Child maltreatment and management of pediatric patients during COVID-19 pandemic: Knowledge, awareness, and attitudes among students of medicine and surgery. A survey-based analysis

Assessment of forensic medicine education impact on medical students' knowledge and specialisation attitudes: a multicenter analysis from Italian universities

INTRODUCTION

This study aimed to assess students' knowledge, awareness, and attitudes regarding forensic-medicine concepts taught during a Medicine and Surgery degree program at eight Italian universities. Additionally, the study aimed to evaluate the impact of the course on students' knowledge and attitudes toward choosing medical residency.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

A cross-sectional study was conducted through an anonymous web-based survey of medical students at eight italian universities. Descriptive, univariate, and logistic regression analyses were performed for the selected questions.

RESULTS

The survey was completed by 1022 students. Forensic medicine appears to be important for providing training in the fundamental concepts of forensic medicine, especially professional liability, defensive medicine, and forensic pathology. The descriptive and univariate analyses demonstrate that the course can assist students in choosing their specialisation school. The multivariate analysis highlighted the impact of the forensic medicine course on orienting students' choice of medical residency, increasing it by nine times after attending the course. In the logistic regression analysis of the influence of medical liability on the choice of medical residency, students recognised a doubled effect after attending the course. Finally, the perceived usefulness of the course was significantly higher after attendance.

CONCLUSIONS

Forensic medicine courses have the task of defining the duties and responsibilities of forensic physicians, providing indispensable tools for future medical practitioners regardless of their future specialisation, and limiting the increasing use of defensive medicine. In conclusion, it is imperative for governments to implement measures directed at diminishing the risk of burnout arising from the ongoing pressure associated with the fear of medicolegal litigation, encompassing both criminal and civil contexts.

Comparison of Learning Outcomes Among Medical Students in Thailand to Determine the Right Time to Teach Forensic Medicine: Retrospective Study

Background

Forensic medicine requires background medical knowledge and the ability to apply it to legal cases. Medical students have different levels of medical knowledge and are therefore likely to perform differently when learning forensic medicine. However, different medical curricula in Thailand deliver forensic medicine courses at different stages of medical study; most curricula deliver these courses in the clinical years, while others offer them in the preclinical years. This raises questions about the differences in learning effectiveness.

Objective

We aimed to compare the learning outcomes of medical students in curricula that either teach forensic medicine at the clinical level or teach it at the preclinical level.

Methods

This was a 5-year retrospective study that compared multiple-choice question (MCQ) scores in a forensic medicine course for fifth- and third-year medical students. The fifth-year students' program was different from that of the third-year students, but both programs were offered by Mahidol University. The students were taught forensic medicine by the same instructors, used similar content, and were evaluated via examinations of similar difficulty. Of the 1063 medical students included in this study, 782 were fifth-year clinical students, and 281 were third-year preclinical students.

Results

The average scores of the fifth- and third-year medical students were 76.09% (SD 6.75%) and 62.94% (SD 8.33%), respectively. The difference was statistically significant (Kruskal-Wallis test: P<.001). Additionally, the average score of fifth-year medical students was significantly higher than that of third-year students in every academic year (all P values were <.001).

Conclusions

Teaching forensic medicine during the preclinical years may be too early, and preclinical students may not understand the clinical content sufficiently. Attention should be paid to ensuring that students have the adequate clinical background before teaching subjects that require clinical applications, especially in forensic medicine.

The Silver Lining of Posttraumatic Growth around the Dark Side of the COVID-19 Pandemic: A School-Based Intervention with Mindfulness and Character Strengths Practices among Children

The theory of posttraumatic growth (PTG) proposes that from life difficulties positive changes can happen, such as deepened personal relationships and an awareness of new possibilities in life. PTG can occur naturally or can be facilitated. This study aimed to promote PTG through a school-based intervention of eight sessions of 45 min each with mindfulness and character strengths practices (the so-called "The exploration of happiness during the COVID-19 pandemic"). The study conducted assessments at baseline, post-intervention, and follow-up (i.e., one month after the intervention). The post-intervention results showed that the participants in the intervention group experienced an improvement in PTG, well-being, mindfulness, strengths use, and PTS symptoms compared to the children in the control group. Furthermore, these positive changes were sustained at follow-up. The findings of this study highlight that mindfulness-based strengths practices can increase positive outcomes (i.e., well-being, posttraumatic growth) and reduce negative psychological symptoms (PTS) among children. The implications for theory and practice are discussed, and detailed appendices for practitioners are provided.

Workplace violence against healthcare workers: an umbrella review of systematic reviews and meta-analyses

OBJECTIVES

The aim of this umbrella review of systematic reviews and meta-analyses was to address workplace violence (WPV) against healthcare workers (HCWs). Several systematic reviews exist in the literature, but the diversity of settings, population considered, and type of violence investigated make it difficult to gain insight and use the vast amount of available data to implement policies to tackle WPV. With this in mind, we conducted an umbrella review of systematic reviews and meta-analyses on WPV against HCWs to examine the global prevalence of the phenomena and its features.

STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS

Following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines, PubMed, Scopus, and ISI Web of Science were searched for relevant systematic reviews and meta-analyses published in English up to November 2022. Data on authors, year, country, violence type, prevalence (pooled and not), setting, population, and specific considerations were extracted.

RESULTS

A total of 32 systematic reviews were included, 19 of which performed a meta-analysis, investigating overall, physical, and non-physical violence. Even considering the variability of the data, the COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated the scale of the problem. From our review, we found that overall violence prevalence among HCWs was reported to be as high as 78.9%, and nurses working in psychiatric wards were the professionals most impacted.

CONCLUSION

In conclusion, this umbrella review revealed a high prevalence of WPV among HCWs, which varies between countries, population subgroups, and detection methods. Strengthening recognition of the problem could lead to appropriate local and international strategies to address it.

An evaluation of Italian medical students attitudes and knowledge regarding forensic medicine

INTRODUCTION

This study aims to assess students' knowledge of forensic medicine concepts and their opinions regarding the course taught during the degree course in Medicine and Surgery in an Italian university. Consequently, the study aims to assess the impact of the course on the students' knowledge and attitude in choosing a medical residency.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

A cross-sectional study was conducted through an anonymous web-based survey of medical students at the Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore. Descriptive and univariate analysis were conducted.

RESULTS

1166 students completed the survey. The forensic medicine course appears to be extremely important in providing training in the fundamental concepts of forensic medicine, especially professional liability, defensive medicine, and forensic pathology. Attending autopsies is important during the course, and their number should be more than ten. Additionally, univariate analysis demonstrates that students' awareness of forensic medicine topics, such as the function of the forensic physicians, professional liability, and defensive medicine, improves in the fifth or sixth year of the course. After the course, more students would choose to pursue a nonclinical and nonsurgical specialty, and forensic medicine specifically, for their residency.

CONCLUSIONS

The forensic medicine course has the task of defining the duties and responsibilities of forensic physicians, providing indispensable tools for future medical practitioners, regardless of their future specialisation, and limiting the increasing use of defensive medicine. In conclusion, we recommend further multicenter studies to evaluate the role and direct effect of undergraduate forensic medicine courses on students and on the quality of practice.

Medical Residents' Behaviours toward Compulsory COVID-19 Vaccination in a Tertiary Hospital in Italy

To maintain safety conditions in the provision of care and assistance, and to protect healthcare workers (HCWs) and patients, the Italian government required compulsory COVID-19 vaccination for HCWs, including medical residents (MRs). The aim of this study was to assess COVID-19 vaccination coverage in MRs in a large tertiary hospital in Italy, before and after the introduction of compulsory vaccination, according to demographic characteristics and specific residency. A database on COVID-19 vaccination status and infection of resident medical doctors was created. Descriptive statistics and logistic regressions were carried out on the data. A total of 1894 MRs were included in the study. Being vaccinated in the same hospital as the residency program was significantly related to the year of residency and being enrolled in a frontline residency. A significant association between compliance with the compulsory primary cycle vaccination and vaccination in the hospital residency was observed. Being enrolled in the second, third, and last years of residency, and in a frontline residency, were predictive of being vaccinated in the residency hospital. Almost 100% of the MRs participating in the study were vaccinated against COVID-19. Compulsory vaccination of HCWs, alongside greater and clearer information about the risks and benefits of vaccination, represents an important booster to ensure public health and to promote quality and safety of care.