scholarly journals Impact of COVID-19 on Continuing Medical Education—Results of an Online Survey Among Users of a Non-profit Multi-Specialty Live Online Education Platform

2021 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tobias L. Schulte ◽  
Thilo Gröning ◽  
Babett Ramsauer ◽  
Jörg Weimann ◽  
Martin Pin ◽  
...  

Background: The Coronavirus Disease-2019 (COVID-19) pandemic accelerated digitalization in medical education. Continuing medical education (CME) as a substantial component of this system was relevantly affected. Here, we present the results of an online survey highlighting the impact on and the role of online CME.Methods: An online survey of 44 questions was completed by users of a German online CME platform receiving an invitation via newsletter. CME habits, requirements, personal perception, and impact of the pandemic were inquired. Standard statistical methods were applied.Results: A total of 2,961 responders took the survey with 2,949 completed surveys included in the final analysis. Most contributions originated from Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. Physicians accounted for 78.3% (57.5% hospital doctors) of responses followed by midwives (7.3%) and paramedics (5.7%). Participating physicians were mainly board-certified specialists (69%; 55.75% hospital specialists, 13.25% specialists in private practice). Frequent online lectures at regular intervals (77.8%) and combined face-to-face and online CME (55.9%) were favored. A duration of 1–2 h was found ideal (57.5%). Technical issues were less a major concern since the pandemic.Conclusion: A shift from face-to-face toward online CME events was expectedly detected since the outbreak. Online CME was accelerated and promoted by the pandemic. According to the perception of users, the CME system appears to have reacted adequately to meet their demand but does not replace human interaction.

Author(s):  
Herbert Ntuli ◽  
Edwin Muchapondwa ◽  
Victor Ntuli ◽  
Lina Mangwende

The impact of inequality and technology on access to online education has received tremendous attention within the past two decades from researchers across the globe. What remains under-researched is the knowledge of how shocks such as the COVID-19 pandemic affect access to online education. The main objective of the study was to examine inequality in accessing online education in the context of a crisis in a developing region. A mixed-method approach was used to collect and analyze online survey data based on 393 undergraduate students from six countries in Southern Africa. Both observable and hidden inequality sources such as income and participation in household chores compromise the quality of online education. A shift from face-to-face teaching to online education is likely to result in learning difficulties and deterioration in the quality of education. Policies such as the provision of free data improve the learning experience by reducing inequality. Therefore, decision-makers should take into consideration inequality in designing policies and strategies during a crisis.


Author(s):  
N. N. Petrova ◽  
I. A. Fedotov ◽  
E. M. Chumakov

To assess the dynamics of doctors ‘ opinions on continuing medical education (CME) in 2016 and 2018 was conducted an anonymous online survey, which was attended by 52 psychiatrists (in 2016 year, from 14 regions of Russia) and 203 psychiatrists (in 2018 year, from 46 regions of Russia). There is the growth of skeptical views on the feasibility of introducing a new system (in 2016 it was supported by 55,8% of respondents, in 2018 — only by 38,3%). Also in the 2-year term increased the number of difficulties in accessing to attend conferences, increased availability of online modules and has not changed significantly the availability of training in the departments in universities. The most difficult for doctors is to find attending conferences (average score in assessing difficulties 3,6), which requires the search for funds for travel expenses and separation from work, the most convenient — online training (average score in assessing difficulties 3,0). The effectiveness of all three types of educational activities of CME (conferences, online modules and courses in the departments) is estimated at a relative average level (about 3 points on a 5-point scale). The impact of CME on the solution of actual organizational and methodological problems of health care is also rather skeptical.


2019 ◽  
Vol 29 (Supplement_4) ◽  
Author(s):  
C Guagliardo ◽  
S Cortaredona ◽  
M C Banide ◽  
E Burlot ◽  
J Bouvenot ◽  
...  

Abstract Background General practitioners (GPs) play a central role in vaccinating the population in France. In a context of mistrust regarding vaccination, and because patients increasingly question their GP about vaccines, we designed the continuing medical education (CME) module in order to 1) reinforce GPs knowledge about vaccination 2) help GPs answer questions most frequently asked by their patients and 3) evaluate the impact of this module on their vaccine prescriptions. Methods The CME module lasted 3 hours and focused on MMR, meningitis C and seasonal influenza vaccines; GPs were given confidential feedback information on percentages of their patients vaccinated. We included GPs practicing in Southeastern France and with less than 60% of their child patients (aged between 10 and 34 months) with 2 reimbursements of MMR vaccines (data obtained from the Health Insurance Fund). Eligible GPs were then randomly assigned to three groups: those offered either a face-to-face or e-learning CME module and a control group without CME. We used vaccine reimbursement rates for MMR 2-doses, Meningitis C, seasonal influenza as proxies for vaccine prescription rates, and a difference in differences approach to compare reimbursement rates in the year before the CME session and in the 24 months post-intervention. Results Compared to the control group, vaccine reimbursement rates for 2-dose MMR and meningitis C increased by 6% and 4% respectively (p < 0.05) among patients of GPs who participated in the face-to-face CME session (52 GPs, with 1 842 children). For seasonal influenza vaccine, we found a 12% increase in the face-to-face group (p < 0.01). We found no statistically significant increase in the e-learning group (19 GPs, with 674 children) whatever the vaccine. Conclusions We found a modest impact of face-to-face CME session with feedback on GPs practices for childhood vaccines and a stronger one for seasonal influenza. Key messages The very positive feedback from face-to-face training highlights the fact that this type of training, which bring knowledge on vaccination in general and specific vaccines to GPs, is necessary. We found weak evidence for efficiency of CME sessions associated with audit/feedback to modify GPs practices regarding MMR and meningitis C vaccines.


Author(s):  
Maria Isabel de Borges ◽  
Cristina Dias ◽  
Carla Santos

Since the early spring of 2020, Portuguese higher education institutions, as well as other education institutions around the world, have been experiencing an unprecedented massive “migration” from traditional in‐class face‐to‐face education to online education. The massive changing models of teaching and learning brings out different perceptions from various parties. There are some advantages and disadvantages in this kind of learning model. The purpose of this study is to investigate the learners’ perception on online learning in a scenario of a COVID-19 pandemic. The subject of this research are students of two Portuguese Polytechnic Institutes (Portalegre and Beja) The instrument used is an online survey questionnaire, anonymous and voluntary, sent to undergraduate engineering students of the two institutions. This study not only report that online learning is good during COVID-19 pandemic, but also spotted the light on the availability of internet access and computers or cell phones. The main conclusions show that the impact was manly negative from the learners’ perception perspective, having mostly referred the workload and also the difficulty in clarifying doubts in time as major factors that had a very negative influence on their academic performance. Also, the social distancing from colleagues was mentioned as a negative aspect. Finally, most respondents expressed a clear preference for face-to-face education for the next academic year.


Author(s):  
Nancy J. Stone

To evaluate students’ online learning environments, the relationship between personality and online learning success, and students’ perceptions about online proctoring during mandatory remote delivery due to the pandemic, students responded to an online survey. Learning environments generally included houses and rarely included on-campus housing. The specific room type was predominantly the bedroom. Only conscientiousness was related positively to anticipated semester GPA. The positive relationship between anticipated and overall GPA supports the notion that more conscientious students tend to be successful in online learning situations, as online education was rated as slightly ineffective. A majority of students did not see a need for online proctoring due to the inability or time required to search for materials, which would only harm one’s performance. There is a need to research further the impact of the study environment, relationship of the students’ personality to learning success, and consequences of online proctoring during remote learning.


2020 ◽  
Vol 63 (12) ◽  
pp. 776-781
Author(s):  
Sang Hyun Kim ◽  
Jung Yul Park

The purpose of this study is to identify the historical background and status of continuing medical education (CME) in Korea, and to establish a method for improving CME in the future. Currently, the CME in Korea presents several problems that need to be addressed, such as the appropriateness of the annual required credits, maintenance of simple refresher training, insufficient online education, and evaluation and accreditation of educational institutions. Solutions are offered in the form of increased time for the required credits, introduction of social competency topics and education methods, improvement of online education, evaluation to improve the quality of CME, and introduction of a systematic and appropriate evaluation and accreditation system. CME and continuing professional development (CPD) are not only obligations stipulated in the medical law, but also professional requisites in terms of securing autonomy through self-development and self-regulation. It aims to enlighten the high level of professionalism required by the international community. It is an essential requirement and ultimately promotes and protects the physical, mental, and social health of people worldwide. In order to cope with the international standards of CME/CPD that ensure high quality treatment and patient safety, it is crucial to reform the continuing medical education system by securing the physicians’ professionalism. To this end, authors propose the improvement and implementation of CME system in Korea based on internal review and benchmarks of the internationally recognized CME/CPD systems that meet global standards.


2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (19) ◽  
pp. 10762
Author(s):  
Thien Khai Tran ◽  
Hoa Dinh ◽  
Hien Nguyen ◽  
Dac-Nhuong Le ◽  
Dong-Ky Nguyen ◽  
...  

The COVID-19 pandemic, since its beginning in December 2019, has altered every aspect of human life. In Vietnam, the pandemic is in its fourth peak and is the most serious so far, putting Vietnam in the list of top 30 countries with the highest daily cases. In this paper, we wish to identify the magnitude of its impact on college students in Vietnam. As far as we’re concerned, college students belong to the most affected groups in the population, especially in big cities that have been hitting hard by the virus. We conducted an online survey from 31 May 2021 to 9 June 2021, asking students from four representative regions in Vietnam to describe how the pandemic has changed their lifestyle and studying environment, as well as their awareness, compliance, and psychological state. The collected answers were processed to eliminate unreliable ones then prepared for sentiment analysis. To analyze the relationship among the variables, we performed a variety of statistical tests, including Shapiro–Wilk, Mc Nemar, Mann–Whitney–Wilcoxon, Kruskal–Wallis, and Pearson’s Chi-square tests. Among 1875 students who participated, many did not embrace online education. A total of 64.53% of them refused to think that online education would be the upcoming trend. During the pandemic, nearly one quarter of students were in a negative mood. About the same number showed signs of depression. We also observed that there were increasing patterns in sleeping time, body weight, and sedentary lifestyle. However, they maintained a positive attitude toward health protection and compliance with government regulations (65.81%). As far as we know, this is the first project to conduct such a large-scale survey analysis on students in Vietnam. The findings of the paper help us take notice of financial and mental needs and perspective issues for indigent students, which contributes to reducing the pandemic’s negative effects and going forwards to a better and more sustainable life.


BJS Open ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (Supplement_1) ◽  
Author(s):  
John Pascoe ◽  
Paul Foster ◽  
Muntasha Quddus ◽  
Angeliki Kosti ◽  
Francesca Guest ◽  
...  

Abstract Introduction SMILE is a free online access medical education (FOAMEd) platform created by two UK surgical trainees and a medical student that delivered over 200 medical lectures during lockdown. Method The role of Social Media in the development of SMILE was interrogated using a survey sent to all SMILE participants and by analysing activity on SMILE social media platforms. Results 1306 students responded to the online survey with 57.2% saying they heard of SMILE through Facebook. Engagement using facebook remained highest with 13,819 members, over 800 user comments and >16,000 user reactions. 4% of the students heard of SMILE through Twitter or Instagram. Facebook analytics revealed the highest level of traffic when lectures were most commonly held suggesting students used Facebook to access lectures. Other educators were able to find SMILE on social media, leading to collaborations with other platforms. Throughout the survey many mentioned how social media created and maintained a community of medical students enhancing group-based learning Conclusions We demonstrate that social media platforms provide popular and cost-effective methods to promote, sustain & deliver medical education for students and educators.


2021 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-7
Author(s):  
M Tanseer Ali ◽  
Md. Abdur Rahman ◽  
Carmen Z. Lamagna

Outcome based engineering education is a paradigm shift from traditional knowledge-based education to modern skill-based education. After the Washington Accord, the engineering education all over the world has adopted the new pedagogy for Engineering Education. But last year, after the hit of COVID – 19 pandemics, most of the education system has to move online. The online education platform raised a new challenge for Outcome Based Education. In this paper, the effect of Online education on OBE implemented B.Sc. in Electrical and Electronic Engineering program has been analyzed and the attainment performance of the Program Outcomes has been presented. With this empirical evidence it has been demonstrated that with careful implementation and encouragement OBE can achieve its potential even with Online education.


Author(s):  
Amy Larkin ◽  
Michael LaCouture ◽  
George Boutsalis ◽  
Harold Bays

Introduction: The less prominent role of triglycerides in determining cardiovascular risk keeps these lipids from being top-of-mind for practicing clinicians, yet epidemiologic data affirm that hypertriglyceridemia contributes to atherosclerotic disease development and progression. We sought to determine if online continuing medical education (CME) could improve the clinical knowledge and competence of primary care physicians (PCPs) and cardiologists regarding hypertriglyceridemia and the use of omega-3 fatty acids in its treatment. Methods: The effects of two educational interventions about advances in hypertriglyceridemia treatment (activity 1) and educating patients about omega-3 fatty acid products (activity 2) were analyzed to determine efficacy of online education presented in the form of online video-based roundtable discussions. The activities launched online in May and June, 2015 respectively, and data were collected through July, 2015. The effects of education were assessed using knowledge- and case-based matched pre-assessment/post-assessments. The effect sizes were calculated with Cohen’s d (> 0.8 is large, 0.8-0.4 is medium, and < 0.4 is small). Results: In total, 842 PCPs and 75 cardiologists who completed all pre/post assessment questions in any of the two activities during the study period were included in analyses. Significant overall improvements were seen for PCPs (activity 1: n = 452, P <.05, effect d= 0.68; activity 2: n = 390, P <.05, effect d= 0.96) and cardiologists (activity 1: n = 35, P <.05, effect d= 0.77; activity 2: n = 40, P <.05, effect d= 0.9). Compared with baseline, specific areas of improvements include: • 22% more PCPs and 31% more cardiologists identified weight loss as a nonpharmacological intervention that can effectively lower triglyceride levels for overweight/obese patients with hypertriglyceridemia, (both P < .05) • 35% more PCPs and 32% more cardiologists identified the appropriate dosing of prescription omega-3 fatty acids (both P <.05) • 23% more PCPs ( P < .05) and 20% more cardiologists ( P =.068 ) recognized that reducing the risk for pancreatitis is a primary medical objective in patients with severe elevations in triglyceride levels Areas identified as needing additional education include: • 57% of all physicians remain unaware that omega-3 fatty acids reduce apolipoprotein C3 • 61% of PCPs and 60% of cardiologists did not demonstrate a thorough understanding of the differences between prescription omega-3 fatty acids and omega-3 supplements Conclusion: This study demonstrates the success of a targeted educational intervention with two educational components on improving knowledge, competence, and clinical decision-making of PCPs and cardiologists regarding hypertriglyceridemia treatment and the role of omega-3 fatty acid products in its treatment.


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