Solution to teaching physical examination skills amid pandemic

Abstract

Social distancing in pandemic times has prevented physical contact educational activities. Teaching online could help in knowledge acquisition. However, when medical students progress to the clinical clerkships they would have difficulties if they do not acquire yet the basic physical examination (PE) skills. 2 | WHAT WA S TRIED? This online teaching of the basic PE plays a pivotal role in preparing junior medical students to move on to the clinical years. Our pilot 2 | WHAT WA S TRIED? We convened an expert panel to deliver a 90-minute virtual, interactive PPE educational workshop using Zoom software. This included faculty representatives from critical care, infectious disease, and infection control, a nurse manager from an active COVID-19 unit and a moderator with simulation expertise. We developed educational content following guidelines from the Center for Disease Control (CDC) and our local institution (Stanford). From our hospital simulation centre, we broadcasted live narrated demonstrations of PPE donning and doffing and provided guidance surrounding specific clinical scenarios and indications for face mask re-use. We then hosted a Q&A session addressing questions posited by attendees in the chat box. A total of 130 physicians, nursing staff and hospital staff from three departments (Surgery, Medicine, and Radiology) participated in our workshop. Participants (122/130, 94%) responded to a virtual pre-post session poll, describing confidence in safe PPE use. Our general surgery residents were then required to complete a virtual PPE Verification of Proficiency (VOP), demonstrating their knowledge of safe donning and doffing technique. For VOP, we reallocated residents to one of 6 Zoom 'breakout-rooms' where they were required to verbalise and simulate over live video the correct sequence of donning and doffing PPE based upon a checklist. Evaluation was pass/fail, where a pass required articulation of all PPE steps correctly, and trainees were immediately remediated by their exam proctor if unsuccessful.

Cambios y estrategias de la educación médica en respuesta a la pandemia por COVID-19

“…Los avances tecnológicos han permitido trasladar la enseñanza teórica hacia un ambiente virtual 12,13 , y reemplazar en cierta medida la enseñanza prácticoclínica para emular la experiencia hospitalaria 14,15 .…”