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Improving Primary Care Through Healthcare Education
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Improving Primary Care Through Healthcare Education

A special issue of Healthcare (ISSN 2227-9032).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 15 October 2025 | Viewed by 7280

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Izolde Bouloukaki

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Social Medicine, School of Medicine, University of Crete, 71003 Heraklion, Greece
Interests: COPD; sleep apnea; sleep disorders; asthma smoking cessation; primary care
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Antonios Christodoulakis

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor Assistant
1. Department of Social Medicine, School of Medicine, University of Crete, 70013 Heraklion, Greece
2. Department of Nursing, School of Health Sciences, Hellenic Mediterranean University, 71410 Heraklion, Greece
Interests: critical thinking; emotional intelligence; healthcare education; nursing; epidemiology in primary care

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Healthcare education plays a crucial role in promoting high-quality and evidence-based clinical practice at all levels of care. It enables healthcare professionals to enhance their knowledge and skills, starting from university and continuing throughout their careers, to provide the best possible care for their patients. Importantly, primary care plays a pivotal role in diagnosing, managing, caring for, and educating patients and their caregivers, serving as their primary point of contact in the healthcare system. This highlights the importance of healthcare professionals in primary care settings having received adequate education and continuing to pursue further learning opportunities.

We are pleased to invite you to contribute to this Special Issue, which aims to highlight areas and/or methods that could enhance primary care by improving healthcare education. We wish to publish original studies and reviews that contribute towards this goal. The research area encompasses, but is not limited to, investigations into knowledge, skills, diagnoses interdisciplinary care, collaboration strategies, management, and evidence-based practices among healthcare professionals and/or healthcare students in primary care settings. Additionally, we welcome studies on educational interventions targeting healthcare professionals/students and/or patients and/or caregivers in primary care settings.

Dr. Izolde Bouloukaki
Guest Editors

Dr. Antonios Christodoulakis
Guest Editor Assistant

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Healthcare is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • healthcare education
  • primary care
  • diagnosis
  • interdisciplinary care
  • collaboration strategies
  • management
  • evidence-based practice
  • students
  • healthcare professionals
  • patients
  • caregivers

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Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.

Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

14 pages, 832 KiB  
Article
Enhancing Health Literacy and Self-Management in Glaucoma Patients: Evidence from a Nurse-Led Educational Intervention
by Lοukia Tsichla, Evridiki Patelarou, Efstathios Detorakis, Miltiadis K. Tsilimbaris, Athina E. Patelarou and Konstantinos Giakoumidakis
Healthcare 2025, 13(8), 861; https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare13080861 - 9 Apr 2025
Viewed by 452
Abstract
Objective: This interventional cohort study evaluates the effectiveness of a nurse-led educational intervention designed to improve health literacy and self-management in glaucoma patients and examines correlations with demographic factors (sex, age, education level) and comorbidities. Material and Methods: A convenience sample of 312 [...] Read more.
Objective: This interventional cohort study evaluates the effectiveness of a nurse-led educational intervention designed to improve health literacy and self-management in glaucoma patients and examines correlations with demographic factors (sex, age, education level) and comorbidities. Material and Methods: A convenience sample of 312 glaucoma patients was recruited from the University General Hospital of Heraklion, Crete, between November 2022 and November 2023. The patients were randomly assigned to an intervention group (receiving nurse-led education) or a control group (receiving standard care). Health literacy was measured using the HLS-EU-16 questionnaire, while self-management levels were assessed with the Patient Activation Measure (PAM-13). Two-way repeated measures ANOVA analyzed intervention effects over time. Moreover, multiple linear regression analysis was used to test for potential correlations between variables. Results: Significant improvements were observed in both HLS-EU-16 and PAM-13 scores in the intervention group over time compared to the control group. In the post-test, the intervention group showed statistically higher health literacy scores (12.79 ± 2.64) than the control group (10.52 ± 3.60), with a mean difference in −2.27 (p < 0.001). Similarly, the PAM-13 scores were significantly higher in the intervention group (49.35 ± 10.36) compared to the control group (41.33 ± 24.12) post-test, with a mean difference of −8.01 (p < 0.001). The pre-intervention PAM-13 score was positively associated with both the HLS-EU16 score (B = 3.307, p < 0.001) and education level (B = 3.863, p = 0.037). Meanwhile, higher post-intervention PAM-13 was positively associated with greater post-intervention HLS-EU16 scores (B = 1.26, 95% CI [0.61, 1.91]). Furthermore, the participants of the intervention group exhibited significantly higher post-intervention PAM-13 scores than the control group (B = 5.36, 95% CI [1.03, 9.68]). Conclusions: The nurse-led educational intervention significantly enhanced health literacy and self-management in glaucoma patients, indicating its potential value in patient education strategies for chronic diseases. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Improving Primary Care Through Healthcare Education)
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16 pages, 1000 KiB  
Article
Improving GPs’ Emotional Intelligence and Resilience to Better Manage Chronic Respiratory Diseases Through an Experiential Online Training Intervention: A Mixed Methods Study
by Katerina Boulougari, Antonios Christodoulakis, Izolde Bouloukaki, Evangelos C. Karademas, Christos Lionis and Ioanna Tsiligianni
Healthcare 2025, 13(1), 21; https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare13010021 - 25 Dec 2024
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 912
Abstract
Background/Objectives: High levels of emotional intelligence (EI) and resilience in primary care physicians (PCPs) can help them communicate better with patients, build stronger relationships with colleagues, and foster a positive and collaborative workplace. However, studies have indicated that primary care physicians (PCPs) often [...] Read more.
Background/Objectives: High levels of emotional intelligence (EI) and resilience in primary care physicians (PCPs) can help them communicate better with patients, build stronger relationships with colleagues, and foster a positive and collaborative workplace. However, studies have indicated that primary care physicians (PCPs) often do not focus enough on developing these skills. Consequently, the purpose of this mixed methods study was to evaluate the effectiveness of an experiential online training (EOT) intervention in enhancing the EI and resilience of PCPs who treat patients with chronic respiratory diseases (CRDs). Methods: A total of 46 PCPs from Greece participated in a 25-hour EOT program, which focused on counseling skills for lifestyle change and breathing techniques for self-regulation. Quantitative data were collected using the Trait Emotional Intelligence Questionnaire-Short Form (TEIQue-SF) and the Connor–Davidson Resilience Scale (CD-RISC-25) before, immediately after, and three months post-intervention. Additionally, qualitative data were obtained through written reflections from participants regarding their clinical practice. Results: The results revealed significant improvements in EI and resilience scores immediately after the intervention (ΕΙ: 5.13, SD: 0.65 vs. 5.3, SD: 0.57, p = 0.007; resilience: 76.6, SD: 11.75 vs. 79.83, SD: 10.24, p = 0.029), as well as at the three-month follow-up (ΕΙ: 5.3, SD: 0.57 vs. 5.36, SD: 0.48, p = 0.007; resilience: 79.83, SD: 10.24 vs. 81.03, SD: 7.86, p = 0.029). The thematic analysis of qualitative data identified improvements in five key themes: communication skills, stress management, emotional awareness, resilience, and patient care. Participants reported feeling more confident, empathetic, and effective when interacting with patients, particularly those from diverse backgrounds. The convergence of the quantitative and qualitative findings showed the efficacy of the EOT intervention in enhancing PCPs’ EI, resilience, well-being, and, ultimately, their practice. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Improving Primary Care Through Healthcare Education)
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10 pages, 199 KiB  
Article
Postgraduate Year Two Medical Residents’ Awareness of Personal Development as a Physician during the Management of Inpatients: A Qualitative Study
by Kazuki Tokumasu, Haruo Obara, Takanobu Hirosawa, Hiroko Ogawa and Fumio Otsuka
Healthcare 2024, 12(16), 1621; https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare12161621 - 14 Aug 2024
Viewed by 1134
Abstract
Clinical experiences, helping relationships, and reflection are key factors for personal development for physicians. However, few studies have shown which experiences are important for personal growth and how medical residents specifically use their experiences for personal growth. The aim of this study was [...] Read more.
Clinical experiences, helping relationships, and reflection are key factors for personal development for physicians. However, few studies have shown which experiences are important for personal growth and how medical residents specifically use their experiences for personal growth. The aim of this study was to identify from the medical residents’ perspective which clinical experiences contribute to their personal development. We employed a qualitative design, conducting semi-structured interviews with ten postgraduate year two medical residents at a Japanese teaching hospital. The interviews were transcribed in interview memos, anonymized, and subjected to reflective thematic analysis to generate themes relevant to personal and professional development. Successful clinical experiences with autonomy and responsibility in clinical management were shown to be essential points for personal development as a physician. Autonomy in this study was the attitude of making one’s own choices when managing patients. Responsibility was the obligation of the resident to take charge of a patient. Instructing junior trainees, appreciation received from patients, and approval granted by attending physicians reinforced their feelings of personal growth. The realization of what experiences and concepts influence medical residents’ personal growth and development will make their professional development more effective. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Improving Primary Care Through Healthcare Education)
14 pages, 1889 KiB  
Article
Student Engagement in Patient Safety and Healthcare Quality Improvement: A Brief Educational Approach
by Ileana Chavez-Maisterra, Ana Cecilia Corona-Pantoja, Luz Elena Madrigal-Gómez, Edgar Oswaldo Zamora-González and Luz Berenice López-Hernández
Healthcare 2024, 12(16), 1617; https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare12161617 - 14 Aug 2024
Viewed by 3938
Abstract
Achieving optimal patient safety (PS) remains a challenge in healthcare. Effective educational methods are critical for improving PS. Innovative teaching tools, like case-based learning, augmented reality, and active learning, can help students better understand and apply PS and healthcare quality improvement (HQI) principles. [...] Read more.
Achieving optimal patient safety (PS) remains a challenge in healthcare. Effective educational methods are critical for improving PS. Innovative teaching tools, like case-based learning, augmented reality, and active learning, can help students better understand and apply PS and healthcare quality improvement (HQI) principles. This study aimed to assess activities and tools implemented to improve PS and HQI education, as well as student engagement, in medical schools. We designed a two-week course for fourth-year medical students at the Autonomous University of Guadalajara, incorporating Fink’s taxonomy of significant learning to create engaging activities. The course featured daily synchronous and asynchronous learning, with reinforcement activities using tools, like augmented reality and artificial intelligence. A total of 394 students participated, with their performance in activities and final exam outcomes analyzed using non-parametric tests. Students who passed the final exam scored higher in activities focused on application and reasoning (p = 0.02 and p = 0.018, respectively). Activity 7B, involving problem-solving and decision-making, was perceived as the most impactful. Activity 8A, a case-based learning exercise on incident reporting, received the highest score for perception of exam preparation. This study demonstrates innovative teaching methods and technology to enhance student understanding of PS and HQI, contributing to improved care quality and patient safety. Further research on the long-term impact is needed. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Improving Primary Care Through Healthcare Education)
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