BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE

Given the rigors of medical training with its high documented prevalence of mental issues as well as the global need to safeguard the well-being of medical students, there is an urgency to assess the well-being of medical students and their perception of support from their respective medical schools during their education. This also applies in the context of public medical school students in the Philippines, where there is still a relative lack of literature. This cross-sectional study investigates the well-being and such perceptions of medical students at the University of the Philippines College of Medicine (UPCM).

The study uses a quantitative approach using a subset of secondary data from a college-wide survey online that was disseminated, through convenience sampling, to medical students from October 3, 2018 to December 3, 2018. A total of 432 responses were included in the analysis, out of the total student population of the included learning unit levels of 809. Participants were grouped based on their entry into medical school, either through the Integrated Liberal Arts and Medicine (INTARMED) program or lateral entry. Exclusion criteria comprised responses from Learning Unit I-II (pre-medical proper) students and incomplete survey sets. Responses were interpreted using established scales such as the World Health Organization Well-Being Index (WHO-5), Perceived Stress Scale-4 (PSS-4), and Oldenburg Burnout Inventory-Medical Student (OLBI-MS). Data analysis involved statistical techniques including one-way ANOVA and independent samples t-test using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS).

The findings suggest that medical students at UPCM generally find the administrative and academic systems satisfactory, but express concerns about inadequate educational resources and infrastructure, especially as they progress through their studies and engage more with clinical settings like the Philippine General Hospital (PGH). As students advance through the program, there are different patterns for wellbeing outcomes, including decreasing perceived stress and increasing burnout. In particular, LU IV and LU VII students reported lower well-being and higher burnout levels, respectively. This is potentially due to heavier workloads and clinical responsibilities. Lateral entrants, who are older and typically enter with prior degrees, tend to have higher well-being and lower burnout compared to INTARMED students, suggesting age and previous educational experience may play a role in adjustment and coping mechanisms.

Overall, the study highlights the medical students’ generally satisfactory perception of medical educational aspects, as well as the patterns of wellbeing throughout their medical college experience. Furthermore, it identifies different areas for improvement to ensure effective education and student mental health. By analyzing trends across different year levels, the study provides insights for interventions and program refinements, while also suggesting avenues for further research to assess student experiences over time.

INTRODUCTION

Cardiovascular diseases (CVD) are a leading global health concern. Modifiable behavioral risk factors are increasingly recognized in young adults, especially among medical students who often live independently. This study investigated the association between living alone and modifiable cardiovascular risk factors—sleep quality, sodium intake, physical activity, and body mass index (BMI)—among medical students at UERMMMCI during the 2022-2023 academic year.

Researchers conducted an analytical cross-sectional study among 220 medical students. Validated tools were used: Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), Scored Sodium Questionnaire, International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ), and BMI classification. Researchers performed statistical analyses using Chi-square tests and calculated relative risks (RR) with 95% confidence intervals.

A significant positive association was found between living alone and poor sleep quality (RR 2.132 p = 0.047). No significant associations were observed between living alone and sodium intake (RR 0.96 p = 0.6868), physical activity (RR 1.18 p = 0.2239), or BMI (RR 1.03 p = 0.7367).

Among the studied cardiovascular risk factors, only poor sleep quality was significantly more prevalent among students living alone. These findings highlight the importance of interventions targeting sleep hygiene in this demographic.

BACKGROUND: A comprehensive understanding of the epidemiology of pediatric out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) occurring under school supervision is lacking. We aimed to comprehensively describe the characteristics and outcomes of OHCA among students in elementary schools, junior high schools, high schools, and technical colleges in Japan. METHODS: OHCA data from 2008-2021 were obtained from the SPIRITS study, which provides a nationwide database of OHCAs occurring under school supervision across Japan. We included cases in which resuscitation was attempted by emergency medical service personnel or bystanders. The cases were classified into three groups based on their etiology: cardiac, non-cardiac, and traumatic origin. The primary outcome was one-month survival with favorable neurological outcomes, defined as a Glasgow-Pittsburgh cerebral performance category of 1 or 2. The demographic characteristics, event details, and outcomes were compared across the three groups by using χ² tests for categorical variables and one-way analyses of variance for continuous variables. RESULTS: During the 14-year study period, 602 OHCA cases were confirmed, with 430 (71.4%) classified as cardiac, 91 (15.1%) as non-cardiac, and 81 (13.5%) as traumatic origin. Non-cardiac and traumatic cases were less likely to be witnessed at the time of arrest (46.2% and 42.0%, respectively) than cardiac cases (82.6%; p < 0.001). Initiation of cardiopulmonary resuscitation by bystanders was less common in non-cardiac and traumatic cases (62.6% and 42.0%, respectively) than that in cardiac cases (82.8%; p < 0.001). The delivery of defibrillation using public-access automated external defibrillators was also significantly less frequent in non-cardiac (3.3%) and traumatic cases (6.2%) than that in cardiac cases (59.8%; p < 0.001). Ventricular fibrillation (VF) as the first documented rhythm was observed in 77.9% of cardiac cases but was much less common in non-cardiac (5.5%) and traumatic cases (8.6%; p < 0.001). One-month survival with favorable neurological outcomes was significantly lower in non-cardiac (6.6%) and traumatic cases (0%) than that in cardiac cases (50.2%; p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS OHCAs of cardiac origin were more frequently associated with VF and had relatively good prognoses. In contrast, OHCAs of non-cardiac and traumatic origins consistently resulted in poor outcomes, highlighting the critical importance of prevention strategies to reduce the occurrence of these incidents.
Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest/etiology* ; Humans ; Japan/epidemiology* ; Male ; Female ; Child ; Students/statistics & numerical data* ; Schools/statistics & numerical data* ; Adolescent ; Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation/statistics & numerical data* ; Emergency Medical Services/statistics & numerical data* ; Epidemiologic Studies

Medical students need the basic skills and techniques in family counseling to holistically manage a family. E-learning as a mode of teaching family counseling was experienced by medical students due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This was a case series of ten medical students in a tertiary training hospital who described their thoughts and feelings about the e-learning platform used. A focused group discussion composed of seven students was conducted independently. The students’ perceptions on the use of e-learning were generally negative in nature. The volume of online learning materials to be studied and the poor-quality videos reflected the sudden shift to e-learning due to the pandemic. Limitations on the e-learning format resulted in the inability to recognize non-verbal gestures which was crucial in counseling. The poor internet connectivity within the students’ learning environment was a hindering factor as it prolonged the counseling. Positive perception was mainly due to the effectiveness of the instructor in teaching online family counseling. The adeptness in navigating online platforms and guidance to students during the demo-returndemo resulted in the achievement of the expected outcomes of the workshop. The high preference to face-to-face mode may be attributed to the number of negative perceptions by the students.

Medical students need the basic skills and techniques in family counseling to holistically manage a family. E-learning as a mode of teaching family counseling was experienced by medical students due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This was a case series of ten medical students in a tertiary training hospital who described their thoughts and feelings about the e-learning platform used. A focused group discussion composed of seven students was conducted independently. The students’ perceptions on the use of e-learning were generally negative in nature. The volume of online learning materials to be studied and the poor-quality videos reflected the sudden shift to e-learning due to the pandemic. Limitations on the e-learning format resulted in the inability to recognize non-verbal gestures which was crucial in counseling. The poor internet connectivity within the students’ learning environment was a hindering factor as it prolonged the counseling. Positive perception was mainly due to the effectiveness of the instructor in teaching online family counseling. The adeptness in navigating online platforms and guidance to students during the demo-returndemo resulted in the achievement of the expected outcomes of the workshop. The high preference to face-to-face mode may be attributed to the number of negative perceptions by the students.

Simulation Training-methods (MT) ; Students, Medical.

BACKGROUND

One of the major challenges of the Philippine health system is the shortage of “primary care physicians”. With the passage of the Universal Health Care Law in the Philippines in 2019, there is an increased demand for primary care physicians to improve population-wide access to basic primary care service.

This study was done to determine the factors involved in the inclination of medical students in the National Capital Region (NCR) to become primary care physicians.

A qualitative study, particularly a phenomenological approach, utilizing semi-structured interviews was done in eighteen (18) first to third year medical students in the National Capital Region, Philippines. Qualitative data were analyzed using thematic analysis.

A total of 4 themes were deduced from the individual interviews including: 1) influence of internal motivators, 2) influence of people, education, and extracurricular activities, 3) perceptions of how the Philippine health system sees, treats, and incentivizes primary care physicians, and 4) how the macrosystem positions primary care practice contributes to the inclination to become primary care physicians. The participants emphasized service as a value they uphold in being inclined to be primary care physicians.

An interplay between internal and external factors influenced the inclination of medical students in choosing primary care and further reinforced by their desire to be part of the solution to the problems in the current healthcare system to address the needs of society.

Background: Healthcare providers must have the knowledge to carry out clinical procedures. Placing and maintaining intravenous (IV) infusion is one of them. To perform it, conceptual knowledge is an elementary requirement. Methods: This is a descriptive quantitative study using a self-administered questionnaire. Section A consists of four items detailing medical students’ socio-demographic data such as age, gender, ethnicity, and nationality. Section B includes 17 True/False items related to knowledge and understanding of peripheral intravenous cannulation (PIVC). Sixty-nine semester 6 medical students were recruited. The goal of the research was to determine their knowledge of PIVC and if there is an association between sociodemographic data and knowledge of PIVC. Results: All 100% (n=69) respondents were aware of self-introduction, clarification of patient’s identity, obtaining verbal consent, and hand hygiene importance. The majority (98.6%, n=68) had the knowledge to clean the insertion site before performing the procedure, aseptic technique maintenance, and gloves donning. More than half (53.6%; n=37) of respondents were not aware that an 18-gauge cannula was commonly used in adults for PIVC. Overall, findings showed 40.6% (n=28) of respondents have adequate knowledge about PIVC. There was a weak negative correlation indicating an association between socio-demographic variables and knowledge about PIVC (r = -.274, n=69, p<0.05). Conclusions The majority of semester 6 year 3 medical students in a private university in Seremban, Negeri Sembilan, had good knowledge of PIVC. Teaching strategies by nursing lecturers can be improved further, for example, role-playing which can increase students’ engagement and encourage critical thinking. This is to ensure that medical students are equipped with sufficient theoretical knowledge as it is important to produce doctors with great quality, confidence, and calibre.
Knowledge ; Students, Medical ; Perception ; Universities

OBJECTIVES: To study the relationship between traditional Chinese cultural beliefs and suicide risk in Chinese medical postgraduate students. METHODS: The Chinese Traditional Cultural Belief Scale (CTCBS) and Suicidal Behavior Questionnaire (SBQ-R) were used to investigate 541 medical postgraduate students in a medical university. RESULTS: The total score of traditional Chinese cultural belief of the medical postgraduate students was 49.68±6.85, and 66.9% of them had a clear cultural belief. The detection rate of suicide risk among the medical postgraduates was 15.7%, and 20.1% of them reported suicidal ideation within the past year. Traditional Chinese cultural belief was negatively correlated with suicide risk among the medical postgraduates (r=-0.210, P<0.001), and those with higher levels of cultural belief had lower SBQ-R scores (F=6.255, P<0.01). The medical postgraduates with lower cultural beliefs had a higher detection rate of suicide risk (28.6% vs 21.2% vs 12.7%). The students with high suicide risks had significantly lower total scores and all the dimension scores of CTCBS (P<0.001). CONCLUSIONS Most medical postgraduates have clear traditional Chinese cultural beliefs, which can be beneficial to reduce suicide risk among the students.
Humans ; Students, Medical/psychology* ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; Suicide/psychology* ; Suicidal Ideation ; China/ethnology* ; Culture ; Female ; Male ; Risk Factors ; Adult ; Young Adult ; East Asian People

Objective: This study aims to report the incidence and characteristics of breakthrough infections among medical students in the first Philippine private medical school that resumed limited face-to-face classes and clinical rotations from July to December 2021. Methods: This is a descriptive study using secondary worksheet from multiple-source records review of breakthrough infections among medical students from July to December 2021. Results: Among the 837 vaccinated medical students, 23 (2.7%) experienced COVID-19 breakthrough infections. Of these, 9 were male and 14 were female. Four were asymptomatic and 19 were symptomatic. Of the 19 symptomatic, 18 had mild and 1 had severe disease. Mild infections presented with upper respiratory tract symptoms. Duration of symptoms ranged from 4 to 27 days with an average of 10 days. Timing of breakthrough infections ranged from 35 to 212 days after the second dose of COVID-19 vaccine with a mean of 86 days. Contact with confirmed cases was reported in 14 of 23 cases, 13 were from household members and none within the SLICE and CLARO programs. Conclusion Our study showed that even in the midst of the Delta surge, low breakthrough infection rate with mostly mildly symptomatic cases and no case transmissions within the SLICE and CLARO programs are possible with vaccination, regular health surveillance, and strict adherence to minimum health protocols.
Breakthrough Infections ; COVID-19 ; Philippines ; Students, Medical ; Vaccination