Browsing by Author "Peipert, Leah J."

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    Change in Medical Students’ Attitudes Towards Family Planning after a Pregnancy Options Counseling Panel
    (2024-04-26) Peipert, Leah J.; Brown, Lucy; King, Carli; Bhamidipalli, Surya Sruthi; Stout, Julianne; Peipert, Jeffrey F.; Caldwell, Amy
    INTRODUCTION: Abortion is one of the most commonly performed procedures in the U.S., but abortion education is lacking in medical curricula. Previous studies have shown that clinical exposure to abortion care in medical school can change students’ attitudes about abortion, yet few medical schools incorporate abortion education during students’ preclinical years. STUDY OBJECTIVE: This study evaluates changes in medical students’ attitudes after a virtual pregnancy counseling panel intervention during pre-clinical medical education at Indiana University School of Medicine. We hypothesized that students would feel more comfortable counseling and treating patients for unplanned pregnancy after attending the virtual panel. METHODS: Students participated in a “Pregnancy Options Panel” during their second-year course covering reproductive health. The panel consisted of OBGYNs, a pediatrician, and a social worker. Using a case study format, panelists guided discussion of appropriate care for a patient diagnosed with an unintended pregnancy. Two identical 19-item surveys consisting of multiple-choice and open-ended questions were electronically disseminated before and after the panel to assess students’ comfort and beliefs about family planning counseling and treatment. Statistical analyses were performed using non-parametric statistics (Wilcoxon signed rank and McNemar’s test) to compare before and after responses of participants. The study was IRB exempt. RESULTS: The second-year medical school class enrolled in the reproductive health course at Indiana University was composed of 366 students with 189 students (51.6%) identifying as female. Of the 366 students, 171 students (46.7%) completed surveys before and after the panel. Demographics were as follows: 60.6% female, 37.6% male, 64.9% white, 2.9% black, 84.6% non-Hispanic, and 10.7% Hispanic. After the pregnancy panel, students reported increased comfort when contemplating referral to an abortion provider, prescribing a medication abortion, and performing a surgical abortion compared to prior to the panel (p<0.01, all comparisons). Students were more likely to withhold disclosing their personal beliefs about abortion when counseling a pregnant patient (64.6% vs 42.3%, p<0.01), felt more capable of approaching the conversation about pregnancy options in a genuinely neutral manner (86.4% vs 71.6%, p<0.01), and had a significant increase in preparedness to counsel on continuing pregnancy, abortion, and adoption (p<0.01). CONCLUSIONS: Our pregnancy options counseling panel effectively guided students through a common reproductive health scenario counseling a patient with unintended pregnancy. Second year preclinical medical students felt more prepared to counsel patients neutrally and without influence of their own beliefs after attending the educational event. Students additionally felt more comfortable referring to an abortion provider, prescribing a medical abortion, and performing a surgical abortion after the panel, emphasizing how exposure to family planning scenarios can influence future physicians’ comfort providing non-judgmental counseling and abortion care. Expert panels comprised of health professionals with diverse clinical and social perspectives on pregnancy options can serve as an instructional model for preparing medical students for their obstetric and gynecological clinical clerkship and improving pre-clinical medical curriculum on the often-neglected topic of abortion.
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    Student Use and Perceptions of a Human Structure Anki Flashcard Deck
    (2025-04-25) Peipert, Leah J.; Sondreal, Abigail; Flom, Brandon; Robertson, Kyle; Izah, Ike; Hoffman, Leslie; Vargo-Gogola, Tracy; Husmann, Polly
    Introduction: Anki is a free, open-source flashcard software program designed to incorporate spaced repetition that has become a popular study tool among medical students.1,2 Medical schools rarely provide students with an Anki deck correlated with their curriculum, and students instead utilize self-made or publicly available pre-made decks. Study Objectives: Our study aimed to analyze the use and perceptions of a free Anki deck provided to students by the Human Structure course administration. Methods: Medical students were granted access to a Human Structure-specific Anki deck through the course website. Surveys were distributed following completion of the Human Structure course to assess students’ use and perception of the Anki deck. Survey questions addressed frequency and duration of use, barriers to usage, and deck organization, as well as overall satisfaction. Results: Survey respondents included 108 participants, 29% of the Class of 2029. Of those who responded, 83% utilized the provided Anki deck with an average daily usage of 86 minutes. The most common reported barriers to using the Anki deck included “overwhelmed by the number of cards” (65.7%, N=71), “information overload” (40.0%, N=41), and “not enough time” (37.0%, N=40). The majority of respondents found the Anki deck to be “somewhat organized” (45.4%, N=49) or “extremely organized” (18.5%, N=20). The overall satisfaction rating on a scale of zero to 100 was 73. Conclusions: Access to course-specific Anki decks may be a useful tool for students during preclinical medical education.