Learner : preceptor ratios for practice-based learning across health disciplines: a systematic review

CONTEXT

Practice-based learning is a cornerstone of developing clinical and professional competence in health disciplines. Practice-based learning systems have many interacting components, but a key facet is the number of learners per preceptor. Different learner : preceptor ratios may have unique benefits and pose unique challenges for participants. This is the first comprehensive systematic review of the topic. Our research questions were: What are the benefits and challenges of each learner : preceptor ratio in practice-based learning from the perspectives of the learners, preceptors, patients and stakeholder organisations (i.e. the placing and health care delivery organisations)? Are any ratios superior to others with respect to these characteristics and perspectives?

METHODS

Qualitative systematic review of published English-language literature since literature database inception, including multiple health disciplines.

RESULTS

Seventy-three articles were included in this review. Eight learner : preceptor ratio arrangements were identified involving nursing, physiotherapy, occupational therapy, pharmacy, dietetics, speech and language therapy, and medicine. Each arrangement offers unique benefits and challenges from the perspectives of learners, preceptors, programmes and health care delivery organisations. Patient perspectives were absent. Despite important advantages of each ratio for learners, preceptors and organisations, some of which may be profession specific, the 2 : 1 and 2+ : 2+ learner : preceptor ratios appear to be most likely to successfully balance the needs of all stakeholders.

CONCLUSIONS

Regardless of the learner : preceptor ratio chosen for its expected benefits, our results illuminate challenges that can be anticipated and managed. Patient perspectives should be incorporated into future studies of learner : preceptor ratios.

Cadaver-based training is superior to simulation training for cricothyrotomy and tube thoracostomy

Emergency medicine (EM) training mandates that residents be able to competently perform low-frequency critical procedures upon graduation. Simulation is the main method of training in addition to clinical patient care. Access to cadaver-based training is limited due to cost and availability. The relative fidelity and perceived value of cadaver-based simulation training is unknown. This pilot study sought to describe the relative value of cadaver training compared to simulation for cricothyrotomy and tube thoracostomy. To perform a pilot study to assess whether there is a significant difference in fidelity and educational experience of cadaver-based training compared to simulation training. To understand how important this difference is in training residents in low-frequency procedures. Twenty-two senior EM residents (PGY3 and 4) who had completed standard simulation training on cricothyrotomy and tube thoracostomy participated in a formalin-fixed cadaver training program. Participants were surveyed on the relative fidelity of the training using a 100 point visual analogue scale (VAS) with 100 defined as equal to performing the procedure on a real patient. Respondents were also asked to estimate how much the cadaveric training improved the comfort level with performing the procedures on a scale between 0 and 100 %. Open-response feedback was also collected. The response rate was 100 % (22/22). The average fidelity of the cadaver versus simulation training was 79.9 ± 7.0 vs. 34.7 ± 13.4 for cricothyrotomy (p < 0.0001) and 86 ± 8.6 vs. 38.4 ± 19.3 for tube thoracostomy (p < 0.0001). Improvement in comfort levels performing procedures after the cadaveric training was rated as 78.5 ± 13.3 for tube thoracostomy and 78.7 ± 14.3 for cricothyrotomy. All respondents felt this difference in fidelity to be important for procedural training with 21/22 respondents specifically citing the importance of superior landmark and tissue fidelity compared to simulation training. Cadaver-based training provides superior landmark and tissue fidelity compared to simulation training and may be a valuable addition to EM residency training for certain low-frequency procedures.

Does training improve diagnostic accuracy and inter-rater agreement in applying the Berlin radiographic definition of acute respiratory distress syndrome? A multicenter prospective study

BACKGROUND

Poor inter-rater reliability in chest radiograph interpretation has been reported in the context of acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), although not for the Berlin definition of ARDS. We sought to examine the effect of training material on the accuracy and consistency of intensivists' chest radiograph interpretations for ARDS diagnosis.

METHODS

We conducted a rater agreement study in which 286 intensivists (residents 41.3%, junior attending physicians 35.3%, and senior attending physician 23.4%) independently reviewed the same 12 chest radiographs developed by the ARDS Definition Task Force ("the panel") before and after training. Radiographic diagnoses by the panel were classified into the consistent (n = 4), equivocal (n = 4), and inconsistent (n = 4) categories and were used as a reference. The 1.5-hour training course attended by all 286 intensivists included introduction of the diagnostic rationale, and a subsequent in-depth discussion to reach consensus for all 12 radiographs.

RESULTS

Overall diagnostic accuracy, which was defined as the percentage of chest radiographs that were interpreted correctly, improved but remained poor after training (42.0 ± 14.8% before training vs. 55.3 ± 23.4% after training, p < 0.001). Diagnostic sensitivity and specificity improved after training for all diagnostic categories (p < 0.001), with the exception of specificity for the equivocal category (p = 0.883). Diagnostic accuracy was higher for the consistent category than for the inconsistent and equivocal categories (p < 0.001). Comparisons of pre-training and post-training results revealed that inter-rater agreement was poor and did not improve after training, as assessed by overall agreement (0.450 ± 0.406 vs. 0.461 ± 0.575, p = 0.792), Fleiss's kappa (0.133 ± 0.575 vs. 0.178 ± 0.710, p = 0.405), and intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC; 0.219 vs. 0.276, p = 0.470).

CONCLUSIONS

The radiographic diagnostic accuracy and inter-rater agreement were poor when the Berlin radiographic definition was used, and were not significantly improved by the training set of chest radiographs developed by the ARDS Definition Task Force.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

The study was registered at ClinicalTrials.gov (registration number NCT01704066 ) on 6 October 2012.

Exploring How U.S. Dental Schools Teach Removal of Carious Tissues During Cavity Preparations

Approaches for managing carious tissues during cavity preparations vary considerably among clinicians, which may reflect inconsistencies in the teaching of this subject by dental schools. The aims of this study were to investigate practices related to the preclinical and clinical teaching of caries removal at U.S. dental schools and the relationship between that teaching and requirements for U.S. dental licensure examinations. The electronic survey included questions about terminology, methods, instruments and materials, treatment planning, criteria for clinical exams, faculty calibration sessions, and licensure exams. The faculty members at U.S. dental schools responsible for teaching cariology were invited to participate; 54 of the 65 schools had identified a contact person at the time of the survey in October 2015. Of those 54 invited to participate, 43 completed the survey (response rate of 79.6%). Most of the respondents indicated that depth of carious lesions was a clinical determinant of the amount of carious dentin being removed in cavity preparations. Caries removal was used as a criterion in restorative clinical examinations by 95% of responding schools. Marked differences were observed regarding the criteria used for assessment and removal of carious tissues, management of deep carious lesions, and definition of "caries remaining at cavity preparations," which is considered a critical error on licensure exams. Faculty calibration sessions on caries removal were reported to occur in 65% of these schools and at different time frames. Overall, the study found a wide range of teaching practices related to caries removal. Best evidence in caries management needs to be aligned with teaching and the criteria used to calibrate faculty members and examiners.

Educational Impact of a Structured Radiation Oncology Clerkship Curriculum: An Interinstitutional Comparison

PURPOSE

Many medical school clerkships have structured curricula; however, most radiation oncology clerkships do not. The Radiation Oncology Education Collaborative Study Group (ROECSG) implemented a curriculum for fourth-year radiation oncology clerkships at 14 institutions. We hypothesized that students completing clerkships with the curriculum would report greater subjective knowledge and comfort to function as a radiation oncology resident compared with students completing clerkships without the curriculum.

METHODS

The ROECSG curriculum included three 1-hour lectures and a 1-hour hands-on radiation treatment planning workshop. Applicants to a single radiation oncology residency program in the 2014-2015 academic year were sent an anonymous, validated clerkship experience survey. Students indicated if clerkships were completed at a curriculum site. Likert-type data (1 = not at all, 5 = extremely) are reported as median (interquartile range).

RESULTS

Respondents described 276 clerkship experiences, of which 64 (23.2%) were completed at a curriculum site. Students whose first clerkship was at a curriculum site perceived greater postclerkship confidence in knowledge of radiation biology (3 [3-4] versus 2 [2-3], P < .01), treatment setup/positioning (3 [2-3] versus 2 [2-3], P < .05), treatment planning (3 [2-3] versus 2 [2-3], P < .01), and ability to integrate evidence-based medicine into treatment (4 [2-4] versus 3 [2-4], P < .05). Students who completed any clerkship with the curriculum had greater postclerkship confidence to function as a radiation oncology resident (3 [3-4] versus 3 [2-3], P < .05).

CONCLUSIONS

These results support the curriculum's ability to increase student knowledge in radiation oncology, especially in the students' first clerkship. Further, these findings suggest that expanded implementation of such curricula may ensure a rewarding educational experience during radiation oncology clerkships.

Improving blood pressure control in general practice: A pilot study of the ImPress intervention

BACKGROUND

Patients with hypertension and at high absolute cardiovascular disease risk are a priority group for improved blood pressure control. This study examined the impact of an intervention, primarily delivered by the general practice nurse, to identify, recall and manage patients with uncontrolled hypertension who are at high risk of cardiovascular disease.

METHODS

A before-and-after pilot study with a six-month follow-up period was conducted in eight general practices in Sydney, Australia.

RESULTS

From 507 patients identified, 82 (16.2%) attended an assessment visit, were eligible and provided baseline data. Of these, 55 (67.1%) completed the six-month follow-up. The mean decrease in blood pressure was 14.5 mmHg systolic and 7 mmHg diastolic. Significant decreases were also found in mean weight (1.3 kg), body mass index (0.5 kg/m">22) and waist circumference (1.9 cm). Adherence to blood pressure treatment, as measured by the Hill-Bone scale, significantly improved (P = 0.01) DISCUSSION: The results of this study justify further investigation in a randomised trial. If effective, the approach could alter the way hypertension care is organised and delivered in Australian general practice.

Elite Distance Runners and Breastfeeding

BACKGROUND

Elite female distance runners lack guidelines regarding breastfeeding while training at a high intensity.

OBJECTIVES

The purpose of this research was to understand how elite female distance runners manage breastfeeding.

METHODS

Semistructured interviews were conducted with 14 women who had had at least one pregnancy within the past 5 years and had achieved a minimum of the USA Track and Field 2012 Olympic Trials "B" entry standard for running for the marathon or equivalent performance for 1,500 m or longer.

RESULTS

Using thematic analysis, we identified the following themes: breastfeeding as a barrier to training and competition, limited access to relevant breastfeeding information, and concerns for the baby's health. Our findings show that despite the considerable barriers with which these women contend, they breastfed at higher rates and for longer duration than members of the general public.

CONCLUSION

Based on our findings, we argue that elite female distance runners' experiences of breastfeeding would be enhanced if more research were conducted on breastfeeding practices while training and competing at an elite level.

Relationship between Students' Self-Assessment of Their Capabilities and Their Teachers' Judgments of Students' Capabilities in Mathematics Problem-Solving

The study examined the judgments made by four seventh-grade mathematics teachers of their 107 students' competence in solving mathematics problems. Simultaneously, the 107 students made self-efficacy judgments about their capability in solving mathematics problems. The two sets of judgments were tested for predicting students' mathematics performance. Also, students' prior mathematics achievement was studied for its influence on both teachers' and students' judgments and students' mathematics performance. Teachers were asked to make judgments of each student for every mathematics problem solved. Results were consistent with prior research indicating that students' mathematics self-efficacy beliefs were highly predictive of their performance. Path analysis indicated that the mathematics teachers' judgments were also highly predictive of students' performance and self-efficacy. In turn, these variables predicted students' postperformance judgments. Combining students' self-efficacy judgments and teachers' judgments of students increased predictiveness for students' mathematics performance. Educational implications were also discussed.

The impact of fellowship training on scholarly productivity in academic dermatology

An increasing number of dermatology residents are pursuing postresidency fellowships to augment their knowledge in dermatology subspecialties. The purpose of this study was to determine whether fellowship training affects the scholarly impact of academic dermatologists, as measured by the h-index. A secondary objective was to compare scholarly productivity among different dermatology subspecialties. Overall, fellowship training is associated with increased scholarly impact; however, when stratifying for academic rank and years of publication activity, this difference does not exist.

A Practitioner's Instrument for Measuring Secondary Mathematics Teachers' Beliefs Surrounding Learner-Centered Classroom Practice

In this paper we present the development and validation of a Mathematics Teaching Pedagogical and Discourse Beliefs Instrument (MTPDBI), a 20 item partial-credit survey designed and analyzed using Rasch measurement theory. Items on the MTPDBI address beliefs about the nature of mathematics, teaching and learning mathematics, and classroom discourse practices. A Rasch partial credit model (Masters, 1982) was estimated from the pilot study data. Results show that item separation reliability is .96 and person separation reliability is .71. Other analyses indicate the instrument is a viable measure of secondary teachers' beliefs about reform-oriented mathematics teaching and learning. This instrument is proposed as a useful measure of teacher beliefs for those working with pre-service and in-service teacher development.

Death During Simulation: A Literature Review

INTRODUCTION

One of the goals of simulation is to teach subjects critical skills and knowledge applicable to live encounters, without the risk of harming actual patients. Although simulation education has surged in medical training over the last two decades, several ethically challenging educational methods have arisen. Simulated death has arisen as one of these challenging issues and currently there is no consensus regarding how to best manage this controversial topic in the simulated environment. The goal of this review is to analyze how simulated mortality has been used and discover whether or not this tool is beneficial to learners.

METHODS

In May 2016, the authors performed a literature search on both Pubmed and the Cochrane database using multiple variations of keywords; they then searched bibliographies and related articles.

RESULTS

There were 901 articles acquired in the initial search. The authors eliminated articles that were not relevant to the subject matter. After adding articles from bibliographies and related articles, the authors included the 43 articles cited in this article.

DISCUSSION

As a result, the authors of this article believe that death, when used appropriately in simulation, can be an effective teaching tool and can be used in a responsible manner.

Does Instruction Affect the Underlying Dimensionality of a Kinesiology Test?

Does effective instruction, which changes students' knowledge and possibly alters their cognitive functions, also affect the dimensionality of an achievement test? This question was examined by the parameterization of kinesiology test items (n = 42) with a Rasch dichotomous model, followed by an investigation of dimensionality in a pre- and post-test quasi-experimental study design. College students (n = 108) provided responses to kinesiology achievement test items. Then the stability of item difficulties, gender differences, and the interaction of item content categories with dimensionality were examined. In addition, a PCA/t-test protocol was implemented to examine dimensionality threats from the item residuals. Internal construct validity was investigated by regressing item content components on calibrated item difficulties. Measurement model item residuals were also investigated with statistical decomposition methods. In general, the results showed significant student achievement between pre and post testing, and dimensionality disturbances were relatively minor. The amount of unexpected item "shift" in an un-equated measurement dimension between pre and post testing was less than ten percent of the total items and largely concentrated among several unrelated items. An unexpected finding was a residual cluster consisting of several items testing related technical content. Complicating interpretation, these items tended to appear near the end of the test, which implicates test position as a threat to measurement equivalence. In general, the results across several methods did not tend to identify common threats and instead pointed to multiple sources of threats with varying degree of prominence. These results suggest conventional approaches to measurement equivalence that emphasize expedient overall procedures such as DIF, IRT, and factor analysis are probably capturing isolated sources of variability. Their implementation probably improves measurement equivalence but with substantial residual sources undetected.

Development and assessment of a new 3D neuroanatomy teaching tool for MRI training

A computerized three-dimensional (3D) neuroanatomy teaching tool was developed for training medical students to identify subcortical structures on a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) series of the human brain. This program allows the user to transition rapidly between two-dimensional (2D) MRI slices, 3D object composites, and a combined model in which 3D objects are overlaid onto the 2D MRI slices, all while rotating the brain in any direction and advancing through coronal, sagittal, or axial planes. The efficacy of this tool was assessed by comparing scores from an MRI identification quiz and survey in two groups of first-year medical students. The first group was taught using this new 3D teaching tool, and the second group was taught the same content for the same amount of time but with traditional methods, including 2D images of brain MRI slices and 3D models from widely used textbooks and online sources. Students from the experimental group performed marginally better than the control group on overall test score (P = 0.07) and significantly better on test scores extracted from questions involving C-shaped internal brain structures (P < 0.01). Experimental participants also expressed higher confidence in their abilities to visualize the 3D structure of the brain (P = 0.02) after using this tool. Furthermore, when surveyed, 100% of the students in the experimental group recommended this tool for future students. These results suggest that this neuroanatomy teaching tool is an effective way to train medical students to read an MRI of the brain and is particularly effective for teaching C-shaped internal brain structures.

Application of the one-minute preceptor technique by novice teachers in the gross anatomy laboratory

The one-minute preceptor (OMP) was originally developed in the ambulatory care setting as a time-efficient teaching technique for learner-centered clinical training. There are also possible advantages of using the OMP in the gross anatomy laboratory. However, in a previous study it was found that providing training to experienced gross anatomy teachers in the use of the OMP did not result in improvement in students' perceptions of their learning, probably because of the fact that the experienced teachers had already developed their own pedagogical approaches. In the current study, we examined the effects of training novice teachers with about four years of gross anatomy teaching experience, in the use of the OMP in the gross anatomy laboratory, by surveying students to collect their views on their learning experiences, by observing the teachers' teaching behaviors before and after they were trained in OMP, and then by interviewing them. More students reported a better learning experience in the session after the teachers had been trained in the OMP than reported worse, in eight out of the nine items related to their learning experiences. The novice teachers were receptive to the OMP. After the OMP training, the novice teachers were observed to engage more in getting commitments from the students and in reinforcing what the students have done right, two of the five OMP microskills. They considered the OMP to be very useful for their development as anatomy teachers.

The Relative Age Effect and Its Influence on Academic Performance

INTRODUCTION AND PURPOSE

The policy of school organisation for grouping students in the same academic year is based on date of birth. The differences in the experiences and maturation of older students involve a relatively better performance in academic settings, which is known as the relative age effect (RAE). This effect is more important the younger the student is. The goal of this study is to identify the connections of influence that RAE, socioeconomic status (SES), and type of institution have on academic performance in a school population of eighth graders.

METHODS

The study is based on a population-based, representative sample of 15,234 8th graders (50.4% female; average age = 13.61 years) in the 2011 National System of Quality Assessment in Education Survey (SIMCE) from Chile. The SIMCE for global academic performance consists of 4 tests: reading, mathematics, social studies, and science. All tests consist of multiple-choice and closed questions. In addition, in order to have the information of general academic performance, an extra variable expressing the average score of each student was created. Also, the SIMCE includes additional variables for the evaluation process such as SES or type of school. Students were assigned to one of five age groups in terms of date of birth (G1, G2, G3, G4, and G5), in which students belonging to G1 are the oldest and students belonging to G5 are the youngest.

RESULTS

The results achieved in the structural equation modelling indicate a good global fit. Individual relationships show significant effects of the three variables observed on academic performance, although SES received the highest values. The influence of RAE took place both in the full sample and sub-samples composed according to the SES and academic performance, showing higher values for students with lower scores. Although the influence of RAE decreases when SES is controlled, its effect is still significant and contributes to additionally explain the performance.

CONCLUSIONS

The RAE remains, even with residual values, an explanatory factor in academic performance even in eighth graders. Since the RAE decreases as the influence of schooling increases, the potential adverse effects for some students would be placed in previous and initial moments of formal schooling. These findings may be useful into taking steps towards flexibilisation on age of entry in compulsory schooling. Moreover, the need to implement early, comprehensive evaluation systems which include aspects related to neurodevelopment in order to provide maximum information to parents and educators is also drawn.

A qualitative interview study on the positive well-being of medical school faculty in their teaching role: job demands, job resources and role interaction

BACKGROUND

Attention for the well-being of medical school faculty is not only important for the prevention of attrition and burnout, but may also boost performance in their tasks in medical education. Positive well-being can be conceptualized as work engagement and this is associated with increased performance. In this study we explore how demands and resources from different tasks affect work engagement specifically for education.

METHODS

Between June and September 2013, we conducted a multisite semi-structured interview study with a diverse group of medical school faculty and used an open-coding strategy within the Work Engagement Model on the transcribed interviews.

RESULTS

We interviewed 16 faculty members whose teaching experience ranged from 7 to 38 years and whose professional tasks ranged from being solely an educator to being a physician, researcher, educator and administrator simultaneously. All participants were clear on the perceived demands and resources, although similar aspects of the work environment could be perceived oppositely between participants. Overarching themes were perceptions related to the organization or department, often described as a general and long-term effect and perceptions directly related to a task, often described as a direct and short-term effect on well-being. Furthermore, the demands and resources as resultant of fulfilling multiple tasks were described clearly by participants.

CONCLUSIONS

The ambiguous nature of the work environment in terms of demands and resources requires an individualized approach to supporting work engagement. Furthermore, faculty members perceive many resources from fulfilling multiple tasks in relation to their tasks in education. Faculty developers and administrators alike could use these findings to apply the concept of work engagement to their daily support of faculty in medical education.

Teacher ratings of evidence-based practices from the field of autism

Students who have a hearing loss and a comorbid diagnosis of an autism spectrum disorder (ASD) have multiple obstacles to overcome. Using Gallaudet Research Institute data, Szymanski, Brice, Lam, and Hotto calculated 1 deaf student in 59 received services for both a hearing loss and an ASD (Szymanski, Brice, Lam, & Hotto, 2012). Teachers of the deaf (TOD) in a Midwestern state completed a survey (N = 68) to indicate familiarity with evidence-based practices (EBP) from the field of ASD in order to confirm or reject the hypothesis that they would not report familiarity with these practices. Further analyses explored use and perceived effectiveness of EBP for those TOD who had familiarity with the instructional practices. Results of the study indicated that there was wide variance in TOD familiarity, use, and perceived effectiveness of the EBP.

A Survey of Pharmacy Education in Thailand

OBJECTIVE

To explore the current status of pharmacy education in Thailand.

METHODS

The International Pharmaceutical Federation of the World Health Organization's (FIP-WHO) Global Survey of Pharmacy Schools was used for this study. The survey instrument was distributed to the deans of the 19 faculties (colleges) of pharmacy in Thailand.

RESULTS

More than half the colleges have been in existence less than 20 years, and the government owns 80% of them. There were 2 paths of admission to study pharmacy: direct admission and central admission system. The doctor of pharmacy (PharmD) programs can be divided into 4 types. Approximately 60% of all teaching staff holds a doctoral degree. Regarding the work balance among teaching staff, around 60% focus on teaching activities, 20% focus on research, and less than 20% focus on patient care services concurrent with real practice teaching. The proportion of student time dedicated to theory, practice, and research in PharmD programs is 51.5%, 46.7%, and 1.8%, respectively. Sites owned by the colleges or by others were used for student training. Colleges followed the Office of the National Education Standards' Internal Quality Assurance (IQA) and External Quality Assurance (EQA), and the Pharmacy Council's Quality Assessment (ONESQA).

CONCLUSION

This study provides a picture of the current status of curriculum, teaching staff, and students in pharmacy education in Thailand. The curriculum was adapted from the US PharmD program with the aim of meeting the country's needs and includes industrial pharmacy and public health tracks as well as clinical tracks. However, this transition in pharmacy education in Thailand needs to be monitored and evaluated.

Undertriage in older emergency department patients--tilting against windmills?

Objectives

The aim of this study was to investigate the long-term effect of a teaching intervention designed to reduce undertriage rates in older ED patients. Further, to test the hypothesis that non-adherence to the Emergency Severity Index (ESI) triage algorithm is associated with undertriage. Additionally, to detect patient related risk factors for undertriage.

Methods

Pre-post-test design. The study sample consisted of all patients aged 65 years or older presenting to the ED of an urban tertiary and primary care center in the study periods. A teaching intervention designed to increase adherence to the triage algorithm. To assess, if the intervention resulted in an increase of factual knowledge, nurses took a test before and immediately after the teaching intervention. Undertriage rates were assessed one year after the intervention and compared to the pre-test period.

Results

In the pre-test group 519 patients were included, and 394 in the post-test-group. Factual knowledge among triage nurses was high already before the teaching intervention. Prevalence of undertriaged patients before (22.5%) and one year after the intervention (24.2%) was not significantly different (χ2 = 0.248, df = 1, p = 0.619). Sex, age, mode of arrival, and type of complaint were not identified as independent risk factors for undertriage. However, undertriage rates increased with advancing age. Adherence to the ESI algorithm is associated with correct triage decisions.

Conclusions

Undertriage of older ED patients remained unchanged over time. Reasons for undertriage seem to be more complex than anticipated. Therefore, additional contributing factors should be addressed.

An analysis of pre-service family planning teaching in clinical and nursing education in Tanzania

BACKGROUND

Promoting family planning (FP) is a key strategy for health, economic and population growth. Sub-Saharan Africa, with one of the lowest contraceptive prevalence and highest fertility rates globally, contributes half of the global maternal deaths. Improving the quality of FP services, including enhancing pre-service FP teaching, has the potential to improve contraceptive prevalence. In efforts to improve the quality of FP services in Tanzania, including provider skills, this study sought to identify gaps in pre-service FP teaching and suggest opportunities for strengthening the training.

METHODS

Data were collected from all medical schools and a representative sample of pre-service nursing, Assistant Medical Officer (AMO), Clinical Officer (CO) and assistant CO schools in mainland Tanzania. Teachers responsible for FP teaching at the schools were interviewed using a semi-structured questionnaire. Observations on availability of teaching resources and other evidence of FP teaching and evaluation were documented. Relevant approved teaching documents were assessed for their suitability as competency-based FP teaching tools against predefined criteria. Quantitative data were analyzed using EPI Info 6 and qualitative data were manually analyzed using content analysis.

RESULTS

A total of 35 pre-service schools were evaluated for FP teaching including 30 technical education and five degree offering schools. Of the assessed 11 pre-service curricula, only one met the criteria for suitability of FP teaching. FP teaching was typically theoretical with only 22.9% of all the schools having systems in place to produce graduates who could skillfully provide FP methods. Across schools, the target skills were the same level of competence and skewed toward short acting methods of contraception. Only 23.3% (n = 7) of schools had skills laboratories, 76% (n = 22) were either physically connected or linked to FP clinics. None of the degree providing schools practiced FP at its own teaching hospital. Teachers were concerned with poor practical exposure and lack of teaching material.

CONCLUSIONS

Pre-service FP teaching in Tanzania is theoretical, poorly guided, and skewed toward short acting methods; a majority of the schools are unable to produce competent FP service providers. Pre-service FP training should be strengthened with more focus on practical skills.

Institutional capacity for health systems research in East and Central Africa schools of public health: enhancing capacity to design and implement teaching programs

BACKGROUND

The role of health systems research (HSR) in informing and guiding national programs and policies has been increasingly recognized. Yet, many universities in sub-Saharan African countries have relatively limited capacity to teach HSR. Seven schools of public health (SPHs) in East and Central Africa undertook an HSR institutional capacity assessment, which included a review of current HSR teaching programs. This study determines the extent to which SPHs are engaged in teaching HSR-relevant courses and assessing their capacities to effectively design and implement HSR curricula whose graduates are equipped to address HSR needs while helping to strengthen public health policy.

METHODS

This study used a cross-sectional study design employing both quantitative and qualitative approaches. An organizational profile tool was administered to senior staff across the seven SPHs to assess existing teaching programs. A self-assessment tool included nine questions relevant to teaching capacity for HSR curricula. The analysis triangulates the data, with reflections on the responses from within and across the seven SPHs. Proportions and average of values from the Likert scale are compared to determine strengths and weaknesses, while themes relevant to the objectives are identified and clustered to elicit in-depth interpretation.

RESULTS

None of the SPHs offer an HSR-specific degree program; however, all seven offer courses in the Master of Public Health (MPH) degree that are relevant to HSR. The general MPH curricula partially embrace principles of competency-based education. Different strengths in curricula design and staff interest in HSR at each SPH were exhibited but a number of common constraints were identified, including out-of-date curricula, face-to-face delivery approaches, inadequate staff competencies, and limited access to materials. Opportunities to align health system priorities to teaching programs include existing networks.

CONCLUSIONS

Each SPH has key strengths that can be leveraged to design and implement HSR teaching curricula. We propose networking for standardizing HSR curricula competencies, institutionalizing sharing of teaching resources, creating an HSR eLearning platform to expand access, regularly reviewing HSR teaching content to infuse competency-based approaches, and strengthening staff capacity to deliver such curricula.

Developing the role of big data and analytics in health professional education

As we capture more and more data about learners, their learning, and the organization of their learning, our ability to identify emerging patterns and to extract meaning grows exponentially. The insights gained from the analyses of these large amounts of data are only helpful to the extent that they can be the basis for positive action such as knowledge discovery, improved capacity for prediction, and anomaly detection. Big Data involves the aggregation and melding of large and heterogeneous datasets while education analytics involves looking for patterns in educational practice or performance in single or aggregate datasets. Although it seems likely that the use of education analytics and Big Data techniques will have a transformative impact on health professional education, there is much yet to be done before they can become part of mainstream health professional education practice. If health professional education is to be accountable for its programs run and are developed, then health professional educators will need to be ready to deal with the complex and compelling dynamics of analytics and Big Data. This article provides an overview of these emerging techniques in the context of health professional education.

Validating a developmental scale for young children using the Rasch model: applicability of the teaching strategies GOLD assessment system

This article reports the results of an application of the Rasch rating scale model to the Teaching Strategies GOLD assessment system in a norm sample of children aged birth to 71 months. The analyses focused on the examination of dimensionality, rating scale effectiveness, the hierarchy of item difficulties, and the relationship of developmental scale scores to child age. Results show that each subscale satisfies the Rasch model for unidimensionality. Ratings were found to be less reliable at the lowest and highest ends of the scale and less distinct at 'In-between' levels. Items appear to form theoretically expected hierarchies, supporting evidence for construct validity for the measures. Moderately high correlations of developmental scale scores with child age suggest that teachers are able to make valid ratings of the developmental progress of children across the intended age range.