Second partner meeting in Valencia – Where are we now?
The EthCo team met at the University of Valencia’s Faculty of Physiotherapy, in March 2023, enjoying very sunny weather. During our two-day in person meeting we engaged in productive discussions about the project timeline and ongoing and upcoming tasks related to the different work packages in this project. Above all, we had the opportunity to get to know each other even better.
The meeting commenced with a presentation of the overall progress of the EthCO project, which included a presentation of the project GANTT chart. This chart depicts all the details relating to project tasks and budgeting. We are pleased to say that the project is on track whilst carefully considering important decisions in the different work packages. With the reporting phase for the first period of the project fast approaching, we deliberated on the tasks required to complete a comprehensive report that focuses on project indicators, progress and quality.
Throughout the meeting, we dedicated time to highlighting communication and dissemination strategies for the project. We were very happy to announce the publication of our project website. Currently the project team is writing various blog texts and materials to populate our site. As the project progresses, we plan to prepare several presentations during events and publish research articles in various academic and professional journals…So, stay tuned for more regular updates on our website!
The aim of work package 2 in the EthCo-project is to create a framework for project’s educational materials. This work package includes a literature review about ethical issues in health care and a scoping review about learning ethics online. The outcomes of the first phase of work package 2 are nearing completion, with reports on the results in their final stages of drafting. The findings from these reports will be presented during an international nursing conference this spring. The second phase of work package 2 consists of quantitative research in hospitals across the partner countries. This phase is still ongoing, with the translation of data collection tools almost complete. The survey team is now in the process of piloting the different language versions of the survey and commencing data collection. Keep following this space for more updates on this process and results!
During our partner meeting in Valencia the EthCo team also focused on the next stage of the EthCo project; developing educational content for Work Package 3. We had very productive discussions about this process, starting from the pedagogical grounds for ethics education and moving on to various aspects of knowledge to be included. Moreover, the team brought forward several suggestions for active learning strategies in relation to ethics education based on their experiences and expertise in education. These strategies will hopefully engage and motivate students and professionals to learn about ethics. The EthCo team has devised a plan to develop theoretical educational materials that will be primarily available online. In addition, an “ethical coffee room” will be created to discuss topics relevant to both students and professionals during their nursing and physiotherapy clinical practice. Furthermore, several simulation scenarios and multiprofessional manuscripts will be piloted with students and professionals nationally and internationally. These activities will take place during an in-person intensive week to be held in Malta next spring!
Besides EthCo related content in our programme, we also had a opportunity to visit the University of Valencia’s new interdisciplinary simulation centre for CESIS. CESIS is a centre designed with the aim of promoting student participation from the different areas of health sciences. Namely, dentistry, medicine, nursing, nutrition, psychology, physiotherapy and pharmacy. The simulation centre is equipped with an ambulance, intesive care unit, operating rooms, physiotherapy room and other resources that allow students to improve their technical and non-technical skills. CESIS is a training facility equipped with cutting-edge technology that enables the emulation of various situations that can occur within and outside a hospital whilst in a socially, scientifically and professionally controlled environment.
During the visit to this centre, the Valencia team were able to share the most innovative aspect of CESIS and the interdisciplinary work that is being carried out, with international partners. This visit was an opportunity to share experiences among the project team members, and a good start for the development of future simulation scenarios in work package 3.
Authors:
Kati Naamanka, Turku University of Applied Sciences
Sara Cortes Amador, University of Valencia