Graduate Entry Medical School, University of Limerick, Limerick, Ireland.
Department of Psychology, National University of Ireland, Galway, Ireland.
BMC Med Educ. 2020 Jun 3;20(1):183. doi: 10.1186/s12909-020-02097-2.
Medical School programme workloads challenge the physical and mental health of students particularly in compressed graduate entry programmes. There is evidence that physical activity (PA) can improve holistic care and help maintain wellness among medical students. We tested the feasibility of introducing an exercise programme to the medical school curriculum which would educate and promote health and well-being among its students.
This study was conducted in a single graduate entry medical school at the University of Limerick (UL). The 'MED-WELL' programme was a six-week programme of 1 hour-long weekly sessions, each involving a different type of PA (45 min). These sessions were prefaced by an interactive lecture about how to incorporate exercise theory into daily medical practice (15 min). The study was conducted in a single graduate entry medical school at UL and involved year one and year two graduate entry medical students. Three parameters were used to test feasibility: 1. Recruitment and retention of participants, 2. Acceptability of the programme and 3. Efficacy in terms of health and well-being. The latter was assessed by administering questionnaires pre and post the intervention. The questionnaires used the following validated measurement scales: EQ-VAS; WHO-5 Well-Being Index; 3-item Loneliness Scale; Social Support Measure 3-item scale. Free text boxes also encouraged participants to discuss the merits of the programme.
In total, 26% (74/286 students) participated in the programme. Of those who participated, 69 students (93%) attended one or more sessions of the programme and completed questionnaires at baseline and at follow-up. Significant improvements were seen in scores after the programme in the WHO-5 Well-Being Index which increased from 63.2 (95%CI: 48-78.4) to 67.5 (95%CI: 55.1-79.9); (P < 0.01), the sleep scale which increased from 3.1 (95%CI: 2.2-4.0) to 3.5 (95%CI: 2.5-4.5); (P < 0.001), and the loneliness scale which decreased from 4.1 (95%CI: 2.7-5.5) to 3.5 (95%CI: 2.5-4.5); (P < 0.005). Students level of PA during a typical week also increased from 3.7 (95%CI: 2.1-5.4) to 4.0 (95%CI, 3.5-4.5); (P < 0.05).
This study has shown it is feasible to deliver this programme in a medical school's curriculum. The programme seems to be of benefit and is acceptable to students. Well-designed randomised controlled trials are needed to measure outcomes, durability of effect, and cost effectiveness.
医学院的课程工作量对学生的身心健康构成挑战，尤其是在压缩的研究生入学课程中。有证据表明，体育锻炼可以改善整体医疗服务，并有助于维持医学生的健康。我们测试了在医学院课程中引入锻炼计划的可行性，该计划将教育和促进学生的健康和幸福感。
本研究在利默里克大学（UL）的一所单一的研究生入学医学院进行。“MED-WELL”计划是一个为期六周的每周一小时课程，每次课程涉及一种不同类型的体育活动（45 分钟）。这些课程之前是一个互动讲座，介绍如何将运动理论融入日常医疗实践（15 分钟）。该研究在 UL 的一所单一的研究生入学医学院进行，涉及一年级和二年级的研究生入学医学生。有三个参数用于测试可行性：1. 参与者的招募和保留，2. 计划的接受程度，3. 健康和幸福感方面的效果。后者通过在干预前后进行问卷调查来评估。问卷使用了以下经过验证的测量量表：EQ-VAS；WHO-5 幸福感指数；3 项孤独感量表；社会支持量表 3 项量表。自由文本框还鼓励参与者讨论该计划的优点。
总共有 26%（286 名学生中的 74 名）参加了该计划。在参加的学生中，有 69 名学生（93%）参加了该计划的一次或多次课程，并在基线和随访时完成了问卷。该计划后，WHO-5 幸福感指数从 63.2（95%CI：48-78.4）增加到 67.5（95%CI：55.1-79.9）（P<0.01），睡眠量表从 3.1（95%CI：2.2-4.0）增加到 3.5（95%CI：2.5-4.5）（P<0.001），孤独感量表从 4.1（95%CI：2.7-5.5）降低到 3.5（95%CI：2.5-4.5）（P<0.005）。学生在典型一周内的体育活动量也从 3.7（95%CI：2.1-5.4）增加到 4.0（95%CI，3.5-4.5）（P<0.05）。
本研究表明，在医学院的课程中提供该计划是可行的。该计划似乎对学生有益且可以接受。需要进行精心设计的随机对照试验来衡量效果、效果的持久性和成本效益。
