gms | German Medical Science

Background: Students in their last year at the Department of Health Sciences and Management carried out different research projects in twelve interprofessional groups concerning the impact of the pandemic on different vulnerable groups as well as effects on different health care settings.

Objectives: The aim was to instruct students of Applied Health and Nursing Sciences, Health Care Management, and Midwifery (n=108) in research methods and guide them in several research projects regarding Public Health features like the actual pandemic influence on vulnerable groups.

Design and methods: According to a kick-off workshop including several impulses from the responsible project leaders and experts (Master of Public Health, nursing scientist, sociologist, psychologist and statisticians) the students formulated research topics within their group. With regard to these topics courses and tutorials were tailored and provided including quantitative and qualitative research methods and ethics in healthcare. Several groups were defined as vulnerable and taken into account by the students. Families with 4 and more children, children and teenagers, students, older people within long term care but also health care persons and clinic managers were defined as target groups amongst others [1], [2]. A specific interest also was on the long-term effects of COVID-19 recovered persons [3]. The students used questionnaires but qualitative interviews in particular to collect data.

Results: The interprofessional student groups conducted surveys and guideline-based interviews with the target groups. Quantitative data were calculated by SPSS and qualitative data were transcribed by f4transkript and analysed by f4analyse for qualitative research. The result highlights will be reported on the conference.

Conclusions: The results show that Bachelor-students are able to conduct reasonable quantitative and qualitative research in circumscribed projects concerning current Public Health and Health Care problems, such as the influence of the pandemic on different vulnerable groups in the German Health System.