The Role of Community-based Health Practice on the Improvement of Healthcare Students’ Communication, Empathy and Perception of the Elderly: A Qualitative Study at Izmir University of Economics

Abstract

Interpersonal communication involving empathy is of great importance in therapeutic relationships in healthcare. To equip medical/healthcare students with interpersonal communication skills, community-based health education provides real-life contexts in which they engage with the community as part of the curriculum. A community-based health practice (CBHP) was implemented at Izmir University of Economics (IUE) to improve students’ communication, empathy and perception towards the elderly. Within an interdisciplinary collaboration among the medicine, nursing, elderly-care and physiotherapy programs, a total of 111 students participated in the project. This study aimed to evaluate the role of the CBHP on students’ communication, empathy and perception of the elderly. Taking a qualitative approach, focus group interviews were organized with students (n=22). Descriptive analysis of the qualitative data revealed that students witnessed the loneliness of elderly individuals, their physical and psychosocial needs, which resulted in a high degree of empathy. Furthermore, the study also aimed to gain insights from elderly participants via in-depth interviews (n=9). Results demonstrated that the participants felt valued and useful during the communication processes with the students. In conclusion, CBHP contributed to students’ perceptions and empathy towards the elderly; meanwhile the elderly individuals were satisfied with the interest of the medical, nursing and healthcare students.

Keywords

• Community-based practice
• healthcare
• interpersonal communication
• empathy
• perception of elderly

Sağlık Öğrencilerinin İletişim, Empati ve Yaşlı Algısının Geliştirilmesinde Toplum Temelli Sağlık Uygulamasının Rolü: İzmir Ekonomi Üniversitesi’nde Nitel Bir Çalışma

Abstract

Empati içeren kişiler arası iletişim, sağlık hizmetlerindeki terapötik ilişkilerde büyük önem taşımaktadır. Tıp/sağlık öğrencilerine kişiler arası iletişim becerileri kazandırmak için toplum temelli sağlık eğitimi müfredatın bir parçası olarak toplulukla etkileşime girdikleri gerçek yaşam bağlamları sağlamaktadır. Öğrencilerin iletişim, empati ve yaşlılara karşı algılarını geliştirmek için İzmir Ekonomi Üniversitesi’nde (İEU) toplum temelli bir sağlık uygulaması gerçekleştirilmiştir. Tıp, hemşirelik, yaşlı bakımı ve fizyoterapi programları arasında disiplinler arası bir iş birliği içinde, toplam 111 öğrenci projeye katılmıştır. Bu çalışma, toplum temelli sağlık uygulamasının öğrencilerin iletişimi, empatisi ve yaşlı algısı üzerindeki rolünü değerlendirmeyi amaçlamıştır. Niteliksel yaklaşım ile öğrenciler ile odak grup görüşmeleri gerçekleştirilmiştir (n=22). Niteliksel verinin betimsel analizi, öğrencilerin, yaşlı bireylerin yalnızlığına, fiziksel ve psikososyal gereksinimlerine yakından tanıklık etmelerinin yüksek düzeyde empatiye yol açtığını ortaya koymaktadır. Ayrıca çalışmada yaşlı katılımcılardan yüz yüze görüşmeler yoluyla içgörü elde edilmesi amaçlanmıştır (n=9). Araştırma sonuçları katılımcıların öğrenciler ile iletişim süreçleri esnasında değerli ve faydalı hissettiklerini göstermektedir. Sonuç olarak, toplum temelli sağlık uygulaması öğrencilerin yaşlı algısına ve empatisine katkı sağlamış, aynı zamanda yaşlı bireyler tıp, hemşirelik ve sağlık hizmetleri öğrencilerinin gösterdikleri ilgiden memnun kalmışlardır.

Keywords

• Toplum temelli uygulama
• sağlık hizmeti
• kişiler arası iletişim
• empati
• yaşlı algısı

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