Search Results (119)

Background/Objectives: Effective teamwork is crucial for minimizing human error in healthcare settings. Medical teams, typically composed of physicians and nurses, supported by auxiliary professionals, achieve better outcomes when they possess strong collaborative competencies. High-quality teamwork is associated with fewer adverse events and complications and lower mortality rates. Based on this background, the objective of this study is to analyze the perception of non-technical skills and immediate learning outcomes in interprofessional simulation settings based on E-CRM items. Methods: A cross-sectional observational study was conducted involving participants from the official postgraduate Medicine and Nursing programs at the Catholic University of Murcia (UCAM) during the 2024–2025 academic year. Four interprofessional E-CRM simulation sessions were planned, involving randomly assigned groups with proportional representation of medical and nursing students. Teams worked consistently throughout the training and participated in clinical scenarios observed via video transmission by their peers. Post-scenario debriefings followed INACSL guidelines and employed the PEARLS method. Results: Findings indicate that 48.3% of participants had no difficulty identifying the team leader, while 51.7% reported minor difficulty. Role assignment posed moderate-to-high difficulty for 24.1% of respondents. Communication, situation awareness, and early help-seeking were generally managed with ease, though mobilizing resources remained a challenge for 27.5% of participants. Conclusions: This study supports the value of interprofessional education in developing essential competencies for handling urgent, emergency, and high-complexity clinical situations. Strengthening interdisciplinary collaboration contributes to safer, more effective patient care. Full article

This paper offers a Christian ethical evaluation of transhumanism. It employs a two-part framework. First, the paper contextualizes transhumanism within the evolutionary cosmology of Pierre Teilhard de Chardin and thereby suggests a theological openness to technologically influenced development as part of an ongoing cosmogenesis towards greater consciousness, or the Omega Point. Second, the paper critically evaluates transhumanist values against five key principles of Catholic Social Teaching (CST): natural law, human dignity, human flourishing, the common good, and care for creation. While the Teilhardian lens does indeed allow us to interpret certain transhumanist goals as potentially conducive to humans, the CST assessment reveals serious ethical concerns that must be addressed. These concerns include threats to inherent dignity through the reductionism of the human person, the potential unchecked exacerbation of current social inequality, and significant conflicts with the care of creation stemming from an unchecked technocratic paradigm as described in Laudato Si’. This paper concludes that while engagement with transhumanism is necessary, a Christian perspective should strive to ensure that technological advancement remains subordinate to the universal dignity of all persons, the common good, and authentic flourishing in communion with God. Full article

In the past hundred years, three pontiffs have written apostolic letters to commemorate anniversaries relating to Dante: in 1921, Benedict XV marked the sixth centenary of the death of the great poet; in 1965, Paul VI judged it opportune to write on the occasion of the seventh centenary of his birth; and in 2021, Pope Francis added his voice to the numerous others wishing to honour the memory of the supreme Florentine poet on the seventh centenary of his death. Each letter is a product of its time: one hundred years ago, the Pope—still confined within the Vatican and refusing to recognise the Kingdom of Italy due to the Roman Question—addressed his text “to the beloved sons, professors and pupils of literary institutes and centres of higher learning within the Catholic world”; Paul VI, in full accord with the spirit of the Second Vatican Council and its vision of a Church seeking collaboration with the world, addressed his writing to Dante scholars more broadly, and within the same letter, together with other academic authorities, established the Chair of Dante Studies at the Catholic University of the Sacred Heart in Milan; Pope Francis today, in his outward-facing style of evangelisation, challenges everyone to (re)read Dante, whose teaching remains relevant seven hundred years after his death. Despite the differing political contexts and ecclesial agendas, Benedict XV, Paul VI, and Pope Francis are united on one point: Dante is a Christian poet—critical of the Church, certainly, but loyal to his faith and desirous of a religious institution that is more serious and less corrupt. This brief study presents the homage which the Church, today, seven centuries later, renders to this Poet—now widely recognised as a passionate witness of an arduous and active faith, in pursuit of justice and freedom. Full article

The integration of artificial intelligence (AI) into educational environments is fundamentally transforming the learning process, raising new questions regarding student engagement and motivation. This empirical study investigates the relationship between AI-based learning support and the experience of flow, defined as the optimal state of deep attention and intrinsic motivation, among university students. Building on Csíkszentmihályi’s flow theory and current models of technology-enhanced learning, we applied a validated, purposefully developed AI questionnaire (AIFLQ) to 142 students from two Hungarian universities: the Ludovika University of Public Service and Eszterházy Károly Catholic University. The participants used generative AI tools (e.g., ChatGPT 4, SUNO) during their academic tasks. Based on the results of the Mann–Whitney U test, significant differences were found between students from the two universities in the immersion and balance factors, as well as in the overall flow score, while the AI-related factor showed no statistically significant differences. The sustainability of the flow experience appears to be linked more to pedagogical methodological factors than to institutional ones, highlighting the importance of instructional support in fostering optimal learning experiences. Demographic variables also influenced the flow experience. In gender comparisons, female students showed significantly higher values for the immersion factor. According to the Kruskal–Wallis test, educational attainment also affected the flow experience, with students holding higher education degrees achieving higher flow scores. Our findings suggest that through the conscious design of AI tools and learning environments, taking into account instructional support and learner characteristics, it is possible to promote the development of optimal learning states. This research provides empirical evidence at the intersection of AI and motivational psychology, contributing to both domestic and international discourse in educational psychology and digital pedagogy. Full article

Background/Objectives: This study aimed to evaluate digital markers and establish quantitative diagnostic criteria for spinal malpositions in Chuna manual therapy using lumbar X-rays. Methods: A total of 2000 X-ray images were collected from adult patients at the International St. Mary’s Hospital of Catholic Kwandong University. Five Chuna manual medicine experts annotated anatomical landmarks using a digital marker labeling program and diagnosed three types of spinal malpositions: flexion/extension, lateral bending, and rotation. Diagnostic accuracy was evaluated using weighted F1 (F1_W) scores, and the optimal threshold values for each malposition type were determined based on maximum F1_W performance. Results: The results showed high diagnostic performance, with average maximum F1_W scores of 0.76 for flexion/extension, 0.85 for lateral bending, and 0.71 for rotation. Based on this analysis, threshold angles for each type of spinal malposition in Chuna manual diagnosis were determined. Conclusions: This study demonstrates the diagnostic validity of digital marker-based X-ray analysis in Chuna manual therapy and is the first to propose quantitative diagnostic thresholds for spinal malpositions. These findings may serve as a foundation for clinical application in spinal assessment and treatment planning, with further validation studies warranted. Full article

Background: The project ‘Multicenter Renal Pharmacist Group—Implementation of Pharmaceutical Care for Patients with Renal Impairment at four Non-University Hospitals in Germany’ started in the beginning of 2020 with the goal to establish high-quality pharmaceutical care to improve patient safety for hospitalized patients with renal impairment at German non-university hospitals. Pharmaceutical service quality should be optimized by intense and effective intraprofessional collaboration within the network. Methods: Over a period of two years (2020–2022), we implemented renal pharmacists (RPs) for patients with renal impairment (RI) at four non-university hospitals in Germany (Starnberg Hospital, Rudolf Virchow Hospital Glauchau, Catholic Hospital in the Märkisch District (KKiMK), and Hospital Sindelfingen-Boeblingen). The RPs conducted medication analyses identifying renal-drug-related problems (rDRPs) two to five days a week. The rDRPs, including recommendations to solve them, were forwarded to the attending physicians via written consultations or personally during ward rounds. The RPs were mentored by a renal pharmacist expert from LMU Munich and formed a multicentered team with close collaboration. Data about the RP service were collected and were retrospectively evaluated. Results: During the two-year project period, a total of 3924 patients from various disciplines were visited across all four locations. In total, 1425 patients (36.3%; with a range from 22.7 to 56.4% between hospitals) received one or more interventions by RPs concerning 2454 rDRPs (a median of one to three rDRPs per patient). In cooperation with the physicians, 77.6 to 88.2% of the rDRPs were solved. The most common causes were ‘dosage too high’ and ‘contraindication’. Conclusion: The implementation of pharmaceutical care for patients with renal impairment at four non-university hospitals in Germany increased appropriate prescribing by physicians. The multicenter team proved to be an excellent support for the newly established services. Full article

Background: The predictive value of muscle-related indicators in triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) patients undergoing neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) remains unclear. This study aimed to evaluate the association between the skeletal muscle density (SMD) and clinical variables related to the physical reserve with respect to its impact on the pathologic complete response (pCR). Methods: We retrospectively analyzed TNBC patients who underwent NAC at Seoul St. Mary’s Hospital, Catholic University of Korea, from March 2021 to March 2024, via receiving paclitaxel/carboplatin followed by doxorubicin/cyclophosphamide, with or without pembrolizumab. Muscle indices were assessed from CT measurements of the entire cross-sectional muscle area at the L3 level using commercial deep learning software (ClariMetabo version 1.03). Results: A total of 144 patients were included, where 102 received chemoimmunotherapy (NACIT) and 42 received chemotherapy alone (NACT). A higher SMD was significantly associated with a younger age, lower BMI, and fewer comorbidities. In the NACIT group, patients in the high-SMD group (n = 68) demonstrated a higher relative dose intensity (p = 0.003) and improved pCR rates (63.2% vs. 44.1%, p = 0.066) compared with the low-SMD group (n = 34). The multivariable regression analysis identified a higher SMD (per 5-unit increment: OR = 1.67, p = 0.003) and increased PD-L1 combined positive score (per 10-unit increment: OR = 1.38, p = 0.019) as independent predictors of a pCR. The event-free survival was significantly longer in the high-SMD group (p = 0.017) and among patients that achieved a pCR (p < 0.001). In the NACT group, the SMD was not associated with a pCR or survival. Conclusions: The CT-measured SMD reflected the physical reserve in the TNBC patients that received NAC. Alongside the CPS, SMD may serve as a predictive marker for NACIT efficacy. Full article

Thomas de Cantilupe (d. 1282) is one of the last medieval English Catholics to have been canonized as a saint, following a remarkable career in which he twice served as the Chancellor of the University of Oxford, as the Chancellor of England, and as Bishop of Hereford. This paper examines reports of his anti-Judaism and its potential influence in England in the period before the English crown expelled the entire Jewish community in 1290. Full article

Religious places represent one of the most significant categories of protected heritage. In Italy, however, places of worship belonging to minority communities often remain inconspicuous and are not legally recognized as part of the nation’s cultural heritage. Consequently, the histories of these communities face challenges in securing a space within the collective memory. This contribution, through a spatial approach and an interdisciplinary methodology, highlights the richness of the hidden heritage—both tangible and intangible—of the Greek Orthodox Church of the Nativity of St. John the Baptist in Turin. In particular, this research explores the role of the Greek language, which constitutes a significant element of intangible heritage for the community. Since the 1960s, regular celebrations in the Byzantine rite and the Greek language have been held in the Piedmontese capital. These biritual practices emerged in response to the demands of numerous Greek university students and families who revitalized the Orthodox presence in the territory during those years. In 2000, the Catholic Archdiocese granted the Greek Orthodox community the use of a church in the city’s historic center. This church is interpreted as a shared religious space, having undergone a transformation of identity over time: its Orthodox identity remains architecturally invisible, as the community continues to worship in a former Catholic church. Full article

Through an interdisciplinary study of the work of Jesuit Athanasius Kircher (1602–1680), the authors investigate the relationship between the cultural policies of the Roman Curia, the Jesuit order, religious diversity, and the aesthetic–spatial configuration of Rome during the early modern age. This paper shares in-depth observations of the recovery of ancient culture and its reworking in a post-reformist Christian age through architectural and spatial elements adopted to endorse the continuity of the ancient past and the Catholic reformistic universalistic aspirations. In this context, Kircher worked to decipher hieroglyphics on obelisks of the Imperial age but from Egyptian times. These defined a specific topography of space as a visual convergence of points: an urban geography of sacral and historical–political value and a connection with the memories of the Roman Empire and the most ancient religions of the ancient times. Full article

“Church’s law is first and foremost lex libertatis”—this proclamation by Pope Benedict XVI (2008) inspired the author, a Catholic canonist, to attempt an aspectual reflection on the question of the quality and relevance in Ecclesia of contemporary legislation, keeping in mind the universal (ecumenical) goal of Church law: salus animarum. For in the face of today’s “signs of the times”, it is impossible to avoid the question of how, in legislating this law, interpreting and applying it, to safeguard and optimize the operability of communion bonds (bonum commune) along with the realization of subjective rights (bonum personae)? It is necessary to ask what contemporary proposals for legislative activity can serve to stimulate “organic development in the life […] of the ecclesial society and of the individual persons who belong to it” (John Paul II)? The inescapable context for this reflection today is the epochal enunciation, according to some, of Pope Francis “it is clear that ecumenical dialogue […] enriches canon law”. In the author’s opinion, the last decade has brought two interesting answers to the questions formulated above. The two “ecumenical enterprises”—to use Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew’s apt phrase—“fill the historical juridical deficit”; especially since theologians and jurists from different traditions have not yet worked together to demonstrate the ecumenical potential of church law. The results of this work—offering original methodologies—are the idea of “receptive ecumenism”, by Catholic canonist Paul Murray, and Norman Doe’s project, culminating in the Statement of Principles of Christian Law, produced by the International Panel of Experts. Both “ecumenical enterprises” give new impetus to ecumenical initiatives, but also, according to Francis’ quoted words, carry with them the potential to enrich church law and serve its renewal. Full article

Public schools (K-12) are experiencing a remarkable decline in enrollment across Canada. More and more parents are choosing independent schools for their children’s education. Muslim parents, in particular, are transferring their children to Islamic schools as they are increasingly losing faith in public schools. Muslim students in the public school systems, wherever they are on the continuum of practice—from secular to orthodox—do not perceive their schools to be responsive to their religious beliefs, values, behaviours, and practices. However, Islamic schools are stuck in normative, secular, and reductive pedagogies, with most, if not all, Islamic teachers lacking training in Islamic pedagogy. This article is a conceptual exploration of various approaches to offering an Islamic teacher training program in Canada by an accredited university, including reintroducing the Islamic Teacher Education Programme (ITEP), which offered a one-year professional learning certificate. Another approach is establishing a stream in teacher education programs similar to the Catholic stream. The article serves as a stepping stone to initiate dialogue and collaborative efforts toward creating a comprehensive approach that includes all stakeholders tailored to the unique needs of Islamic school teachers in Ontario, Canada. Full article

Early exposure to research methodology through review articles represents a promising approach to fostering research interest among undergraduate students during their initial academic years. In the present work, the implementation and impact of incorporating review article analysis in first and second-year undergraduate curricula is examined as a strategy to promote research engagement. The methodology involved a systematic integration of review article study within regular coursework, focusing on developing critical analysis skills and research comprehension. Students participated in guided analysis sessions, learning to decode research structures, evaluate evidence, and synthesize findings. Indeed, this study gather together a three-year teaching in-novation project (2021–2023) at the Catholic University of Murcia (UCAM), Spain as a case study, which uses Review Articles for Academic Development in University Teaching. The findings suggest that incorporating review articles in early undergraduate education serves as an effective scaffold for developing research competencies and motivating students toward research careers. This approach provides a foundation for research literacy as aligning with current educational trends emphasizing early research exposure. Furthermore, it is also concluded that despite the growing use of advanced technologies, review articles remain essential for research learning, offering a replicable model to strengthen research engagement in other educational institutions. Full article

This paper examines Joseph Ratzinger/Benedict XVI’s reflections on knowledge and universities over sixty-five years, focusing on the constant features in his thought by analyzing his first and last pronouncements on these topics. Rather than summarizing all his writings, the author provides a comparative analysis of Ratzinger’s early address in 1959 as a newly appointed professor at the University of Bonn and his later speeches as Pope. In the 1959 lecture, Ratzinger talked about the challenge of modern secularism, emphasizing an increasing split between faith and reason and the growth of “neo-paganism” within the Church, while also highlighting the implication of technological globalization that was going to reshape the role of Christian universities in the modern world. The paper further develops how Ratzinger’s concerns evolved, particularly his critique of the rupture between faith and reason and the secularization of the Church, up to his reflections in 2022 on how Christian universities must maintain a connection with faith and reason. Drawing on Ratzinger’s lifelong exploration of these issues, this paper points out three constant features of his thought: the imperative of the integration of faith and reason at universities, “creative minorities” as an imperative internally, both in the Church and at the level of academia; and the specific chance given by contemporary secularization to Christian universities for a renewal of their educational mission. Full article

This paper examines a recent shift in Catholic moral teaching, characterized by the emergence of a ‘new moral absolutism’, in which certain acts traditionally subject to prudential judgment—such as the death penalty, ecological harm, and restrictive migration policies—are increasingly portrayed as universally and gravely wrong in our age. Simultaneously, traditional moral absolutes, especially in sexual and life ethics, have experienced cautious relativization. Drawing on the framework of Veritatis Splendor (1993), the paper critiques the approach of this new moral absolutism, arguing that it undermines the proper role of individual conscience and situational discernment while failing to provide coherent guidance on complex moral dilemmas. It links its emergence to proportionalist ethics: when traditional moral absolutes are relativized, new types of wrongs take their place. The paper proposes a return to the principles of Veritatis Splendor, advocating for a nuanced approach that preserves the constant and limited set of absolute negative norms and encourages the formation and use of conscience for all other matters. Full article