Health Workforce Education Journal

Academic achievements and students’ satisfaction of pharmacy students between Team-Based Learning versus Traditional Lecture-Based Learning in pharmacotherapy of cardiac arrhythmias

Thitima Doungngern — 2023-08-22

Objectives: The study aimed to compare students’ knowledge and satisfaction with the two teaching methods, team-based learning (TBL) vs. traditional lecture-based learning, in fourth-year pharmacy students. Pharmaceutical Care students were assigned to the TBL and Pharmaceutical Science students were assigned to the traditional-lecture based learning.

Materials and methods: The study document was circulated to students a week in advance for preparation. The traditional lecture group listened to the presentations and discussions. The TBL group started with an individual test, followed by a team test, appeal, and knowledge application. Student satisfaction was assessed after class in both groups. Ten multiple-choice questions were used to evaluate their knowledge during the exam.

Results: The TBL group had higher exam scores compared to the traditional lecture group (6.85 + 1.53 vs. 5.17 + 1.67, p < 0.05). Both groups were satisfied with the information provided by the teacher in the classroom (p = 0.94). However, the TBL group was more satisfied with several aspects of the teaching and learning experiences, such as improving thinking skills for solving problems, enthusiastic to learn, and engaging learning environments than the traditional lecture group (p < 0.05).

Conclusions: The TBL method enhances knowledge and pharmacy students responded positively to the TBL method. Therefore, the TBL-method should be implemented in other subjects to enhance student learning outcomes.

Student reflections on interprofessional education for patient safety

Chitkasaem Suwanrath — 2023-08-22

Objective:To evaluate what students have learned from their participation in the interprofessional education for patient safety course.

Materials and Methods: The interprofessional education for patient safety extra-curricular course was established for health sciences students from three faculties (Medicine, Nursing and Pharmaceutical Sciences). Learning activities were comprised of a half-day workshop, project-based learning, project presentation and writing reflection essays. A qualitative analysis of student reflection essays was performed using conventional content analysis.

Results: A total of 452 students, divided into 40 groups, participated in the program. Qualitative analysis of 40 essays revealed 23 themes, which were categorized into 7 main categories: 1)interprofessional education program, 2)patient-centered care, 3)professional values, 4) professional roles and responsibilities, 5) communication skills, 6) teamwork and 7) enhancing other non-technical skills. Students had a positive attitude towards the interprofessional education program.

Conclusion: Students have learned and achieved inter-professional core competencies and non-technical skills.

Keywords: communication skill, health sciences, interprofessional education, patient safety, reflection, teamwork

Simulation-Based Training for interprofessional and patient-centered communication skills:

Usar Suragarn — 2023-08-22

Educational institutions have a responsibility to produce a future healthcare workforce and prepare students to develop interprofessional competencies. This pilot study describes how a college of medicine responded to the need for interprofessional education by providing a simulation-based learning program available to medical and nursing students in the community as a routine part of their education. The simulation-based learning activities combined the Interprofessional Education Collaborative Core Competencies for professional communication practice and patient-centered communication skills. This simulation-based interprofessional learning program (Sim-ILP) consists of two sessions. The first session was a three-hour module designed specifically for nursing students to identify the differences in nurse-to-physician communication patterns and changes in the patient condition report. The second session was a four-hour module where nursing and medical students engaged with standardized patients in a primary-care setting, and human patient simulators in hospital settings. The comments from the program evaluation and the video-assisted verbal debriefing were positive. The medical students (n=16) and nursing students (n=16) learned how to develop a cooperative team effort across both professions, communicated shared decision-making plans of care with patients, and developed a collaborative care plan. The students recognized the importance of patient-centered communication to provide effective patient care, and the values of collaboration and shared decision-making by interprofessional teams. Simulation-based interprofessional learning program can be an effective strategy for shifting the way healthcare students communicate and collaborate to deliver patient-centered care to patients, families, and communities.

Obesity in children and adolescents in Thailand:

Lisa Pawloski — 2023-08-22

The crisis of obesity has been rapidly increasing in severity across the world. The purpose of this article is to explore the nature of the obesity epidemic, with attention to elements likely to persist in Thailand, and to develop policy and practice elements that could be implemented in a post-Covid environment. To develop the background for this work a review of access to healthcare, access to healthy foods, and the relationships of obesity and socioeconomic and cultural factors is provided. This review shows that in Thailand, the population at risk of obesity are more concentrated in urban areas where access to unhealthy food choices is ubiquitous. While obesity is highly correlated with low socioeconomic status and income in the U.S., the reverse is more often the case in Thailand, particularly among boys. Complicating the challenge of obesity has been the COVID-19 epidemic, as literature has linked obesity to an increased number of cases and deaths from COVID-19, with earlier findings across the world reporting that obesity in general increases complications related to many similar respiratory viruses. Access to health care is recognized as a gateway to population health as preventative care is less costly, easier to deliver, and if distributed as needed, can be effective in preventing large scale disease progression. These findings are used to develop suggestions for policy and practice that leverage historical successes in major public health initiatives undertaken by the Thai government. Moreover, since traditional statistical analyses do not take into account the role of spatial effects such as spatial dependence and spatial heterogeneity, there is an opportunity to incorporate novel methods in analyses of obesity in Thailand given that the spatial associations with prevalence of obesity are well known. Thailand has made many successful national efforts to reduce obesity across the nation with significant results.

The aim of this paper is to provide policy and intervention suggestions that can leverage that success with the growing understanding of the relationship between access, education, and obesity. Thailand’s history of public health success suggests that the obesity crises may be largely prevented if those national resources are brought to bear with an interdisciplary and long-term plan.

Thai Traditional Medicine Education System from the Past to Present

Vadhana Jayathavaj — 2023-08-22

Before Medical Act B.E. 2466, knowledge of being a doctor came from inheritance and self-study. Until Control of Healing Arts Practices Act B.E. 2479, it was scheduled to be a training transfer between teachers who surrendered to students and those who surrendered as disciples. And under Healing Arts Practices Act B.E. 2542 in the year 2007, it was required to train or transfer knowledge through institutions or medical clinics and from higher education institutions. When the Thai Traditional Medicine Profession Act was promulgated, B.E. 2556, the practice of Thai traditional medicine had training and knowledge transfer by institutions or medical clinics and higher education institutions accredited by the Thai Traditional Medical Council (TTMC), but the applied Thai traditional medicine is in higher education institutions only. Training in Thai traditional medical wisdom and modern scientific methods to obtain medical evidence is a mission of the higher education institutions. Training and transferring knowledge to learners in both Thai traditional medical wisdom and the use of modern scientific methods in finding medical evidence is one of the missions of higher education institutions. Thai traditional medicine has a wide range of professions. The Thai Traditional Medical Council therefore plays an important role in preserving different points to seek good points in order to protect people from receiving Thai traditional medical services.