The Dutch residency educational climate test: construct and concurrent validation in Spanish language

Educational climate of a pathology residency program at a tertiary care hospital

Evaluating educational climate (EC) is imperative for ensuring postgraduate trainees' competencies and quality in residency training programs. This study assessed the EC experiences of pathology postgraduate residents (PGRs) during their postgraduate training in pathology residency programs-a cross-sectional study design assigned EC scores in the pathology residency program at a prestigious institution in Islamabad, which were measured using the Dutch Residency Educational Climate Test (D-RECT) questionnaire. Scores from the D-RECT were employed to conduct descriptive statistics and comparison of means across groups to evaluate EC scores by years of training and compared to assess where the differences were located. Among FCPS-II pathology residents, most of whom were females (94.4%), the mean age was 28.11±2.91 years. A mean positive score was observed among all pathology residents (M≥3.6) for all D-RECT subscales except for the feedback subscale: the average score for feedback was below the average mean score of 3.6 (M = 3.19). A significant difference p = 0.016 was observed in EC scores across different groups through the Analysis of Variances (ANOVA) test. The most significant difference was between less than two and greater than two groups p = 0.027, followed by the difference between equal to two groups and greater than two groups p = 0.052. Overall, positive scores for EC in the pathology residency program were observed. Thus, targeted interventions are needed to increase feedback scores and address observed differences in EC scores by years of training.

The postgraduate medical educational climate assessed by the Danish Residency Educational Climate Test (DK-RECT): a validation and cross-sectional observational study

BACKGROUND

A good educational climate is essential for delivering high-quality training for medical trainees, professional development, and patient care. The aim of this study was to (1) validate the Dutch Residency Educational Climate Test (D-RECT) in a Danish setting and (2) describe and evaluate the educational climate among medical trainees.

METHODS

D-RECT was adopted in a three-step process: translation of D-RECT into Danish (DK-RECT), psychometric validation, and evaluation of educational climate. Trainees from 31 medical specialties at Copenhagen University Hospital - Rigshospitalet, Denmark were asked to complete an online survey in a cross-sectional study.

RESULTS

We performed a forward-backward translation from Dutch to Danish. Confirmatory factor analysis showed that DK-RECT was robust and valid. The reliability analysis showed that only seven trainees from one specialty were needed for a reliable result. With 304 trainees completing DK-RECT, the response rate was 68%. The subsequent analysis indicated a positive overall educational climate, with a median score of 4.0 (interquartile range (IQR): 3.0-5.0) on a five-point Likert scale. Analysis of the subscales showed that the subscale Feedback received the lowest ratings, while Supervision and Peer collaboration were evaluated highest.

CONCLUSIONS

Psychometric validation of D-RECT in a Danish context demonstrated valid results on the educational climate in specialist training. DK-RECT can be used to evaluate the effectiveness of interventions in the future and can facilitate the conversation on the educational climate.

Factors influencing physician's behavioral intention to use Traditional Chinese Medicine to treat coronavirus disease 2019 based on the theory of planned behavior

OBJECTIVE

To explore the factors influencing physicians' intentions to use Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) to treat coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

METHODS

A cross-sectional, self-report online survey was conducted from March 16, 2020, to April 2, 2020, in China. Participants were recruited through convenience and snowball sampling. Data were collected by using a self-designed questionnaire based on the Theory of Planned Behavior. Structural equation modeling was used for data analysis.

RESULTS

A total of 494 physicians were enrolled in this study. Overall, the model explained 75.4% and 75.5% of the total variance in intention and attitude, respectively. Specifically, attitudes (β = 0.467, P < 0.001), past behavior (β = 0.384, P < 0.05), subjective norms (SN) (β = 0.177, P < 0.001), and perceived behavioral control (PBC) (β = 0.133, P < 0.05) significantly affected physicians' intention to use TCM. Cognition (β = 0.606, P < 0.001) and PBC (β = 0.569, P < 0.01) significantly influenced physicians' attitudes toward using TCM. SN (β = 0.064, P = 0.263) was not a factor affecting attitude.

CONCLUSION

Physicians' intention to use TCM was significantly associated with attitude, past behavior, PBC, and SN. The findings may not only be useful for understanding the influencing factors and paths of physicians' intention to use TCM to treat COVID-19 but also provide a reference for health authorities and policymakers to promote physicians to utilize TCM.

Learning climate and work engagement in clinical residents: The relationship with human self-determination

Introduction: The learning climate is a factor associated with the clinical resident’s engagement in work activities and the improvement of students’ well-being in the workplace through their self-determination during clinical rotation. Objective: To determine the relationship between the learning climate measured with the D-RECT 35 scale and residents’ self-determination and commitment to work using the UWES 17 scale. Materials and methods: We conducted a cross-sectional correlational study with residents of surgical medical specialties in clinical rotation at the practice site and who completed the measurement questionnaires. Results: We evaluated 188 residents of clinical specialties. The median of the results in the learning climate scale was 3.9/5.0; in the self-determination scale, 4.86/7.0, and in the job engagement scale, 5.0/6.0. The learning climate was considered adequate and a positive relationship was found with self-determination and the residents’ attachment to their activities; these correlations were statistically significant. Conclusions: Adequate learning climates are positively related to the ability to engage in work activities and the self-determination of clinical residents as they favor collaborative work and access to supervision generating greater autonomy and more enthusiasm and dedication to assigned activities. This can drive improvements in educational programs in clinical departments and translate into safer patient care.

El estado de la investigación en educación en cirugía general en Colombia (2000-2020): un análisis bibliométrico

Introducción. Se desconoce el estado de la investigación en educación médica en cirugía general (IEMC) en Colombia en el siglo XXI. El objetivo de esta revisión bibliométrica de la literatura es realizar un análisis de las publicaciones relacionadas con la IEMC en Colombia a partir del año 2000. Métodos. Se incluyeron artículos originales, escritos en español o inglés, publicados por grupos de investigación que cuentan al menos con un investigador colombiano como autor principal o coautor. Se definieron variables demográficas e indicadores bibliométricos para cada estudio y autor. Resultados. Un total de 63 estudios fueron incluidos. Estas publicaciones se enfocaron predominantemente en investigación sobre bienestar, enseñanza clínica y simulación a nivel de postgrado. El 36 % de los artículos sobre IEMC fueron publicados en revistas sin indexación (ISI/SCOPUS); 13 artículos (20,6 %) fueron publicados en revistas en el cuartil 1 (Q1). El promedio de citas por artículo fue 9,3. Discusión. La producción intelectual en educación en cirugía en Colombia tiene bajo impacto a nivel internacional. Los hallazgos encontrados pueden ser utilizados para organizar y priorizar la investigación en educación quirúrgica en el país.

Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on intention to use traditional Chinese medicine: A cross-sectional study based on the theory of planned behavior

Objective

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has become an increasingly severe public health emergency. Although traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) has helped to combat COVID-19, public perception of TCM remains controversial. We used the theory of planned behavior (TPB) to identify factors that affect the intention to use TCM.

Methods

A cross-sectional web-based survey of 10,824 individuals from the general public was conducted between March 16 and April 2, 2020. The participants were recruited using a snowball sampling method. Data were collected using a self-administered questionnaire, based on the TPB. The questionnaire consisted of demographic characteristics and TPB structures. Structural equation modeling was used to identify predictors of intention.

Results

The results indicated the model explained 77.5% and 71.9% of intention and attitude variance. Intention to use TCM had the strongest relationship with attitude (P < 0.001), followed by past behavior (P < 0.001), subjective norms (P < 0.001) and perceived behavioral control (P < 0.001). Attitudes toward TCM were significantly affected by perceived behavioral control (P < 0.001), subjective norms (P < 0.001) and cognition of TCM (P < 0.001).

Conclusion

Attitude is a key factor in determining the intention to use TCM, followed by past behaviors, subjective norms and perceived behavioral control. Our results offer important implications for health policy makers to promote the use of TCM.

Validation of the French translation of the Dutch residency educational climate test

BACKGROUND

The learning environment is one of the most influential factors in training of medical residents. The Dutch Residency Educational Climate Test (D-RECT) is one of the strongest instruments for measuring the learning environment. However, it has not been translated in French. The objective of this study is the psychometric validation of the DRECT French version.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

After translation of the D-RECT questionnaire into French, residents of five Moroccan hospitals were invited to complete the questionnaire between July and September 2018. Confirmatory factor analysis was used to evaluate the validity of the construct using the standardized root mean square residual (SRMR), the root mean square error approximation (RMSEA), the Comparative Fit Index (CFI) and the Tucker- Lewis Index (TLI). Reliability analysis was analysed using Internal consistency and Test-retest.

RESULTS

During the study period, 211 residents completed the questionnaire. Confirmatory factor analysis showed an adequate model fit with the following indicators: SRMR = 0.058 / RMSEA = 0.07 / CFI = 0.88 / TLI = 0.87. The French translation had a good internal consistency (Cronbach alpha score >  0.7 for all subscales) and a good temporal stability (correlation score between two measurements = 0.89).

CONCLUSION

This French version has an acceptable validity of the construct, a good internal consistency and good temporal reliability, and may be used to evaluate the learning climate. Additional research is necessary in other French-speaking contexts, in order to confirm these results.