Aim: The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted the higher education sector worldwide, and South Africa has faced unique challenges that continue to influence teaching beyond the pandemic.
Purpose: The study investigated the South African optometry educators' teaching experiences and opportunities pre-, during, and post-COVID-19.
Methods: The proposed study design was explorative and quantitative. Convenience sampling was used in recruiting participants. Optometry educators from four (4) universities training optometrists in South Africa were invited to participate in the study. An anonymous online questionnaire designed by the researchers was sent to participants to ensure that it captured relevant data. The questionnaire was sent electronically to the participants and SPSS was used to analyze collected data.
Results: Face-to-face (F2F) teaching was found to be the preferred method pre-COVID-19 by all participants. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the F2F was not the teaching method of choice due to safety measures put in place by the government. Online learning (OL) was preferred by 80% (n=4), and blended methods by 100%, due to flexibility in terms of lecture time allocation and digital device infrastructure. A statistically significant satisfaction was indicated by the academics before and post-COVID-19 pandemic with and respectively. The dissatisfaction related to online and blended methods of teaching used during the COVID-19 pandemic could be attributed to a lack of preparedness and digital device infrastructure. Beyond the COVID-19 pandemic participants raised concerns related to the lack of personal interaction and challenges of self-discipline required for online learning including face-to-face lectures.
Conclusion: Post the COVID-19 pandemic, there remains a need to address challenges related to the training of optometry educators in using online (OL) and blended methods (BM) of teaching, especially for those with more than 20 years of teaching experience. Whilst OL and BMs are beneficial, F2F teaching should not be neglected as it remains the cornerstone of effective education in optometry, especially in clinical training.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.2147/OPTO.S467899 | DOI Listing |
Med Clin (Barc)
January 2025
Internal Medicine Clinical Management Unit, Hospital Regional Universitario de Málaga, Instituto de Investgación Biomédica de Málaga (IBIMA-Plataforma BIONAND), Avenida Carlos Haya S/N, 29010 Málaga, Spain; Faculty of Medicine, Universidad de Málaga, Campus Teatinos, 29010 Málaga, Spain; Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red Fisiopatología de la Obesidad y Nutrición (CIBERobn), Instituto de Salud Carlos III, 28029 Madrid, Spain. Electronic address:
Background: Despite advancements in understanding the interplay between systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), cardiovascular disease and COVID-19, challenges and knowledge gaps persist. This study aimed to characterize the cardiovascular profiles of SLE patients hospitalized with COVID-19 and to evaluate the influence of SLE on the development of cardiovascular complications.
Methods: This was a multicentre, nationwide observational study in which data were sourced from the SEMI-COVID-19 Registry between March 1, 2020, and March 31, 2021, involving 150 Spanish hospitals.
Int J Biol Macromol
January 2025
Department of Basic Medical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Istanbul Medipol University, Istanbul 34815, Türkiye.
The COVID-19 pandemic began in March 2020 and has affected many countries and infected over a million people. It has had a serious impact on people's physical and mental health, daily life and the global economy. Today, many drugs show limited efficacy in the treatment of COVID-19 and studies to develop effective drugs continue.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFJ Affect Disord
January 2025
Center for Anti-racism, Social Justice & Public Health, New York University School of Global Public Health, New York, NY, USA; Department of Biostatistics, New York University School of Global Public Health, New York, NY, USA. Electronic address:
Background: A knowledge gap exists in understanding the role of social isolation as a determinant of mental health among hybrid employees during the COVID-19 era.
Methods: Using 2024 Household Pulse Survey data, we investigated the relationship between social isolation and mental health among US hybrid employees. We assessed depression symptoms using the Patient Health Questionnaire-2 and anxiety symptoms using the Generalized Anxiety Disorder-2.
J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry
January 2025
Abant Izzet Baysal University Medical Faculty, Bolu, Türkiye; Bolu Abant Izzet Baysal Hospital for Training and Research of the Turkish Ministry of Health in affiliation with the Bolu Abant Izzet Baysal University Faculty of Medicine. Electronic address:
Asia Pac J Ophthalmol (Phila)
January 2025
Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Science, Kochi Medical School, Kochi University, Nankoku City, Kochi, Japan.
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