scholarly journals A Mobile Medical Knowledge Dissemination Platform (HeadToToe): Mixed Methods Study (Preprint)

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ido Zamberg ◽  
Olivier Windisch ◽  
Thomas Agoritsas ◽  
Mathieu Nendaz ◽  
Georges Savoldelli ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Medical Students ◽  
User Experience ◽  
Clinical Skills ◽  
Medical Knowledge ◽  
Postgraduate Education ◽  
Third Party ◽  
University Hospital ◽  
Knowledge Dissemination ◽  
Easy Access ◽  
The University

BACKGROUND Finding readily accessible, high-quality medical references can be a challenging task. HeadToToe is a mobile platform designed to allow easy and quick access to sound, up-to-date, and validated medical knowledge and guidance. It provides easy access to essential clinical medical content in the form of documents, videos, clinical scores, and other formats for the day-to-day access and use by medical students and physicians during their pre- and postgraduate education. OBJECTIVE The aim of this paper is to describe the architecture, user interface, and potential strengths and limitations of an innovative knowledge dissemination platform developed at the University of Geneva, Switzerland. We also report preliminary results from a user-experience survey and usage statistics over a selected period. METHODS The dissemination platform consists of a smartphone app. Through an administration interface, content is managed by senior university and hospital staff. The app includes the following sections: (1) main section of medical guidance, organized by clinical field; (2) checklists for history-taking and clinical examination, organized by body systems; (3) laboratory section with frequently used lab values; and (4) favorites section. Each content item is programmed to be available for a given duration as defined by the content’s author. Automatic notifications signal the author when the content is about to expire, hence, promoting its timely updating and reducing the risk of using obsolete content. In the background, a third-party statistical collecting tool records anonymous utilization statistics. RESULTS We launched the final version of the platform in March 2019, both at the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Geneva and at the University Hospital of Geneva in Switzerland. A total of 622 students at the university and 613 health professionals at the hospital downloaded the app. Two-thirds of users at both institutions had an iOS device. During the practical examination period (ie, May 2019) there was a significant increase in the number of active users (<i>P</i>=.003), user activity (<i>P</i>&lt;.001), and daily usage time (<i>P</i>&lt;.001) among medical students. In addition, there were 1086 clinical skills video views during this period compared to a total of 484 in the preceding months (ie, a 108% increase). On a 10-point Likert scale, students and physicians rated the app with mean scores of 8.2 (SD 1.9) for user experience, 8.1 (SD 2.0) for usefulness, and 8.5 (SD 1.8) for relevance of content. In parallel, postgraduate trainees viewed more than 6000 documents during the first 3 months after the implementation in the Division of Neurology at our institution. CONCLUSIONS HeadToToe is an educator-driven, mobile dissemination platform, which provides rapid and user-friendly access to up-to-date medical content and guidance. The platform was given high ratings for user experience, usefulness, and content quality and was used more often during the exam period. This suggests that the platform could be used as tool for exam preparation.

scholarly journals A Mobile Medical Knowledge Dissemination Platform (HeadToToe): Mixed Methods Study

10.2196/17729 ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. e17729 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ido Zamberg ◽  
Olivier Windisch ◽  
Thomas Agoritsas ◽  
Mathieu Nendaz ◽  
Georges Savoldelli ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Medical Students ◽  
User Experience ◽  
Clinical Skills ◽  
Medical Knowledge ◽  
Postgraduate Education ◽  
Third Party ◽  
University Hospital ◽  
Knowledge Dissemination ◽  
Easy Access ◽  
The University

Background Finding readily accessible, high-quality medical references can be a challenging task. HeadToToe is a mobile platform designed to allow easy and quick access to sound, up-to-date, and validated medical knowledge and guidance. It provides easy access to essential clinical medical content in the form of documents, videos, clinical scores, and other formats for the day-to-day access and use by medical students and physicians during their pre- and postgraduate education. Objective The aim of this paper is to describe the architecture, user interface, and potential strengths and limitations of an innovative knowledge dissemination platform developed at the University of Geneva, Switzerland. We also report preliminary results from a user-experience survey and usage statistics over a selected period. Methods The dissemination platform consists of a smartphone app. Through an administration interface, content is managed by senior university and hospital staff. The app includes the following sections: (1) main section of medical guidance, organized by clinical field; (2) checklists for history-taking and clinical examination, organized by body systems; (3) laboratory section with frequently used lab values; and (4) favorites section. Each content item is programmed to be available for a given duration as defined by the content’s author. Automatic notifications signal the author when the content is about to expire, hence, promoting its timely updating and reducing the risk of using obsolete content. In the background, a third-party statistical collecting tool records anonymous utilization statistics. Results We launched the final version of the platform in March 2019, both at the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Geneva and at the University Hospital of Geneva in Switzerland. A total of 622 students at the university and 613 health professionals at the hospital downloaded the app. Two-thirds of users at both institutions had an iOS device. During the practical examination period (ie, May 2019) there was a significant increase in the number of active users (P=.003), user activity (P<.001), and daily usage time (P<.001) among medical students. In addition, there were 1086 clinical skills video views during this period compared to a total of 484 in the preceding months (ie, a 108% increase). On a 10-point Likert scale, students and physicians rated the app with mean scores of 8.2 (SD 1.9) for user experience, 8.1 (SD 2.0) for usefulness, and 8.5 (SD 1.8) for relevance of content. In parallel, postgraduate trainees viewed more than 6000 documents during the first 3 months after the implementation in the Division of Neurology at our institution. Conclusions HeadToToe is an educator-driven, mobile dissemination platform, which provides rapid and user-friendly access to up-to-date medical content and guidance. The platform was given high ratings for user experience, usefulness, and content quality and was used more often during the exam period. This suggests that the platform could be used as tool for exam preparation.

scholarly journals Evaluation of an Ophthalmology Session for Third-Year Medical Students at the University of Colorado School of Medicine

2018 ◽  
Vol 10 (01) ◽  
pp. e23-e31
Author(s):  
Judas Kelley ◽  
Jasleen Singh
Keyword(s):  
Medical Students ◽  
Test Score ◽  
Clinical Skills ◽  
Medical Knowledge ◽  
Colorado School ◽  
Self Reflection ◽  
University Of Colorado ◽  
School Of Medicine ◽  
Post Test ◽  
The University

Background Medical school ophthalmology education continues to be marginalized, creating the challenge of teaching students how to adequately diagnose and manage common ocular diseases in a limited time. Objective This study aimed to improve the ophthalmic medical knowledge and clinical skills of third-year medical students. Methods This curriculum was provided to 76 out of 124 third-year medical students in the 2016 class at the University of Colorado-Denver School of Medicine program. It was a half-day session that incorporated lectures, problem-based cases, and clinical skills. Participating students were given a self-reflection survey on their knowledge at the beginning and end of the session. Participating students were given a pre-test and post-test 6 months later via SurveyMonkey. Another quiz was given to all students within the class. Comparisons of pre- and post-tests, pre- and post-surveys, and quiz results in the participating and nonparticipating groups were made. Results Participating students' mean pre-test score was 61.8% (n = 76) and post-test score was 72.3% (n = 47), p < 0.01, indicating a significant increase in knowledge. There was an increase in 2 points on the Likert scale of understanding in ophthalmology between surveys. Participating students received a quiz mean score of 61.2%, which was significantly higher than those in the nonparticipating group (54.3%), p < 0.05. Conclusion This session improved medical students' confidence and medical knowledge in ophthalmology.

Flipping the Medical School Classroom

2018 ◽  
pp. 5800-5809
Author(s):  
Kristina Kaljo ◽  
Laura Jacques
Keyword(s):  
Medical Education ◽  
Medical Student ◽  
Medical Students ◽  
Clinical Skills ◽  
Medical Knowledge ◽  
Hybrid Learning ◽  
Teaching Methodologies ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
Content Acquisition ◽  
Hybrid Learning Environment

The preparation of today's physicians is a tremendous responsibility. For medical students to be successful, they must experience a multitude of opportunities to develop appropriate clinical skills, problem solving acumen, and medical knowledge. Due to various barriers, medical students may develop gaps in critical and foundational knowledge. The use of flipped lectures has the capacity to “mobilize” education and ensure for versatility and improved content acquisition through the implementation of both online and face-to-face teaching methodologies. This hybrid learning environment has the capacity to also address the increasingly diverse needs of today's matriculating medical student. This article identifies tools and strategies of how to incorporate flipped lectures into medical education.

scholarly journals Introduction and evaluation of the ACS BCon basic course in Zaragoza, Spain

2019 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. e000227
Author(s):  
Carlos Yanez ◽  
Antonio Güemes ◽  
Ana Navarro ◽  
Jacqueline Vazquez ◽  
Alberto Moreno
Keyword(s):  
Medical Students ◽  
University Hospital ◽  
Hemorrhage Control ◽  
Level Of Evidence ◽  
Significance Level ◽  
American College Of Surgeons ◽  
The Usa ◽  
Basic Course ◽  
The University ◽  
Healthcare Employees

BackgroundThe American College of Surgeons Bleeding Control Basic (BCon) course aimed at teaching hemorrhage control techniques in the USA had not yet been taught in Spain. The purpose of this study is to assess its implementation among students and healthcare employees in the Lozano Blesa University Hospital of Zaragoza, a middle-sized Spanish city.MethodsThe study was conducted in a University Hospital and at the University of Zaragoza, scheduling four free B-Con sessions from 2017 to 2018. Two groups were identified as forming the population: healthcare employees and medical students. An anonymous questionnaire was completed at the end of the course regarding content, applicability, usefulness, relevance, and satisfaction. Study variables were ranked from 0 to 10: poor (when graded from 0 to 3), fair (4 to 6) and good (7 to 10). Results were compared between the groups, expressed in percentages and χ2 tested to analyze significant differences if any.ResultsAmong the 83 individuals who completed the course, 46 were medical students and 37 healthcare employees; 61% women and 39% men; aged 21 years to 52 years. Attendees evaluated satisfaction with the highest grade (84%), followed by usefulness (73%), applicability (70%), and relevance (66%). There was no variable graded as poor. The comparison of perceptions between groups did not reveal statistical differences based on a 0.05 significance level.ConclusionWe concluded that the B-Con course was valued as good for relevance, usefulness, applicability, and satisfaction by the majority of the studied population.Level of evidenceLevel III.

scholarly journals E-learning Modules to Improve Clinical Reasoning and Practice: a Prospective Comparative Study

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fabiola Stollar ◽  
Bernard Cerutti ◽  
Susanne Aujesky ◽  
Daniel Scherly ◽  
Mathieu Nendaz ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Medical Students ◽  
Student Satisfaction ◽  
Clinical Skills ◽  
Learning Methods ◽  
Learning Modules ◽  
Factors Associated ◽  
E Learning ◽  
Fourth Year Medical Students ◽  
Prospective Comparative Study ◽  
The University

Abstract Background: Controversy remains about how successfully e-learning can improve clinical skills and knowledge acquisition. Our study's main objective was to compare the effects of e-learning versus traditional education on medical students' reasoning and how they applied their knowledge to clinical skills by evaluating their performance in a pediatrics exam based on key features. Our secondary objectives were to assess the factors associated with e-learning that might influence exam scores and to evaluate medical students' satisfaction with these two learning methods. Methods: Prospective observational study of two pediatric clerkship cohorts (2016–17 and 2017–18) of fourth-year medical students at the University of Geneva's Faculty of Medicine, Switzerland. All students participated in a standardized program of traditional seminars and e-learning using case-based scenarios. To compare the two learning methods, we taught two subjects using traditional seminars in 2016–17 and then using e-learning modules in 2017–18. To evaluate factors that might have influenced e-learning's effects, we monitored the use of all the e-learning modules studied in the months preceding the pediatric exam. Student satisfaction was evaluated using a questionnaire of four-point Likert scale-like items. Results: We included 299 medical students. Students using interactive e-learning modules had the same median scores for exam questions associated with e-learning as students who attended traditional seminars (median 80%, IQR 67%–100% vs. median 80%, IQR 67%–100%; p=0.975). A linear regression model showed an association between the scores for exam questions associated with e-learning and the number of quizzes taken and sex. Even though the overall satisfaction with the two learning methods was similar, students claimed that they learned more in e-learning than in traditional seminars, that learning objectives were better explained in e-learning modules, and that traditional seminars were better integrated into the curriculum.Conclusions: We found no evidence of a difference in students’ reasoning and how they applied their knowledge to clinical skills between e-learning and traditional seminar-based methods. The number of quizzes taken and being a female student were factors associated with better scores. Overall, students were satisfied with both learning methods, but they claimed that they learned more with e-learning.

scholarly journals LO29: ILearnEM.com: a curation of quality FOAM resources to learn the fundamentals of emergency medicine

CJEM ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 19 (S1) ◽  
pp. S37
Author(s):  
A. Mungham ◽  
O. Anjum ◽  
A. Lo ◽  
H. Rosenberg
Keyword(s):  
Emergency Medicine ◽  
Social Media ◽  
Medical Students ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Medical Knowledge ◽  
Indirect Measure ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
New Material ◽  
Online Educational Resources ◽  
The University

Introduction/Innovation Concept: Free Open Access Medical Education (FOAM) is an emerging movement enabling crowdsourced sharing of vast amounts of medical knowledge on the web, especially in the dynamic field of emergency medicine (EM). However, the wide range of FOAM producers and the lack of organization in published FOAM content results in a challenge for learners to find quality resources that meet their educational needs. ILearnEM addresses this by curating content from popular FOAM sites to provide both new and seasoned learners with an organized, topic-structured EM curriculum. Methods: The resources on ILearnEM.com are drawn from the top 50 scoring websites on the Social Media Index (SMI), an indirect measure of quality and impact for online educational resources. The quality of each individual resource is reviewed by our curators using published Quality Checklists developed specifically for FOAM. Links to the original resources are systematically organized into core EM topics and separated into “Approach to” and “Beyond the Basics” categories. Curriculum, Tool, or Material: Since its launch in February 2016, ILearnEM.com has been distributed to the University of Ottawa medical students and residents, the Canadian CCFP-EM program directors, and through social media. Content on the website is updated every two weeks by our curators through an analysis of recent online publications from each of the top 50 SMI sites. The new resources are selected based on the level of quality and the relevance to the fundamentals of EM. Content updates are announced on social media (Twitter) to further engage learners by identifying the availability of new material. Conclusion: Based on a 10-month traffic analysis, 4234 unique visitors visited ILearnEM.com with an average of 1.9 visits/person and 10.4 pages/visit. Of those responding to an online survey (n=138, response rate=3.3%) visitors were 42.8% (n=59) residents, 29.0% medical students (n=40), 19.6% practicing physicians (n=27), and 8.7% other healthcare professionals (n=12). As one of few sites with an objective for a learner-oriented approach to curating content, ILearnEM will continue to be updated regularly based on user feedback to benefit the fast growing consumer base of medical student and resident learners.

scholarly journals Student perspectives on the value of rural electives

2015 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ian Couper
Keyword(s):  
Medical Students ◽  
Personal Growth ◽  
Role Model ◽  
Clinical Skills ◽  
Repeated Reading ◽  
Health Sciences ◽  
Graduate Entry ◽  
Community Benefits ◽  
Rural Doctor ◽  
The University

Background: Medical students in the Faculty of Health Sciences at the University of the Witwatersrand (Wits) in Johannesburg have the opportunity to do electives at the end of the first and third years of a four-year graduate-entry medical programme. Upon their return they are required to write a short portfolio report. Over the period 2005 to 2011, 402 students chose to do rural electives.Aim and setting: To understand the value of rural electives from the perspective of medical students in the Faculty of Health Sciences at Wits, as derived from their assessment reports.Methods: A review was conducted of 402 elective reports. Common themes were identified through repeated reading of the reports, and then content analysis was undertaken using these themes.Results: Major themes identified were the reasons for choosing a rural facility for the elective, including going to a home community; benefits of the elective, especially in terms of clinical skills and personal growth; relationship issues; the multiple roles of the rural doctor, who is often a role model working in difficult conditions; and the challenges of rural electives.Conclusion: The electives were overwhelmingly positive and affirming experiences for students, who developed clinical skills and also learnt about both themselves and their chosen career.

scholarly journals Assessing the Transition From Pre-Clerkship to Clerkship in a Four-Year Medical Program: Recommendations for Future Success

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Neel Mistry ◽  
Stefan de Laplante ◽  
Craig Murray Campbell
Keyword(s):  
Medical Students ◽  
Clinical Skills ◽  
Bachelor's Degree ◽  
School Students ◽  
Professional Activities ◽  
Future Success ◽  
Seamless Transition ◽  
Medical Program ◽  
Fourth Year Medical Students ◽  
The University

Abstract Background: The transition from pre-clerkship to clinical clerkship is a pivotal moment for medical students. At the University of Ottawa Faculty of Medicine, Unit IV and the Link Block are designed to facilitate this transition. Improvements to the current curriculum, specifically in Unit IV, may better prepare students for clerkship. We aimed to summarize existing literary evidence on the transition to clerkship and collect student feedback to generate recommendations for success with regard to clerkship preparedness at the University of Ottawa Faculty of Medicine. Methods: We conducted a literature search using PubMed, MEDLINE, ERIC, and CINAHL for studies evaluating the transition to clerkship in a four-year medical program. Using this data, we created two different versions of our survey (pre-transition and post-transition) for dissemination to second, third, and fourth-year medical students, plus MD/PhD students, in the Anglophone and Francophone stream. The survey was open for three weeks from October 10 to October 31, 2020, with weekly reminders to all eligible participants. Microsoft Excel 2016 was used for data analysis. Results: We obtained 176 respondents, of which 158 (70% Anglophone and 30% Francophone) were included in the analysis. The majority of students were in the MD2023 cohort (40%) and had completed a 4-year Bachelor’s degree (61%) prior to medical school. Students in the post-transition group were less anxious about the transition to clerkship than their junior colleagues, although differences between streams were marginal. The most notable difference concerning Entrustable Professional Activities was in terms of obtaining a complete history and performing a physical examination, with the post-transition cohort reporting increased competency compared to the pre-transition cohort in the Anglophone stream (2.9/5.0 pre-transition vs. 3.3/5.0 post-transition, +0.33 difference, p<0.05). Top two stressors for incoming clerks were a lack of clinical skills or experience, and lack of clarity around clerkship roles, responsibilities, and expectations.Conclusion: There is limited training to facilitate a seamless transition for incoming clerks at the University of Ottawa Faculty of Medicine. Changes can be made at the pre-clerkship level in the form of small-group orientation sessions, formative OSCEs, accelerated review of pre-clerkship material, and clerkship simulation sessions.

scholarly journals Medical Development-Cooperation in Central Africa

Afrika Focus ◽  
1990 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
André De Schaepdryver
Keyword(s):  
Health Service ◽  
Community Health ◽  
Health Personnel ◽  
Pharmaceutical Preparations ◽  
Postgraduate Education ◽  
Community Health Service ◽  
Development Cooperation ◽  
University Hospital ◽  
Practical Training ◽  
The University

The author describes the Project of Medical Cooperation between the Medical Faculties of the University of Ghent and the National University of Rwanda in Butare. The objectives of this project, which started in 1966, were the following: (l) to organize and dispense the theoretical education and practical training at the G.P.-level;(2) to structure the postgraduate education of alumni selected for higher education posts;(3) to take care of the postgraduate training of specialists;(4) to organize the continuing education of health personnel;(5) to promote and participate in medical research.The results of the Project were, in 1984: (1) at the level of health personnel: the education and training of 220 physicians, 19 university lecturers and 15 specialists; (2) at the level of the infrastructure: the building of the Medical Faculty facilities, the pediatric and medical policlinics and clinics, the community health service for adults; the adaptation of the gynecological-obstetrical policlinic and clinic and of the community health service for children; the founding of the Faculty library, secretariat and workshop, (3) at the research level: the founding and development of the University Center for Research on Traditional Pharmacopoeia and Medicine, aiming at: a) the valorization and integration of traditional medicine; b) the study of Rwandese medicinal plants; c) the local production of pharmaceutical preparations of plant origin and organic raw materials. The attention is drawn to the importance of the postgraduate education in Belgium, for periods of 5 years, of 25 Rwandese medical alumni, which resulted in 15 Ph.D. -theses and a nearly complete rwandization of the Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital in Butare. A pairing Agreement Butare-Ghent has taken the relief of the Project, insuring its continuity through visiting lecturers, and the coaching of trainees and of research projects in various fields of the local pathology. 

scholarly journals Patients’ attitude and factors influencing the acceptance of medical students’ participation in pelvic examination

2022 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 87-97
Author(s):  
Nisakorn Deesaen ◽  
Kongpop Sutantikorn ◽  
Punyanuch Phonngoenchai ◽  
Sakchai Chaiyamahapruk ◽  
Patcharada Amatyakul
Keyword(s):  
Medical Student ◽  
Medical Students ◽  
Clinical Skills ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
University Hospital ◽  
P Value ◽  
Pelvic Examination ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Pelvic Examinations ◽  
Matters Of Concern

Introduction: Pelvic examination of patients in the department of obstetrics and gynaecology (Ob-Gyn) is an important skill for medical students. Because it involves a physical assessment of the patients' genitalia, patients may refuse medical students to participate in the examination, affecting the medical students' clinical skills. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted at Naresuan University Hospital to determine the factors that influence the acceptance of medical student participation in the pelvic examinations. A total of 198 out-patients from the Ob-Gyn department were included. A Likert scale questionnaire was designed which featured topics on patients’ attitudes and circumstances related to medical student involvement in gynaecological procedures. Results: The majority of outpatients (71.7%) accepted the participation of medical students in pelvic examinations. Patients with prior experiences in physical and pelvic examination by medical students had a significant impact on the patients' acceptance (P-value<0.001). The patients’ impressions had an influence on the decision to accept students in pelvic exam participation. Approximately 40% of patients were concerned about the breach of confidentiality. However, most patients strongly agreed that allowing medical students to perform pelvic examination would benefit their medical education. Conclusion: Most of the participants permitted medical students to participate in pelvic examinations and preferred that the medical instructor be the one to request permission. The patients’ impressions of medical students were crucial factors that significantly influence their decision whether to allow or deny them to participate in the procedure. Disclosure of confidentiality was found to be matters of concern to most patients.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document