Telegram Education for Surgical Learning and Application (TESLA): An exploratory study (Preprint)

BACKGROUND The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted medical education, shifting a huge portion of learning online. Social media platforms have long been well-integrated into medical education. However, Telegram’s role in medical education remains relatively unexplored. A Telegram channel titled “Telegram Education for Surgery Learning and Application (TESLA)” focusing on General Surgery education was created to supplement medical students’ learning. It encompassed weekly multiple-choice questions and resources such as illustrations and journal articles. OBJECTIVE This study explored students’ experience of TESLA and their views on the role of messaging apps in medical education. METHODS We invited thirteen medical students from Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine, Singapore who were in the TESLA channel for at least a month to participate in individual semi-structured interviews. The interviews were conducted via video conference using an interview guide. Interviews were transcribed and analysed by two researchers using inductive thematic content analysis. RESULTS Three themes were identified: (1) Learning as a medical student, (2) The role of mobile learning in medical education and (3) TESLA for surgical education. Students shared that pandemic-related safety measures such as reduced clinic allocations and the inability to cross between wards led to a decrease in clinical exposure. Students used a variety of messaging and study apps to aid their medical education. Telegram was preferred over other messaging apps. Concerning the use of TESLA, students felt that the questions were clinically relevant and of appropriate difficulty. Students offered suggestions for improvement relating to the organization, content and format of TESLA. CONCLUSIONS Medical students found TESLA useful as a supplementary learning instrument in surgical education. They were supportive of integrating TESLA into formal undergraduate education and using Telegram as an educational tool in other areas of medicine. In line with our findings, we outlined recommendations for the use of Telegram in medical education.

Historical Tools of Anthropometric Facial Assessment: A Systematic Raw Data Analysis on the Applicability of the Neoclassical Canons and Golden Ratio

Background The fundamental tenets of facial aesthetic surgery education have not changed in centuries. Research is beginning to demonstrate that the Neoclassical Canons and the Golden Ratio, Phi, have limited use in populations other than those of White European extraction. Objectives The purpose of this study is to analyze the comparable raw data in the literature to determine 1) if there is interethnic variability in Neoclassical Canon and Phi measurements and 2) if the measurements in these representative samples differ from the “ideal.” Methods A PubMed/Scopus search was performed. Manuscripts with raw data and individuals aged ≥16 were included. Measurements were extracted and used to calculate the Neoclassical Canons and Phi. One-way ANOVA tests were run to compare mean measurements across six ethnic groups. p<0.05. Results Twenty-seven articles were included. Every continent was represented except Antarctica and Australia. Men were less commonly studied than women. Subject ages ranged from 16 to 56. Averaged Canons 2, 6-8 measurements had significant interethnic differences in males whereas Canons 5-8 had significant differences across ethnicities in females. For men, there was significant interethnic variability in measurements of Phi 2, 5, 8, 10 and 17. For women, Phi 1, 2, 5, 8, 10 and 17 varied across ethnicities. No ethnic/gender group showed consistent approximation of the “ideal” for both the Neoclassical Canons and Phi. Conclusions Today, the utility of the Neoclassical Canons and Phi is limited. It is incumbent on our field to systematically study and define the anthropometric measures that define the “ideal.”