Increasing cultural and linguistic diversities of populations have created a challenge for medical educators to provide authentic learning experiences fostering cross-cultural understanding and interprofessional attitudes of students. Simulations with actors portraying patients (commonly referred to as simulated patients) are effective learning modalities to teach students to provide culturally competent care and influence the quality of patient-centered care. The aim of this systematic review was to identify and synthesize available evidence on the use of simulations with simulated patients as a learning intervention to teach cultural competence to the students of healthcare professions. The PubMed, Medline Complete, and CINAHL databases were searched for articles, which resulted in 27 papers being included in the review. Results revealed that engaging students in cross-cultural interactions with patients increases their level of cultural competence, confidence, and learning satisfaction, and therefore, simulations with simulated patients can serve as a powerful reinforcement of cross-cultural education.

Multiple choice questions (MCQs) are commonly used for assessing students, but medical teachers may lack training in writing them. MCQs often have imperfections called item-writing flaws (IWFs) that can affect students’ results and impede objective evaluation of their knowledge. This study aimed to evaluate a guideline-based faculty development intervention on writing MCQs at Levels 1 and 2 of the Kirkpatrick Model. MCQs written by teachers prior and after the intervention were analyzed with the Shapiro–Wilk test, Student’s t-test, and Wilcoxon signed-rank test as appropriate. In addition, the phenomenological approach was chosen to describe experiences of 10 teachers in semi-structured in-depth interviews. Results showed satisfaction of teachers with the document. They found it helpful in writing MCQs and noticed the requirement for another guidelines. They appreciated it for its briefness and clarity. The statistical analysis of the quality of MCQs before and after the intervention showed that the document contributed to a statistically significant reduction of IWFs. To conclude, our results showed that a guideline document on writing MCQs may serve as a well-received and effective faculty development intervention. The document may be used as a flexible, time-saving, and just-in-time learning method, fitting needs of medical teachers.

Over the years, many studies have emphasized the pharmacist’s importance as part of the patient care team. Still, the interprofessional collaboration between physicians and pharmacists in their everyday work seems rare. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the types of contact between them, possible mutual collaboration, and barriers to implementation. This study was conducted from April to August 2020. The study group included licensed pharmacists working in community pharmacies in Poland (n = 207). The results show that, according to the respondents, physician–pharmacist contact mainly concerns formal aspects, such as correcting prescription errors. They occasionally communicate for other matters, such as consultation regarding drug availability and drug dosage. However, when asked to divide responsibilities between them and physicians, pharmacists indicate areas that should involve interprofessional collaboration, e.g., monitoring adverse drug reactions, analysis of multi-drug therapy, and checking the regularity of taking medications. They indicated the lack of specific collaboration rules, limited willingness to establish relationships and low mutual respect and trust among existing barriers. It is worth considering the possibility of overcoming these barriers provided by interprofessional education in order to develop communication skills and build relationships based on respect.

The ERASMUS program is one of the most popular student exchange projects, particularly among the students of Central and Eastern European countries. However, limited research is available with regard to its influence on the professional and personal development of its participants. The study aimed at investigating the experiences and impact of the ERASMUS program on different domains of the personal and professional life of medical students. A questionnaire containing closed and open-ended questions was distributed among 269 former participants of the ERASMUS program from the Poznan University of Medical Sciences to collect qualitative and quantitative data regarding the topic. The response rate was 41%. Mastering professional foreign language skills was the most frequently reported benefit of ERASMUS (94%), followed by a change of approach towards learning by exposure to innovative teaching techniques, character, professionalism and cultural competency development, impact on the migration decisions of the students, as well as the opportunity to compare healthcare and educational systems across countries. Additionally, 57% of respondents stated that ERASMUS impacted their career plans, and few indicated that it had affected their specialty choice. Approximately 28% of respondents have worked abroad in healthcare or research since graduating. Participation in the ERASMUS program proved to be a unique opportunity for professional and personal development.

Urinary incontinence (UI) in women can cause a number of sexual dysfunctions and reduce their quality of life. Sexual health is essential to the self-esteem, emotional state, and overall quality of life. We aimed to assess the quality of sexual life of women with UI. The study included a group of 145 sexually active women diagnosed with UI. The research was conducted using the diagnostic survey method with authorial and validated questionnaires. As many as 49.1% of the respondents reported a deterioration of sexual relations in comparison with the time before the onset of UI symptoms. According to the FSDS-R results, 83.45% of respondents were dissatisfied with their sex life. The higher the result obtained by respondents in the FSDS-R scale, the lower was their quality of life in the IIQ-7 scale (p ≤ 0.002, R = 0.53). The greatest impact was observed in the domains of emotional health and physical activity. The more incontinence symptoms reported by the respondent in the UDI-6 scale, the worse was her sexual satisfaction in the FSDS-R (p = 0.003, R = 0.39). UI in women contributes to the development of sexual dysfunctions, including decreased interest in sexual life, limited intercourse, and dissatisfaction with sexual life.

This study presents a modified Group Objective Structured Clinical Experience (GOSCE) focused on difficult conversations, in which, due to limited time and financial resources, only some students could actively participate in scenarios. We aimed to evaluate the intervention, including differences between them and observers. The intervention was organized for sixth-year medical students at a Polish medical university. The study protocol assumed a pre-post analysis of students’ attitudes and self-efficacy of communication skills and their opinions about the intervention. Complete questionnaire pairs were returned by 126 students. The pre-post analysis revealed a significant improvement in their self-efficacy levels of almost all skills as well as their affective attitudes and belief in outcomes of communication learning. The improvement was significant among both the active participants and observers. It also showed a decrease in the motivation score, significant only in females. Regardless of their roles, students had positive opinions about the course and its particular aspects. The modified GOSCE may be an enjoyable and effective learning experience for students, especially in the light of limited resources. However, changes in their motivation score suggest the necessity to increase the importance of communication learning in the curriculum.