A non-randomised trial of video and written educational adjuncts in undergraduate ophthalmology

Abstract

Background: Provision of relevant pre-learning materials has been shown to increase student engagement and improve outcomes in medical education. This non-randomised study attempts to quantify the educational gains, and relative efficacy of video and written pre-learning materials, in ophthalmology undergraduate teaching. Methods: Ninety-eight final year medical students were contacted prior to their three-day ophthalmology placements at a British tertiary ophthalmology unit. All participants were sent welcome packs prior to arrival requesting they undertake 90 min of work focusing on a list of specified ophthalmic conditions. One cohort (N = 33) were sent written materials, another (N = 32) was provided with video materials and a third cohort (N = 33) were not sent any materials. On arrival participants completed a simple knowledge test, a questionnaire estimating the time they spent preparing for the placement and a selfreported knowledge score. The teaching on placement was the same for all cohorts. At the conclusion of each placement participants completed a challenging knowledge test, a clinical skills test and repeated self-reported knowledge scores. Results: Eighty seven percent of students receiving specified materials claimed to complete pre-placement work compared to 70% of those receiving learning outcomes alone (p = 0.05). Students receiving learning materials scored higher in the post-placement tests of knowledge (p < 0.001), 74.8% (72.4-77.2%) vs 63.6% (95%CI 59.3-67.9%) and skills (p = 0.04), 86.9% (83.9-89.9%) vs 81.3% (77.2-85.4%). Students using video resources outperformed students using written materials in their visual acuity assessment test (p = 0.03), 90.4% (86.6-94.2%) vs 83.6% (80.1-87.1%) whilst those receiving written rather than video material performed better in the end of placement knowledge test (p = 0.03), 77.7% (74.3-81.1%) vs 72.0% (68.9-75.1%). Conclusion: This study showed that providing pre-placement learning materials improves undergraduates' commitment and achievement. Written materials better facilitate knowledge acquisition while video materials preferentially promote skill acquisition. This is a novel demonstration within ophthalmology and can help address the imbalance between the expectations placed on undergraduates and the resources committed to ensuring they are met.

Trick or treat: Social Media’s dissemination power of ophthalmologic information in the pandemic context

“…As such, Social Media has proved to be useful for the teaching process of Ophthalmology medical students, residents, and specialists by expanding their knowledge and providing up-to-date clinical data [ 6 ]. In addition, video materials play a fundamental role in the teaching process of ophthalmology specialists and resident surgeons due to their low costs and high accessibility [ 12 ]. Moreover, several ophthalmology conferences have been held online and tweets have been shared on Facebook and Instagram by using the recognized official hashtags of the conferences.…”

Online examination course instead of classroom teaching: adaptation of medical student teaching during the COVID-19 pandemic

“…Allgemein gesprochen, können digitale Lehrangebote im Ergebnis ebenbürtig sein oder teils sogar bessere Lerneffekte erzielen [ 8 ]. Der Lernerfolg praktischer Fähigkeiten durch Videos ist schriftlichen Lernmaterialien teilweise überlegen [ 7 ]. Dies kann besonders in der Ophthalmologie, einem visuellen Fach, von Vorteil sein [ 16 ].…”

The role of social media in ophthalmology: a narrative review

“…A number of e-learning platforms are currently provided by major scientific societies, including the American Academy of Ophthalmology ® (AAO) Ophthalmic News and Education Network ® (ONE ® Network), the European Society of Cat-aract and Refractive Surgeons iLEARN ® , and the European InSight ® platforms (to name a few), where trainees and specialists can expand their knowledge and find up-to-date, clinically relevant data. In addition, video platforms are tools that play an increasing role in the teaching of training surgeons due to their lower cost and easy accessibility [6,7];…”

“…As a surgeon working in a main university hospital, I often suggest medical students and young trainees to watch surgical videos prior to assisting surgery in the operating theatre, to be familiar with the surgical techniques and to expand their surgical "skill set". Indeed, video materials have shown to promote skill acquisition among undergraduate medical students doing ophthalmology placements [7]. Of note, it has been proposed that self-learning surgical techniques, particularly DMEK surgery, is feasible using YouTube ® educational videos [9].…”