scholarly journals Medical educators’ reflection on how technology sustained medical education in the most critical times and the lessons learnt: Insights from an African medical school

2021 ◽  
Vol 7 ◽  
pp. 205520762110593
Author(s):  
Joshua Owolabi ◽  
Abebe Bekele

Stakeholders in the field of medical education globally would generally agree that sustaining medical education through the dark times of the covid-19 pandemic is worth celebrating. In the midst of the difficulties that were created generally by the covid-19 pandemic, sustaining medical education required persistence, strategy, courageous leadership, and innovative adaptations both on the part of the educators, administrators and the students. The implications of continuing medical education during the covid-9 pandemic goes beyond just keeping medical schools open. It has an affective advantage, by impressing on the mind of trainees the importance of strategic adaptation, courage, and resilience. Should anything shut down, it must not be healthcare, and as such medical education should demonstrate such a level of commitment and character. Thankfully, this was what happened in many instances, including ours. One significant factor that made this possible was the integration of technology and innovation. It might not be out of place to say that technology and innovations literally saved medical education amidst the covid-19 pandemic. We also know that the level and quality of integration of technology and innovations varied from place to place. These might be described as heterogeneity of integration, which was further a reflection of inequity in development and advancements in medical education in different parts of the world. This piece includes our reflections on how technology sustained medical education in the most critical times and the lessons learned.

2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Marleen W. Ottenhoff- de Jonge ◽  
Iris van der Hoeven ◽  
Neil Gesundheit ◽  
Roeland M. van der Rijst ◽  
Anneke W. M. Kramer

Abstract Background The educational beliefs of medical educators influence their teaching practices. Insight into these beliefs is important for medical schools to improve the quality of education they provide students and to guide faculty development. Several studies in the field of higher education have explored the educational beliefs of educators, resulting in classifications that provide a structural basis for diverse beliefs. However, few classification studies have been conducted in the field of medical education. We propose a framework that describes faculty beliefs about teaching, learning, and knowledge which is specifically adapted to the medical education context. The proposed framework describes a matrix in which educational beliefs are organised two dimensionally into belief orientations and belief dimensions. The belief orientations range from teaching-centred to learning-centred; the belief dimensions represent qualitatively distinct aspects of beliefs, such as ‘desired learning outcomes’ and ‘students’ motivation’. Methods We conducted in-depth semi-structured interviews with 26 faculty members, all of whom were deeply involved in teaching, from two prominent medical schools. We used the original framework of Samuelowicz and Bain as a starting point for context-specific adaptation. The qualitative analysis consisted of relating relevant interview fragments to the Samuelowicz and Bain framework, while remaining open to potentially new beliefs identified during the interviews. A range of strategies were employed to ensure the quality of the results. Results We identified a new belief dimension and adapted or refined other dimensions to apply in the context of medical education. The belief orientations that have counterparts in the original Samuelowicz and Bain framework are described more precisely in the new framework. The new framework sharpens the boundary between teaching-centred and learning-centred belief orientations. Conclusions Our findings confirm the relevance of the structure of the original Samuelowicz and Bain beliefs framework. However, multiple adaptations and refinements were necessary to align the framework to the context of medical education. The refined belief dimensions and belief orientations enable a comprehensive description of the educational beliefs of medical educators. With these adaptations, the new framework provides a contemporary instrument to improve medical education and potentially assist in faculty development of medical educators.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marleen Ottenhoff- de Jonge ◽  
Iris van der Hoeven ◽  
Neil Gesundheit ◽  
Roeland van der Rijst ◽  
Anneke Kramer

Abstract BackgroundThe educational beliefs of medical educators influence their teaching practices. Insight into these beliefs is important for medical schools to improve the quality of education they provide students and to guide faculty development.Several studies in the field of higher education have explored the educational beliefs of educators, resulting in classifications that provide a structural basis for diverse beliefs. However, few classification studies have been conducted in the field of medical education. We propose a framework that describes faculty beliefs about teaching, learning, and knowledge which is specifically adapted to the medical education context. The proposed framework describes a matrix in which educational beliefs are organised two dimensionally into belief orientations and belief dimensions. The belief orientations range from teaching-centred to learning-centred; the belief dimensions represent qualitatively distinct aspects of beliefs, such as ‘desired learning outcomes’ and ‘students’ motivation’.MethodsWe conducted in-depth semi-structured interviews with 26 faculty members, all of whom were deeply involved in teaching, from two prominent medical schools. We used the original framework of Samuelowicz and Bain as a starting point for context-specific adaptation. The qualitative analysis consisted of relating relevant interview fragments to the Samuelowicz and Bain framework, while remaining open to potentially new beliefs identified during the interviews. A range of strategies were employed to ensure the quality of the results.ResultsWe identified a new belief dimension and adapted or refined other dimensions to apply in the context of medical education. The belief orientations that have counterparts in the original Samuelowicz and Bain framework are described more precisely in the new framework. The new framework sharpens the boundary between teaching-centred and learning-centred belief orientations. ConclusionsOur findings confirm the relevance of the structure of the original Samuelowicz and Bain beliefs framework. However, multiple adaptations and refinements were necessary to align the framework to the context of medical education. The refined belief dimensions and belief orientations enable a comprehensive description of the educational beliefs of medical educators. With these adaptations, the new framework provides a contemporary instrument to improve medical education and potentially assist in faculty development of medical educators.


2008 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 74-78 ◽  
Author(s):  
Izet Mašić ◽  
Ahmed Novo ◽  
Šejla Deljković ◽  
Ibrahim Omerhodžić ◽  
Alisa Piralić

There is no such science as medicine where half life is 7 years, what means that in 3-4 years 50% of current knowledge will be wrong. If doctors use old techniques and methods then they will cure patients wrongly. Very fast and rapid increase of biomedical sciences and medical information in certain way force medical professionals to continuity learning in order to stay update. In this project a quantitative method of examination has been used. For the purposes of the research a survey questionnaires were created consisted of 28, 35 and 18 questions for all three groups of examinees. Beside general characteristics (sex, age, faculty, and year of studies) the questionnaire included questions referring to the variables of structure, process and results in the system of education. Authors used Lickert five degree scale for the evaluation. Total of 521 students of the faculties of biomedical science in Sarajevo were surveyed; students of the Faculty of Medicine, Faculty of Dental Medicine (Stomatology), Faculty of Pharmacy, Nursing College, students of final year and postgraduate students from Faculty of Medicine, University of Sarajevo. On the basis of survey results authors concluded that the following should be done: The reform needs to be carried out in accordance with possibilities and needs, general faculty rules should include regulations that refer to insuring the quality of education, a continuous quality of studying needs to be insured - internal and external evaluation of the quality of work of respective education institution needs to be carried out, education standards need to be set, i.e. minimum knowledge and skills which a student needs to gain during studies is to be set, curriculums and programs need to be harmonized with countries in the region and Western Europe, Regular evaluation of lecturers needs to be done, Increase of size and content of the practical part of teaching needs to be encouraged as well as distance learning organized on Cathedra for Medical Informatics and Family Medicine at Faculty of Medicine in Sarajevo, increase of international and regional mobility of students needs to be encouraged, students need to be included in the faculty reform, panel discussions need to be organized where students will be informed on the reform progress, where students can talk about their problems, give suggestions and solutions to certain situations. Students are motivated to study further when their ideas are accepted, the number of books in libraries needs to increase in accordance with financial possibilities and audio/visual and electronic aids need to be purchased and in place. Concept of quality incorporates at least three dimensions and has three different meanings. Those are: - Comparative meaning in terms of the level of perfectionist, - Quantitative meaning in terms of the level accessed and - Appropriateness for certain purpose. Objective of this study is to begin process of improvement of educational process at biomedical faculties at University of Sarajevo, but ultimate goal of all involved in medical education should be large number of health professionals who will be able to work independently and cure patients in best manner in 21st century.


Author(s):  
Emanuele Fino ◽  
Bishoy Hanna-Khalil

Assessment in medical education has changed dramatically over the last two decades. The current, global call for medical practitioners has encouraged medical schools to open their doors and expand their curricula, generating an increasing demand for guidance with regards to the assurance and improvement of the quality of training programs and systems. This chapter provides the reader with an overview of psychometric post-examination analysis. The authors' view is that these are strategic educational assets that can help medical educators to understand and evidence the extent to which assessment data and their interpretation reflect the achievement of learning objectives, and the validity of assessment methods implemented in medical education programs.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Takumi Kawashita ◽  
Sara Shu ◽  
Teevit Dunnsiri ◽  
Andrew Fung ◽  
Brian Bui ◽  
...  

BACKGROUND YouTube is a popular American video-sharing platform that has been accessible to the public since 2005. Previous studies have shown that YouTube is potentially beneficial to medical education, but the quality of videos still need to be determined. OBJECTIVE The goal of this study is to understand the quality of the YouTube videos by evaluating the characteristics of physicians and the total number of views on videos regarding fibromyalgia. METHODS The term “fibromyalgia” was searched on the YouTube search engine by relevance, the default setting. Information from the first 100 videos were analyzed. A search was performed on Scopus to determine the h-index and fibromyalgia-related publication for any physician who was featured in the videos. RESULTS Of the top 100 videos, there were 64 academic videos, 18 vlogs, 5 interview videos, and 13 miscellaneous videos. Out of the 64 academic videos, 30 physicians, 7 Doctors of Philosophy (Ph.D.), 5 physical therapists, and 5 chiropractors were identified. The majority physicians have an adequate academic affiliation such as h-index and academic publications. CONCLUSIONS Residents and medical students will encounter a large number of academic videos on fibromyalgia on YouTube. This study suggests that many videos were posted for academic purposes and that the quality of the videos can be ensured to some degree. However, developing a better systemic evaluation of the quality of YouTube content is still necessary.


2003 ◽  
Vol 42 (02) ◽  
pp. 185-189 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. Haux ◽  
C. Kulikowski ◽  
A. Bohne ◽  
R. Brandner ◽  
B. Brigl ◽  
...  

Summary Objectives: The Yearbook of Medical Informatics is published annually by the International Medical Informatics Association (IMIA) and contains a selection of excellent papers on medical informatics research which have been recently published (www.yearbook.uni-hd.de). The 2003 Yearbook of Medical Informatics took as its theme the role of medical informatics for the quality of health care. In this paper, we will discuss challenges for health care, and the lessons learned from editing IMIA Yearbook 2003. Results and Conclusions: Modern information processing methodology and information and communication technology have strongly influenced our societies and health care. As a consequence of this, medical informatics as a discipline has taken a leading role in the further development of health care. This involves developing information systems that enhance opportunities for global access to health services and medical knowledge. Informatics methodology and technology will facilitate high quality of care in aging societies, and will decrease the possibilities of health care errors. It will also enable the dissemination of the latest medical and health information on the web to consumers and health care providers alike. The selected papers of the IMIA Yearbook 2003 present clear examples and future challenges, and they highlight how various sub-disciplines of medical informatics can contribute to this.


Author(s):  
Anna Eleftheriou ◽  
Aikaterini Rokou ◽  
Christos Argyriou ◽  
Nikolaos Papanas ◽  
George S. Georgiadis

The impact of coronavirus infectious disease (COVID-19) on medical education has been substantial. Medical students require considerable clinical exposure. However, due to the risk of COVID-19, the majority of medical schools globally have discontinued their normal activities. The strengths of virtual teaching now include a variety of web-based resources. New interactive forms of virtual teaching are being developed to enable students to interact with patients from their homes. Conversely, students have received decreased clinical training in certain medical and surgical specialities, which may, in turn, reduce their performance, confidence, and abilities as future physicians. We sought to analyze the effect of telemedicine on the quality of medical education in this new emerging era and highlight the benefits and drawbacks of web-based medical training in building up future physicians. The COVID-19 pandemic has posed an unparalleled challenge to medical schools, which are aiming to deliver quality education to students virtually, balancing between evidence-based and experience-based medicine.


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