Challenges to Medical Education on Surgical Services During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Schaffir, Jonathan; Strafford, Katherine; Worly, Brett; Traugott, Amber

doi:10.1007/s40670-020-01072-2

Cited by 4 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 29 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Although the full impact of COVID-19 on surgical education remains unclear, 49 it is important to prepare for future challenges through focused research and further development of effective remote learning platforms. 50 We report 2 potential methods to address remote learning, both with demonstrated ability to enhance task performance better than control.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effect of Artificial Intelligence Tutoring vs Expert Instruction on Learning Simulated Surgical Skills Among Medical Students

et al. 2022

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

IMPORTANCETo better understand the emerging role of artificial intelligence (AI) in surgical training, efficacy of AI tutoring systems, such as the Virtual Operative Assistant (VOA), must be tested and compared with conventional approaches. OBJECTIVE To determine how VOA and remote expert instruction compare in learners' skill acquisition, affective, and cognitive outcomes during surgical simulation training. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS This instructor-blinded randomized clinical trial included medical students (undergraduate years 0-2) from 4 institutions in Canada during a single simulation training at McGill Neurosurgical Simulation and Artificial Intelligence Learning Centre, Montreal, Canada. Cross-sectional data were collected from January to April 2021. Analysis was conducted based on intention-to-treat. Data were analyzed from April to June 2021. INTERVENTIONS The interventions included 5 feedback sessions, 5 minutes each, during a single 75-minute training, including 5 practice sessions followed by 1 realistic virtual reality brain tumor resection. The 3 intervention arms included 2 treatment groups, AI audiovisual metric-based feedback (VOA group) and synchronous verbal scripted debriefing and instruction from a remote expert (instructor group), and a control group that received no feedback. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES The coprimary outcomes were change in procedural performance, quantified as Expertise Score by a validated assessment algorithm (Intelligent Continuous Expertise Monitoring System [ICEMS]; range, −1.00 to 1.00) for each practice resection, and learning and retention, measured from performance in realistic resections by ICEMS and blinded Objective Structured Assessment of Technical Skills (OSATS; range 1-7). Secondary outcomes included strength of emotions before, during, and after the intervention and cognitive load after intervention, measured in self-reports. RESULTS A total of 70 medical students (41 [59%] women and 29 [41%] men; mean [SD] age, 21.8 [2.3] years) from 4 institutions were randomized, including 23 students in the VOA group, 24 students in the instructor group, and 23 students in the control group. All participants were included in the final analysis. ICEMS assessed 350 practice resections, and ICEMS and OSATS evaluated 70 realistic resections. VOA significantly improved practice Expertise Scores by 0.66 (95% CI, 0.55 to 0.77) points compared with the instructor group and by 0.65 (95% CI, 0.54 to 0.77) points compared with the control group (P < .001). Realistic Expertise Scores were significantly higher for the VOA group compared with instructor (mean difference, 0.53 [95% CI, 0.40 to 0.67] points; P < .001) and control (mean difference. 0.49 [95% CI, 0.34 to 0.61] points; P < .001) groups. Mean global OSATS (continued) Key Points Question How does feedback from an artificial intelligence (AI) tutoring system compare with training by remote expert instruction in learning a surgical procedure? Findings In this randomized clinical trial including 70 medical students, l...

show abstract

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effect of Artificial Intelligence Tutoring vs Expert Instruction on Learning Simulated Surgical Skills Among Medical Students

et al. 2022

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Furthermore, learning management systems, like Google Classroom, Blackboard, Impartus, and Slack provide centralised platforms for tutors to share teaching materials and multimedia resources, with plug-ins to track students' progress (Singh et al, 2020). Medical schools have also collaborated to share online resources, through OnlineMedEd, Geeky Medics, Oxford Medical Simulation, and Aquifer (Schaffir et al, 2020).…”

Section: B Innovations Adaptations and Strategies Employed In Undergr...mentioning

confidence: 99%

Untitled

2022

TAPS

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Introduction:The COVID-19 pandemic has caused significant disruption to undergraduate medical education globally, with worldwide implementation of social distancing and lock-down measures. This systematic review aims to identify challenges in undergraduate medical education during the pandemic and report creative approaches that have been employed to ensure continuity of education. Methods: A MEDLINE (PubMed) search was performed for articles published between 1 February 2020 and 1 September 2020, corresponding to the pandemic's global upsurge. Studies, commentaries, perspectives, and correspondence reporting challenges, adaptations and innovations in undergraduate medical education were screened. Data was grouped in accordance with the research questions it sought to address and analysed qualitatively. Results: 43 studies were included. The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in lost opportunities for clinical exposure, reduced motivation, and heightened anxiety among medical students. Traditional teaching and assessment methods have transitioned to virtual platforms, harnessing video conferencing, social media, and virtual or augmented reality technologies. The long-term effectiveness of these solutions is uncertain, but immediate benefits conferred include increased access, improved time management, and cultivation of self-directed learning. The lack of authentic clinical experiences and patient interaction remains a major concern. Technical challenges and digital fatigue were also highlighted as pertinent challenges. Conclusions:The COVID-19 pandemic has provided unexpected, yet invaluable opportunities to explore new pedagogies that may be instrumental in shaping medical education in the new norm. As future members of the healthcare workforce, medical students should be integrated into current healthcare systems to equip them with knowledge and skills to manage future pandemics.

show abstract

“…It is with a great deal of optimism that I read the article by Schaffir et al, outlining the challenges that COVID-19 poses to the provision of an adequate surgical education for medical students [1].…”

Section: Dear Editormentioning

confidence: 99%