REQUEST DEMO
MENUCLOSE

 

REQUEST DEMO
Clinical Operations
Commercial Teams
Resources
Medical Education
About Us
Connect with us
Facebook-f Twitter Linkedin-in
Sign in

Author: Brian S McGowan, PhD

MANUSCRIPT: Medical student web-based formative assessment tool for renal pathology

BACKGROUND:
Web-based formative assessment tools have become widely recognized in medical education as valuable resources for self-directed learning.
OBJECTIVES:
To explore the educational value of formative assessment using online quizzes for kidney pathology learning in our renal pathophysiology course.
METHODS:
Students were given unrestricted and optional access to quizzes. Performance on quizzed and non-quizzed materials of those who used (‘quizzers’) and did not use the tool (‘non-quizzers’) was compared. Frequency of tool usage was analyzed and satisfaction surveys were utilized at the end of the course.
RESULTS:
In total, 82.6% of the students used quizzes. The greatest usage was observed on the day before the final exam. Students repeated interactive and more challenging quizzes more often. Average means between final exam scores for quizzed and unrelated materials were almost equal for ‘quizzers’ and ‘non-quizzers’, but ‘quizzers’ performed statistically better than ‘non-quizzers’ on both, quizzed (p=0.001) and non-quizzed (p=0.024) topics. In total, 89% of surveyed students thought quizzes improved their learning experience in this course.
CONCLUSIONS:
Our new computer-assisted learning tool is popular, and although its use can predict the final exam outcome, it does not provide strong evidence for direct improvement in academic performance. Students who chose to use quizzes did well on all aspects of the final exam and most commonly used quizzes to practice for final exam. Our efforts to revitalize the course material and promote learning by adding interactive online formative assessments improved students’ learning experience overall.

via Medical student web-based formative assessment tool for renal pathology. – PubMed – NCBI.

Continue Reading

ABSTRACT: Prior Podcast Experience Moderates Improvement in Electroencephalography Evaluation After Educational Podcast Module

BACKGROUND:
There is continued interest in using technology to enhance medical education and the variables that may affect its success.
METHODS:
Anesthesiology residents and fourth-year medical students participated in an electroencephalography (EEG) educational video podcast module. A 25-item evaluation tool was administered before any EEG education was provided (baseline), and the podcast was then viewed. Another 25-item evaluation tool was administered after podcast viewing (after podcast). Ten EEG interpretations were completed with a neurophysiologist with an additional 25-item evaluation tool administered after the interpretations (after 10 EEG interpretations). Participants were surveyed concerning technology and podcasting experience before the educational module and their responses to the podcast educational model. Multiple analyses were performed (1) to evaluate differences in improvement in EEG evaluation scores between the podcast module and the standard didactics (control group); and (2) to evaluate potential moderation by technology and the podcast experience on the change in mean EEG evaluation scores from after the podcast module to after 10 EEG interpretations.
RESULTS:
A total of 21 anesthesiology residents and 12 fourth-year medical students participated. Scores on the 25-item evaluation tool increased with each evaluation time (P ≤ 0.001). Moderation analyses revealed that individuals with more podcast experience (≥4 previous podcasts) had greater increases in scores after a podcast and 10 EEG interpretations compared with individuals with less experience (≤3 previous podcasts) (P = 0.027). Furthermore, compared with a control group with similar baseline characteristics that received only standard didactics without a podcast, those in the podcast group had greater increases in mean EEG evaluation scores between baseline and after 10 EEG interpretations.
CONCLUSIONS:
In reviewing the improvement in EEG evaluation after a podcast education module, those with more podcast experience achieved greater gains in EEG evaluation scores. For EEG education, those receiving the podcast education module showed greater increases in scores compared with those receiving didactic teaching without podcasting, as measured by change in a mean EEG evaluation scores.

via Prior Podcast Experience Moderates Improvement in Electroencephalography Evaluation After Educational Podcast Module. – PubMed – NCBI.

Continue Reading

MANUSCRIPT: The social media index: measuring the impact of emergency medicine and critical care websites.

NTRODUCTION:
The number of educational resources created for emergency medicine and critical care (EMCC) that incorporate social media has increased dramatically. With no way to assess their impact or quality, it is challenging for educators to receive scholarly credit and for learners to identify respected resources. The Social Media index (SMi) was developed to help address this.
METHODS:
We used data from social media platforms (Google PageRanks, Alexa Ranks, Facebook Likes, Twitter Followers, and Google+ Followers) for EMCC blogs and podcasts to derive three normalized (ordinal, logarithmic, and raw) formulas. The most statistically robust formula was assessed for 1) temporal stability using repeated measures and website age, and 2) correlation with impact by applying it to EMCC journals and measuring the correlation with known journal impact metrics.
RESULTS:
The logarithmic version of the SMi containing four metrics was the most statistically robust. It correlated significantly with website age (Spearman r=0.372; p<0.001) and repeated measures through seven months (r=0.929; p<0.001). When applied to EMCC journals, it correlated significantly with all impact metrics except number of articles published. The strongest correlations were seen with the Immediacy Index (r=0.609; p<0.001) and Article Influence Score (r=0.608; p<0.001).
CONCLUSION:
The SMi’s temporal stability and correlation with journal impact factors suggests that it may be a stable indicator of impact for medical education websites. Further study is needed to determine whether impact correlates with quality and how learners and educators can best utilize this tool.

via The social media index: measuring the impact of emergency medicine and critical care websites. – PubMed – NCBI.

Continue Reading

ABSTRACT: A guide to introducing and integrating reflective practices in medical education

It is a significant challenge for any medical education program to provide adequate training in medical knowledge. It can be just as daunting to include appropriate opportunity to learn about and manage the emotional impact of illness experiences, the healing process, and provider-patient relationships. While there may be only a few basic changes to the core of medical knowledge, advances in medical practice regularly have an impact on the nature of patient care. Life-long learning is essential to maintain one’s competence. However, everything doctors and other medical professionals learn about relationships with patients during their training is relevant for the rest of their career. One primary source of this learning are reflective practices. However, there is no guide or description of or comparison among the distinguishing characteristics of reflective processes. In addition, there are no criteria for the selection or integration of reflective processes in medical training or beyond. This article proposes understanding reflection as a complex, three-level process and identifies dimensions which differentiate a variety of reflective process activities. The discussion includes considerations for selecting which activities might be usefully incorporated in education curricula, and identifies conditions of medical training cultures that will support successful integration.

via A guide to introducing and integrating reflective practices in medical education. – PubMed – NCBI.

Continue Reading

ABSTRACT: Introducing technology into medical education: two pilot studies.

OBJECTIVES:
Educators are integrating new technology into medical curriculum. The impact of newer technology on educational outcomes remains unclear. We aimed to determine if two pilot interventions, (1) introducing iPads into problem-based learning (PBL) sessions and (2) online tutoring would improve the educational experience of our learners.
METHODS:
We voluntarily assigned 26 second-year medical students to iPad-based PBL sessions. Five students were assigned to Skype for exam remediation. We performed a mixed-method evaluation to determine efficacy.
RESULTS:
Pilot 1: Seventeen students completed a survey following their use of an iPad during the second-year PBL curriculum. Students noted the iPad allows for researching information in real time, annotating lecture notes, and viewing sharper images. Data indicate that iPads have value in medical education and are a positive addition to the curriculum. Pilot 2: Students agreed that online tutoring is at least or more effective than in-person tutoring.
CONCLUSIONS:
In our pilot studies, students experienced that iPads and Skype are beneficial in medical education and can be successfully employed in areas such as PBL and remediation.
PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS:
Educators should continue to further examine innovative opportunities for introducing technology into medical education.

via Introducing technology into medical education: two pilot studies. – PubMed – NCBI.

Continue Reading

ABSTRACT: Quality improvement skills for pediatric residents: from lecture to implementation and sustainability

Quality improvement (QI) skills are relevant to efforts to improve the health care system. The Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) program requirements call for resident participation in local and institutional QI efforts, and the move to outcomes-based accreditation is resulting in greater focus on the resulting learning and clinical outcomes. Many programs have enhanced practice-based learning and improvement (PBLI) and systems based practice (SBP) curricula, although efforts to actively involve residents in QI activities appear to be lagging. Using information from the extensive experience of Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, we offer recommendations for how to create meaningful QI experiences for residents meet ACGME requirements and the expectations of the Clinical Learning Environment Review (CLER) process. Resident involvement in QI requires a multipronged approach that overcomes barriers and limitations that have frustrated earlier efforts to move this education from lectures to immersion experiences at the bedside and in the clinic. We present 5 dimensions of effective programs that facilitate active resident participation in improvement work and enhance their QI skills: 1) providing curricula and education models that ground residents in QI principles; 2) ensuring faculty development to prepare physicians for their role in teaching QI and demonstrating it in day-to-day practice; 3) ensuring all residents receive meaningful QI education and practical exposure to improvement projects; 4) overcoming time and other constraints to allow residents to apply their newly developed QI skills; and 5) assessing the effect of exposure to QI on resident competence and project outcomes.

via Quality improvement skills for pediatric residents: from lecture to implementation and sustainability. – PubMed – NCBI.

Continue Reading

ABSTRACT: Surgical journal club as a community of practice: a case study.

BACKGROUND:
Journal club has become a signature pedagogy in postgraduate medical education. In this article, social learning theory, through the lens of “communities of practice” (CoP), is applied to elucidate the process of learning in journal club.
MATERIALS AND METHODS:
The study is a case study of a surgical journal club. Video recordings of 2 journal club sessions were followed by semistructured audio-recorded interviews with a sample of journal club participants. Thematic content analysis was performed, mapping data to themes arising based on the key tenets of CoP.
RESULTS:
Features of the 4 tenets of CoP learning (community, meaning, identity, and practice) were identified in both the video recordings of journal club and the participant interviews. A shared enterprise and common sense of purpose (community) was seen throughout the video recordings, but feelings of belonging to the community were much stronger for senior members (consultants/attending staff and senior trainees) compared with junior members (junior trainees and students). Experiences and perspectives were more commonly exchanged between senior trainees and consultants, with junior trainees not partaking in discussions, an example of newcomers beginning at the periphery. The main impediment to learning was found with low senior member attendance at journal club, thus limiting access to narratives of senior experience of practice and feedback.
CONCLUSIONS:
In attempting to improve journal club design for learning, ensuring the participation of senior community members and thus access to narratives of experience along with active engagement of junior members to allow them develop their own meaning should be incorporated into the journal club design.

via Surgical journal club as a community of practice: a case study. – PubMed – NCBI.

Continue Reading

Manuscript: How are medical students trained to locate biomedical information to practice evidence-based medicine?

OBJECTIVES:
This study describes how information retrieval skills are taught in evidence-based medicine (EBM) at the undergraduate medical education (UGME) level.
METHODS:
The authors systematically searched MEDLINE, Scopus, Educational Resource Information Center, Web of Science, and Evidence-Based Medicine Reviews for English-language articles published between 2007 and 2012 describing information retrieval training to support EBM. Data on learning environment, frequency of training, learner characteristics, resources and information skills taught, teaching modalities, and instructor roles were compiled and analyzed.
RESULTS:
Twelve studies were identified for analysis. Studies were set in the United States (9), Australia (1), the Czech Republic (1), and Iran (1). Most trainings (7) featured multiple sessions with trainings offered to preclinical students (5) and clinical students (6). A single study described a longitudinal training experience. A variety of information resources were introduced, including PubMed, DynaMed, UpToDate, and AccessMedicine. The majority of the interventions (10) were classified as interactive teaching sessions in classroom settings. Librarians played major and collaborative roles with physicians in teaching and designing training. Unfortunately, few studies provided details of information skills activities or evaluations, making them difficult to evaluate and replicate.
CONCLUSIONS:
This study reviewed the literature and characterized how EBM search skills are taught in UGME. Details are provided on learning environment, frequency of training, level of learners, resources and skills trained, and instructor roles.
IMPLICATIONS:
The results suggest a number of steps that librarians can take to improve information skills training including using a longitudinal approach, integrating consumer health resources, and developing robust assessments.

via How are medical students trained to locate biomedical information to practice evidence-based medicine? A review of the 2007-2012 literature. – PubMed – NCBI.

Continue Reading

ABSTRACT: The effects of test-enhanced learning on long-term retention in AAN annual meeting courses

OBJECTIVE:
We measured the long-term retention of knowledge gained through selected American Academy of Neurology annual meeting courses and compared the effects of repeated quizzing (known as test-enhanced learning) and repeated studying on that retention.
METHODS:
Participants were recruited from 4 annual meeting courses. All participants took a pretest. This randomized, controlled trial utilized a within-subjects design in which each participant experienced 3 different postcourse activities with each activity performed on different material. Each key information point from the course was randomized in a counterbalanced fashion among participants to one of the 3 activities: repeated short-answer quizzing, repeated studying, and no further exposure to the materials. A final test covering all information points from the course was taken 5.5 months after the course.
RESULTS:
Thirty-five participants across the 4 courses completed the study. Average score on the pretest was 36%. Performance on the final test showed that repeated quizzing led to significantly greater long-term retention relative to both repeated studying (55% vs 46%; t[34] = 3.28, SEM = 0.03, p = 0.01, d = 0.49) and no further exposure (55% vs 44%; t[34] = 3.16, SEM = 0.03, p = 0.01, d = 0.58). Relative to the pretest baseline, repeated quizzing helped participants to retain almost twice as much of the knowledge acquired from the course compared to repeated studying or no further exposure.
CONCLUSIONS:
Whereas annual meeting continuing medical education (CME) courses lead to long-term gains in knowledge, when repeated quizzing is added, retention is significantly increased. CME planners may consider adding repeated quizzing to increase the impact of their courses

via The effects of test-enhanced learning on long-term retention in AAN annual meeting courses. – PubMed – NCBI.

Continue Reading

ABSTRACT: The effect of physician continuing medical education on patient-reported outcomes for identifying and optimally managing obstructive sleep apnea.

STUDY OBJECTIVE:
To evaluate the effect of continuing medical education (CME) activities on patient reported outcomes with regard to (1) screening for excessive sleepiness (ES) and obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) and (2) appropriate referral and treatment.
METHODS:
A total of 725 patients were recruited from 75 providers who either participated or did not participate in Transtheoretical Model (TTM)-based OSA CME activities. Patient reported outcomes from participating (n = 36) and non-participating providers (n = 39) were compared using generalized estimating equations examining random effects of provider as unit of assignment.
RESULTS:
Patients’ reports demonstrate that participating physicians were 1.7 times more likely to initiate discussion of sleep problems than non-participating physicians (t1,411 = 3.71, p = 0.05) and 2.25-2.86 times more likely to administer validated measures for OSA (Epworth Sleepiness Scale and STOP-BANG). Patient reports also indicated that participating clinicians (79.9%) were significantly more likely to recommend seeing a sleep specialist compared to non-participating clinicians (60.7%; t1,348 = 9.1, p < 0.01, OR = 2.6). Furthermore, while 89.4% of participating clinicians recommended a sleep study, only 73.2% of the non-participating physicians recommended one (t1,363 = 11.46, p < 0.001, OR = 3.1).
CONCLUSIONS:
Participation in TTM-based OSA CME activities was associated with improved patient reported outcomes compared to the non-participating clinicians.

via The effect of physician continuing medical education on patient-reported outcomes for identifying and optimally managing obstructive sleep apnea. – PubMed – NCBI.

Continue Reading
Social
Facebook-f Twitter Linkedin-in
Recent News
Contact Us

300 E Main Street, Suite 101 Charlottesville, VA 22902

+1-434-260-1850

Email Us

About Us

ArcheMedX helps life sciences and healthcare organizations to better equip, evaluate, and predict team and clinician performance

ArcheMedX Privacy Policy