Objectives: The objective of this study was to compare empathy levels between first year and second year medical students at a Malaysian University. Setting: A Malaysian University offering undergraduate medicine. Participants: 204 undergraduate medical students were included in the data analysis (122 first years, and 102 second years). Main outcome measure: Self-reported empathy scores using the Jefferson Scale of Physician Empathy (Student Version) JSPE-S. Results: The mean empathy score for first year students was 112.1(SD=10.7). This was significantly higher (p<0.038; d=0.31) than second year students (mean=108.8, SD=10.4). No significant difference relating to gender was identified. Conclusion: Cross-sectional results from this study found that that there were differences in self-reported empathy scores between year one and year two students. Further research is required to ascertain if these differences are maintained as students’ progress thought their medical degree, and whether other factors such as internships, medical rotations or clinical supervision have any impact of medical students’ empathy levels.
Students, Medical

A study was done to assess and compare the levels of infection control practices amongst Year 3, 4 and 5 undergraduate dental students at the Faculty of Dentistry, University of Malaya, Malaysia. This study also compared the levels of infection control practices between the operators and the assistants performing a similar task. A checklist was designed based on the Infection Control Guidelines published by the Faculty of Dentistry. The audit checklist criteria were specific to the operators and assistants or common to both. 10 pairs of students (operators and assistants) were randomly selected from Polyclinics A, B and C, representing Year 3, 4 and 5 students respectively (n=60). The subjects were audited as soon as they entered the clinic, during treatment and up until they exited the polyclinic. The data collected were analysed using SPSS and Rasch model. Year 3 students performed better infection control practices (1.43 logit) followed by Year 5 (0.96 logit) and Year 4 (0.94 logit) students. The operators in Year 5 and the assistants in Year 3 and 4 were more compliant to infection control practices. 100% of students complied with removal of gown before leaving the clinic. However, only 1.7% of dental students wore protective goggles or face shield during treatment and disinfected prostheses before and after inserting into patient’s mouth. Introduction and reinforcement of infection control practices should be incorporated at the beginning of each academic year for all students to allow for better practice and delivery of treatment to patients.
Students, Dental

Background: Misinterpretation of abbreviations by healthcare workers has been reported to compromise patient safety. Medical students are future doctors. We explored how early medical students acquired the practice of using abbreviations, and their ability to interpret commonly used abbreviations in medical practice. Method: Eighty junior and 74 senior medical students were surveyed using a self-administered questionnaire designed to capture demographic data; frequency and reasons for using abbreviations; from where abbreviations were learned; frequency of encountering abbreviations in medical practice; prevalence of mishaps due to misinterpretation; and the ability of students to correctly interpret commonly used abbreviations. Comparisons were made between senior and junior medical students. Results: Abbreviation use was highly prevalent among junior and senior medical students. They acquired the habit mainly from the clinical notes of doctors in the hospital. They used abbreviations mainly to save time, space and avoid writing in full sentences. The students experienced difficulties, frustrations and often resorted to guesswork when interpreting abbreviations; with junior students experiencing these more than senior students. The latter were better at interpreting standard and nonstandard abbreviations. Nevertheless, the students felt the use of abbreviations was necessary and acceptable. Only a few students reported encountering mishaps in patient management as a result of misinterpretation of abbreviations. Conclusion: Medical students acquired the habit of using abbreviations early in their training. Senior students knew more and correctly interpreted more standard and non-standard abbreviations compared to junior students. Medical students should be taught to use standard abbreviations only.
Students, Medical

Background: Levels of physical activity are thought to decline from childhood to early adulthood. Understanding the level of physical activity and its associated factors among undergraduate students is critical to promote health benefits and reduce their risk for certain diseases. Objectives: This study aimed to identify the factors that are associated with the level of physical activity among undergraduate students. Methodology: In this cross-sectional, observational study, the physical activity of 489 undergraduate students enrolled in the University of the Philippines Manila was measured. Physical activity was measured using the Global Physical Activity Questionnaire Version 2. Multiple linear regression was done to analyze the association between physical activity and variables including age, sex, belonging to degree-granting units that do clinical placements, year level, current enrolment in physical education course, and membership in sportsrelated organization. Results: Students were, on average, physically active 112 minutes per day and sedentary 536 minutes per day. Enrolment in a physical education course (B 79, 95% CI 44 to 115), membership in sports-related organization (B 105, 95% CI 54 to 157), and sedentary time (B -0.13, 95% CI -0.19 to -0.07) were associated with the level of physical activity. These three variables explained 10% of the variance in physical activity. Conclusion Undergraduate students were physically active but spent most of their day sedentary. Physical activity was associated with enrolment in a physical education course, membership in a sports-related organization, and sedentary time. Results of this study could inform decisions on strategies to facilitate active lifestyles for students to carry over healthy physical activity habits into adulthood.
Exercise ; Students

Background: Life in a medical school is stressful for just about every medical student. Academic stress in small doses heightens the energy and awareness, giving one that mood most refer to as “pumped up” or “wired”. When the incremental progression of stress brought about by health and emotional factors compounded by social and fi nancial problems, overwhelmingly surpasses one’s ability to cope, it leads to feelings of being “burnt out” or “stressed out”. It can have a negative impact on a medical student’s cognitive and psychological functioning resulting in poor academic performance. Each person has his or her own unique way of dealing with it; some may outwit pressure without a bad outcome, while others just simply succumb to it. Purpose: A vast majority of research on academic stress is centered on its contributing factors and how they affect other aspects of students’ lives. Coping mechanisms and effective ways in dealing with stress have also been delved into, but none have dwelt on a study of the medical students’ lived experience of academic stress. There was no study found in literature which examined and collectively characterized the different phases that medical students go through in coping with academic stress, hence the impetus to undertake this study. Anchored on the Transactional Model of coping with stress, this study was undertaken to answer the central question: How do Filipino medical students collectively characterize the phases they undergo in coping with the stresses in medical school? Design: The methodological underpinnings of this study are based on phenomenology. The objective of Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) is to understand how a particular phenomenon is constituted from the participant’s perspective. It offers researchers the opportunity to learn from the insights of experts – the research participants themselves. The respondents’ insights were gathered through narratives culled through a guided semi-structured questionnaire patterned after social networking sites, allowing the respondents to liberally exploit their voices and thoughts. Narrative accounts gathered focused on the medical student’s daily activities, matters that precipitate anxiety, their views on stress, and methods of coping. Through cool and warm analyses, the narratives were ultimately subjected to phenomenological reduction. Findings : Fascinatingly, after subjecting the narratives to a thorough and comprehensive phenomenological analysis, six emergent themes surfaced which collectively characterized the phases our respondent medical students underwent in coping with academic stress: Self-effacement Phase (Sensing inner trepidation), Self-awareness Phase (Settling in new surroundings), Self-weariness Phase (Struggling through stress) Self-attentiveness Phase (Staying focused to survive), Self-equilibrium Phase (Sustaining a state of symmetry), and Self-mastery Phase (Striving towards sovereignty and satisfaction). The “Tightrope” is a representation that lucidly embodies these six themes. Conclusion Our respondents have experienced substantial challenges in medicine: they surmounted their inner trepidation; settled and acclimatized to their new surroundings; gained the courage to outwit stress and struggles; fought to strive, survive and stay focused; learned to maintain a state of balance and symmetry; and fi nally lived up to a sense of sovereignty and self-satisfaction. It is just a matter of perspective and attitude that demarcates a victor from a slacker.
Students, Medical

Background: The medical curriculum is one of the most stressful academic curricula worldwide. Studies indicate that great levels of stress, that encompass academics to personal life, may be connected to a number of worrying statistics for the mental health of Philippine medical students. Objectives: To develop a validated stressor-coping style scale for students in a public medical school. Methods: The study employed a sequential mixed-methods design. An open-ended questionnaire was used to determine the common stressors and coping styles through convenience sampling. A scale was constructed from this data and was statistically tested for concurrent validity and reliability from a random sample. Results: Following thematic analysis, an initial six stressor domains and eleven coping mechanisms were identified. However, after item analysis and principal component analysis of responses, the scale was transformed to seven stressor domains and five coping mechanism domains. All of which are deemed internally consistent (α>0.6). Scores from the scale were also convergent with the scores of Brief COPE (r=0.5 to 0.9). Conclusions The developed stressor-coping style scale for medical students is a reliable and valid tool for Filipino medical students in a public medical school.
Students, Medical

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has greatly affected the sports industry, postponing events worldwide. To adapt to the situation, athletes have been forced to train at home. Bubble training was introduced to provide a safe and conducive training environment while adhering to government health protocols. However, concerns have emerged regarding the set-up’s implementation. Objective: The study aims to explore the lived experiences of UAAP Season 84 and NCAA Season 97 student-athletes who underwent bubble training. Methods: The study will employ a qualitative phenomenological approach based on Seligman's Well-Being Theory. A purposive sampling technique will be used to recruit at least seven eligible student-athletes. Data will be collected through on-site or online interviews using a semi-structured interview guide to reveal a narrative of the student-athletes' bubble training experiences, common themes, and patterns. Deductive thematic analysis approach will be used with the help of the NVivo software program. Expected Results This study is expected to develop themes from the daily bubble training routines, habits, coping strategies, and perceived thoughts and feelings of Filipino collegiate student-athletes, regarding their emotions, engagement, relationships, meaning, and achievement in bubble training. This may provide insights to the government, educational institutions, and athletic associations on possible comprehensive guidelines if they plan to implement bubble training when the need arises.
Athletes ; Students

In May 1999, we performed a study of evaluation of HBV infection by ELISA techniques for HBsAg, Anti-HBs and Anti- HBc in the sera. 206 medical students(2 -year grade, Faculty of Medicine, Ho Chi Minh City) were enrolled with the following results: 112(54%) students without infection (HbsAg (-), Anti- HBs (+), 16(8%) carriers with 14(6%) having HbsAg (+) and 2(2%) infected only with Anti-HBc (+). Of the 16 carriers, there were 2 cases with hepatitis (ALT>= 100UI/I). In conclusion, with our findings, we noted that 8% medical students were carriers, they need an adequate information for preventing the contamination between health -care providers and patients, 54% students need urgently a vaccine for protecting themselves from the HBV infection.
Hepatitis B ; Students ; Students, Medical

PURPOSE: This study aims to analyze the characteristics of discussion materials that promote student participation in discussions, satisfaction with student instruction, and tutor intervention in the medical humanities. METHODS: We surveyed 117 premedical students and 7 tutors who attended 4-week group discussions in the medical humanities in 2010. We described the discussion materials using the following 4 characteristics as independent variables: material type, level of understanding, interest, and quantity. Dependent variables were: student participation in the discussion, student instruction satisfaction, and tutor intervention. Correlation analysis, multiple regression analysis, and crosstab were performed using SPSS 15.0. RESULTS: The correlation between the characteristics of the discussion materials differed by grade. When the books were chosen as the discussion material in the instruction of first-year premedical students, the correlation between level of understanding, interest, and quantity was negative. Higher levels of understanding of the material and interest in the material led to an increase in discussion participation among both first- and second-year premedical students. Higher levels of understanding and interest of the discussion material also increased student satisfaction with the instruction, regardless of grade. Finally, levels of understanding of the material affected the degree of tutor intervention. Tutors intervened more often in discussions with first-year premedical students than with second-year premedical students. CONCLUSION: Differences in grades and the understanding of the discussion material should be considered when choosing discussion materials. Further study is required to continue the development of the discussion model and improve methods of facilitate discussion among students in the medical humanities.
Humanities ; Humans ; Students, Medical ; Students, Premedical

Medicine has dual features of humanities and natural science. Thus, it is necessary for the development of modern higher education to carry out the humanistic quality education to medical students. It is not only the request of modern medical model and medical development, but also the urgent need of the development of medical and health. Besides, it plays an important part in the cultivation of medical students. In the face of the urgent need of cultivation for comprehensive humanistic quality of oral medical students, West China School of Stomatology, Sichuan University, led in the cultivation method which is oriented by competency, give some suggestions to deal with students' lack of language ability, humanistic concern to patients and aesthetic accomplishment. And it has already achieved a better teaching effect.
China ; Dentistry ; Humanities ; Humans ; Students ; Students, Medical