Search Results (236)

Background/Objectives: Improving health outcomes for Indigenous people by strengthening the cultural safety of care is a vital challenge for the health sector. University Departments of Rural Health (UDRH), academic centres based in regional, rural, and remote (RRR) locations across Australia, are uniquely positioned to foster a culturally safe rural health workforce through training, education, and engagement with Indigenous communities. This narrative review examines the contributions of UDRHs to health workforce issues through analysis of their publications focused on Indigenous health. Methods: Research articles relating to workforce were identified from an established database of UDRH Indigenous health-related publications published 2010–2021. Results: Of 46 articles identified across the 12 years, 19 focused on developing the understanding and cultural safety skills of university students studying in a health field, including campus-based Indigenous health education and support for students undertaking rural clinical placements. Twelve articles investigated cultural safety skills and recruitment and retention of the rural health workforce. Fifteen articles focused on Indigenous people in the health workforce, examining clinical training and resources, and the enablers and barriers to retaining Indigenous students and workers. Conclusions: This analysis highlights the sustained efforts of UDRHs to improve Indigenous health through multiple areas within their influence, including curriculum design, health student training on campus, and rural placement opportunities to transform understanding of Indigenous strengths and disadvantages and rural health workforce development. A continuing effort is needed on ways UDRHs can support Indigenous health students during their studies and while on placement, how to improve cultural safety in the health workforce, and ways to better support Indigenous health professionals. Full article

With the rapid advancement of maritime sports, the integration of auxiliary unmanned surface vehicles (USVs) has emerged as a promising solution to enhance the efficiency and safety of maritime education, particularly in tasks such as buoy deployment and escort operations. This paper presents a novel high-precision trajectory tracking control algorithm designed to ensure stable navigation of the USVs along predefined competition boundaries, thereby facilitating the reliable execution of buoy placement and escort missions. First, the paper proposes an improved adaptive fractional-order nonsingular fast terminal sliding mode control (AFONFTSMC) algorithm to achieve precise trajectory tracking of the reference path. To address the challenges posed by unknown environmental disturbances and unmodeled dynamics in marine environments, a nonlinear lumped disturbance observer (NLDO) with exponential convergence properties is proposed, ensuring robust and continuous navigation performance. Additionally, an artificial potential field (APF) method is integrated to dynamically mitigate collision risks from both static and dynamic obstacles during trajectory tracking. The efficacy and practical applicability of the proposed control framework are rigorously validated through comprehensive numerical simulations. Experimental results demonstrate that the developed algorithm achieves superior trajectory tracking accuracy under complex sea conditions, thereby offering a reliable and efficient solution for maritime sports education and related applications. Full article

Considerable amounts of research have discussed “No Excuses” charter schools preparing traditionally disadvantaged students for higher education. Yet, no scholarly work has identified or investigated U.S. academically intensive charter schools (AICS) that were founded to enable students to excel academically as much as their abilities and efforts allow. Here, we offer an exploratory study of AICS, defining them, describing the lived experience of an AICS principal, presenting the first national data comparing AICS campus and student characteristics to those of other charter schools, and assessing whether, nationally, AICS succeed on their own terms, with relatively high academic achievements. The data indicate that AICS resemble other charter schools in terms of measurable campus and student characteristics. Standardized, NAEP-adjusted Z-scores reveal that AICS consistently outperform other charter and district schools in literacy and mathematics across demographic groups, with differences expanding after the COVID-19 pandemic. We end with limitations and suggestions for future research. Full article

A primary expectation of college is that students in all majors and disciplines will learn content, skills, and knowledge that support individual growth, job placement, or continued academic endeavors. In short, being a student implies an expectation to learn. Effective learning directly impacts student academic success, and this success has downstream effects on student retention and graduation rates. However, the process of learning is often taken for granted, and, too often, student learning is not successful because students have not received any guidance on the methods of effective learning. Across higher education, students are often left on their own to learn about learning, and their improvised methods frequently involve ineffective techniques such as cramming for exams or rereading assigned materials without deeper engagement. To counter such observations, the University of Iowa implemented a campus-wide learning framework, Learning at Iowa. The initiative is grounded in empirically validated practices from the cognitive and learning sciences, which have been organized around the Three Ms: mindset, metacognition, and memory. This article briefly reviews the relevant literature supporting each of the Three Ms and then discusses the implementation of the framework with students, student-facing staff, and instructors and how the framework supports effective educational practices. Full article

Community-engaged learning (CEL) is a popular educational approach for sociology teaching across Canada and globally. Students in sociology courses with this experiential component can opt in to enhance their learning by working with community members and organizations in structured, low-stakes ways that forward community priorities. Evidence shows that CEL in sociology courses supports students in developing a wide variety of skills. However, little is known about how international students in sociology courses engage with this pedagogy. Drawing on 20 semi-structured interviews with international students from Asia, South America, and Eastern Europe who completed CEL programming as part of their sociology course curriculum at a large Canadian university, I show how these students engaged in unique learning practices. The findings indicate that international students draw upon their life experiences from diverse national contexts to navigate and reflect upon their CEL placement in sociological ways. These students’ voices offer rich insights for sociology educators designing course-based CEL opportunities with a multinational student body. Full article

Background/Objectives: Tongue thrust (TT) occurs when abnormal tongue movements cause anterior tongue placement with pressure and contact against or between the teeth, potentially affecting the oral phase of swallowing, impacting eating, breathing and speaking. There is limited literature on the diagnostic and treatment approaches for TT, as well as involvement of health practitioners in its management. This study aims to examine the current knowledge and practices related to TT diagnosis and treatment among health professionals in Australia. Methods: A two-phase explanatory sequential mixed methods approach was adopted, comprising an online survey that collected participants’ demographic information and details on assessment, diagnosis, management, referral practices, and relevant experience and training. Phase one involved 47 health professionals from various disciplines in Australia who completed an online survey in its entirety. Phase two included in-depth interviews with seven speech-language pathologists (SLPs) to gain further insights into their experiences in managing TT. Survey data were analysed descriptively, and interview data was analysed thematically. Results: Most participants diagnosed TT using clinical assessments, such as general observation and oral motor examinations. Treatment approaches commonly included orofacial myofunctional therapy and the use of myofunctional devices. Interviews with SLPs identified four key themes: tongue thrust as a symptom rather than a diagnosis, facilitators to effective treatment, multidisciplinary approaches to management, and training and education gaps in clinical practice. Conclusions: This study provides valuable insights into how TT is identified, assessed, diagnosed, and managed by health professionals in Australia. It highlights the perspectives of SLPs on treatment approaches, as well as their views on the availability and adequacy of training and education in this field. The findings suggest the need for a broader understanding of TT management, emphasising the importance of multidisciplinary collaboration and professional development. These insights are globally relevant, as they stress the shared challenges and the value of international collaboration in improving TT diagnosis and treatment practices. Full article

Background/Objectives: In contemporary nursing education, clinical competence and psychological resilience are both essential; however, they are often treated as separate outcomes. Clinical placements are a central component of nursing education, and often expose students to high levels of stress, emotional challenges, and complex clinical demands. Building both clinical competence and psychological resilience during this phase is crucial to preparing students for the realities of professional practice. This narrative review, grounded in Bandura’s social cognitive theory (SCT), explores how educator behaviors, teaching strategies, and learning environments interact to influence both domains in undergraduate nursing students. Methods: A comprehensive search was conducted in PubMed, CINAHL, and PsycINFO for peer-reviewed articles published between 1 January 2000 and 2 May 2025. Relevant studies were thematically analyzed and were guided by Bandura’s SCT constructs, including observational learning, self-efficacy, and reciprocal determinism. No formal study appraisal was conducted due to the narrative nature of the review. Findings: Nineteen studies were included in the review. The findings highlight that reflective practices, structured feedback, peer learning, and strategies to build self-efficacy are central to building resilience and competence. Supportive educator behaviors such as mentoring, emotional support, and professional role modeling, were strongly associated with increased student confidence, emotional regulation, and adaptability. Psychologically safe clinical learning environments further enhanced self-efficacy and active engagement. In contrast, unsupportive or inconsistent environments were linked to student stress, disengagement, and reduced performance. Conclusions: This review highlights the need to move beyond traditional competency-based models toward an integrated approach that equally values psychological preparedness and resilience. Findings suggest a shift toward emotionally and socially integrated clinical education. Full article

Physiotherapy is challenged to be a profession with competencies in humanized skills and aptitudes. The need to integrate the learning of sustainable soft skills and humanistic education into higher education curricula has recently been emphasized to improve the capabilities of future healthcare professionals. Our objective was to psychometrically evaluate the Invisible Care, Well-being, Security, and Autonomy (CIBISA) scale in the context of physiotherapy through a pilot study involving students undertaking a degree in physiotherapy. The Delphi method was used over two rounds, and a focus group was convened to achieve a consensus on the adaptation of the CIBISA nursing scale to assess physiotherapy (CIBISA-F). For the psychometric validation of the CIBISA-F scale, the data-collection instruments used were the adapted CIBISA-F scale and two more validated scales related to soft skills. The scales were answered by 25 students at three different times, twice before the start of the clinical placements and once after. The results showed high internal consistency (α = 0.911), adequate reliability according to a Brand–Altman plot, and an adequate construct validity and sensitivity in comparison to other tools. The results of the present study suggest that this version of the CIBISA-F scale is a useful and reliable tool for measuring humanization skills in healthcare and physiotherapy students during their clinical placements, ensuring high-quality education. Full article

This paper investigates integrating a sensory data model for managing an existing 50-year-old building. A primary challenge in retrofitting older structures is the optimal deployment of high-quality sensors, systematic data acquisition, and subsequent data management. To address this, the study implemented a network of over 50 sensors connected via 270 m of wired infrastructure, deliberately avoiding wireless transmission to ensure data reliability. This configuration generates 5568 data points daily, which are archived on a dedicated server. The data is planned for integration into the Campus Geographical Information System (GIS), enabling private and public access. A methodology was employed, involving the strategic placement of sensors based on building use patterns, continuous data monitoring, and iterative sensor performance evaluation. The findings from the study indicate that integrating sensory data through this structured approach significantly enhances building management capabilities. Specifically, the results demonstrate improved energy efficiency and environmental performance, which is particularly relevant for public and educational facilities. The research highlights that a data-driven, monitoring-based management system can optimize operational functions and inform future retrofitting strategies for aging buildings. Full article

Background: Pneumothorax (PTX) is the most common complication of CT-guided lung biopsies. New technical advances, namely the optimization of needle approach angles within an a priori defined “safe zone,” are intended to reduce this risk. This study evaluates whether PTX incidence and chest tube placement decreased significantly after these technical advances were implemented. Methods: We retrospectively analyzed 118 consecutive patients who had undergone CT-guided lung biopsy between 9 January 2020, and 4 April 2025. The study was divided into three periods of increasingly growing institutional procedural experience: Pre-Knowledge (January 2020–March 2022; n = 45), Partial Knowledge (April–December 2022; n = 18), and Full Knowledge (January 2023–April 2025; n = 55). PTX incidence and chest tube use were compared across periods using chi-square and Fisher’s exact tests, while Kaplan–Meier survival analysis was used to evaluate PTX-free survival over time. Results: Overall PTX incidence significantly declined from 71.1% in the Pre-Knowledge Period to 21.8% in the Full Knowledge Period (p < 0.000001). Rates of chest tube placements also decreased from 17.8% to 9.1%, although this difference was not statistically significant (p = 0.372). Kaplan–Meier analysis showed a statistically significant improvement in PTX-free survival over time (indicating improvement in the timing of complication onset; p = 0.0042). Procedural optimization was also fostered by a large median intrapulmonary needle length and consistent needle angulation within the safe zone. Conclusions: Formal implementation of needle angle optimization and procedural protocol standardization has effectively reduced the frequency and severity of PTX following CT-guided lung biopsies. These results highlight the benefit of continuous education and technique standardization in improving patient safety and clinical outcomes. Full article

Background: The effective use of electronic health records (EHRs) is an essential clinical skill, but medical schools have traditionally provided limited systematic teaching on the topic. Inefficient use of EHRs results in delays in diagnosis, fragmented care, and clinician burnout. This study investigates the impact on medical students’ confidence, efficiency, and proficiency in extracting clinically pertinent information from patient records following an organised EHR teaching programme. Methods: This observational cohort involved 60 final-year medical students from three London medical schools. Participants received a structured three-phase intervention involving an introductory workshop, case-based hands-on practice, and guided reflection on EHR navigation habits. Pre- and post-intervention testing involved mixed-method surveys, simulated case tasks, and faculty-assessed data retrieval exercises to measure changes in students’ confidence, efficiency, and ability to synthesise patient information. Quantitative data were analysed using paired t-tests, while qualitative reflections were theme-analysed to identify shifts in clinical reasoning. Results: All 60 students successfully finished the intervention and assessments. Pre-intervention, only 28% students reported feeling confident in using EHRs effectively, with a confidence rating of 3.0. Post-intervention, 87% reported confidence with a rating of 4.5 (p < 0.01). Efficiency in the recovery of critical patient information improved from 3.2 to 4.6 (p < 0.01). Students also demonstrated enhanced awareness regarding system-related issues, such as information overload and fragmented documentation, and provided recommendations on enhancing data synthesis for clinical decision making. Conclusions: This study emphasises the value of structured EHR instruction in enhancing the confidence and proficiency of medical students in using electronic records. The integration of structured EHR education to medical curricula can better prepare future physicians in managing information overload, improve diagnostic accuracy, and enhance the quality of patient care. Future research should explore the long-term impact of structured EHR training on clinical performance, diagnostic accuracy, and patient outcomes during real-world clinical placements and postgraduate training. Full article

Efficient logistics and transport infrastructure are critical in contemporary urban and interurban scenarios due to their impact on economic development, environmental sustainability, and quality of life. This study explores the use of the Ant Colony Optimization (ACO) metaheuristic applied to the Vehicle Routing Problem (VRP) and the strategic positioning of service stations along major highways. Through a systematic mapping of the literature and practical application to a real-world scenario—specifically, a case study on the Bandeirantes Highway (SP348), connecting Limeira to São Paulo, Brazil—the effectiveness of ACO is demonstrated in addressing complex logistical challenges, including capacity constraints, route optimization, and resource allocation. The proposed method integrates graph theory principles, entropy concepts from information theory, and economic analyses into a unified computational model implemented using Python (version 3.12), showcasing its accessibility for educational and practical business contexts. The results highlight significant improvements in operational efficiency, cost reductions, and optimized service station placement, emphasizing the algorithm’s robustness and versatility. Ultimately, this research provides valuable insights for policymakers, engineers, and logistics managers seeking sustainable and cost-effective solutions in transport infrastructure planning and management. Full article

Background: Violence against healthcare professionals is a growing public health concern. In Spain, the National Observatory of Aggressions recorded 16,866 cases in 2024, marking a 103.06% increase since 2017. This phenomenon has intensified in recent years, with serious repercussions for both the physical and psychological well-being of healthcare workers, as well as for the quality of care provided. Objectives: This descriptive study examines the knowledge, perceptions, and experiences of workplace aggression among undergraduate students at the University School of Nursing of the Nuestra Señora de Candelaria University Hospital. Materials and Methods: A self-administered ad hoc questionnaire was distributed to 266 students across all academic years to assess their knowledge and to explore their perceptions and experiences of aggression witnessed or experienced during clinical placements. This study was guided by the Strengthening the Reporting of Observational Studies in Epidemiology (STROBE) guidelines. Results: The findings revealed significant educational gaps among students regarding how to manage aggressive situations, as well as high levels of concern and an aggression exposure rate exceeding 30%. A statistically significant association was also observed in relation to the academic year. Conclusions: This study provides a foundation for the development of specific training programmes tailored to the needs identified and for enhancing occupational safety in healthcare settings. Full article

Background: The misuse of antibiotics in dental practice significantly contributes to the escalation of antimicrobial resistance. This study aimed to assess the knowledge and attitudes of final-year dental students regarding perioperative antibiotic prophylaxis in oral surgery and to identify potential curricular improvements based on the findings. Methods: A questionnaire was administered to 117 final-year students at Gazi University Faculty of Dentistry in December 2024. The survey presented clinical scenarios related to common oral surgical procedures, evaluating participants’ antibiotic prescribing behaviors. Statistical analyses were performed using descriptive statistics and a One-Sample Chi-Square Test. Results: Students demonstrated a general tendency toward rational antibiotic use in routine clinical scenarios, with statistically significant response patterns favoring the avoidance of unnecessary prescriptions (p < 0.05). However, in complex or borderline cases such as impacted third molar extraction and dental implant placement, response variability was observed. Post hoc analyses revealed no statistically significant differences between closely distributed options, indicating inconsistencies in decision-making in more challenging scenarios. Conclusions: While final-year dental students exhibited a satisfactory level of knowledge regarding appropriate antibiotic use in standard surgical procedures, the variability observed in complex cases underscores the necessity for enhanced educational interventions. Incorporating updated, evidence-based antimicrobial stewardship principles and promoting clinical decision-making through case-based learning are essential to prepare future dental practitioners for responsible antibiotic prescribing, contributing to global efforts to mitigate antimicrobial resistance. Full article

Background/Objectives: Gastrostomy tube (GT) placement plays a vital role in managing children with chronic illnesses who are unable to meet their nutritional needs orally. While its clinical benefits are well established, limited data exist on caregivers’ satisfaction with GT use in Jordan. This study aimed to assess caregivers’ satisfaction and identify factors that influence their experiences by using a validated satisfaction scoring system in which a score greater than 20 indicates a high level of satisfaction. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted at Jordan University Hospital, including children under 18 years of age who underwent endoscopic GT insertion between July 2017 and December 2024. Caregivers completed the Structured Satisfaction Questionnaire with Gastrostomy Feeding (SAGA-8), and demographic and clinical data were collected. Statistical analyses explored associations between satisfaction levels and patient-, caregiver-, and healthcare-related factors. Results: A total of 46 caregivers participated. The median satisfaction score was 26.1, surpassing the high satisfaction threshold of 20. Overall, 63% of caregivers expressed satisfaction or high satisfaction with GT feeding, and 82.6% were satisfied with the support provided by the healthcare team. Additionally, 69.5% and 65.2% of caregivers reported improvements in their child’s nutritional status and overall family well-being, respectively. Notably, 89.1% observed a reduction in feeding time, and 84.8% reported fewer respiratory infections following GT placement. Over half of the caregivers (58.7%) indicated that they would have agreed to earlier GT placement if they had been more aware of its benefits. Conclusions: Caregivers reported high satisfaction with GT use, with scores well above the validated threshold indicating high satisfaction. These findings highlight the positive impact of GT placement on children’s health outcomes and family quality of life. Enhancing caregiver education and providing robust healthcare support are crucial to improving the management of children who require GT feeding. Full article