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Sustainability
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Medical Education: The Challenges and Opportunities of Sustainability
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Medical Education: The Challenges and Opportunities of Sustainability

A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 August 2023) | Viewed by 17009

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Fabrizio Consorti

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Surgical Sciences, University Sapienza of Rome, 00185 Rome, Italy
Interests: undergraduate medical education (curriculum planning, simulation, technology enhanced learning, medical humanities); endocrine surgery
Dr. Gabriella Facchinetti

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Faculty of Medicine and Surgery, Reasearch Unit of Nursing Sciences, Campus Bio-Medico di Roma University, 21, 00128 Rome, Italy
Interests: undergraduate medical education (simulation, medical humanities, narrative medicine, visual thinking strategies); geriatric care; patient continuity of care; palliative care
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The concept of sustainability is gaining more and more space in the field of medical education, at all levels (undergraduate, graduate and residency, continuous professional development) and for all healthcare professions (medicine, dentistry, veterinary medicine, psychology, nursing, and allied healthcare professions). There are at least two scopes in considering the intersection of medical education and sustainability:

  • The sustainability of the process of medical education, with particular regard to the needed human resources for intensive programs, the economic sustainability in medium–low-income countries (low-cost simulation, involvement of community facilities, local and rural placement of students, etc.), and social-cultural sustainability in non-European or non-Anglo-Saxon countries. In fact, the prevailing cultural paradigm of care is still one of so-called Western medicine: Is it possible to integrate traditional medicines into the standard curriculum? Which culturally mediated educational artifacts, narratives, and metaphors should be included? The goal is to assure the education of scientifically but also culturally competent healthcare professionals to serve the local healthcare services.
  • Medical education for sustainable healthcare, including but not limited to the topics of globalization and inter-cultural healthcare, equity and allocation of healthcare resources, service to underserved populations, "slow medicine" and "choosing wisely" approaches, health literacy, and primary prevention. Faculty development programs addressed to the topics of sustainable healthcare are welcome as well.

Finally, the professional duty of healthcare professionals is to help maintain the health and wellbeing of the populations they serve. Many diseases and health burdens are linked to climate fluctuations, including respiratory illness, infectious diseases, and malnutrition. Delivering sustainable healthcare means maintaining both the current and future quality of healthcare through balancing social, environmental, and financial constraints. As a trusted profession, healthcare professionals are uniquely placed to help redesign healthcare to benefit the patient, planet, and national healthcare systems’ interests. Sustainable healthcare education is emerging as a new and necessary response to this need. Newly qualified healthcare professionals are able to apply the principles, methods, and knowledge of sustainable healthcare to clinical practice. Therefore, topics about how this knowledge is best delivered in undergraduate/postgraduate programs are accepted as well.

This Special Issue seeks research articles on new approaches that have been applied or are under development to enforce the sustainability of training programs or to develop deeper knowledge and competence for sustainable healthcare. We especially encourage the submission of inter-professional, inter-disciplinary, and crosscutting research, highlighting the point of view of complexity. We also encourage the submission of manuscripts that are focused on policy or management solutions at multiple scales or a theory-based reflection on the topics at stake. Overall, we expect all the submissions to advance current knowledge and reference relevant, more recent literature, explicitly stating what value the study adds to these topics.

Prof. Dr. Fabrizio Consorti
Dr. Gabriella Facchinetti
Guest Editors

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. Sustainability 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 2400 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

  • medical education
  • curriculum planning
  • educational technology
  • sustainable healthcare
  • cross-cultural comparison
  • faculty development

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Published Papers (7 papers)

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13 pages, 359 KiB  
Article
Enhancing Disaster Triage Competencies through Simulation-Based Training: An Interventional Study among Undergraduate Nursing Students
by Amal Hamdi and Abdulellah Al Thobaity
Sustainability 2023, 15(21), 15513; https://doi.org/10.3390/su152115513 - 1 Nov 2023
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2908
Abstract
This pre–post interventional study explores the effectiveness of simulation-based training in enhancing disaster nursing skills among nursing students at Taif University, Saudi Arabia. The training, which uses a realistic train accident simulation and involves a response team of healthcare professionals, aims to improve [...] Read more.
This pre–post interventional study explores the effectiveness of simulation-based training in enhancing disaster nursing skills among nursing students at Taif University, Saudi Arabia. The training, which uses a realistic train accident simulation and involves a response team of healthcare professionals, aims to improve knowledge and performance in crisis management and triage during mass casualty incidents. The study’s necessity stems from the critical role nurses play in disaster response, requiring a comprehensive understanding of challenges, collaboration among stakeholders, and improved capabilities. A random sample of 101 nursing students voluntarily participated in the study, with the necessary approvals obtained. We measured their emergency management skills and knowledge using a detailed questionnaire (27 items) and conducted pretest and posttest evaluations. Data analysis was performed using SPSS. The results indicate the training’s effectiveness, as a significant portion of participants achieved high performance levels in the posttest, contrasting with a higher percentage of fail-level grades in the pretest. These findings underscore the potential to improve disaster management protocols and nursing professionals’ preparedness in Saudi Arabia. The study emphasizes the importance of comprehensive education in disaster nursing in enhancing emergency response and patient outcomes. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Medical Education: The Challenges and Opportunities of Sustainability)
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20 pages, 299 KiB  
Article
Cultural Competence among Healthcare Professional Educators: A Mixed-Methods Study
by Banan Mukhalalati, Aicha Ahmed, Sara Elshami and Ahmed Awaisu
Sustainability 2023, 15(18), 13793; https://doi.org/10.3390/su151813793 - 15 Sep 2023
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1827
Abstract
As cultural diversity gains global prominence, healthcare professional educators (HPEs) are expected to exhibit a high level of cultural competence in education. Responding to this necessity requires the establishment of healthcare education that is oriented toward sustainability. This study aimed to investigate HPEs’ [...] Read more.
As cultural diversity gains global prominence, healthcare professional educators (HPEs) are expected to exhibit a high level of cultural competence in education. Responding to this necessity requires the establishment of healthcare education that is oriented toward sustainability. This study aimed to investigate HPEs’ perceptions of cultural competence at the Qatar University-Health Cluster (QU-HC). A convergent mixed-methods design was applied. The quantitative phase involved 118 HPEs at QU-HC responding to the Multicultural Teaching Competency Scale (MTCS). The qualitative phase included 3 focus groups (FGs) with 22 HPEs guided by Campinha-Bacote’s (1999) model of cultural competence. Thematic analysis was applied to analyze FGs data. Seventy-one educators responded to the MTCS (response rate was 60.2%), and twenty-two educators attended the FGs. HPEs demonstrated a moderate level of cultural awareness (total MTCS mean = 57 ± 7.8). The FGs revealed that the HPEs exhibited awareness and responsive teaching, but individual and institutional factors needed improvement. This study expands upon the existing literature concerning the cultural diversity impacts on the teaching and learning aspects of health profession programs, specifically within the Middle East context. It is recommended that health professional programs intensify the cultural orientation provided to educators, reanalyze the curricular content to serve diverse patients, and explore innovative approaches that embrace cultural diversity and sustainability. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Medical Education: The Challenges and Opportunities of Sustainability)
11 pages, 282 KiB  
Article
Teaching Methods in Medical Education: An Analysis of the Assessments and Preferences of Students
by Conrado A. Fernández-Rodríguez, M. Carmen Arenas-Fenollar, Irene Lacruz-Pérez and Raúl Tárraga-Mínguez
Sustainability 2023, 15(11), 9044; https://doi.org/10.3390/su15119044 - 3 Jun 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 3069
Abstract
Knowing which teaching methods students value the most is important, as it directly affects the quality of learning. This paper analyzes which teaching methods are most commonly used in the Medicine Degree at a Spanish university, as perceived by both professors and students. [...] Read more.
Knowing which teaching methods students value the most is important, as it directly affects the quality of learning. This paper analyzes which teaching methods are most commonly used in the Medicine Degree at a Spanish university, as perceived by both professors and students. It further explores the students’ assessments of these methods and the relationship between these assessments and the methods’ frequencies of use. The participants were 36 professors and 150 students. Professors completed the Teaching and Assessment Methodology of University Faculty Questionnaire (TAMUFQ), while students were administered a specially designed questionnaire. The questionnaire defined twelve teaching methods, and students were asked to provide their personal assessment and the frequency of use for each method based on their experiences. Professors reported adhering to a traditional style of teaching and assessment. According to the students, the most commonly used method was the lecture, although their assessments of lectures were significantly lower than the frequency with which that method was being used. Regarding the eleven remaining methods, the prospective doctors’ assessments were significantly higher than the methods’ degree of use. The main conclusion is that, while students did not negatively assess lectures, they considered them to be overused. This may mean that the potential of other teaching methods is being missed. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Medical Education: The Challenges and Opportunities of Sustainability)
12 pages, 2580 KiB  
Article
Barriers in Sustainability of Dental Students Choosing Academic Career Path: Comparison between the United States and Japan
by Akiko Asano, Masahiko Maeno, Xixi Zhou, Daisuke Sasaki, Yukinori Kuwajima, Yoshiki Ishida, Takehito Nakamura, Kenichiro Kobayashi, Yasushi Hojo and Shigemi Nagai
Sustainability 2023, 15(6), 5063; https://doi.org/10.3390/su15065063 - 13 Mar 2023
Viewed by 2115
Abstract
The purpose of this study is to investigate barriers experienced by dental students when choosing professional careers. An anonymous online survey with eight questions extracted from the annual American Dental Education Association Survey for U.S. dental school seniors (UDS) and two Japan-specific questions [...] Read more.
The purpose of this study is to investigate barriers experienced by dental students when choosing professional careers. An anonymous online survey with eight questions extracted from the annual American Dental Education Association Survey for U.S. dental school seniors (UDS) and two Japan-specific questions was given to Japanese dental school seniors (JDS) in 2019, 2020, and 2021. The results were compared to UDS data. This study was approved by the Institutional Review Board of Harvard Medical School and included 1053 respondents. The parental education and income levels of JDS were higher than UDS, and educational debt of JDS was lower than UDS. The top reason for choosing dentistry for JDS was influence and expectation from family members, while the top reason for UDS was service to others. Although both groups showed interest in teaching in academia, the majority chose to enter private practice immediately post-graduation, and would consider teaching during their mid or late career. Barriers for dental students staying in academia varied between the two countries. For JDS, the main barrier was an anxiety around stable income. For UDS, it was their educational debt. Dental educators and policymakers need to consider these barriers to improve the sustainability of dental students choosing an academic career path. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Medical Education: The Challenges and Opportunities of Sustainability)
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18 pages, 913 KiB  
Article
Situation of Physiotherapy Clinics in the Community of Madrid in Relation to the Concept of Sustainability: A Survey Study
by Alejandro Sánchez Ibáñez, María de las Mercedes Franco Hidalgo-Chacón, Eleuterio A. Sánchez-Romero and Juan Nicolás Cuenca-Zaldivar
Sustainability 2022, 14(24), 16439; https://doi.org/10.3390/su142416439 - 8 Dec 2022
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2469
Abstract
Introduction: Nowadays, it is increasingly urgent to regulate the use of the natural resources of our planet. From the field of physiotherapy, it is necessary to address this issue to ensure that our centers comply as much as possible with the Sustainable Development [...] Read more.
Introduction: Nowadays, it is increasingly urgent to regulate the use of the natural resources of our planet. From the field of physiotherapy, it is necessary to address this issue to ensure that our centers comply as much as possible with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Objective: To analyze the current situation in physiotherapy clinics in the Community of Madrid so as to identify whether their managers are aware of the concept of sustainability and its levels of application. Material and Methods: A survey study was carried out with the collaboration of 52 physiotherapy clinics in the Community of Madrid (Spain) to collect relevant data on sustainability. The questions were designed by experts in physiotherapy and sustainability with the aim of obtaining as much information as possible, analyzing the knowledge of sustainability and part of the goals established in the 2030 agenda. The procedures were conducted following the Strengthening the Reporting of Observational Studies in Epidemiology (STROBE) statement and checklist, in addition to following the Declaration of Helsinki. The study was approved by the Local Ethics Committee of the European University of Madrid, Madrid, Spain (CIPI/22.016). Results: A total of 35 questions were answered by 52 physiotherapy clinics in the Autonomous Community of Madrid (Spain) that completed the survey. In addition to the results of each question related to the concept of sustainability, significant differences were observed in the proportion of emotions detected with the NRC dictionary in the question about how waste is removed from the center (p = 0.002 and 0.008, respectively) with a higher proportion of positive feelings with emotions of joy, anticipation, confidence and surprise expressed by participants from clinics of less than 90 m2, while in those from clinics of more than 90 m2, negative feelings predominated with emotions of disgust, fear or sadness; in both cases, the effect of size was large and significant. Conclusions: Most of the physiotherapy clinics in the Community of Madrid that participated in the study are aware of the concept of sustainability. However, in practice, they do not sufficiently apply sustainability protocols in their clinics. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Medical Education: The Challenges and Opportunities of Sustainability)
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11 pages, 1787 KiB  
Article
Training of Health Professionals to Promote Active Fatherhood during the Pre and Post-Natal Care to Prevent Violence against Women
by Francesca Zambri, Andrea Santoro, Annina Lubbock, Alessandro Volta, Giovanna Bestetti, Francesca Marchetti, Paola Pecilli, Elisabetta Nassa, Jessica Preziosi, Sofia Colaceci and Angela Giusti
Sustainability 2022, 14(15), 9341; https://doi.org/10.3390/su14159341 - 29 Jul 2022
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1899
Abstract
Violence against women is a violation of human rights and a form of discrimination against women. Healthcare services play a key role in the care of women exposed to violence, and father involvement in delivery and childcare can reduce intimate partner violence and [...] Read more.
Violence against women is a violation of human rights and a form of discrimination against women. Healthcare services play a key role in the care of women exposed to violence, and father involvement in delivery and childcare can reduce intimate partner violence and has positive effects during pre and post-natal care. Our study aims to assess attitudes, practices, and perceived competencies of social-healthcare professionals on fathers’ active engagement in care and on prevention and management of violence against women after specific training. A pre–post study was carried out at two points in time: T0 (pre-training) and T1 within 15 days from the end of the course, using a semi-structured questionnaire. Changes were analyzed using paired t-test or Wilcoxon signed-rank test. Statistical analysis was carried out using Stata version 16. At T0, there were 129 participants. The most represented professions were midwives (66%). The average score of opinions at T0 and T1 improved, and this difference was significant (T0: 4.44; SD ± 0.6; T1: 4.42 SD ± 0.3; p = 0.0126). The same applies to perceived competencies (T0: 2.79; SD ± 0.6; T1: 2.99; SD ± 0.5; p = 0.0198). Professionals’ training on active fatherhood and on prevention and management of violence against women for health professionals is an effective public health strategy for health promotion. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Medical Education: The Challenges and Opportunities of Sustainability)
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15 pages, 449 KiB  
Project Report
Implementing a Pediatric Residency Program in Central Asia in Compliance with ACGME-International Standards: First Experience from Kazakhstan
by Dimitri Poddighe and Massimo Pignatelli
Sustainability 2023, 15(4), 3298; https://doi.org/10.3390/su15043298 - 10 Feb 2023
Viewed by 1689
Abstract
The Graduate Medical Education (GME) became an essential part of the physician’s professional curriculum all over the world, no matter the specific model developed across different countries. The “Residency” represents the main GME model in North America, where it is regulated and organized [...] Read more.
The Graduate Medical Education (GME) became an essential part of the physician’s professional curriculum all over the world, no matter the specific model developed across different countries. The “Residency” represents the main GME model in North America, where it is regulated and organized according to the standards of the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME). This model has been exported outside North America through the ACGME International (ACGME-I) program. This article reports the first experience of implementing an ACGME-oriented Pediatric Residency Program in Central Asia at the Nazarbayev University School of Medicine in the Republic of Kazakhstan. The vision, general project, main organizational aspects, and challenges of this Pediatric Residency Program are described and discussed in this article. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Medical Education: The Challenges and Opportunities of Sustainability)
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