1291. Acceptability and Perceptions towards an International Infectious Disease Videoconferencing Program among medical students and physicians-in-training in Miami.

Abstract

Background Tele-education has emerged as an excellent alternative for traditional face-to-face education. It has allowed to connect first-world countries to developing countries for learning about low prevalent pathologies, such as tropical diseases, parasite infections, etc. Methods The Division of Infectious Diseases at University of Miami started an international videoconferencing program in 2018 in collaboration with 4 teaching sites (Miami, Peru, Chile, and Spain), in which 2 challenging cases were presented via Skype TM or Zoom TM. The cases were discussed by a partner institution member; all sites were invited to comment about the cases. After each conference, the medical students and physicians-in-training were asked to fill out a survey to evaluate their acceptance and perceptions towards this program. Results 54 participants completed the survey. 50% were residents or fellows, 18.5% were medical students, and 27.7% were visiting trainees. The overall acceptance was favorable, 64.9 % of participants reported that videoconferencing was as effective or more effective than face-to-face conferences, 96.3% wanted to continue participating in this program, and 87.04% would recommend it as an educational tool. Regarding the collaboration with international sites, 87% of participants felt they learned about diseases not commonly encountered in their countries, 85.2% considered that this program allowed them to learn about different treatment approaches, and 68.5% believed that it helped to learn about novel diagnostic tests. In terms of the content, 85.2% considered that the cases were interesting and 83.3 % believed that the cases were presented in an organized fashion. Regarding the software performance, 75.9 % believed that images were above average or outstanding, but only 48.1% felt the same about the audio. In terms of participation, 57.4% believed that interaction between the local audience and physicians from different sites was easily accomplished. Conclusion This videoconferencing program was widely accepted among trainees. The collaboration with international sites was perceived as one of the program assets. We believe that implementation of programs like this would be highly beneficial in Infectious Disease education. Disclosures Daniela De Lima, MD, Astra Zeneca: Stocks/Bonds|Pfizer: Stocks/Bonds.