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Author: Brian S McGowan, PhD

ABSTRACT: Comparison of the learning curves and frustration level in performing laparoscopic and robotic training skills by experts and novices

INTRODUCTION:
Robotic assistance may provide for distinct technical advantages over conventional laparoscopic technique. The goals of this study were (1) to objectively evaluate the difference in the learning curves by novice and expert surgeons in performing fundamental laparoscopic skills using conventional laparoscopic surgery (CLS) and robotic-assisted laparoscopic surgery (RALS) and (2) to evaluate the surgeons’ frustration level in performing these tasks.
METHODS:
Twelve experienced and 31 novices in laparoscopy were prospectively evaluated in performing three standardized laparoscopic tasks in five consecutive, weekly training sessions. Analysis of the learning curves was based on the magnitude, rate, and quickness in performance improvement. The participant’s frustration and mood were also evaluated during and after every session.
RESULTS:
For the novice participants, RALS allowed for shorter time to task completion and greater accuracy. However, significant and rapid improvement in performance as measured by magnitude, rate, and quickness at each session was also seen with CLS. For the experienced surgeons, RALS only provided a slight improvement in performance. For all participants, the use of RALS was associated with less number of sessions in which they felt frustrated, less number of frustration episodes during a session, lower frustration score during and after the session, and higher good mood score.
CONCLUSION:
The advantages of RALS may be of most benefit when doing more complex tasks and by less experienced surgeons. RALS should not be used as a replacement for CLS but rather in specific situations in which it has the greatest advantages.

via Comparison of the learning curves and frustration level in performing laparoscopic and robotic training skills by experts and novices. – PubMed – NCBI.

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ABSTRACT: Novel Uses of Video to Accelerate the Surgical Learning Curve

Surgeons are under enormous pressure to continually improve and learn new surgical skills. Novel uses of surgical video in the preoperative, intraoperative, and postoperative setting are emerging to accelerate the learning curve of surgical skill and minimize harm to patients. In the preoperative setting, social media outlets provide a valuable platform for surgeons to collaborate and plan for difficult operative cases. Live streaming of video has allowed for intraoperative telementoring. Finally, postoperative use of video has provided structure for peer coaching to evaluate and improve surgical skill. Applying these approaches into practice is becoming easier as most of our surgical platforms (e.g., laparoscopic, and endoscopy) now have video recording technology built in and video editing software has become more user friendly. Future applications of video technology are being developed, including possible integration into accreditation and board certification.

via Novel Uses of Video to Accelerate the Surgical Learning Curve. – PubMed – NCBI.

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ABSTRACT: Rapid Development and Deployment of Ebola Readiness Training Across an Academic Health System: The Critical Role of Simulation Education, Consulting, and Systems Integration

In this article, we describe an Ebola preparedness initiative with implementation across an academic health system. Key stakeholder centers of various disciplines and clinical experts collaborated in the development and design. Subject matter experts in the areas of Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and World Health Organization protocols for personal protective equipment donning and doffing conducted initial train-the-trainer sessions for program instructors. These trainers represented a cross-section of key clinical responders and environmental services. Through a parallel development process, a blended learning curriculum consisting of online modules followed by on-site training sessions was developed and implemented in both the simulation laboratory and the actual clinical care spaces in preparation for a Department of Health inspection. Lessons learned included identification of the need for iterative refinement based on instructor and trainee feedback, the lack of tolerance of practitioners in wearing full-body personal protective equipment for extended periods, and the ability of a large system to mount a rapid response to a potential public health threat through leveraging of expertise of its Simulation Program, Center for Quality, Safety and Innovation as well as a wide variety of clinical departments.

via Rapid Development and Deployment of Ebola Readiness Training Across an Academic Health System: The Critical Role of Simulation Education, Consultin… – PubMed – NCBI.

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ABSTRACT: Improving Depression Care Through an Online Learning Collaborative

Depression is a leading cause of disability worldwide, and many internists diagnose and treat depression. This study aimed to examine the impact of a practice improvement intervention on screening and managing patients with depression in primary care. This pre–post study design included a physician practice survey designed to capture what the physicians believed they were doing in practice, a chart audit tool to capture what physicians were actually doing in practice, and an intervention that included an evidence-based educational program, online toolkit, and practice improvement coaching conference calls that promoted group learning. Following completion of the intervention, participants increasingly used the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 to detect, diagnose, and gauge treatment success for depression and reported increased use of guidelines and team-based care. Although barriers to improving depression care exist, this study suggests that evidence-based quality improvement programs can positively affect practice.

via Improving Depression Care Through an Online Learning Collaborative.

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ABSTRACT: Social media to supplement point-of-care ultrasound courses: the “sandwich e-learning” approach. A randomized trial

BACKGROUND:
Point-of-care ultrasound (POC-US) is gaining importance in almost all specialties. E-learning has been used to teach theoretical knowledge and pattern recognition. As social media are universally available, they can be utilized for educational purposes. We wanted to evaluate the utility of the sandwich e-learning approach defined as a pre-course e-learning and a post-course learning activity using Facebook after a one-day point-of-care ultrasound (POC-US) course and its effect on the retention of knowledge.
METHODS:
A total of 62 medial students were recruited for this study and randomly assigned to one of four groups. All groups received an identical hands-on training and performed several tests during the study period. The hands-on training was performed in groups of five students per instructor with the students scanning each other. Group 1 had access to pre-course e-learning, but not to post-course e-learning. Instead of a pre-course e-learning, group 2 listened to presentations at the day of the course (classroom teaching) and had access to the post-course learning activity using Facebook. Group 3 had access to both pre- and post-course e-learning (sandwich e-learning) activities, while group 4 listened classroom presentations only (classroom teaching only). Therefore only groups 2 and 3 had access to post-course learning via Facebook by joining a secured group. Posts containing ultrasound pictures and videos were published to this group. The students were asked to “like” the posts to monitor attendance. Knowledge retention was assessed 6 weeks after the course.
RESULTS:
After 6 weeks, group 3 achieved comparable results when compared to group 2 (82.2 % + -8.2 vs. 84.3 + -8.02) (p = 0.3). Students who participated in the post-course activity were more satisfied with the overall course than students without post-course learning (5.5 vs. 5.3 on a range from 1 to 6).
CONCLUSIONS:
In this study, the sandwich e-learning approach led to equal rates of knowledge retention compared to classroom lectures and post-course learning. Students appreciate new media for learning experiences and are more satisfied with their learning activity. The sandwich e-learning can be used to maximize hands-on training during courses.

via Social media to supplement point-of-care ultrasound courses: the “sandwich e-learning” approach. A randomized trial. – PubMed – NCBI.

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ABSTRACT: The “Flipped Classroom” Model for Teaching in the Intensive Care Unit

INTRODUCTION:
The intensive care unit (ICU) is a dynamic and complex learning environment. The wide range in trainee’s experience, specialty training, fluctuations in patient acuity and volume, limitations in trainee duty hours, and additional responsibilities of the faculty contribute to the challenge in providing a consistent experience with traditional educational strategies. The “flipped classroom” is an educational model with the potential to improve the learning environment. In this paradigm, students gain exposure to new material outside class and then use class time to assimilate the knowledge through problem-solving exercises or discussion. The rationale and pedagogical foundations for the flipped classroom are reviewed, practical considerations are discussed, and an example of successful implementation is provided.
METHODS:
An education curriculum was devised and evaluated prospectively for teaching point-of-care echocardiography to residents rotating in the surgical ICU.
RESULTS:
Preintervention and postintervention scores of knowledge, confidence, perceived usefulness, and likelihood of use the skills improved for each module. The quality of the experience was rated highly for each of the sessions.
CONCLUSION:
The flipped classroom education curriculum has many advantages. This pilot study was well received, and learners showed improvement in all areas evaluated, across several demographic subgroups and self-identified learning styles.

via The “Flipped Classroom” Model for Teaching in the Intensive Care Unit: Rationale, Practical Considerations, and an Example of Successful Implementa… – PubMed – NCBI.

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ABSTRACT: Board game versus lecture-based seminar in the teaching of pharmacology of antimicrobial drugs – a randomised controlled trial

BACKGROUND:
The effectiveness of an educational board game developed to teach the pharmacology of antimicrobial drugs to medical students was compared with the lecture-based seminar as a supplemental tool to improve short- and long-term knowledge retention and the perception of the learning method by students.
METHODS:
A group of 124 students was randomised to board game and control groups. Short-term knowledge retention was assessed by comparing differences in post- and pre-tests scores, and long-term knowledge retention by comparing final examination scores.
RESULTS:
Both didactic methods seem to improve short-term knowledge retention to similar extent. Long-term knowledge retention of board game seminar participants was higher than those who attended the lecture-based seminar (ANCOVA, p = 0.035). The effect was most pronounced within 14 days after the intervention (ANOVA, p = 0.007). The board game was well perceived by the students.
CONCLUSIONS:
The board game seems to be a promising didactic tool, however, it should be further tested to assess its full educational utility.

via Board game versus lecture-based seminar in the teaching of pharmacology of antimicrobial drugs – a randomised controlled trial. – PubMed – NCBI.

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ABSTRACT: Beyond Continuing Medical Education: Clinical Coaching as a Tool for Ongoing Professional Development

PROBLEM:
For most physicians, the period of official apprenticeship ends with the completion of residency or fellowship, yet the acquisition of expertise requires ongoing opportunities to practice a given skill and obtain structured feedback on one’s performance.
APPROACH:
In July 2013, the authors developed a clinical coaching pilot program to provide early-career hospitalists with feedback from a senior clinical advisor (SCA) at Massachusetts General Hospital. A Hospital Medicine Unit-wide retreat was held to help design the SCA role and obtain faculty buy-in. Twelve SCAs were recruited from hospitalists with more than five years of experience; each served as a clinical coach to 28 early-career hospitalists during the pilot. Clinical narratives and programmatic surveys were collected from SCAs and early-career hospitalists.
OUTCOMES:
Of 25 responding early-career hospitalists, 23 (92%) rated the SCA role as useful to very useful, 20 (80%) reported interactions with the SCA led to at least one change in their diagnostic approach, and 13 (52%) reported calling fewer subspecialty consults as a result of guidance from the SCA. In response to questions about professional development, 18 (72%) felt more comfortable as an independent physician following their interactions with the SCA, and 19 (76%) thought the interactions improved the quality of care they delivered.
NEXT STEPS:
To better understand the impact and generalizability of clinical coaching, a larger, longitudinal study is required to look at patient and provider outcomes in detail. Further refinement of the SCA role to meet faculty needs is needed and could include faculty development.

via Beyond Continuing Medical Education: Clinical Coaching as a Tool for Ongoing Professional Development. – PubMed – NCBI.

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MANUSCRIPT: A Cost-Effectiveness Analysis of Blended Versus Face-to-Face Delivery of Evidence-Based Medicine to Medical Students

BACKGROUND:
Blended learning describes a combination of teaching methods, often utilizing digital technologies. Research suggests that learner outcomes can be improved through some blended learning formats. However, the cost-effectiveness of delivering blended learning is unclear.
OBJECTIVE:
This study aimed to determine the cost-effectiveness of a face-to-face learning and blended learning approach for evidence-based medicine training within a medical program.
METHODS:
The economic evaluation was conducted as part of a randomized controlled trial (RCT) comparing the evidence-based medicine (EBM) competency of medical students who participated in two different modes of education delivery. In the traditional face-to-face method, students received ten 2-hour classes. In the blended learning approach, students received the same total face-to-face hours but with different activities and additional online and mobile learning. Online activities utilized YouTube and a library guide indexing electronic databases, guides, and books. Mobile learning involved self-directed interactions with patients in their regular clinical placements. The attribution and differentiation of costs between the interventions within the RCT was measured in conjunction with measured outcomes of effectiveness. An incremental cost-effectiveness ratio was calculated comparing the ongoing operation costs of each method with the level of EBM proficiency achieved. Present value analysis was used to calculate the break-even point considering the transition cost and the difference in ongoing operation cost.
RESULTS:
The incremental cost-effectiveness ratio indicated that it costs 24% less to educate a student to the same level of EBM competency via the blended learning approach used in the study, when excluding transition costs. The sunk cost of approximately AUD $40,000 to transition to the blended model exceeds any savings from using the approach within the first year of its implementation; however, a break-even point is achieved within its third iteration and relative savings in the subsequent years. The sensitivity analysis indicates that approaches with higher transition costs, or staffing requirements over that of a traditional method, are likely to result in negative value propositions.
CONCLUSIONS:
Under the study conditions, a blended learning approach was more cost-effective to operate and resulted in improved value for the institution after the third year iteration, when compared to the traditional face-to-face model. The wider applicability of the findings are dependent on the type of blended learning utilized, staffing expertise, and educational context.

via A Cost-Effectiveness Analysis of Blended Versus Face-to-Face Delivery of Evidence-Based Medicine to Medical Students. – PubMed – NCBI.

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ABSTRACT: The attributes of an effective teacher differ between the classroom and the clinical setting

Most training programs use learners’ subjective ratings of their teachers as the primary measure of teaching effectiveness. In a recent study we found that preclinical medical students’ ratings of classroom teachers were associated with perceived charisma and physical attractiveness of the teacher, but not intellect. Here we explored whether the relationship between these variables and teaching effectiveness ratings holds in the clinical setting. We asked 27 Internal Medicine residents to rate teaching effectiveness of ten teachers with whom they had worked on a clinical rotation, in addition to rating each teacher’s clinical skills, physical attractiveness, and charisma. We used linear regression to study the association between these explanatory variables and teaching effectiveness ratings. We found no association between rating of physical attractiveness and teaching effectiveness. Clinical skill and charisma were independently associated with rating of teaching effectiveness (regression coefficients [95 % confidence interval] 0.73 [0.60, 0.85], p < 0.001 and 0.12 [0.01, 0.23], p = 0.03, respectively). The variables associated with effectiveness of classroom and clinical teachers differ, suggesting context specificity in teaching effectiveness ratings. Context specificity may be explained by differences in the exposure that learners have to teachers in the classroom versus clinical setting-so that raters in the clinical setting may base ratings upon observed behaviours rather than stereotype data. Alternatively, since subjective ratings of teaching effectiveness inevitably incorporate learners’ context-specific needs, the attributes that make a teacher effective in one context may not meet the needs of learners in a different context.

via The attributes of an effective teacher differ between the classroom and the clinical setting. – PubMed – NCBI.

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