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A scarcity in research assessing the palliative care (PC) educational and health care system–related issues has been reported in the Middle East region; the region comprises a wide range of economically diverse countries. Discrepancies across countries have created difficulties in adopting other countries' experiences. This study aimed to assess PC knowledge, attitude, educational needs, and health care system–related issues from physicians' and nurses' perspectives before developing PC services within the Palestinian health care system. One hundred sixty-nine professionals participated in this cross-sectional survey. Data were collected by validated instruments. Professionals had insufficient knowledge about PC, but they had positive attitudes toward end-of-life care and care of the dying. Patients'/families' avoidance of talking about issues around dying and lack of training for staff related to PC were the most 2 significant barriers to providing PC. Educational level and previous training were found to be associated significantly with knowledge and attitudes toward PC. Study conclusions support the recommendation for integration of education about PC within the health curricula and in-service training and should cover the basic and advanced principles of PC and symptom management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Frailty is a common and vulnerable state in older people, which leads to a higher risk of adverse health outcomes. This cross-sectional study examined the association between frailty and its phenotypic components with the Mediterranean diet, life-space, and social participation in community-dwelling older people. 263 community-dwelling older people recruited from three community centers in Hong Kong completed the study (robust = 85, pre-frail = 120, frail = 58). The results showed that the Mediterranean diet (OR = 0.29), life-space (OR = 0.32), and social participation (OR = 0.31) were associated with frailty. All factors were preferentially associated with slowness. The Mediterranean diet and social participation were additionally associated with weakness and low activity, respectively. To reduce the risk of frailty among diverse populations of older people in community settings, eliminating foods considered detrimental in the Mediterranean diet is advocated. Older people's satisfaction with social participation should be taken into consideration. Environmental designs should accommodate slow-walking older people to maximize their life-space [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Nurses are required to be culturally competent to provide quality care to an increasingly diverse and ageing population. International exchange programmes were developed to support the traditional nursing curriculum. These programmes have often overlooked the importance of pre-departure preparation and co-curricular activities to the development of intercultural competency. Objectives To explore the influence of pre-departure and co-curricular activities on the intercultural learning experiences of both exchange and host students in a short-term international summer programme. Design A mixed-methods study. Setting Students were recruited from international and mainland exchange partners, with host students as ambassadors. The international summer programme involved a week of online pre-departure activities and two weeks of face-to-face meetings. Participants A convenience sample of 62 students from diverse cultural backgrounds was recruited on a voluntary basis. The participants were aged between 19 and 27. Methods Data were collected from students' pre- and post-visit questionnaires, discussions within the workshops, their online discussion threads, and focus group discussions. Results The quantitative findings suggested that students' cultural intelligence improved significantly after the exchange programme. Qualitatively, three themes emerged as: 1) Students' motivation to engage in intercultural learning; 2) Barriers to intercultural communication; 3) Enablers of intercultural communication. Conclusion Pre-departure preparation enabled students to discuss their common goals and expectations, while exploring differences, asked for practical living information, and used the basic intercultural concepts in their discussion on the care of elderly. This virtual encounter has lay the foundation for students' subsequent discussions about the why and how the differences that inform their own practices and about global ageing and poverty issues during their co-curricular activities. While the pre-departure preparation could serve as a stimulus, the value of this programme for intercultural learning also rests with the importance of debriefing to further students' reflective and experiential learning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

During the COVID-19 pandemic, universities adopted online teaching as the primary teaching and learning method. Most of the online teaching, however, has been limited to the broadcasting of asynchronous lectures and sharing of teaching materials. To explore undergraduate nursing students' self-regulated learning experiences, satisfaction, and attitudes toward older persons in a gerontological nursing course using online self-regulated enquiry-based learning (EBL) during the COVID-19 pandemic. A mixed-methods design was adopted. A university in Hong Kong providing pre-registration nursing programmes. 155 students studying in the fourth year in a five-year Bachelor of Nursing programme participated in the quantitative study in which 18 joined the focus groups (4 groups with group size of 4–5). Five video-based scenarios along with two interactive online workshops, a mind-map development exercise, gamified assessments, reading materials, group discussions, and presentations were adopted in a gerontological nursing course offered in 2019–2020 to enhance the students' learning, driven by a process of enquiry. Attitudes toward older people were measured at baseline and one week after the course (post-test). Information on self-regulated learning experiences, satisfaction, and confidence were collected at post-test only. Paired t -tests and descriptive statistics were used to analyse the data. Focus groups were conducted through semi-structured interviews and transcribed verbatim for inductive content analysis. A significant improvement was demonstrated in the students' attitude toward older people. The students appreciated the opportunities provided by the online EBL to apply key concepts of gerontology in the teaching and learning activities and to enhance their critical thinking skills. Three major themes were revealed from the focus group: Perception of the teaching pedagogy, Improvement of cognitive skills, and Positive and negative aspects of the learning experience. The online self-regulated EBL improved the students' online learning experience in a gerontological nursing course during the pandemic and improved their attitudes toward older people. • Self-regulated online enquiry-based learning for undergraduate nursing students during the covid-19 pandemic • Significant improvement was demonstrated in the students' attitude towards older people • Students appreciated the opportunities to apply key concepts of gerontology and enhance their critical thinking skills [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]