Three-dimensional Virtual Reality as an Innovative Teaching and Learning Tool for Human Anatomy Courses in Medical Education: A Mixed Methods Study

The requirements of state-of-the-art curricula and teaching processes in medical education have brought both new and improved the existing assessment methods. Recently, several promising methods have emerged, among them the Comprehensive Integrative Puzzle (CIP), which shows great potential. However, the construction of such questions requires high efforts of a team of experts and is time-consuming. Furthermore, despite the fact that English language is accepted as an international language, for educational purposes there is also a need for representing data and knowledge in native language. In this paper, we present an approach for automatic generation of CIP assessment questions based on using ontologies for knowledge representation. In this way, it is possible to provide multilingual support in the teaching and learning process because the same ontological concept can be applied to corresponding language expressions in different languages. The proposed approach shows promising results indicated by dramatic speeding up of construction of CIP questions compared to manual methods. The presented results represent a strong indication that adoption of ontologies for knowledge representation may enable scalability in multilingual domain-specific education regardless of the language used. High level of automation in the assessment process proven on the CIP method in medical education as one of the most challenging domains, promises high potential for new innovative teaching methodologies in other educational domains as well.

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Detailed Images for Sustainability Development in Cross-Sectional Human Anatomy

Journal of Teacher Education for Sustainability ◽

10.2478/jtes-2019-0015 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 21 (2) ◽

pp. 27-37

Author(s):

Dzintra Kažoka ◽

Māra Pilmane

Keyword(s):

Teaching And Learning ◽

Three Dimensional ◽

Magnetic Resonance Images ◽

Human Anatomy ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Interactive Tools ◽

Group I ◽

Study Process ◽

Basic Studies ◽

The Impact

Abstract In medical education and preclinical, clinical and transdisciplinary studies, tutors should be able to perform and offer qualitative study courses with more articulated perspective on higher educational sustainable development in higher education. Digital images have found their direct way to education in different medical areas. The aims of the study are to assess and verify the impact of cross-sectional images on the study process of Human Anatomy. In 2018, two randomly selected groups of 200 students from 2nd study year, Faculty of Medicine (Rīga Stradiņš University) were asked by tutors to identify several anatomical structures, using a three-dimensional virtual dissection table “Anatomage”. Group I analyzed cross-sectional images after cutting and segmentation of human body with interactive tools. Group II studied X-ray pictures, computerized tomography scans and magnetic resonance images of different regions and systems. The present paper focuses on the rate of cross-sectional image effectiveness in both groups. Analyzed detailed images represent their role in teaching and learning of Human Anatomy. Interpretation of these medical images will require very deep anatomical knowledge from basic studies until clinical courses.

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Healthcare hackathons: fostering medical education through innovation in a developing country: a case study from Pakistan

BMJ Innovations ◽

10.1136/bmjinnov-2019-000400 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 7 (1) ◽

pp. 103-108

Author(s):

Waqaas Akmal Butt ◽

Qurratulain Shahood ◽

Walid Hussain Farooqi ◽

Kulsoom Ghias ◽

Saniya Sabzwari ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Medical Education ◽

Low Income ◽

Teaching And Learning ◽

Postgraduate Medical Education ◽

Learning Potential ◽

Learning Tool ◽

Middle Income ◽

Alternative Teaching ◽

Before And After

BackgroundHackathons aim to develop solutions to preidentified problem domains and catalyse startup cultures. Recently, the teaching and learning potential of hackathons has also been documented. In this study, we make the case for utilisation of hackathons as an alternative teaching and learning tool geared towards entrepreneurship and as an opportunity for interprofessional integration.MethodsThis research study followed up with participants from the third hackathon at the Aga Khan University in Karachi, Pakistan. Hack MedEd was about solutions to problems of undergraduate and postgraduate medical education with an emphasis on low-income to middle-income countries. Participant evaluation data were filled at the end of the hackathon and gathered from three focused group discussions (FGDs): immediately before and after the event, a delayed follow-up after 11 months was recorded.ResultsOf 116 participants, the majority (71%) were under 30 years old, and over half were female. The evaluations provided by hackers were positive overall with a mean score of 4.37 out of 5 on a Likert Scale. During the FGDs, participants spoke positively of the process and felt that, by the end of the hackathon, they had learnt something new. In the delayed follow-up FGD, teams that had undergone incubation expressed that they had gained a critical and simple skillset that they might not have acquired otherwise.ConclusionHackathons business incubation programmes may be considered an alternative teaching and learning tool—especially for individuals studying or working within the healthcare discipline within low-resource settings.

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How does small group continuing medical education (CME) impact on practice for rural GPs and their patients, a mixed-methods study

Education for Primary Care ◽

10.1080/14739879.2020.1728704 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 31 (3) ◽

pp. 153-161

Author(s):

Stephanie Dowling ◽

J Last ◽

H Finnegan ◽

John Bourke ◽

Pat Daly ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Medical Education ◽

Mixed Methods ◽

Small Group ◽

Continuing Medical Education ◽

Mixed Methods Study

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The Opportunity Cost of Changing Clinical Practice in Anticipation of a Surge of Covid-19 patients – A Convergent Mixed Methods Study Protocol

European Journal for Person Centered Healthcare ◽

10.5750/ejpch.v8i3.1793 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 8 (3) ◽

pp. 301

Author(s):

Veena Manja ◽

James Wiedeman ◽

Jeffrey S Hoch ◽

Diana Lee Farmer

Keyword(s):

Mixed Methods ◽

Teaching And Learning ◽

Mixed Methods Study ◽

Case Mix ◽

Negative Consequences ◽

Structured Interviews ◽

Case Volume ◽

Quantitative Phase ◽

Trade Offs ◽

The Impact

Background: The rapid rise of COVID-19 infections has strained the capacity of healthcare systems worldwide. Many organizations are changing practice to make room for a surge in patients with COVID-19 infections. Cancelling and rescheduling elective procedures is one strategy advocated and used by many. This process may result in negative consequences for the patients who need procedures and have negative teaching and economic implications.Rationale and Study Design: This convergent mixed-methods study includes analysis of surgical databases to evaluate differences in case-volume and case-mix before and after the emergence of COVID-19 pandemic (quantitative phase), prospective observational study of patients impacted by the delayed scheduling of surgical procedures (quantitative phase) and 1:1 semi-structured interviews with patients, physicians and administrators to understand the impact of operational changes as a result on COVID-19 infection on patient care, teaching and learning and fiscal outcomes.Methods: The quantitative phase will consist of a review of the surgical database to quantify the differences in case-volume and case-mix during 2019 and 2020. In addition a prospective cohort of patients impacted by the delay in these procedures will be followed for 6 months to assess changes in patient important outcomes due to changes in scheduling procedures. The qualitative phase will consist of 1:1 semi-structured interviews to gain a depth of understanding of the trade-offs due to a change in practice related to COVID-19. The interviews will be analyzed using qualitative description.Discussion: The COVID-19 pandemic has caused worldwide disruption in the practice of healthcare, current focus on increasing capacity in preparation for a COVID-19 surge may have unforeseen consequences for patients who need non-COVID-19 related care. Studying the impact prospectively will provide information on the trade-offs associated with change in healthcare priorities. These results may be helpful in informing optimal healthcare practices and resource allocation in the future.

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3D PRINTING TECHNOLOGY IN HUMAN ANATOMY MODERN TEACHING AND LEARNING

SOCIETY INTEGRATION EDUCATION Proceedings of the International Scientific Conference ◽

10.17770/sie2019vol1.3713 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 1 ◽

pp. 234

Author(s):

Dzintra Kazoka ◽

Mara Pilmane

Keyword(s):

3D Printing ◽

Teaching And Learning ◽

Three Dimensional ◽

Human Anatomy ◽

Anatomical Models ◽

Printing Technology ◽

3D Printing Technology ◽

Medical Study ◽

Study Process ◽

Teaching Learning

There are various combinations of 3D printing technology and medical study process. The aim of this study was to summarize our first experience on 3D printing and outline how 3D printed models can be successfully used in Human Anatomy modern teaching and learning. In 2018 autumn semester, together with traditional methods, a three-dimensional (3D) printing has been introduced into Human Anatomy curriculum at Department of Morphology. In practical classes 39 groups of students from Faculty of Medicine 1st year together with 3 tutors used 3 different open source softwares to create anatomical models and prepared them for printing process. All anatomical models were produced using an FDM 3D printer, a Prusa i3 MK2 (Prusa Research). As methods for data collection were used our observational notes during teaching and learning, analysis of discussions between tutors and students, comments on the preparing and usability of the created and printed models. 3D printing technology offered students a powerful tool for their teaching, learning and creativity, provided possibility to show human body structures or variations. Presented data offered valuable information about current situation and these results were suitable for the further development of the Human Anatomy study course.

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Can virtual reality improve traditional anatomy education programmes? A mixed-methods study on the use of a 3D skull model

10.21203/rs.2.23443/v3 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Shi Chen ◽

Jiawei Zhu ◽

Cheng Cheng ◽

Zhouxian Pan ◽

Lingshan Liu ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Virtual Reality ◽

Mixed Methods ◽

User Satisfaction ◽

Mixed Methods Study ◽

Traditional Teaching ◽

Post Intervention ◽

Anatomical Structures ◽

Skull Model ◽

Teaching Anatomy ◽

Theory Test

Abstract Background: Realistic, portable, and scalable lectures, cadaveric models, 2D atlases and computer simulations are being combined more frequently for teaching anatomy, resulting in major increases in user satisfaction. However, while digital simulations may be more portable, interesting, or motivating than traditional teaching tools, whether they are superior in terms of student learning remain unclear. This paper presents a study in which the educational effectiveness of a virtual reality (VR) skull model is compared with that of cadaveric skulls and atlases. The purpose of this study was to compare the results of teaching with VR to those of teaching with traditional teaching methods by administering objective questionnaires and perception surveys. Methods: A mixed-methods study with 73 medical students was carried out with three different groups: the VR skull (N=25), cadaveric skull (N=25) and atlas (N=23) groups. Anatomical structures were taught through an introductory lecture and model-based learning. All students completed the pre- and post-intervention tests, which were composed of a theory test and an identification test. Results: The participants in all three groups had significantly higher total scores on the post-intervention test than on the pre-intervention test; the post-interview test score in the VR group was not statistically significantly higher than those of the other groups (VR: 30 [22-33.5], cadaver: 26 [20-31.5], atlas: 28[20-33]; p=0.571). The participants in the VR and cadaver groups provided more positive feedback on their learning models than the atlas group (VR: 26 [19-30], cadaver: 25 [19.5-29.5], atlas: 12 [9-20]; p<0.0001).Conclusions: The skull VLR was equally efficient with cadaver skull and atlas in teaching anatomy structures. Such a model can aid individuals in understanding complex anatomical structures with a higher level of motivation and tolerable adverse effects.

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