The Missing Professional Perspective: Medical, Veterinary, and Dual Degree Public Health Student Perceptions of One Health

Abstract

Introduction: One Health (OH) is an important concept to design appropriate public health responses to emerging diseases such as COVID-19. How trainee health professionals understand this concept is important to its implementation. In this study, we explored how medical (MD), veterinary (DVM), and dual degree MD and DVM Master of Public Health (MPH) students define OH and its relevance to practice.Methods: Students participated in a survey that included the Readiness for Interprofessional Learning Scale (RIPLS), and two questions requiring them to define and explain the relevance of OH. The transcripts of the OH responses underwent thematic analysis. Role theory was used to explain the variation in how students from these different programmes viewed the concept.Results: The responses of the MD and DVM students in contrast to the dual degree MPH students reflected gaps in their understanding of the concept that pertained to the specific health impacts of global warming; antimicrobial resistance, food security; social, cultural and environmental determinants of zoonoses occurrence, and health policy formation.Discussion: Mitigation of the global risks to public health require a collaborative approach by health professionals. Our findings suggest that MD and DVM students are unaware of many factors that impact patient health outside of their own discipline. The inclusion of dual degree students revealed novel insights that undertaking an MPH may have enabled them to be more aware about the interdisciplinary relevance of OH to their professional practice. We recommend that structured incorporation of OH should inform future medical and veterinary curricula.

A Focus on Methodology: A Mixed-Methods Approach to Conduct a Comprehensive Evaluation of the Need for One Health Education for Medical and Veterinary Students in the Context of COVID-19

“… 15 The DVM MPH students were able to appreciate the relevance of OH in policy development, zoonoses prevention and the role of environmental, specifically climatic factors on the public health and their role in mitigating these effects. 16 …”

“… 15 The survey also included 2 open-ended questions to obtain students understanding about the OH concept and its relevance to clinical practice. 16 Demographic information as well as prior public health experience was also collected from the participants. 15 …”

“…Charts that depicted the students’ agreement and disagreement to the survey responses 15 and their definitions on OH 16 were presented to the faculty focus groups. The primary researcher had prepared semi-structured focus group questions described in the earlier referenced manuscript 17 that discusses the analysis and results of the faculty focus groups sessions.…”

“…The analysis of open-ended statements on the relevance of OH led to the themes that emerged across the MD, DVM and dual degree programmes. 16 The qualitative focus group interviews allowed us to understand why these differences occurred as faculty explained that differences in accreditation mandates and curricula requirements influenced the differences across the programmes in IPE readiness as well as perceived relevance of OH to clinical practice. 17 …”

“…The results of this study indicated that core OH competencies should ideally be incorporated within the MD curricula. 16 Roopnarine et al 16 compare and discuss the distribution of OH content across the curricula of each programme and suggest content that should be brought to the table of the MD and DVM programmes. The curriculum of both the MD and DVM programmes should include core of socio-cultural and environmental factors on the occurrence of zoonoses; the dangers of antimicrobial resistance for both animal and human health; the impacts of global warming including emergence of vector borne diseases, natural disasters, heatstroke and respiratory diseases on their patients.…”