INTRODUCTION: Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) poses a critical global health threat, with millions of deaths attributed to it annually. Antibiotic stewardship to combat AMR is the responsibility of all healthcare professionals. Despite evidence suggesting that it is unnecessary, dentists routinely prescribe prophylactic antibiotics following third molar (3M) surgeries. METHOD: This mixed-methods study examined the behavioural barriers influencing antibiotic prescribing practices within the Division of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery at the National University Centre for Oral Health Singapore. This study used the capability, opportunity and motivation for behavioural change or COM-B framework to implement interventions targeting the behavioural barriers. RESULTS: Pre- and post-intervention data over 6 months showed a significant reduction in antibiotic prescriptions from 84.45% to 20.89%, following the implementation of COM-B strategies (P<0.001). Qualitative feedback from focus group discussions highlighted a positive shift in clinicians' attitudes towards antibiotic reduction, acknowledging the minimal infection risk associated with non-prescribing practices. Notably, complication rates remained stable throughout the study period, indicating no adverse effects from reduced antibiotic usage. CONCLUSION These findings demonstrated that the COM-B model can be successfully applied to modify deeply ingrained prescription habits, and underscored the effectiveness of a structured behavioural change intervention in enhancing compliance with antibiotic stewardship guidelines. The study advocates continuation of initiatives to sustain this positive trend and mitigate AMR in clinical practice.
Humans ; Molar, Third/surgery* ; Anti-Bacterial Agents/therapeutic use* ; Singapore ; Antimicrobial Stewardship/methods* ; Practice Patterns, Dentists'/statistics & numerical data* ; Antibiotic Prophylaxis ; Female ; Attitude of Health Personnel ; Male ; Tooth Extraction ; Adult ; Focus Groups ; Practice Patterns, Physicians'

focus group interview was conducted with six health professionals. For quantitative research, a self-reported survey was administered. A total of 542 health professionals participated in the survey, and 526 completed the entire questionnaire. Health professionals showed positive attitudes toward precision medicine. About 95–96% of respondents agreed that precision medicine will be effective in treatment and precise diagnosis, and 69.9% reported that they would participate as study subjects. Meanwhile, they expressed concerns regarding educating patients and health professionals in precision medicine and developing research and data sharing infrastructure. Also, they emphasized the importance of developing precision medicine in an equitable way. Despite varying levels of awareness of precision medicine, the health professionals expressed a willingness to engage in precision medicine research, and recommended that health professionals work closely with policymakers to design precision medicine in a way that can be effectively adopted. Health professionals showed had a positive, but cautious, attitude toward precision medicine. The results of this study suggest areas to be addressed before ushering in precision medicine in Korea.]]>
Diagnosis ; Focus Groups ; Health Occupations ; Humans ; Information Dissemination ; Korea ; Methods ; Precision Medicine ; Qualitative Research ; Surveys and Questionnaires

OBJECTIVES: A Womans University College of Medicine faces curriculum reform in 2020. To determine what reforms are needed in the premedical curriculum, a needs assessment was conducted.METHODS: This study utilizes qualitative study method. A focus group interview was conducted with four students who completed premedical courses from November to December 2018. Interviews were conducted in two groups by grade level, and each interview was recorded. After transcribing the recorded contents, four researchers analyzed the data using conventional content analysis.RESULTS: Students chose A Womans University College of Medicine considering their future careers as female medical professionals and other considerations such as scholarships. The students expected diverse experiences, exchanges with students in different departments, and fusion of medicine with other fields during their premedical years. Overall, these expectations were met during the course, but individual needs for customized education, such as liberal arts, were unmet. In general, students' attitudes toward premedical courses were very motivated and they actively used resources provided by the university.CONCLUSION: Qualitative research can provide a better understanding of quantitative data, such as a student survey performed to prepare for curriculum reform. Based on this understanding, the curriculum will be reformed to reflect the educational needs of students, to motivate students and to provide satisfactory education.
Curriculum ; Education ; Education, Medical ; Fellowships and Scholarships ; Female ; Focus Groups ; Humans ; Methods ; Needs Assessment ; Program Evaluation ; Qualitative Research ; Students, Premedical

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to define and clarify the concept of political competence for nurses.METHODS: A hybrid model method was used to investigate the dimensions, attributes, and definitions of the concept. In the theoretical stage of the study, literature on nursing, politics, and other discipline were reviewed. In the fieldwork stage, individual in-depth interviews and focus groups interviews were conducted with politically seasoned experts or activists who had an understanding of the concept of political competence for extensive descriptions in nursing and field of health care.RESULTS: The concept of political competence was represented in four dimensions as political knowledge, political efficacy, political interaction, and political activity. In the political knowledge dimension, there were three attributes, namely, political knowledge, political information and systematic analysis ability. The political efficacy dimension had three attributes of internal political efficacy, external political efficacy, and self-pride of nursing profession. The political interaction dimension had three attributes of organizations and community service, networking, and persuasive power. The political activity dimension had six attributes of political leadership, political expression, assertive behavior, political advocacy, political participation, and policy intervention.CONCLUSION: This concept development might provide a basic understanding of developing a measurement tool and for constructing a theory promoting nurses' political competence.
Concept Formation ; Delivery of Health Care ; Focus Groups ; Leadership ; Mental Competency ; Methods ; Nursing ; Politics ; Professional Competence ; Seasons ; Social Welfare

BACKGROUND: Physical activity levels are low among adolescents in Morocco; however, the influences on physical activity behavior of adolescents have not yet been explored in a qualitative study. Here, we explored potential social-ecological barriers and facilitators of physical activity in Moroccan adolescents with the goal of developing a successful intervention program aimed at improving their physical activity level. METHODS: For this study, we conducted 17 focus group discussions (100 participants, composed of 56 adolescents, 26 parents, and 18 teachers from two middle schools in Taza city, Morocco). Discussions during focus groups were facilitated by a semi-structured interview guide. Guide questions were underpinned by the social-ecological model as a theoretical framework. Data analysis was carried out by two coders using thematic analysis. RESULTS: We found that barriers and facilitators of physical activity in adolescents are organized into six themes that belong to different levels of the social-ecological model. Three themes belonged to the intrapersonal level (perceived motivating and limiting factors, physical activity awareness, and time constraints), two themes were classified into the interpersonal/cultural level (social support and gender and cultural norms), and one theme belonged to the environmental level (access to opportunities). Most of the themes were at the individual level, with each theme including both barriers and facilitators. CONCLUSIONS Adolescent participation in physical activity can be facilitated or hampered by many factors. Results from the focus group discussions showed that these factors belonged to different levels of the social-ecological model, but most were at the individual level. Our findings have several implications. First, they may offer suggestions for a tailored intervention program aimed at improving adolescent physical activity. Second, they can improve quantitative research by enriching the battery of questions of physical activity instruments (e.g., a question related to physical disability). Third, the proposed thematic map can contribute to understanding interactions and causal pathways in the social-ecological model.
Adolescent ; Adolescent Behavior ; psychology ; Exercise ; psychology ; Female ; Focus Groups ; Humans ; Male ; Morocco ; Parents ; psychology ; Qualitative Research ; Risk Factors ; School Teachers ; psychology ; Social Environment ; Students ; psychology

PURPOSE: The purpose of the study is to understand the experiences of career exploration among nursing students during their clinical practice and to develop a theoretical framework for the career exploration process. METHODS: From February 2 to 28, 2015, data were collected through focus group interviews from 24 participating fourth-year nursing students. The data were analyzed using grounded theory. RESULTS: The central phenomenon of 'confusion between the ideal and the reality of nursing' occurred in contexts for various reasons of choosing one's major, nurses in the ideal, a vague fear of the field, arduous nursing assignments in the field, and severe adversity in the nursing field. Nursing students tried to deal with their confusion by using interaction strategies such as pursuing the intrinsic value of nursing, finding role models, trying to project oneself, and preparing for adapting to reality. The career exploration process in clinical practice was a voyage to discover the authentic nurse of the pre-registration nurse. CONCLUSION: This result shows that nursing students were to gain confidence in their career choices by finding the value of nursing and interacting with patients. Therefore, opportunities for learning experiences about interaction with patients and various positive experiences in clinical practice should be provided for nursing students.
Career Choice ; Focus Groups ; Grounded Theory ; Humans ; Learning ; Nursing ; Nursing, Practical ; Qualitative Research ; Students, Nursing

PURPOSE: This study aimed to explore and understand nursing students' nunchi experiences in clinical practice. METHODS: Participants were nursing students in the third and fourth years who had clinical experience. A total of 20 nursing students were divided into three focus groups based on their grade levels and gender. Data were collected from December 2017 to March 2018 through focus group interviews and were analyzed via Colaizzi's phenomenological methodology. RESULTS: The study results consisted of 5 theme clusters, 11 themes, and 24 subthemes. These clusters were: confusion about ambiguous behavioral standards, effort in following social norms, concern about getting hurt, physical and psychological exhaustion, and forming social attitudes. CONCLUSION: These results show that nunchi has positive and negative effects on the clinical practice of nursing students. We need to improve the causes of nunchi, which can have a negative impact on clinical practice.
Focus Groups ; Humans ; Nursing ; Social Norms ; Students, Nursing

PURPOSE: The objective of this phenomenological study was to explore nursing students' emotional experiences in the school life. METHODS: Twenty-four nursing students participated in the study. Data were collected from May 2017 to February 2018 using focus group interviews and later analyzed using the Colaizzi's method. RESULTS: In our study, 311 meanings were obtained from the participants, including 19 sub-themes and seven theme clusters. The seven theme clusters were; ‘looking back on the past,’ ‘face to reality,’ ‘recognizing me,’ ‘anxiety about uncertainty,’ ‘nursing student's way,’ ‘looking around,’ and ‘patting for my mind.’ The emotional experiences of nursing students in college life were classified into four categories: ‘self-reflection for growth,’ ‘discovery for growth,’ ‘hoping for growth,’ and ‘search for the growth.’ CONCLUSION: Although nursing students may be equally exposed to anxious and stressful situations, their activities, adaptability and levels of achievement vary depending on emotional experiences of each person. Considering the continuous curriculum of nursing, it is necessary to develop emotional management strategies and relevant training programs considering different types and levels of emotional issues for the nursing students.
Curriculum ; Education ; Focus Groups ; Humans ; Methods ; Nursing ; Qualitative Research ; Students, Nursing

OBJECTIVES: The study purpose is to develop a content system for a healthy dietary education program for after-school care in lower grade in elementary school. METHODS: The contents of healthy dietary education in the 2015 revised curriculum and textbooks and the major education programs related to dietary life that are currently used in elementary school education were analyzed. Focus group interviews were held with field experts related to lower grade in elementary care class. Accordingly, the structuring of the education area and the detailed education contents were systematized. RESULTS: From the analysis results, the contents of curriculum, textbook, and administrative department were classified as hygiene safety, health, and culture. The goal of the educational content system was divided into three areas: nutritional dietary life, food hygiene and health, and food culture. The subjects consisted of dietary balance, healthy body weight, digestion and absorption, food hygiene, Korean agricultural products, traditional food, and table manners. The curriculum was composed of 12 content elements. CONCLUSIONS: In order to ensure that after-school care students can grow into healthy, growth-oriented and creative talents, the role of the caring guide is important, and associated guidelines are needed in the future.
Absorption ; Aptitude ; Body Weight ; Curriculum ; Digestion ; Education ; Focus Groups ; Humans ; Hygiene

OBJECTIVES: This study was conducted to investigate the current difficulties surrounding children's obesity management and evaluate the application of a mobile phone as a tool to overcome such difficulties of obesity management from the perspective of main caregivers of elementary school students. METHODS: The qualitative data were collected through 3 focus group interviews including 6 full-time housewives, 7 mothers with overweight children, and 4 working mothers. Data were analyzed using a thematic approach. RESULTS: The limitations of current children's obesity management included difficulty in diet management and exercise as well as challenges of setting goals and lack of support at the household and school levels. Mobile technology may be useful to overcome the current problems by providing real-time knowledge on diet management and physical activity, online compensation scheme according to goal setting, and interactive environmental supports at both household and school levels for promoting overall health. CONCLUSIONS: The mobile-based multiple support program may assist in overcoming the current limitations of child obesity management by providing tailored information and by creating a more supportive environment.
Caregivers ; Cell Phones ; Child ; Compensation and Redress ; Diet ; Family Characteristics ; Focus Groups ; Humans ; Mothers ; Motor Activity ; Obesity ; Overweight ; Parents ; Pediatric Obesity