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Yuan R, Liu Q, Luo C, Ding S, He Y. Death anxiety, sense of meaning in life, and willingness to body donation among nursing students in anatomy course: An explanatory sequential mixed study. NURSE EDUCATION TODAY 2024; 137:106160. [PMID: 38503248 DOI: 10.1016/j.nedt.2024.106160] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/30/2023] [Revised: 02/28/2024] [Accepted: 03/10/2024] [Indexed: 03/21/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Anatomy education is a fundamental part of clinical nursing, but anatomy courses may lead to a range of psychological changes, such as death anxiety and sense of meaning in life. Such experiences and changes may influence student's willingness to donate their body. There is insufficient evidence on whether anatomy courses bring about these changes, and the reasons behind experiences are unclear. Focusing on these changes is essential to improve anatomy education in nursing and to promote the mental health of students in the nursing field. OBJECTIVES To explore changes and underlying reasons for death anxiety, sense of meaning in life, and the willingness to donate a body before and after anatomy courses. DESIGN An explanatory sequential explanatory mixed-methods study. PARTICIPANTS A total of 60 students completed quantitative surveys and 16 students from the sub-samples of the quantitative stage were included in the qualitative interviews. All students were from a comprehensive university in Changsha, Hunan Province, China. METHODS Data were collected from September 2022 to April 2023, including two rounds of questionnaire surveys and one interview. The questionnaires included sociodemographic data, the Death Anxiety Scale (CT-DAS), the Meaning of Life Scale (MLQ), and a body donation willingness question. Interviews were conducted based on the research objectives. The statistical methods included descriptive statistics, z-tests, and thematic analysis. RESULTS Quantitative results showed a decrease in emotional dimension of death anxiety (z = -2.534, P < 0.05) and an increase in body donation willingness (z = -3.183, P < 0.05). Qualitative analysis revealed cognitive experience and value assessment may relate to the changes. Based on the two themes, the reduction of death anxiety in emotional dimension can be further attributed to four factors: demystification, instrumentalization, desensitization, and respect and gratitude towards donors. The increase in willingness to donate bodies can be further attributed to two aspects: increase in knowledge of body donation and the affirmation of the value of donation. CONCLUSION The study found that students experience a decrease in death anxiety in the emotional dimension and an increased inclination to donate their bodies after anatomy courses, which may be related to cognitive experience and value assessment. Future nursing anatomy education could delve deeper into these two perspectives and support students to positively cope with death anxiety and rethink body donation through enriching death education activities such as donor memorial ceremonies. These results provide a basis for designing anatomy courses and improving the psychological well-being and professional competence of nursing students.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rong Yuan
- School of Medicine, Hunan Normal University, Changsha, Hunan, People's Republic of China
| | - Qian Liu
- School of Medicine, Hunan Normal University, Changsha, Hunan, People's Republic of China
| | - Chuhong Luo
- School of Medicine, Hunan Normal University, Changsha, Hunan, People's Republic of China
| | - Siyu Ding
- School of Medicine, Hunan Normal University, Changsha, Hunan, People's Republic of China
| | - Ying He
- School of Medicine, Hunan Normal University, Changsha, Hunan, People's Republic of China.
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Terrado J, Gómez O, Chicharro D, García-Manzanares M, Juárez M, Romo-Barrientos C, Mohedano-Moriano A, Criado-Álvarez JJ. Anxiety, emotions, and thoughts of veterinary medicine students during their first visit to the dissection room. ANATOMICAL SCIENCES EDUCATION 2023; 16:547-556. [PMID: 36695649 DOI: 10.1002/ase.2258] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/07/2022] [Revised: 01/20/2023] [Accepted: 01/21/2023] [Indexed: 05/11/2023]
Abstract
The use of cadavers is essential for veterinary anatomy learning. However, facing an animal corpse can be stressful for veterinary students because of their empathy toward animals. The objective of this study was to evaluate veterinary medicine students' emotions, feelings, and anxiety levels related to practicals with dog cadavers. Two questionnaires were administered to 1st year students (n = 168) at CEU Cardenal Herrera University in Valencia (Spain) before and after their first practical session with cadavers. The application of State-Trait Anxiety Inventory questionnaires showed that "state anxiety" decreased significantly (p < 0.05), from a score of 14.8 before the practical to 10.4 after, and that female students showed higher but not significantly different levels than males. Most (64%) of the students were not willing to donate the bodies of their pets, and those students were more stressed before the practical than their peers, although their anxiety levels significantly decreased by the end of the session. The majority of the students answered positively about emotions, such as feeling calm, safe, not nervous, relaxed and not worried before the practical, and this increased significantly to more than 80% by the end of the session. The visualization of educational videos prior to the session was evaluated positively by students. These results agree with those reported in other health science disciplines, showing that students face practical sessions with corpses in a similar way and suggesting that the use of videos can help decrease anxiety and enhance their learning experience.
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Affiliation(s)
- José Terrado
- Department of Animal Medicine and Surgery, Universidad CEU Cardenal Herrera, CEU Universities, Alfara del Patriarca, Spain
| | - Olga Gómez
- Department of Animal Medicine and Surgery, Universidad CEU Cardenal Herrera, CEU Universities, Alfara del Patriarca, Spain
| | - Deborah Chicharro
- Department of Animal Medicine and Surgery, Universidad CEU Cardenal Herrera, CEU Universities, Alfara del Patriarca, Spain
| | - Maria García-Manzanares
- Department of Animal Medicine and Surgery, Universidad CEU Cardenal Herrera, CEU Universities, Alfara del Patriarca, Spain
| | - Miriam Juárez
- Department of Animal Medicine and Surgery, Universidad CEU Cardenal Herrera, CEU Universities, Alfara del Patriarca, Spain
| | - Carmen Romo-Barrientos
- Integrated Attention Management of Talavera de la Reina, Castilla-La Mancha Health Service (SESCAM), Talavera de la Reina, Spain
| | - Alicia Mohedano-Moriano
- Department of Medical Sciences, School of Health Sciences, University of Castilla-La Mancha, Talavera de la Reina, Spain
| | - Juan José Criado-Álvarez
- Department of Medical Sciences, School of Health Sciences, University of Castilla-La Mancha, Talavera de la Reina, Spain
- Institute of Health Sciences of Castilla-La Mancha, Talavera de la Reina, Spain
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De Stefano A, Rusciano I, Moretti V, Scavarda A, Green MJ, Wall S, Ratti S. Graphic medicine meets human anatomy: The potential role of comics in raising whole body donation awareness in Italy and beyond. A pilot study. ANATOMICAL SCIENCES EDUCATION 2023; 16:209-223. [PMID: 36346170 DOI: 10.1002/ase.2232] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/28/2021] [Revised: 08/22/2022] [Accepted: 10/03/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
Cadaver dissection has always played a fundamental role in medical education. However, especially in Italy, the topic of body donation has remained partially unknown for years. The current study analyses graphic medicine as a new possible communication tool, evaluating and reflecting, with second-year students enrolled in the International School of Medicine and Surgery at the University of Bologna, about its potentialities for body donation awareness-raising in both the scientific community and the general population. For the first time in an Italian University, two graphic medicine workshops were organized focusing on human anatomy and body donation. Seminars were positively evaluated by students using a four items Likert-scale question: mean 3.54 (± SD 0.73) for the Likert question about the experiences of the workshops; 3.88 (± 0.33) for the Likert question regarding the use of graphic medicine in body donation awareness campaigns among the general population; 3.59 (± 0.65) for the Likert question regarding the use of graphic medicine in body donation awareness campaigns among the scientific community. Furthermore, the open-ended questions included in the anonymous questionnaire were analyzed using the constructivist grounded qualitative analysis, whence various themes emerged. Finally, five graphic medicine projects about body donation were created by students, proving their interest in testing this method to promote body donation, focusing the attention on different communicative aspects. Considering the results of this pilot study, the co-creative collaborative use of graphic medicine could be evaluated as an additional strategy to increase body donation awareness-raising in Italy and beyond, especially in the non-experts' community.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alessia De Stefano
- Cellular Signalling Laboratory, Anatomy Centre, Department of Biomedical and NeuroMotor Sciences (DIBINEM), University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy
| | - Isabella Rusciano
- Cellular Signalling Laboratory, Anatomy Centre, Department of Biomedical and NeuroMotor Sciences (DIBINEM), University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy
| | - Veronica Moretti
- Department of Sociology and Business Law, University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy
| | - Alice Scavarda
- Department of Culture, Politics and Society, University of Torino, Torino, Italy
| | - Michael J Green
- Department of Humanities, Penn State College of Medicine, Hershey, Pennsylvania, USA
- Department of Internal Medicine, Penn State College of Medicine, Hershey, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Shelley Wall
- Biomedical Communications Graduate Program, Institute of Medical Science, Temerty Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- Department of Biology, University of Toronto Mississauga, Mississauga, Ontario, Canada
| | - Stefano Ratti
- Cellular Signalling Laboratory, Anatomy Centre, Department of Biomedical and NeuroMotor Sciences (DIBINEM), University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy
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Kirkness KB, Bazira PJ, Finn GM, Nizza IE. "Preparing them for the profession": An interpretative phenomenological analysis of anatomy educators coping with complexity in the United Kingdom curriculum. ANATOMICAL SCIENCES EDUCATION 2023; 16:237-251. [PMID: 36120944 DOI: 10.1002/ase.2225] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/26/2021] [Revised: 07/26/2022] [Accepted: 09/15/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Efforts to integrate the basic sciences into the ever-changing curriculum are a trending area of research in health professions education. Low-stakes, high-frequency assessment methods such as the progress test are now widely implemented in the United Kingdom and Northern Ireland as a means of furthering curricular integration toward contemporary goals of competency and professional identity formation. The anatomy educator's experience vis-à-vis these curricular changes is not well understood. This study aimed to explore how anatomy educators make sense of the shifting demands of their role. The interviews were semi-structured, particularly concerned with the phenomenon of teachers adapting to the complexity of their learning environment. The study used interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA) to focus on the lived experiences of participants coping with the phenomena in question: how do anatomy educators make sense of the learning environment in the United Kingdom? Interviews were transcribed verbatim and interpreted inductively, identifying four key themes: confidence through connectedness, variations in appraisals of curricular integration, managing expectations to perform in paradoxical situations, and the emergence of innovative teaching. Results point to the learning environment as a complex system and highlight the importance of feeling support from and connection to colleagues, enabling individual educators to develop confidence, meet the top-down demands of changing curricula, and experience personal identity development and uncertainty tolerance within their role. This IPA study offers insight into the lived experiences of anatomy educators whose experiential interpretations of a complex and changing curriculum can uniquely inform stakeholders in health professions education.
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Affiliation(s)
- Karen B Kirkness
- Health Professions Education Unit (HPEU), Hull York Medical School, University of Hull, Hull, UK
| | - Peter J Bazira
- Centre for Anatomical and Human Sciences, Hull York Medical School, University of Hull, Hull, UK
| | - Gabrielle M Finn
- School of Medical Sciences, Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health, University of Manchester, Manchester, UK
| | - Isabella E Nizza
- Department of Psychological Sciences, Birkbeck, University of London, London, UK
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Asman O, Kagan I, Itzhaki M. Nursing students' experiences and perceptions of an anatomy laboratory session: Mixed methods study. ANATOMICAL SCIENCES EDUCATION 2022; 15:898-909. [PMID: 34021533 DOI: 10.1002/ase.2106] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/25/2020] [Revised: 05/11/2021] [Accepted: 05/16/2021] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Many nursing curricula do not offer anatomy laboratories and exposure to cadaveric material. In this mixed methods study, nursing students' perceptions and experiences from an anatomy laboratory session were examined. Students from two academic nursing programs (a four-year general baccalaureate nursing program and a two-year accelerated nursing program for non-nursing baccalaureate graduates) took part in an anatomy laboratory session (N = 223). Participants' learning experiences, emotional experiences, and satisfaction with the anatomy laboratory session were assessed by their responses to closed-ended questionnaires. Participants' reasons for participation and suggestions for improvement were examined by open-ended questions. A mixed methods analysis of the data revealed a high level of satisfaction with the anatomy laboratory experience. Positive attitudes and learning experiences correlated with a sense of identification with the nursing profession. Satisfaction was positively associated with a perceived quality of learning and negatively associated with a negative emotional experience. Curiosity and self-challenge, as well as the quest for tangible, in-depth learning, were major motivators involved in the students' desire to participate in the session. Both qualitative and quantitative analyses indicated that the educational experience was significant. Therefore, it is recommended to integrate anatomy laboratory sessions into anatomy courses for nursing students. This will help to illustrate and assimilate classroom material and strengthen nursing students' sense of identification with their profession.
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Affiliation(s)
- Oren Asman
- Department of Nursing, School of Health Professions, Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
| | - Ilya Kagan
- Department of Nursing, School of Health Professions, Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
| | - Michal Itzhaki
- Department of Nursing, School of Health Professions, Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
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Lachman N, Pawlina W. Reconsidering laboratory-based anatomy within the backdrop of digital transformation: Bringing an old practice into a new world. ANATOMICAL SCIENCES EDUCATION 2022; 15:439-446. [PMID: 35429369 DOI: 10.1002/ase.2182] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Nirusha Lachman
- Department of Clinical Anatomy, Mayo Clinic College of Medicine and Science, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota, USA
| | - Wojciech Pawlina
- Department of Clinical Anatomy, Mayo Clinic College of Medicine and Science, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota, USA
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Darici D, Missler M, Schober A, Masthoff M, Schnittler H, Schmitz M. "Fun slipping into the doctor's role"-The relationship between sonoanatomy teaching and professional identity formation before and during the Covid-19 pandemic. ANATOMICAL SCIENCES EDUCATION 2022; 15:447-463. [PMID: 35274467 DOI: 10.1002/ase.2178] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/06/2021] [Revised: 03/04/2022] [Accepted: 03/07/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
The various psychological dimensions of professional identity formation (PIF) are an important aspect of the study course for undergraduate medical students. Anatomical learning environments have been repeatedly shown to play a critical role in forming such an identity; however, relevance of PIF during sonoanatomical training remains underexplored. At the end of their basic anatomy studies, third-semester medical students took part in a four-day block course on anatomy and imaging. Anatomical content was revised in small groups using peer teaching and imaging methods, including one hour of hands-on sonoanatomy sessions each day. On-site sonoanatomy was identified as an excellent format to support students' transition from the pre-clinical to clinical phase as medical experts-to-be. Students enjoyed practical exercises and the clinical input, which increased their interest in the medical profession and their academic studies. This study further examined the effects of the transition into an online-only format, necessitated by the current Covid-19 pandemic. A comparison was made between the quantitative and qualitative evaluation data, and the written results of examinations of several on-site (n = 1096, mean age = 22.4 years ± 2.18), and online-only cohorts (n = 230, mean age = 22.6 years ± 2.21). The online-only transition led to a reduction of all PIF-related variables measured, losing identity-related variables, increasing students' stress levels, and reducing their long-term academic performance. Together, this study demonstrates presence of PIF in undergraduate sonoanatomy teaching, and cautions against the uncritical online-only substitution of hands-on learning environments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dogus Darici
- Institute of Anatomy and Molecular Neurobiology, Westfälische Wilhelms-University, Münster, Germany
| | - Markus Missler
- Institute of Anatomy and Molecular Neurobiology, Westfälische Wilhelms-University, Münster, Germany
| | - Anna Schober
- Institute of Anatomy and Molecular Neurobiology, Westfälische Wilhelms-University, Münster, Germany
| | - Max Masthoff
- Institute of Clinical Radiology, University Hospital Münster, Münster, Germany
| | - Hans Schnittler
- Institute of Anatomy and Vascular Biology, Westfälische Wilhelms-University, Münster, Germany
| | - Martina Schmitz
- Institute of Anatomy and Vascular Biology, Westfälische Wilhelms-University, Münster, Germany
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Allison S, Notebaert A, Dehon E. Introducing medical students to cadaveric dissection: Which aspects of an orientation are most beneficial? ANATOMICAL SCIENCES EDUCATION 2021; 14:870-872. [PMID: 34582632 DOI: 10.1002/ase.2140] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/10/2021] [Revised: 09/16/2021] [Accepted: 09/26/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Sara Allison
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Western Michigan University Homer Stryker M.D. School of Medicine, Kalamazoo, Michigan, USA
| | - Andrew Notebaert
- Department of Neurobiology and Anatomical Science, University of Mississippi Medical Center, Jackson, Mississippi, USA
| | - Erin Dehon
- Department of Emergency Medicine, University of Mississippi Medical Center, Jackson, Mississippi, USA
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