Research Information System
82nd FIP World Congress of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Cape-Town, South Africa, 1 - 04 September 2024, pp.4-5, (Full Text)
Background: Chronic diseases represent a significant global health challenge,
accounting for 40.5 million deaths in 2016 worldwide [1]. Addressing chronic
diseases is pivotal within the framework of the UN's Sustainable Development
Goals [2]. Health and other professionals are expected to support
self-management of health behaviours in chronic diseases. Evidence indicates
that insufficiencies in undergraduate education hinder their ability to
adequately fulfil this role.
Purpose: To analyse the landscape of education at undergraduate level for
increasing competences in behaviour
change support in chronic disease management, across European countries as to
explore potential similarities in terms of countries and as professions.
Method: Cross-sectional survey conducted between June 2023 to January 2024
via Google forms (ethics approval 2022/298).
The survey was developed based on a transnational learning
outcomes-based curriculum and disseminated to
healthcare students in European countries through national associations
affiliated with their respective European umbrella association, who were
represented in the research team (European
Dental Students' Association-EDSA, European Medical Students' Association-EMSA,
European Early Career Nurses and Nursing Students' Association-ENSA, European
Pharmaceutical Students’ Association-EPSA, European Federation of Psychology
Students' Associations-EFPSA). A two-step cluster algorithm analysis was
utilized to categorise students into optimal groupings based on similar
characteristics derived from their responses to all questionnaire items.
Results: Among all participants (n=183), 81.4% of them were female (n=149).
Nursing, pharmacy and dentistry were the most common degrees of the
participants (57, 31.49%, 50, 27.62%, and 39, 21.54%). Most respondents was
from Southern Europe and Central and Eastern Europe subregions (67, 36.61% and
57, 31.15%). Cluster analysis determined the optimal number of clusters to be
2, and the mean scores of the obtained clusters' components showed statistical
significance (p<0.001). The mean component scores of Cluster 2 were
significantly higher than those of Cluster 1 (p<0.05). Based on self-report,
this indicates that Cluster 2 places a greater emphasis on content related to
behaviour change support within their curriculum. The majority of respondents
in Cluster 2 were from the Southern Europe, whereas those in Cluster 1 were
mainly from the Western Europe (p<0.001). Most respondents in Cluster 1 were
Pharmacy students, while those in Clusters 2 were Nursing students (p=0.004).
Conclusion:
Our exploratory survey indicates differences in terms of
behaviour change support education for subregions of Europe and degree;
southern Europe and nursing degree showed less gaps in undergraduate education.
These findings warrant confirmation with a larger and potentially
representative sample, to guide education efforts in the field. Moreover,
students’ report should be supplemented with curricular analysis, to identify
specific gaps in relation to a transnational learning outcomes-based curriculum
and the associated European competency framework.
Topic area: Academic pharmacy
Keywords: Behaviour change, self-management, undergraduate education, chronic
diseases
References
1.
World
Health Organization (WHO). Noncommunicable diseases: Mortality. The Global
Health Observatory. https://www.who.int/data/gho/data/themes/topics/topic-details/GHO/ncd-mortality.
Accessed 14 June 2023.
2. World Health Organization. (2021). Global
expenditure on health: public spending on the rise?. World Health Organization.
https://apps.who.int/iris/handle/10665/350560. License: CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO