An e-learning tutorial was developed to cover the basic aspects of acute burns management. The aim of this study was to provide objective educational evidence supporting the role of an e-learning on acute burns management ("basic burns management" or BBM) when compared with traditional teaching methods when introduced in different medical school settings around the world. A multicenter randomized controlled trial was conducted at the University of Pittsburgh, Peninsula College of Medicine and Dentistry, and St. George's University of London comparing the learning experience of medical students with the BBM e-learning tool (intervention) and a traditional lecture (control). A group of medical students was randomly allocated to the e-learning or lecture arms. Both groups were subjected to a 10-question pre-intervention and post-intervention tests assessing burns knowledge, and were asked to fill out a satisfaction survey. A total of 79 medical students of varying years of study participated. As a whole, students demonstrated a significant gain in knowledge after intervention (overall = 47.6%, P < .001), regardless of medical school year of study or interest in surgery. Participants undertaking the BBM e-learning had a greater exam score improvement and satisfaction compared with the traditional lecture even though they were not statistically significant. BBM e-learning is a free tool that provides comparable acute burn care learning opportunity and satisfaction outcomes to a traditional lecture, allowing convenient and standardized incorporation of burns teaching within an educational setting, regardless of geographical location, level of experience, or interest in surgery.
People experiencing homelessness are particularly vulnerable when diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. Patients with lower socioeconomic status have worse outcomes from pancreatic cancer as the result of disparities in access to treatment and barriers to navigation of the health care system. Patients with lower socioeconomic status, or who are vulnerably housed, are less likely to receive surgical treatment even when it is recommended by National Comprehensive Cancer Network guidelines. This disparity in access to surgical care explains much of the gap in pancreatic cancer outcomes. There are many factors that contribute to this disparity in surgical management of pancreatic cancer in people experiencing homelessness. These include a lack of reliable transportation, feeling unwelcome in the medical setting, a lack of primary care and health insurance, and implicit biases of health care providers, including racial bias. Solutions that focus on rectifying these problems include utilizing patient navigators, addressing implicit biases of all health care providers and staff, creating an environment that caters to the needs of patients experiencing homelessness, and improving their access to insurance and regional support networks. Implementing these potential solutions all the way from the individual provider to national safety nets could improve outcomes for patients with pancreatic cancer who are experiencing homelessness.
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