Development and Assessment of a Gastroscopy Electronic Learning System for Primary Learners: Randomized Controlled Trial

Abstract

Background Endoscopic examination is a popular and routine procedure for the diagnosis and treatment of gastrointestinal (GI) diseases. Skilled endoscopists are in great demand in clinical practice, but the training process for beginners to become endoscopy specialists is fairly long. Convenience and a self-paced, learner-centered approach make electronic learning (e-learning) an excellent instructional prospect. Objective This study aimed to develop and apply an e-learning system in gastroscopy teaching and learning and to evaluate its effectiveness and user satisfaction. Methods The e-learning software Gastroscope Roaming System was developed for primary learners. The system simulates the real structure of the upper gastrointestinal (UGI) tract to teach the main characteristics of gastroscopy under both normal conditions and conditions of common UGI tract diseases. A randomized controlled trial was conducted. Participants were randomly allocated to an e-learning group (EG)or a non–e-learning control group after a pretest. On completing the training, participants undertook a posttest and gastroscopy examination. In addition, the EG completed a satisfaction questionnaire. Results Of the 44 volunteers, 41 (93%) completed the gastroscopy learning and testing components. No significant pretest differences were found between the intervention and control groups (mean 50.86, SD 6.12 vs mean 50.76, SD 6.88; P=.96). After 1 month of learning, the EG’s posttest scores were higher (mean 83.70, SD 5.99 vs mean 78.76, SD 7.58; P=.03) and improved more (P=.01) than those of the control group, with better performance in the gastroscopy examination (mean 91.05, SD 4.58 vs mean 84.38, SD 5.19; P<.001). Overall, 85% (17/20) of the participants were satisfied with the e-learning system, and 95% (19/20) of the participants considered it successful. Conclusions E-learning is an effective educational strategy for primary learners to acquire skills in gastroscopy examination and endoscopic imaging of the GI tract. Trial Registration Chinese Clinical Trial Registry ChiCTR-IOR-17013091; http://www.chictr.org.cn/showproj.aspx?proj=22142

Utilidad del aprendizaje en línea con YouTube para los endoscopistas gastrointestinales junior: ¿Una práctica gratificante o disuasoria?

“…Regarding procedures, especially endoscopy, traditional lectures, textbooks, and spectrograms are not enough to learn how to operate when it comes to real clinical practice. (15) Since most of the participants (138, 85.2%) already used YouTube as a learning resource we set out to further investigate its advantages and disadvantages. This is demonstrated by the following findings: 126 respondents (77.8%) said that the endoscopy videos on YouTube were always accessible, and 106 (65.4%) respondents reported browsing free videos.…”

“…As a result, such materials are best used as a supplement to, rather than a replacement for, formal observed training programs. So, gastroscopy simulators are a good way to http://dx.doi.org/10.47892/rgp.2023.431.1462 learn, even though they are expensive and not always easy to get, especially in places with few resources (15) to fill the gap between direct observed training and learning from video records.…”

Impact of an e-learning module on personal protective equipment knowledge in student paramedics: a randomized controlled trial

“…Our first hypothesis is that the online learning modalities might be ill-suited for the acquisition of such complex procedures when used alone. They might however prove useful if used in combination with other training modalities, such as live simulation, as e-learning modules have been shown to enhance practical skills acquisition [ 27 ]. Another hypothesis is that the sequence described in the learning materials might be ill-adapted to the actual prehospital field.…”

Impact of Computer-Assisted System on the Learning Curve and Quality in Esophagogastroduodenoscopy: Randomized Controlled Trial

“…When the scoring procedure began, only the screen that displayed the routine EGD video would be provided to them and the screen of the CAD system was turned back to the experts. We have referenced Li's research about the scoring scale applied in the examination, which includes operation skills (grade item 1, 35 points in total), withdrawal observation of mucosa (grade item 2, 35 points in total), overall examination time, and fluency (grade item 3, 5 points), comfort and satisfaction of patients (grade item 4, 5 points), position and definition of collected image (grade item 5, 10 points), and the diagnostic accuracy of lesions (grade item 6, 10 points) ( 8 ). The scoring scale was provided in Supplementary Material 2 .…”

“…Previous studies have focused on the successful use of endoscopic simulators for training EGD in the past decades, including ex vivo animal tissue models, live animal models, mechanical models, and virtual reality computer simulators (3)(4)(5)(6)(7)(8)(9)(10). Even though the value of validated simulators has been proven in pre-patient EGD training, patient-based training procedures are necessary (11).…”