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J Pain Symptom Manage 2021 Apr 14. Epub 2021 Apr 14.

Netherlands Comprehensive Cancer Organisation (IKNL), Utrecht, the Netherlands; Netherlands Association for Palliative Care (PZNL), Utrecht, the Netherlands.

Context: Providing palliative care can lead to work-related stress and ultimately to burnout. The need for palliative care will further increase due to population aging and people living longer with life-threatening diseases. Therefore, a healthy palliative care workforce is vital. Read More

Nurse Educ Pract 2021 Mar 30;52:103045. Epub 2021 Mar 30.

School of Nursing, Midwifery and Social Sciences, CQUniversity Australia, 90 Goodchap Street, Noosaville 4566, Australia. Electronic address:

The context within which midwifery students are professionally socialised is thought to impact upon the development of their sense of belongingness, their attitudes and values, and their commitment to the midwifery profession. Negative forms of socialisation are known to lead to undesirable outcomes including desensitisation about humanistic needs. This has potential to extend to an acceptance of workplace bullying and unfair treatment of others, including midwifery students whilst on clinical placement. Read More

Front Robot AI 2020 26;7:78. Epub 2020 Jun 26.

Natural and Artificial Cognition Lab, Department of Humanistic Studies, University of Naples "Federico II", Naples, Italy.

Robotics has gained, in recent years, a significant role in educational processes that take place in formal, non-formal, and informal contexts, mainly in the subjects related to STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics). Indeed, educational robotics (ER) can be fruitfully applied also to soft skills, as it allows promoting social links between students, if it is proposed as a group activity. Working in a group to solve a problem or to accomplish a task in the robotics field allows fostering new relations and overcoming the constraints of the established links associated to the school context. Read More

Int J Environ Res Public Health 2021 01 16;18(2). Epub 2021 Jan 16.

ARQ National Psychotrauma Centre, 1112 XE Diemen, The Netherlands.

The perception of the impact of climate change on the environment is becoming a lived experience for more and more people. Several new terms for climate change-induced distress have been introduced to describe the long-term emotional consequences of anticipated or actual environmental changes, with ecological grief as a prime example. The mourning of the loss of ecosystems, landscapes, species and ways of life is likely to become a more frequent experience around the world. Read More

J Med Ethics 2021 Jan 8. Epub 2021 Jan 8.

Waikato Medical Research Centre, Division of Arts, Law, Psychology and Social Sciences, University of Waikato, Hamilton, New Zealand.

Most healthcare providers (HCPs) work from ethical principles based on a Western model of practice that may not adhere to the cultural values intrinsic to Indigenous peoples. Breaking bad news (BBN) is an important topic of ethical concern in health research. While much has been documented on BBN globally, the ethical implications of receiving bad news, from an Indigenous patient perspective in particular, is an area that requires further inquiry. Read More

Educ Prim Care 2021 Mar 29;32(2):91-99. Epub 2020 Dec 29.

Department of Family Medicine and Community Health, University of Miyazaki, Miyazaki City, Miyazaki Prefecture, Japan.

Interprofessional collaboration (IPC) is vital to primary care. Improving IPC requires cooperation between medical and other healthcare professionals. Transprofessional role plays can enhance the quality of IPC; thus, in this study, we conducted transprofessional role plays, based on existing theories regarding IPC and medical education, with healthcare professionals in primary care. Read More

Health Promot Int 2020 Dec 18. Epub 2020 Dec 18.

Department of Statistics, Wroclaw University of Economics and Business, ul. Komandorska 118-120, 53-345 Wroclaw, Poland.

The amount of leisure time is essential for the psychosocial functioning of individuals and their health. The work-life balance (W-LB) is a particularly important aspect. In 2018, a study was carried out on the population of adult inhabitants of Wroclaw (Poland) (N=898). Read More

Eur J Psychotraumatol 2020 Oct 2;11(1):1776563. Epub 2020 Oct 2.

ARQ National Psychotrauma Centre, Diemen, The Netherlands.

The loss of a loved one causes the world and the place of the bereaved survivor in it to change irreversibly. A key aspect of the grieving process is the integration of the loss in the bereaved survivor's life story, identity change, and a new future orientation through meaning attribution. Meaning attribution can have favourable or unfavourable effects on the grieving process and hence determines the extent to which a loss disrupts the bereaved survivor's functioning. Read More

Int J Qual Health Care 2021 Feb;33(1)

Health Quality and Safety Commission, Wellington, New Zealand 6011.

Background: Safety systems are socio-cultural in nature, characterized by people, their relationships to one another and to the whole. This study aimed to (i) map the social networks of New Zealand's quality improvement and safety leaders, (ii) illuminate influential characteristics and behaviours of key network players and (iii) make recommendations regarding how networks might be optimized.

Methods: Instrumental case study was done using mixed methods. Read More

BMC Med Educ 2020 Nov 17;20(1):440. Epub 2020 Nov 17.

Department of Anatomy, Zhongshan School of Medicine, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, 510080, People's Republic of China.

Background: One of the most important objectives of modern medical education is to empower medical students to become humanistic clinicians. Human anatomy plays a crucial role in this mission by using cadavers to cause reflections on death, dying, illness, and the role of medical practitioners in humanistic care. The objective of this study was to introduce, describe, and evaluate the impact of a ceremony in honor of the body donors on ethical and humanistic attitudes of medical students. Read More

Rev Assoc Med Bras (1992) 2020 Oct;66(10):1455-1460

Acadêmica de Medicina. Membro do Núcleo de Estudo e Pesquisa em Bioética e Cuidados Paliativos da Universidade Federal da Paraíba, João Pessoa, PB, Brasil.

Communication is a facilitating tool in palliative care, enabling the development of a therapeutic process based on universal humanistic values, with benefits for the team, cancer patient, and family. This theme is of great importance and highlights the significant contributions to clinical practice in the context of palliative care in oncology with an emphasis on communication. Read More

Med Educ 2020 Nov 6. Epub 2020 Nov 6.

Royal Perth Bentley Group, East Metropolitan Health Service, Medical Division, Medical School, University of Western, Perth, WA, Australia.

Context: Community and consumer involvement in health professions education (HPE) is of growing interest among researchers and educators, particularly in preparing health care graduates to effectively learn from, and collaborate with, people with lived experience of health issues. However, to date there has been limited direction on methodological approaches to engage health care consumers in the research and co-design of HPE.

Approach: In this paper, we describe the background to our work with health care consumers including the five core principles for successful co-design (inclusive; respectful; participative; iterative; outcomes focused) and how they can be applied as a research approach in HPE. Read More

Health Psychol Res 2020 Oct 1;8(2):9209. Epub 2020 Oct 1.

Department of Educational Sciences, University of Catania, Catania, Italy.

Several authors have highlighted the importance of creating a useful tool to evaluate academic Burnout through the construction and validation of specific scales to evaluate academic Burnout. Based on the literature, the aim of this study is to evaluate in Italian university the psychometric properties of the SBI-U 9 scale for Academic Burnout in university students in Italy developed by Boada-Grau and colleagues. Study 1 (N=609) examined the factor structure of the scale (Male=45. Read More

J Clin Endocrinol Metab 2021 Jan;106(1):e316-e327

Department of Clinical Medicine and Surgery, University of Naples Federico II, Naples, Italy.

Context: Although health-related quality of life (HRQoL) is a fundamental outcome in oncological clinical trials, its evaluation in the neuroendocrine neoplasm (NEN) research field is still limited.

Objectives: This study assessed the role of clinical severity (ie, presence or absence of metastasis and lines of therapies) and heterogeneity (ie, primary site, types of therapy, biology, and surgery) of NEN in relation to HRQoL, as well as resilience as a moderator between clinical severity and HRQoL.

Design: Cross-sectional multicentric study. Read More

Violence Vict 2020 10;35(5):674-689

David Yellin Academic College, Jerusalem, Israel.

The growing number of terror attacks worldwide draws attention to the difficulties that healthcare practitioners experience when they treat terrorists or suspected terrorists. Research literature on the challenges faced by healthcare practitioners treating terrorists in conflict areas is limited. In-depth interviews were conducted during 2016-2017 with 50 Jewish and Arab healthcare practitioners (managers, physicians, and nurses) employed in 11 public hospitals in Israel, who treat Palestinian terrorists and security prisoners, in the context of a prolonged and violent national conflict. Read More

J Med Humanit 2020 Dec;41(4):543-560

Program in Humanistic Medicine NYU School of Medicine, 550 First Avenue, New York, NY, USA.

In comparison to other art forms, dance remains underrepresented in the medical humanities, especially within the academic medical setting. Several factors, including perceived lack of applicability to patient care, contribute to this pattern. This paper contends that, to the contrary, learners across the medical education spectrum stand to gain much from engaging with the movement arts, including improvement of clinically-relevant skills such as physical self-awareness, observation, communication, and mindfulness. Read More

BMJ Support Palliat Care 2020 Sep 14. Epub 2020 Sep 14.

Department of General Practice, Center of Expertise Palliative Care Utrecht, Julius Center for Healthcare Sciences and Primary Care, Universitair Medisch Centrum Utrecht, Utrecht, The Netherlands.

Background: Patients receiving palliative care may benefit greatly when their existential or spiritual strengths are fostered. To date however, there has not been a comprehensive literature review of patient and care professional approaches that are available.

Aims: To describe and synthesise existential or spiritual strength-based approaches within the context of palliative care. Read More

Int J Chron Obstruct Pulmon Dis 2020 3;15:1863-1875. Epub 2020 Aug 3.

State Key Laboratory of Quality Research in Chinese Medicine, Institute of Chinese Medical Sciences, University of Macau, Macau, People's Republic of China.

Purpose: This study aimed 1) to identify and analyse the professional services provided by community pharmacists for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) management; and 2) to develop a logic model for community pharmacy practice for COPD management.

Methods: A systematic review with a logic model was applied. English-language databases (PubMed, Web of Science, Embase, and Scopus) and a Chinese database (CNKI) were searched for articles published between January 2009 and June 2019. Read More

Int J Environ Res Public Health 2020 08 12;17(16). Epub 2020 Aug 12.

Faculty of Science, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam Public Health Research Institute, De Boelelaan 1105, 1081 HV Amsterdam, The Netherlands.

The first two years of a child's life are a critical period in preventing several lifestyle-related health problems. A qualitative study was conducted to explore parental experiences and perspectives in relation to lifestyle-related child-rearing practices in order to minimize risk factors at an early stage. Data were collected through interviews ( = 25) and focus groups ( = 4) with parents of children aged 0-2 years, in a disadvantaged neighborhood in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. Read More

CNS Drugs 2020 09;34(9):925-946

University Center of Psychiatry, University Medical Center Groningen, Postbus 30.001, 9700 RB, Groningen, The Netherlands.

Introduction: Interest in the use of psychedelic substances for the treatment of mental disorders is increasing. Processes that may affect therapeutic change are not yet fully understood. Qualitative research methods are increasingly used to examine patient accounts; however, currently, no systematic review exists that synthesizes these findings in relation to the use of psychedelics for the treatment of mental disorders. Read More

J Pain Symptom Manage 2021 Feb 7;61(2):287-294.e2. Epub 2020 Aug 7.

Julius Center for Health Sciences and Primary Care, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht, The Netherlands.

Context: In palliative care, caregivers often lack words and competences to discuss patients' needs in social and spiritual dimensions. The Utrecht Symptom Diary-4 Dimensional (USD-4D) is an instrument that can be used to monitor symptoms and needs in the physical, psychological, social, and spiritual dimensions and to optimize communication between patients and caregivers.

Objective: To assess the content validity of the USD-4D items related to the social and spiritual dimensions from a patient's perspective, measured in terms of comprehensibility, relevance, and comprehensiveness. Read More

PLoS One 2020 31;15(7):e0236627. Epub 2020 Jul 31.

Department of Psychology, New York University, New York, NY, United States of America.

According to Silvan Tomkins' polarity theory, ideological thought is universally structured by a clash between two opposing worldviews. On the left, a humanistic worldview seeks to uphold the intrinsic value of the person; on the right, a normative worldview holds that human worth is contingent upon conformity to rules. In this article, we situate humanism and normativism within the context of contemporary models of political ideology as a function of motivated social cognition, beliefs about the social world, and personality traits. Read More

Cochrane Database Syst Rev 2020 07 1;7:CD013017. Epub 2020 Jul 1.

Department of General Practice, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia.

Background: Intimate partner violence (IPV) against women is prevalent and strongly associated with mental health problems. Women experiencing IPV attend health services frequently for mental health problems. The World Health Organization recommends that women who have experienced IPV and have a mental health diagnosis should receive evidence-based mental health treatments. Read More

J Eval Clin Pract 2020 Jun 26. Epub 2020 Jun 26.

Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland, USA.

In today's culture of the medical profession, it is fairly unusual for students to actually witness physicians talking with patients about anything outside scientific explanation. That other side of medicine - the one that goes beyond explanation to understanding - goes unexplored, and the patient's personal narrative is consequently less understood. Meanwhile, though reflective writing is the most frequently used didactic method to promote introspection and deeper consolidation of new ideas for medical learners, there is robust evidence that other art forms - such as storytelling, dance, theatre, literature and the visual arts - can also help deepen reflection and understanding of the human aspect of medical practice. Read More

Curr Probl Diagn Radiol 2020 May 17. Epub 2020 May 17.

Department of Radiology and Imaging Sciences, Emory University School of Medicine, 550 Peachtree Street, Atlanta, GA.

Because image interpretation occurs out of public view, the lay public does not always know what a radiologist is, or that a radiologist is even a physician. Despite the reality that many radiologists have little to no patient contact, all have considerable impact on patient care. As viewed through the lens of patient impact and in the context of the social contract that physicians enter, radiologists lay equal claim to the title "doctor" as any other physician. Read More

Enferm Intensiva 2021 Jan-Mar;32(1):3-10. Epub 2020 May 7.

Grup d'Investigació en Cures, cronicitat i evidències en salut (CurES-IdISBa), España; Departamento de Enfermeria y Fisioterapia, Universitat de les Illes Balears, Secretaria académica de la Facultad de Enfermeria y Fisioterapia de la Universitat Illes Balears, Palma, España.

Introduction: Collaborative practice is an interpersonal process in which different professional disciplines that share objectives interact, participate in decision-making and provide comprehensive and quality care. The joint clinical sessions offer the opportunity to interact and improve communication between professionals and optimise results in practice.

Aim: To explore perceptions of nurses and physicians about collaborative practice in joint Intensive Care Unit clinical sessions. Read More

J Med Ethics 2020 May 6. Epub 2020 May 6.

Department of Care Ethics, University of Humanistic Studies, Utrecht, The Netherlands

The current empirical research and normative arguments on physician-assisted dying (PAD) in the Netherlands seem insufficient to provide ethical guidance to general practitioners in the practice of PAD, due to a gap between the evidence and arguments on the one hand and the uncertainties and complexities as found in everyday practice on the other. This paper addresses the problems of current ethical arguments and empirical research and how both seem to be profoundly influenced by the Dutch legislative framework on PAD and a certain view on ethics. Furthermore, the paper elaborates on how other approaches to empirical research in bioethics, such as found in the broad field of narrative research, could supplement the empirical and ethical evaluation of PAD in the Netherlands. Read More

PLoS One 2020 16;15(4):e0231580. Epub 2020 Apr 16.

Department of Humanistic Studies, University of Naples Federico II, Naples, Italy.

While overt instances of harassment and violence towards LGBQ+ individuals have decreased in recent years, subtler forms of heterosexism still shape the social and academic experience of students in higher education contexts. Such forms, defined as microaggressions, frequently include environmental slights that communicate hostile and derogatory messages about one's sexual-minority status. However, there is some evidence suggesting that environmental microaggressions have deleterious effects on all students, regardless of their sexual orientation. Read More

Aggress Behav 2020 07 5;46(4):327-340. Epub 2020 Apr 5.

Department of Special Education, Hashemite University, Zarqa, Jordan.

We investigated whether bidirectional associations between parental warmth and behavioral control and child aggression and rule-breaking behavior emerged in 12 cultural groups. Study participants included 1,298 children (M = 8.29 years, standard deviation [SD] = 0. Read More

J Am Osteopath Assoc 2020 Apr;120(4):245-252

Context: Osteopathic medical students are required to pass the Comprehensive Osteopathic Medical Licensing Examination-USA (COMLEX-USA) Levels 1- and 2-Cognitive Evaluation and COMLEX-USA Level 2-Performance Evaluation (PE) to graduate. Predictors of COMLEX-USA cognitive exam performance are well established, but relatively few studies have explored factors associated with performance on the Level 2-PE.

Objective: To evaluate the relationship between school-based clinical competency assessments (written, simulation, and workplace evaluations) and Level 2-PE performance to ensure that these assessment efforts are effective and grounded in evidence to support student readiness. Read More