Pandemic Influenza: What If?

Drowos, Joanna; Lizotte-Waniewski, Michelle; Louda, Deborah W.

doi:10.15766/mep_2374-8265.10162

Cited by 4 publications

(5 citation statements)

References 5 publications

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“…This educational exercise allowed students to independently engage with triage issues and communicate on contentious topics with their peers and faculty, thus simulating bioethical challenges faced during the COVID-19 pandemic. In the past, educational exercises have been designed to prepare medical trainees for pandemics with knowledge and understanding of healthcare systems and essential public health resources [16,17]. Given the heterogeneity of health systems, competencies for pandemic response may be variable and dependent on local resources.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Ethics Education in COVID-19: Preclinical Medical Students’ Approach to Ventilator Allocation

Brodar¹,

Muller²,

Brodar³

et al. 2021

Cureus

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IntroductionCOVID-19 has confronted clinicians with a potential need to ration ventilators. There is little guidance for training medical students to make such decisions in future practice. How students would make ventilator triage decisions remains unknown. MethodsOne hundred fifty-three medical students in 18 problem-based learning groups participated in a ventilatorrationing exercise in April 2020 as part of an ethics curriculum adapted in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Students were provided with a prompt requiring fictional patients to be prioritized for ventilators in the face of scarce resources. The authors reviewed group responses, tallied triage criteria, and identified approaches to triage decisions. ResultsThe most common triage criteria were patient comorbidities, clinical status, age/life stage, prognosis, life expectancy, and an individual's role in pandemic response. Additional criteria included quality of life, ventilator availability, public perception, and patient need. Students approached triage decisions by developing systems for triage, appealing to empirical evidence and academic literature, making value judgments, and identifying adjuncts and alternatives to triage. DiscussionWith minimal input from educators, students learned key ethical principles in triage medicine, recapitulated approaches to triage described in the clinical and bioethics literature, and suggested methods for tolerating distress of complex ethical decisions. Medical education should equip students to critically consider bioethical concerns in triage and prepare for possible moral distress during public health crises.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Ethics Education in COVID-19: Preclinical Medical Students’ Approach to Ventilator Allocation

Brodar¹,

Muller²,

Brodar³

et al. 2021

Cureus

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…11 Several educators have previously published outbreak-or pandemic-related instructional activities for medical trainees. [12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19][20][21][22][23][24] Although most these activities, like ours, use an interactive, small-group format and some also involve self-directed learning, the learning content of focus among these resources differs from that of our simulation. For example, Lindemann, Owens, Qualm, Frentz, and Kevghas developed a tabletop exercise for third-year medical students on a simulated influenza pandemic, which focuses on concepts of incident command, disaster planning, health care system management, and communication between government and health care parties.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 92%

“… 12 Similarly, the pandemic exercise for first-year medical students developed by Drowos, Lizotte-Waniewski, and Louda focuses on the roles of and interactions between various parties in the community public health system during large health care crises. 13 Tegzes, Mackintosh, Meyer, Redman-Bentley, and Aston developed a problem-based learning (PBL) activity based upon a historical tuberculosis outbreak; although this activity, like ours, includes instruction on public health systems and ethical issues related to infectious outbreaks, the goals of the activity focus on interprofessional collaboration. 15 Unlike our media-rich, immersive simulation that is highly interactive and creates an authentic learning environment, the aforementioned resources are tabletop, paper-based activities.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Zombie Virus Pandemic: An Innovative Simulation Integrating Virology, Population Health, and Bioethics for Preclinical Medical Students

2020

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Introduction Understanding population health in the context of infectious disease outbreaks is an important physician competency. However, identifying effective ways to engage early medical students in this content remains a challenge. We designed an innovative pandemic simulation for first-year medical students utilizing the pop culture theme of zombies. Methods This 2.5-hour simulation was conducted in 2018 and 2020 during students' virology course. Student teams collected and analyzed data to formulate hypotheses for the source pathogen. The teams completed reports explaining their diagnostic hypotheses, infection containment recommendations, and resource allocation recommendations. Learners completed an evaluation of the simulation through an online survey. Responses were analyzed using descriptive statistics; narrative responses were analyzed qualitatively for themes. A content analysis was performed on students' reports. Results Two hundred eighty-four medical students participated in this activity. Nearly all respondents agreed that the small-group format (98%, 2018 and 2020) and pace and duration (92%, 2018; 94%, 2020) were appropriate and that the activity was intellectually stimulating (97%, 2018; 96%, 2020). Learner engagement measures were high (90%-97%, 2018; 83%-96%, 2020). Analysis of students' reports revealed evidence of cognitive integration of virology, population health, and bioethics concepts, including integration of new learning content. Discussion Collaborative problem-solving during a simulated zombie-themed pandemic provided preclinical medical students with an engaging opportunity to integrate virology, population health, and bioethics concepts. Implementing this event required advanced planning, use of multiple spaces, learning materials preparation, and recruitment of several faculty, staff, and actors.

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“…8 There were only three prior MedEdPORTAL educational modules that incorporated pandemic medicine for medical students. [9][10][11] We envisioned our curriculum as an important step in bridging the gap in the literature and in clinical practice between the application of QI in the setting of a global pandemic where virtual education is quickly finding its niche in the medical student curriculum.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Quality Improvement Amid a Global Pandemic: A Virtual Curriculum for Medical Students in the Time of COVID-19

et al. 2021

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Introduction The COVID-19 pandemic in March of 2020 necessitated the removal of medical students from direct patient care activities to prevent disease spread and to conserve personal protective equipment. In order for medical student education to continue, virtual and online electives were designed and implemented expeditiously. We created a virtual curriculum that taught quality improvement (QI) skills within the context of the global pandemic. Methods This 4-week curriculum enrolled 16 students. Students completed the revised QI knowledge application tool (QIKAT-R) before and after the course to assess QI knowledge. Students completed prereading, online modules, and received lectures on QI and incident command systems. Each group designed their own QI project related to our hospital system's response to the pandemic. Finally, groups presented their projects at a peer symposium and completed peer evaluations. Results Students' QIKAT-R scores improved throughout the course from a mean of 5.5 ( SD = 1.3) to a mean of 7.5 ( SD = 1.1; p < 0.001). Students reported that the virtual learning experience delivered the material effectively, and all students agreed that they would participate in QI work in the future. Discussion Patient safety and QI topics are content areas for multiple medical licensing examinations. Virtual learning is an effective way to deliver QI content to medical students and residents, especially when projects are trainee-led, QI-trained faculty serve as mentors, and the projects harmonize with institutional goals. Our virtual pandemic-focused curriculum has demonstrated efficacy in increasing medical student QI knowledge.

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Pandemic Influenza: What If?

Cited by 4 publications

References 5 publications

Ethics Education in COVID-19: Preclinical Medical Students’ Approach to Ventilator Allocation

Ethics Education in COVID-19: Preclinical Medical Students’ Approach to Ventilator Allocation

The Zombie Virus Pandemic: An Innovative Simulation Integrating Virology, Population Health, and Bioethics for Preclinical Medical Students

Quality Improvement Amid a Global Pandemic: A Virtual Curriculum for Medical Students in the Time of COVID-19

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