AAMC Education-Occupation (EO) classification, first-generation college student status, and AMCAS fee assistance use within a common stage-decomposition framework. The primary question was where visible national aggregate differences were concentrated and how much each stage contributed to the overall application-to-matriculation difference. We analyzed publicly available AAMC FACTS aggregate counts of applicants, acceptees, and matriculants. The primary EO analysis compared the lower EO group (EO1/2, reflecting lower parental education and/or nonprofessional occupational categories) with the higher EO group (EO3/4/5, reflecting degree-holding parents in administrative, managerial, or professional occupations) among records with known EO status. We also analyzed first-generation college students and AMCAS fee assistance users. Available periods were 2018–2019 to 2025–2026, 2020–2021 to 2025–2026, and 2022–2023 to 2025–2026, respectively. We calculated acceptance, matriculation-yield, and applicant-to-matriculant pipeline rates; stage-specific changes in representation; descriptive ordinary least-squares trends; and descriptive stage-equalization decompositions. In 2025–2026, the lower EO group, first-generation college students, and AMCAS fee assistance users had lower acceptance and applicant-to-matriculant pipeline rates than their comparison groups. Acceptance-rate gaps were 11.7, -11.2, and -7.3 percentage points, respectively; the corresponding pipeline-rate gaps were -11.6, -11.2, and -22 percentage points, whereas post-acceptance matriculation-yield gaps were only -1.0 to -0.4 percentage points. Two complementary descriptive calculations quantified the stage contrast. In a direct representation decomposition, the applicant-to-acceptee stage accounted for 96.6
Generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) has become embedded in higher education, yet its adoption has outpaced institutional governance and critical reflection particularly in medical and health science programmes. This exploratory study addresses two underexamined dimensions: the psychological and social factors shaping student adoption, and the environmental footprint of AI-intensive learning cultures. A cross-sectional survey (N = 80) examined medical and health science students at the University of Birmingham using the Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB) and Geels' Multi-Level Perspective (MLP). A supplementary wave (Wave 2) introduced environmental awareness and habit measures. A focused document analysis examined AI governance policies at five UK universities. Literature was identified through searches of PubMed, ERIC, Web of Science, and Google Scholar (2019–2026) using terms including 'generative AI', 'medical education', 'AI governance', and 'sustainability'. GenAI use was near-universal (96.3
To develop and implement a nursing research demand order service model based on the “demand–resource” linkage mechanism and to describe its implementation outcomes, with the aim of providing a reference for structured nursing research support in a tertiary hospital setting within a single institutional OA-based management system. Grounded in the Resource-Based View (RBV), this study focused on three major challenges in nursing research: insufficient research capacity among clinical nurses, weak integration between nursing research resources and clinical practice, and the slow advancement of high-quality nursing development. By integrating nurses with postgraduate degrees in nursing (hereafter referred to as “postgraduate-prepared nurses”) as research resources and utilizing an office automation (OA) system as the operational platform at Mianyang Central Hospital in Mianyang, Sichuan Province, China, a closed-loop service model was established. The model comprised the following steps: “Order initiation by clinical nurses → Order review and assignment by the Nursing Department → Order evaluation and acceptance by postgraduate-prepared nurses → Service implementation → Service evaluation and incentive feedback.” The model’s implementation outcomes were assessed using research outputs and post-order satisfaction scores measured on a 0–100 visual analog scale (VAS)-like rating system, with evaluations completed after each order through the OA system. Between 2023 and 2024, the Nursing Department received a total of 148 service orders. After assessment, 8 were declined, and 140 were completed. The service process resulted in the completion of 56 papers and 37 research projects. Among the published articles, 15 appeared in general academic journals, 14 in Chinese core scientific and technological journals, and 9 in SCI-indexed journals. A total of 15 projects received funding at various levels. The orders were fulfilled by 34 postgraduate-prepared nurses. The mean satisfaction score of clinical nurses increased from 96.24 to 97.54, while that of postgraduate-prepared nurses increased from 97.11 to 97.83. The nursing research demand order service model based on the “demand–resource” linkage mechanism was associated with increased research outputs and consistently high satisfaction among clinical nurses and postgraduate-prepared nurses during the implementation period. The model may facilitate the structured allocation and coordination of nursing research resources within the hospital and may provide a practical reference for institutions seeking to develop organized nursing research support systems. Further studies are needed to examine its applicability across different healthcare settings.
Persons with disabilities experience persistent health disparities, and limited provider knowledge, negative attitudes, and poor communication have been identified as consistent contributors. Despite the growing international debate regarding the necessity of disability education in medical schools, no national study has examined how it is implemented in Korea. This study examines the current status of disability education in Korean medical school curricula and compares the findings with those from selected international contexts. This descriptive cross-sectional survey analyzed publicly available curriculum data from all 40 medical schools and graduate medical schools registered with the Korea Association of Medical Colleges as of May 2026. Each institution was assigned to one of four codes: Code A (standalone required disability course), Code B (standalone elective), Code C (disability-related keywords indirectly inferable from medical humanities course titles or descriptions), or Code D (medical humanities courses with no disability-related content identified). A cross-national comparison with the United States, United Kingdom, Australia, and Japan was conducted across five criteria: relevant legislation, accreditation standards, competency frameworks, mandatory status, and survey research. No institution offered a standalone disability course (Code A: 0; Code B: 0). Of the 40 institutions, 35 (87.5
Demand for skilled health professionals is expected to increase across the United States over the next decade. Workforce shortfalls will persist without expanded opportunities for K–12 learners to build interest and preparedness through science, technology, engineering, mathematics, and medicine (STEMM) education focusing on health and biomedical science. Although resources exist to introduce learners to STEMM, structured opportunities remain limited for school leaders to strategically plan health workforce development or implement campus and/or district-wide health science pathways. Traditional science classes also provide few opportunities for students to explore diverse health careers or develop knowledge for informed health decisions. To address this need, we developed the STEMM Planning Institute for School Leadership Teams, grounded in a Community-Oriented Model for Pathways and Success in STEMM (COMPASS) framework with three components: campus planning, professional development, and communities of practice, with shared responsibility as a guiding principle. This work examines the value and feasibility of our approach. Participating school teams were recruited from campuses developing or redesigning STEMM health sciences programs. Participants completed anonymous pre- and post-program surveys aligned with components of the COMPASS framework using Likert-type items and opened- ended prompts. Pre/post changes were analyzed quantitatively and follow-up data on program implementation were gathered through in-person or virtual follow up sessions. Using pre/post items to measure perceptions of changes in skills related to the planning institute’s objectives, we found that (1) positive changes in perceptions and program outcomes offer evidence of a scalable model for STEMM education planning that previously did not exist; and (2) the COMPASS framework provides an effective and feasible structure to catalyze campus and district administrators toward program planning. Follow-up with school districts found that the institute jump-started the launch of new programming and enhanced the expansion of existing programs in 24 of the 27 locations. Professional development for teams of educational leaders built on the COMPASS framework offers a promising results-oriented approach for other individuals or organizations interested in creating sustainable health and biomedical education pathways that directly address workforce demand. The institute enhanced participants’ knowledge and laid the groundwork for developing unique STEMM pathways tailored to community needs.
The global emphasis on medical education reform highlights the need for essential competencies to meet evolving healthcare demands. In Egypt, significant reforms in 2018 introduced a competency-based, integrated undergraduate medical curriculum—a five-year program followed by a two-year internship aligned with the National Academic Reference Standards for Medicine. This study assesses graduates’ perceptions and experiences with the newly implemented reformed national medical program. This descriptive, cross-sectional study was conducted between December 2023 and December 2024. Using a convenience sampling, it included 7,264 recent graduates from 27 Egyptian medical schools. Data was collected via an online survey comprising 45 Likert-scale items assessing various aspects of the program. Additionally, three open-ended questions explored graduates’ most and least favorable aspects of the program and improvement suggestions. The survey underwent validity testing through exploratory factor analysis and expert review, as well as reliability testing through Cronbach’s test. Data analysis included descriptive and inferential statistics, such as independent samples t-tests and one-way ANOVA, with significance set at p < 0.05. Effect sizes (Cohen's d and η²) were calculated for all significant group comparisons to assess practical significance. Responses to open-ended questions were categorized and analyzed using quantitative content analysis (thematic categorization with frequency counts). Ethical approval, informed consent, and participant anonymity were ensured. The study received responses from 7,264 graduates (40.7
Simulation scenario design has long been guided by a recommendation that the simulated patient should not be allowed to die, on the grounds that a fatal outcome may impair learning and compromise psychological safety. This "no-death paradigm" rests largely on expert opinion and on evidence from novice learners, with little empirical data on the attitudes of final-year students, who are closest to independent practice. We examined whether final-year medical students accept the possibility of simulated patient death, and whether this acceptance varies over time or by sociodemographic characteristics. We conducted a repeated cross-sectional study of final-year medical students attending a mandatory high-fidelity simulation session at a Spanish Faculty of Medicine across eight consecutive academic years (2018–2019 to 2025–2026). Within the session, patient death was a possible but non-scripted outcome of any scenario, contingent on clinical evolution and participant decisions. The questionnaire did not record whether respondents witnessed a death during their session. The primary outcome was a single attitudinal item specified a priori (item P28), rated on a five-point Likert scale, with agreement defined as a score of 4 or 5. Differences by cohort and sex were assessed with non-parametric tests; proportions are reported with 95
Promoting equality, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) within the NHS is a key priority. While international literature suggests sexual minority individuals may be disproportionately represented in certain medical specialties, this has only been explored via questionnaires and surveys in UK postgraduate training, and not in a large, longitudinal study. This study mapped sexual minority representation across UK specialties and evaluated whether recruitment outcomes differ significantly from heterosexual counterparts. A longitudinal cohort analysis was conducted using NHS England recruitment data (2021–2024). Specialties with fewer than 500 total observations were excluded due to data suppression. Sexual minority proportions were calculated at three recruitment stages: application, offer, and acceptance. Recruitment equity was assessed using Odds Ratios (ORs) with 95
The Institute of Medicine estimates that, on average, about one third of all healthcare waste is attributed to unnecessary services. High value care (HVC) is a proposed solution to this problem but is currently underrepresented in preclinical undergraduate medical education (UME). The purpose of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of a medical student-led course that introduced value-based principles to preclinical medical students. The course took place over two, four-hour days both in-person and virtually. Participants were first- and second-year medical students at an allopathic medical school. The educational course was an elective introduction to HVC. The curriculum goal was to provide foundational HVC knowledge and aid participants in applying the knowledge to improve attitude and clinical skills. The main outcome measures were self-efficacy integrating HVC into clinical practice, knowledge of HVC, and attitudes towards HVC. These measures were assessed pre- and post-course. Preclinical medical student’s knowledge of HVC principles, pro-HVC attitudes, and self-efficacy regarding HVC principles increased after course completion. The course provided resources and information individuals can use throughout their careers in medicine to progress towards a more value-based approach to patient care. Next steps include expanding HVC educational initiatives into preclinical longitudinal learning as part of the formal curriculum.
Artificial Intelligence tools have assumed an important role in medical education including assessment. Evidence supports its capabilities in automated grading/scoring processes in different types of written assessments. To estimate the level of agreement between scores given by the lecturers and GPT-5 for reflectively written portfolios by students for a formative assessment in professionalism in medical education. A proof-of-concept study was conducted to score 156 previously scored portfolios by lecturers with adherence to a rubric. Each portfolio was scored by GPT-5, using the same detailed rubric integrated into a structured prompt designed with a prompt engineering framework. Intraclass Correlation Coefficient (ICC) showed ‘good’ level of agreement (ICC (A,1) = 0.816) between scores given by lecturers and GPT-5, with a strong linear association [Pearson r = 0.82 (p < 0.001) and Spearman ρ = 0.80 (p < 0.001)]. Same level of ICC agreement and strong linear association were observed for individual lecturer’s scores and corresponding GPT-5 scores. Also, ICC showed ‘excellent’ level of agreement (ICC (C,1) = 0.959) between scores given for the same portfolio by GPT-5 in three cycles, with ‘excellent’ internal consistency (Cronbach α = 0.9862). GPT-5 demonstrated good agreement with lecturer’s scores and has potential for complementing the reflectively written assessment scoring process in medical education. Its capacity to further augment the scoring process with minimal human intervention should be further investigated.
Homophobia remains an important social and public health concern that may contribute to stigma, discrimination, and inequalities in healthcare. Gender perceptions and socially constructed gender roles may influence individuals’ attitudes toward sexual and gender diversity, potentially shaping homophobic attitudes. Nutrition and Dietetics, Nursing, First Aid and Emergency Care students, as future healthcare professionals, have an important role in promoting inclusive, equitable, and non-discriminatory healthcare practices. Therefore, this study aimed to examine the relationship between attitudes toward homophobia and gender perception among health education students. This cross-sectional study was carried out with health education students at Ağrı İbrahim Çeçen University between October 2021 and May 2022. This study was conducted with 447 health education students. The study was analyzed with R programming 4.1.3 and SPSS-25 program. A significant negative correlation was found between students’ homophobia scale total score mean and gender perception scale total score mean (p < 0.05). The regression model developed to determine the effect of gender perception on homophobia level was found to be F = 88.50, p < 0.001, and 16
Effective ARDS care requires clinician knowledge, coordinated practice, and organizational support, yet continuing education is seldom aligned with measured deficits. Evidence integrating training exposure, knowledge, and institutional readiness among ICU physicians and nurses after the Global Definition remains limited. This study assessed ARDS-related knowledge, attitudes, self-reported practice, organizational readiness, barriers, training priorities, and exploratory differences by previous training modality. Single-center cross-sectional electronic survey conducted from April through June 2026 among physicians and registered nurses providing adult ICU care at a tertiary hospital in Ningxia, China. Participants formed a voluntary nonprobability sample. A study-specific questionnaire, developed through expert review and pilot testing but not formally validated, was scored on 0–100 scales. We compared professions, examined Spearman correlations, applied Benjamini–Hochberg correction to item-level comparisons, and used multivariable linear regression with heteroscedasticity-robust standard errors and ICU-unit fixed effects. Among 422 participants (142 physicians and 280 nurses), mean 0–100 scores were 64.9 (standard deviation [SD] 19.3) for knowledge, 77.4 (SD 9.9) for attitudes, 68.3 (SD 10.6) for practice, 61.3 (SD 13.5) for perceived organizational readiness, and 60.7 (SD 12.3) for perceived barriers. Attitudes exceeded knowledge by 12.5 points and perceived readiness by 16.1 points. The lowest correct-response proportions concerned the peripheral oxygen saturation/fraction of inspired oxygen ratio (43.4
Pharmacology education wrestles with a stubborn challenge. Students can recite the mechanisms and indications of countless drugs, yet when they stand before a real patient, that declarative knowledge often fails to crystallize into a confident medication decision. The gap signals something deeper than insufficient practice. It points to a structural misalignment between two competing logics: the disciplinary logic that organizes curricula around neat drug categories, and the work logic that demands knowledge be mobilized flexibly around patient problems. This study pursued two interconnected aims. The first was to empirically test whether an AI-empowered work logic restructuring model could strengthen clinical decision-making competence in pharmacology education. The second, deeper aim was to uncover the mechanisms that explain why and how coupling AI with curriculum restructuring produces its effects. A four-group quasi-experimental design was implemented over two consecutive semesters at a higher vocational pharmacy college in China. The Full Intervention group (n = 42) experienced a curriculum rebuilt around typical medication tasks and supported by a full suite of AI tools. The AI-Only group (n = 40) used identical AI tools within a conventional drug-classification-based syllabus. The Curriculum-Only group (n = 41) followed the restructured curriculum without AI support. The Traditional Instruction group (n = 41) received standard case-based lectures. We assessed knowledge application through a standardized case analysis examination, class engagement via the Utrecht Work Engagement Scale for Students, and learning experience with a custom satisfaction questionnaire. The Full Intervention group outperformed every other group across all outcome measures (all p < 0.001, η²p 0.17–0.26). Its mean knowledge application score reached 82.5 (SD = 6.3), compared with 70.2 (SD = 7.8) in the AI-Only group, 74.3 (SD = 7.1) in the Curriculum-Only group, and 65.8 (SD = 8.4) in the Traditional Instruction group. Crucially, the four groups performed comparably on factual recall items (p = 0.796), confirming that the intervention enhanced knowledge mobilization rather than mere retention. The Full Intervention group also posted markedly higher class engagement (M = 5.92 vs. 4.69, p < 0.001) and learning satisfaction (M = 4.51 vs. 3.52, p < 0.001). From these empirical patterns we distill the Context-Feedback-Visibility (CFV) Framework, which identifies three sequential mechanisms through which AI coupled with work-logic restructuring fosters clinical decision-making competence. Context endows knowledge with a value coordinate, anchoring it to the specific conditions under which a drug should be used or avoided. Feedback forges stable decision-making pathways through immediate, heuristic guidance that makes implicit reasoning explicit. Visibility transforms cognitive processes into objects that can be inspected, analyzed, and refined, fueling metacognitive growth. The progressive chain linking these mechanisms demonstrates that their coupling, rather than any single component alone, unlocks competence. The framework offers a generalizable diagnostic and design tool for AI-empowered curriculum reform across health professions education. ISRCTN Registry, ISRCTN15993331. Registered on 23 June 2026. Retrospectively registered.
Transnational faculty development programs introduce educational approaches across institutional systems that differ in governance, resources, language, and professional roles. Existing research has described program outcomes and contextual barriers, but has provided less longitudinal evidence on how participants with different starting points reinterpret program learning before workplace implementation. This study examined how educators from Laos and Vietnam recontextualized learning during a South Korea-based faculty development program, including the role of horizontal peer comparison in that process. A longitudinal qualitative study was conducted within a bounded 10-week program cohort. The entire cohort of 12 health professions educators generated 168 pre-module and 167 post-module portfolio entries, together with two semi-structured interviews each. Template Analysis combined inductive coding with sensitizing concepts from faculty development and workplace learning. Participant-level longitudinal matrices compared heterogeneous starting points, changes and continuities, institutional conditions, positional authority, and transnational comparisons. Cross-case analysis examined variation by country, role, and prior faculty development experience. Participants entered with heterogeneous understandings. Some primarily associated teaching with lecturing and assessment, whereas others already had substantial experience of curriculum reform and organizational constraints. Three processes characterized recontextualization. First, program learning broadened or systematized educational frames by connecting classroom teaching with curriculum, assessment, accreditation, and institutional systems. Second, participants specified the conditions attached to particular practices, including preparation time, class size, facilitators, facilities, budget, workload, and faculty agreement. Third, they calibrated prospective action to their positional authority, describing changes they could make in their own teaching, changes requiring departmental support, and changes dependent on institutional or policy decisions. Interaction among participants from Laos and Vietnam also revised assumptions and provided regional reference points, although English sometimes constrained participation. Whole-cohort, module-level longitudinal data showed that faculty development learning was recontextualized through broadening, specifying, and calibrating from heterogeneous starting points. Horizontal comparison between Lao and Vietnamese participants provided an additional interpretive resource alongside host-home comparison. These processes offer a more differentiated account of pre-enactment learning in transnational faculty development, while remaining distinct from evidence of subsequent implementation or institutional change.
Interprofessional education must increasingly prepare health professions students to collaborate while using generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) critically and responsibly. However, limited evidence explains how interprofessional student teams collectively evaluate and incorporate GenAI-generated information. This study described a GenAI-enabled cancer care module and explored teams’ experiences of using GenAI during collaborative care planning. A qualitative descriptive study was conducted within a cancer interprofessional education simulation module co-designed by two partner universities—one in Hong Kong and one in Mainland China—and delivered at the Hong Kong university. The module involved 316 students from six health-related disciplines, organised into 30 interprofessional teams. Teams first developed a cancer care plan without GenAI and subsequently used a GenAI tool of their choice to review and refine it. The activity explicitly required critical appraisal, contextual adaptation and collective approval of AI-supported content. All 30 teams consented to research use of their joint reflections. Twenty-seven records contained substantive reflective accounts, while three were marked “NIL.” The reflections were examined using reflexive thematic analysis. The findings indicated a form of critically engaged partnership between teams and GenAI. Students perceived GenAI as useful for widening the scope of care planning, identifying previously overlooked concerns and organising contributions from different professions. These perceived benefits depended on active team involvement, including formulating and refining prompts, checking outputs against clinical guidelines and disciplinary knowledge, and negotiating whether suggestions were appropriate for the care plan. Acceptance of GenAI was conditional, as teams identified risks related to accuracy, insufficient localisation, limited clinical detail and an inability to address emotional and relational aspects of care. Responsibility for final decisions remained with human professionals. In this module, students perceived GenAI as most useful when its outputs were treated as provisional contributions to collective deliberation rather than authoritative recommendations. GenAI-enabled interprofessional education should therefore incorporate unaided planning, shared scrutiny, verification and explicit professional accountability. As the findings were derived from brief team reflections from a single delivery site, they represent students’ negotiated perceptions and do not demonstrate improvements in reasoning, collaboration or care-plan quality.
Artificial intelligence-assisted systems are increasingly evaluated for automated assessment and individualized feedback in surgical education. However, randomized evidence is limited, and their benefit over conventional training, particularly expert instruction, remains uncertain. We searched PubMed, Embase.com, the Web of Science Core Collection, the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, and IEEE Xplore from inception to 6 August 2026, followed by backward and forward citation searching on 7 August 2026. Randomized studies of artificial intelligence-assisted training for operative technical skills were eligible. The primary outcome was overall technical skill performance. Effect estimates were expressed as Hedges’ g and pooled with a random-effects model. Risk of bias was assessed using the Cochrane Risk of Bias 2 tool, and certainty of evidence using the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation approach. Nine studies enrolled 588 participants, of whom 582 were analyzed; four studies contributing 154 participants entered the primary meta-analysis. The pooled standardized mean difference was 0.40 (95
The importance of biostatistics is well established, as evidenced by its integration in health-related training programs. However, consensus on core biostatistical competencies required across research profiles remains lacking, and attitudes towards biostatistics insufficiently explored. This study aimed to establish expert consensus on essential biostatistical knowledge and competencies for health researchers and identify key attitudes towards biostatistics. A Delphi study involved a multidisciplinary panel of 25 experts affiliated or collaborating with French-Speaking Belgian universities, including biostatisticians, health researchers, and psychometricians. A study-specific questionnaire was developed from literature and existing questionnaires encompassing biostatistical knowledge, competencies, and attitudes towards biostatistics. Across three rounds, panellists rated each item on a 7-point Likert scale and provided qualitative feedback. Consensus was defined as median score ≥ 6 and an interquartile range ≤ 1. Items were iteratively refined, added, or removed between rounds. Response stability between the first two rounds was assessed using the Wilcoxon signed-rank test. Strong consensus was achieved for competencies related to fundamental biostatistical knowledge, interpretation, communication, and critical appraisal with a total of 64 out 71 items (90.1
Practice-based interprofessional education (IPE) can be complex to implement because it necessitates the interaction of different professions to achieve educational objectives in busy clinical settings. The aim of this project was to explore the experiences of practice tutors and clinical educators of facilitating practice-based IPE for health care students. Three focus groups were conducted in three teaching hospitals in Ireland. The focus group discussions were semi-structured. The discussions were audio-recorded, transcribed verbatim and the data was analysed using reflexive thematic analysis. There were 22 participants in total from a range of health professions. Three themes were developed through analysis of the data: Workplace culture lays the foundation; Staffing matters; and Enhanced and authentic learning through clinical practice. The first theme demonstrated that the culture of the clinical site greatly impacts interprofessional collaboration and thus the value placed on practice-based IPE. The second theme highlighted that clinical educators face ongoing logistical barriers to implementing practice-based IPE. However, efforts have been made by clinical educators to overcome these barriers and develop strategies to implement IPE that are feasible in their workplace. Providing training for clinical educators in delivering practice-based IPE was not perceived to be a useful approach to improve delivery of practice-based IPE due to time pressures and existing high training demands for clinical educators. Instead, forming an interprofessional network of clinical educators was reported to be effective in helping to overcome logistical issues and in providing the support needed to successfully implement practice-based IPE. The final theme recognised that clinical placement provides an opportunity for enhanced learning in interprofessional collaboration and teamwork; however, participants noted that students may benefit from more classroom-based preparation on this topic before their clinical placement. Practice tutors and clinical educators face many challenges when trying to deliver and facilitate practice-based IPE. Developing IPE networks within teaching hospitals and providing resources that can be used in interprofessional tutorials may be helpful in setting up IPE programmes within the clinical education setting. Thus, fostering collaborative practice to improve outcomes for patients or clients and support more integrated networks of care.
Digital teaching competency among medical faculty is essential for promoting high-quality development in medical education. Although existing frameworks, such as the European Framework for the Digital Competence of Educators, have provided a foundation for research on teacher digital competency across disciplines and educational settings, they remain relatively limited in addressing clinical teaching contexts, patient privacy protection, medical ethics, and practice-oriented teaching responsibilities in medical education. This study aimed to develop a model that responds to educational digital transformation and reflects the dynamic development and progressive enhancement of digital teaching competency among medical faculty. A multi-stage mixed-methods design was used. Action research theory served as the meta-framework. Competency items were extracted through policy and literature analysis and semi-structured interviews to form an initial model. Two rounds of modified Delphi consultation were then conducted with 17 experts in medical teaching, clinical practice, and educational management to evaluate and revise the model. A total of 16 research articles, 8 policy documents, and interview data from 15 interview participants were included. The initial model comprised 4 first-level dimensions, 12 s-level indicators, and 48 third-level observation points. The expert response rate was 100
The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the need for rapid and safe training strategies for healthcare professionals, particularly about vital procedures such donning and doffing of personal protective equipment (PPE). Immersive virtual reality (IVR) has emerged as potential alternative to conventional training approaches. To evaluate healthcare professionals’ perceived effectiveness and acceptability of an IVR-based application for training in safe donning and doffing of PPE during the COVID-19 pandemic in hospital and primary care settings. A quasi-experimental post-intervention study with a non-randomized control group and unequal group sizes was conducted in a university hospital and five primary care centers from January to December 2021. Healthcare professionals received either IVR-based training or video-based training. Outcomes were assessed using an ad hoc questionnaire measuring participants’ perceptions of safety and learning, usefulness and performance, satisfaction and experience, and usability. A total of 711 participants were included (644 in IVR group and 67 in video-based training group). Both modalities received favourable ratings (8.0 ± 1.8 to 9.6 ± 1). In the hospital setting, video-based training received significantly higher ratings than IVR in the Safety and Learning dimension (β = -2.6; 95
