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Author: Brian S McGowan, PhD

ABSTRACT: Case vignette: A promising complement to clinical case presentations in teaching

Introduction: Case studies are widely used in medical education. They help students recognise and interpret important data coming from the patient’s problem thereby enabling students to arrive at a correct diagnosis and best treatment course. We have used the case vignette method, a variant of the case study method, for teaching family medicine residents, and here we assess their perceptions of its advantages and limitations. Methods: In the case vignette method, residents studied a particular case of interest from the community. Before presenting it to peers, they prepared and circulated a brief case vignette outlining the salient features of the case, the preferred line of management and suggested discussion probes. Structured notes were taken by programme faculty during the presentations, and feedback was obtained from residents. Results: Major advantages perceived by residents were that the case vignette method demanded their active participation in the preparation and presentation of the case. The need to prepare a vignette helped them better organise their thinking and experience peer teaching. However, some felt that the exercise was time consuming and the discussion sometimes wandered from the intended course. Conclusions: The case vignette method helps meet specific learning objectives in teaching sessions. Residents feel that it improves their skills as physicians and teachers. This study finds that case vignettes are a promising complement to existing methods of teaching medicine. Further research is required to more firmly establish this method’s value.

via Case vignette: A promis… [Educ Health (Abingdon). 2013 January-April] – PubMed – NCBI.

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ABSTRACT: Doctor role modelling in medical education

Aim: The aim of this review is to summarise the evidence currently available on role modelling by doctors in medical education. Methods: A systematic search of electronic databases was conducted (PubMed, Psyc- Info, Embase, Education Research Complete, Web of Knowledge, ERIC and British Education Index) from January 1990 to February 2012. Data extraction was completed by two independent reviewers and included a quality assessment of each paper. A thematic analysis was conducted on all the included papers. Results: Thirty-nine studies fulfilled the inclusion criteria for the review. Six main themes emerged from the content of high and medium quality papers: 1) the attributes of positive doctor role models; 2) the personality profiles of positive role models; 3) the influence of positive role models on students’ career choice; 4) the process of positive role modelling; 5) the influence of negative role modelling; 6) the influence of culture, diversity and gender in the choice of role model. Conclusions: This systematic review highlights role modelling as an important process for the professional development of learners. Excellence in role modelling involves demonstration of high standards of clinical competence, excellence in clinical teaching skills and humanistic personal qualities. Positive role models not only help to shape the professional development of our future physicians, they also influence their career choices. This review has highlighted two main challenges in doctor role modelling: the first challenge lies in our lack of understanding of the complex phenomenon of role modelling. Second, the literature draws attention to negative role modelling and this negative influence requires deeper exploration to identify ways to mitigate adverse effects. This BEME review offers a preliminary guide to future discovery and progress in the area of doctor role modelling.

via Doctor role modelling in medical education: BEME G… [Med Teach. 2013] – PubMed – NCBI.

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ABSTRACT: Creating context: Making sense of geo-location and social media data for health.

Information that is persistently collected, unrelated to direct clinical care may be a Pandora’s Box for health improvement and monitoring. The use and linkage of disparate data sources, particularly those relating to geo-location and social media present enormous opportunities and challenges for healthcare. To date these sources have been difficult to harness and make sense of, yet they are now beginning to be exploited. It is the innovation in analytic methodology that may hold the key if the issues that may confound the results can be addressed. These issues are encompassed in privacy, and with the scientific quality and completeness of the data. The future for alternative application of geo-location and social media data is here and now, and if they can be harnessed carefully, healthcare may be the biggest beneficiary.

via Creating context: Making sense of… [Stud Health Technol Inform. 2013] – PubMed – NCBI.

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ABSTRACT: Investigating the purpose of an online discussion group for health professionals: a case example from forensic occupational therapy.

BACKGROUND:
Thousands of health-related online discussion groups are active world-wide however, very little is known about the purpose and usefulness of such groups. In 2003 an online discussion group called ‘forensic occupational therapy’ was established in the United Kingdom. This group was examined to gain an understanding of the purpose and use of online discussion groups for health professionals who may be practically and geographically isolated from others in similar areas of practice.
METHODS:
Following a case study design, descriptive characteristics on members’ locations and number of posts were collected from the forensic occupational therapy online discussion group. Eight years of posts (2003–2011) were examined using a theoretical thematic analysis process to identify and describe the purposes for which members were using the group.
RESULTS:
Members from 20 countries contributed to the discussion group; the vast majority of posts being from members in the United Kingdom. Activity within the group was consistently high for the first five years however, activity within the group declined in the final three years. Six purposes for which members use the online discussion group were identified: seeking and giving advice, networking, requesting and sharing material resources, service development, defining the role of occupational therapists, and student learning.
CONCLUSIONS:
Findings suggest that health professionals in specialized and often isolated areas of practice are keen to connect with colleagues and learn from each other’s experiences. The main purposes for which the online discussion group was used could be summarized as communication, information sharing and networking; though activity within the group declined significantly during the last three years of the data collection period. This raises questions about the sustainability of online discussion groups within the rapidly developing social media environment

via Investigating the purpose of an online d… [BMC Health Serv Res. 2013] – PubMed – NCBI.

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MANUSCRIPT: Learning styles and preferences for live and distance education: an example of a specialisation course in epidemiology

Background
Distance learning through the internet is increasingly popular in higher education. However, it is unknown how participants in epidemiology courses value live vs. distance education.

Methods
All participants of a 5-day specialisation course in epidemiology were asked to keep a diary on the number of hours they spent on course activities (both live and distance education). Attendance was not compulsory during the course and participants were therefore also asked for the reasons to attend live education (lectures and practicals). In addition, the relation between participants? learning styles (Index of Learning Styles) and their participation in live and distance education was studied.

Results
All 54 (100%) participants in the course completed the questionnaire on attendance and 46 (85%) completed the questionnaire on learning styles. The number of hours attending live education was negatively correlated with the number of hours going studying distance learning materials (Pearson correlation ?0.5; p?<?0.001). The most important reasons to attend live education was to stay focused during lectures (50%), and to ask questions during practicals (50%). A lack of time was the most important reason not to attend lectures (52%) or practicals (61%). Learning styles were not association with the number of hours spent on live or distance education.

Conclusion
Distance learning may play an important role in epidemiology courses, since it allows participants to study whenever and wherever they prefer, which provides the opportunity to combine courses with clinical duties. An important requirement for distance learning education appears to be the possibility to ask questions and to interact with instructors.

via BMC Medical Education | Abstract | Learning styles and preferences for live and distance education: an example of a specialisation course in epidemiology.

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ABSTRACT: Harnessing social media for health promotion and behavior change

Rapid and innovative advances in participative Internet communications, referred to as “social media,” offer opportunities for modifying health behavior. Social media let users choose to be either anonymous or identified. People of all demographics are adopting these technologies whether on their computers or through mobile devices, and they are increasingly using these social media for health-related issues. Although social media have considerable potential as tools for health promotion and education, these media, like traditional health promotion media, require careful application and may not always achieve their desired outcomes. This article summarizes current evidence and understanding of using social media for health promotion. More important, it discusses the need for evaluating the effectiveness of various forms of social media and incorporating outcomes research and theory in the design of health promotion programs for social media.

via Harnessing social media for health promo… [Health Promot Pract. 2013] – PubMed – NCBI.

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ABSTRACT: Using social media to create a professional network between physician-trainees and the american society of nephrology

Twitter is the fastest growing social media network. It offers participants the ability to network with other individuals. Medical societies are interested in helping individuals network to boost recruitment, encourage collaboration, and assist in job placement. We hypothesized that the American Society of Nephrology (ASN) successfully used Twitter to create a network between participants and itself to stay connected with its members. Tweets from 3 Twitter networking sessions during Kidney Week 2011 were analyzed for content. These messages were used to create a network between all participants of the networking sessions. The network was analyzed for strength and influence by calculating clustering coefficients (CC) and eigenvector centrality (EC) scores, respectively. Eight moderators and 9 trainees authored 376 Twitter messages. Most tweets by trainees (64%) and moderators (61%) discussed 1 of 3 themes: networking, education, or navigating Kidney Week 2011. A total of 25 online network connections were established during the 3 sessions; 20% were bidirectional. The CC for the network was 0.300. All moderators formed at least 1 connection, but 7 of the 9 trainees failed to make any connections. ASN made 5 unidirectional and 0 bidirectional connections with a low EC of 0.108. ASN was unable to form powerful connections with trainees through Twitter, but medical societies should not be discouraged by the results reported in this investigation. As societies become more familiar with Twitter and understand the mechanisms to develop connections, these societies will have a greater influence within increasingly stronger networks.

via Using social media to create a profes… [Adv Chronic Kidney Dis. 2013] – PubMed – NCBI.

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ABSTRACT: ‘Uncrunching’ time: medical schools’ use of social media for faculty development.

Purpose: The difficulty of attracting attendance for in-person events is a problem common to all faculty development efforts. Social media holds the potential to disseminate information asynchronously while building a community through quick, easy-to-use formats. The authors sought to document creative uses of social media for faculty development in academic medical centers. Method: In December 2011, the first author (P.S.C.) examined the websites of all 154 accredited medical schools in the United States and Canada for pages relevant to faculty development. The most popular social media sites and searched for accounts maintained by faculty developers in academic medicine were also visited. Several months later, in February 2012, a second investigator (C.W.S.) validated these data via an independent review. Results: Twenty-two (22) medical schools (14.3%) employed at least one social media technology in support of faculty development. In total, 40 instances of social media tools were identified – the most popular platforms being Facebook (nine institutions), Twitter (eight institutions), and blogs (eight institutions). Four medical schools, in particular, have developed integrated strategies to engage faculty in online communities. Conclusions: Although relatively few medical schools have embraced social media to promote faculty development, the present range of such uses demonstrates the flexibility and affordability of the tools. The most popular tools incorporate well into faculty members’ existing use of technology and require minimal additional effort. Additional research into the benefits of engaging faculty through social media may help overcome hesitation to invest in new technologies.

via ‘Uncrunching’ time: medical schools’ use of … [Med Educ Online. 2013] – PubMed – NCBI.

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What is the Tin Can API & What Does it Mean for e-Learning? |

The Tin Can Basics
Also known as the next generation of SCORM, Tin Can tracks and records learning experiences anywhere and from multiple devices. The Tin Can API is a whole new way to track learner experiences that “records activities and delivers data that is quantifiable, sharable and trackable,” according to Tin Can.

The Tin Can API can easily recognize and track a wide range of learning activities including:

Mobile learning
Simulations
Virtual worlds
Serious games
Real-world performance
Social-learning
Experiential learning
Offline learning
Collaborative learning
With Tin Can, a wide range of e-Learning systems can now capture learning activities with a simple vocabulary and communication method. In addition to its simplicity, Tin Can is more flexible, robust and has fewer limitations than previous specifications for tracking learners.

via What is the Tin Can API & What Does it Mean for e-Learning? |.

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RESOURCE: 5 Best Ways to Use Learner Control in Your e-Learning Course

  1. Give experienced learners more control. Giving experienced learners more control is most successful when they have prior knowledge of the topic being presented. Ciocca suggests presenting a lesson that is advanced in nature, but low in complexity.
  2. Keep the learner in the learning space. To keep the learner actively engaged in the course, Ciocca suggests not using the next button for navigation, but rather giving the learner choices to select his or her own path.
  3. Consider using adaptive control. Adaptive control is the process in which learners are “branched” to different instructional materials within a course based on the evaluation of their responses to lesson exercises. For example, if learners answers all questions correctly, they would be branched to a more difficult lesson topic. If they answered only some questions correctly, they would be provided more practice exercises until they were ready to advance.
  4. Give pace control. Allow learners to navigate through the course or learning scenario at a pace that works for them. This could help stop learners from simply clicking through the course to receive a checkmark for it.
  5. Implement best practices. Some of these best practices include using titles, headings and introductory statements to organize content in a way that makes sense to the learner, minimal use of links within a course, avoiding the use of course or site maps and utilizing a progress indicator to let learners see how much they have accomplished.

via 5 Best Ways to Use Learner Control in Your e-Learning Course |.

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