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This book analyzes the role of health apps to promote medicalization. It considers whether their use is an individual matter, rather than a political and social one, with some apps based on a medical framework positively promoting physical activity and meditation, or whether data-sharing can foster social discrimination.

This paper explores the methodological and reflexive implications of using audio diaries inremote qualitative research with healthcare professionals. Drawing on a three-month study involving18 participants who submitted audio recordings weekly, complemented by follow-up interviews, thearticle examines how this method enables the collection of rich, emotionally nuanced, and temporallyproximate narratives. The audio diary format proved particularly effective for engaging professionalsunder high emotional and organizational pressure, offering a flexible and participant-led space for re-flection. The study also sheds light on the challenges of sustaining participation over time, the impor-tance of ethical responsiveness, and the role of the researcher in supporting engagement at a distance.Ultimately, the paper proposes the concept of long-distance reflexivity to describe how both participantsand researchers negotiate meaning, presence, and vulnerability in fully remote research settings.

In recent years, medical educators have increasingly incorporated comics into their teaching to promote humanism and empathy and to encourage reflective practice. However, it remains unclear how and to what extent comics-based courses effectively address persistent challenges in medical education, such as the need for more engaging, multimodal learning strategies and the cultivation of emotional intelligence alongside clinical competencies. The aim of this study is to investigate the experiences of students who have enrolled in courses on comics and medicine during medical school. Students in North America who had taken such a course during the previous 5 years were invited to participate in an interview about their experiences. 17 students from 10 different medical schools in North America were interviewed. To explore the students’ views on the value of such courses to their medical education, we used a constructivist grounded analytic approach, employing thematic analysis to understand and interpret our interview. Students reported that comics-based courses support key aspects of their medical training that traditional pedagogical approaches may overlook, such as fostering self-reflection, enhancing empathy, and encouraging creative engagement with complex medical narratives. Moreover, comics contributed to their individual and collective professional identity formation by providing a space for introspection and shared discourse.

Background In Italy, migrant family care assistants (MFCAs) represent the most cost-effective answer to dementia home care need and to desire of ageing in place of older adults and family caregivers. Nevertheless, MFCAs very often have no training in elder care and even less in the dementia care. Conversely, elder care training may improve MFCAs’ working condition and mental health. Exploring MFCAs’ educational needs is one of the objectives of the “Age-It” project, aiming at advancing knowledge and competences on ageing by applying a holistic, interdisciplinary, and problem-solving approach through the synergic work of research and educational institutions, care providers and civil society associations, businesses and industries. Methods In Autumn 2023, 25 semi-structured questionnaires, including both closed and open-ended questions, were conducted with MFCAs living in two Italian regions: Marche and Molise. The research material was thematically analysed to answer four research questions: Which is the work experience of MFCAs of older adults with long-term care needs? Which are their educational needs? Which are the barriers to training? Did the emigration geographical area of respondents and the migration route influence their willingness to attend an elder care training? Results Three main themes were identified: (1) Migration: a painful choice to flee poor (violent) societies; (2) Elder care: a stressful work; (3) Needs and barriers to elder care education. Most interviewed MFCAs face many difficulties at work, including stress, burden and lack of free time. Many respondents expressed the need and willingness to improve their knowledge on ageing processes, dementia, behavioural disorders, medicine administration, bedsores and injuries medication. The 24 h work represents the main barriers to attend the lessons. Discussion Suggestions for future trainings include a co-designed curriculum embedding contents on dementia and behavioural disorders; self-care and resilience; host country language. Concerning policy and practice recommendations, mandatory, free and periodic, blended trainings, a clear offer of elder care education, the recognition of previous courses at EU and national level are encouraged. Conclusions Given the pivotal role of MFCAs in the LTC in Italy, it is urgent that they are adequately trained. Given the stressful and 24 h work, a co-designed e-learning platform may be a promising means for reaching and training them. Clinical trial number Not applicable

Medical simulations have emerged as a valuable tool in anatomical-medical training, allowing healthcare professionals to gain hands-on experience in a controlled and safe environment. One such simulation platform is SimLife®, which uses the Pulse for Practice (P4P) system to enable realistic restoration of airflow (\"re-ventilation\") and blood flow (\"revascularization\") in bodies donated to science. This study aimed to evaluate the feasibility of introducing SimLife® technology in Italy. Additionally, it assessed the impact of this technology across various medical specialties, utilizing a minimal number of donated bodies. The study utilized the existing body donation program and dissection rooms at the Anatomy Center of the University of Bologna. 62 participants from 13 medical specialties performed simulations using the SimLife® P4P platform. Post-simulation, structured interviews were used to collect data on the interventions performed, participant perceptions of the technology's usefulness, enjoyment, and willingness to repeat the experience, as well as critical issues encountered. Key findings include that 86% of participants rated SimLife® technology as extremely useful for training, while 84% found it highly beneficial for team-building activities. A total of 31 interventions were successfully performed across various anatomical regions, with participants reporting high satisfaction and a strong willingness to repeat the simulation experience. The findings support the effectiveness of SimLife® technology for body donor re-ventilation and revascularization, reinforcing its value for medical training across various specialties.

Within each American university campus, a Department of Public Safety (DPS) is designated to send students emails, labelled as crime alert, whenever a crime is committed on campus or in the surrounding area. This study sought to investigate the extent to which information sharing about criminal events through new technology devices (including apps and emails) may alter risk perception and therefore lead students to modify their behaviour. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews with students (10) and DPS staff (10) and participant observation (7 months) on two US university campuses. Using the governmentality approach in reading the results, new elements, related to risk and its social manifestation, emerged. The notification system of notifications is preceded by an internal selection process in which it is decided what to send or not to the students. Specifically, on the basis of evidence it is argued that some crimes, including sexual violence, are never mentioned even though they are the main issue within the campuses. Emphasizing some risks and leaving out others produces a \"truth\" around the risk itself.

This paper illustrates how the design of health-related comics contributes to reflecting on the methodological and ethical challenges of qualitative research. In line with Comics-Based Research (CBR), we demonstrate how creating a comic on medical topics emerges from continuous and iterative dialogue among multiple voices: patients, sociologists, artists, and physicians. On an ethical and methodological level, our study explores the creation of a comic book about pancreatic diseases with varying stages of severity and possibilities for cure and recovery. Constructing a comic in such contexts provides a new way of visualizing and understanding the illness experience. Representing traumatic memory in comics can profoundly affect readers and those whose memories are depicted, while also helping researchers to amplify the voices of individuals whose experiences have been marginalized or misunderstood. Our goal was to create a product that was both a graphic memoir based on true stories and a scientific and informative resource. However, the graphic novel was not merely a tool for disseminating research; it was the central focus of our project, with all aspects designed around this medium. This included the development of interview protocols and the selection of participants, ensuring that the process remained aligned with the principles of participatory and co-constructed storytelling.

Comics are increasingly recognized as a flexible and multimodal medium capable of eliciting, constructing, analyzing, and disseminating qualitative data. Far from being merely illustrative or humorous, comics offer complex visual-narrative forms that can reflect and critique social realities, stimulate reflexivity, and engage diverse audiences. This approach highlights the scientific, ethical, and epistemological implications of using comics in research, particularly in relation to representation, positionality, and the visual construction of meaning. Comics can serve as tools for pedagogy, public sociology, and participatory inquiry, especially in areas such as health, gender, and digital cultures. From autoethnography and zine-making to the co-production of illness narratives, comics-based research encourages an inclusive, affective, and visually literate rethinking of qualitative inquiry. By situating comics within broader debates on methodological innovation, this perspective invites scholars to embrace the transformative potential of graphic storytelling in the social sciences.