Virtual patient simulation platforms challenging traditional CME: Identification of gaps in knowledge in the management of Type 2 diabetes and Hyperlipidaemia

Iancu, Igal; Pozniak, Eugene; Draznin, Boris

doi:10.1080/21614083.2021.1993430

Cited by 4 publications

(10 citation statements)

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“…Assessing the effectiveness of simulation has been complicated by the diversity of simulation types and platforms [ 17 ]. Virtual simulation, however, has been greatly helped by new developments in digital learning [ 5 , 6 ].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The VPS platform used in this study, available on mobile devices and desktop computers, brings fundamentally new and distinct advantages to both CME activity itself and the assessment of learner gaps in knowledge, and improvement in clinical competency [ 5 , 6 , 21 , 22 ]. Given the nature of the VPS, as with most simulation platforms, this is not solely a method to assess a CME activity, because in addition to assessing the level of knowledge or competence of a learner it also plays an important dual role in promoting learning.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…We used the platform’s mobile and desktop application that provide the learner with a self-propelled simulation of disease, disease progression, and effects of treatments, to determine an assessment of providers’ knowledge, competence, and performance while offering personalised and detailed feedback on the learner’s actions. A full description of this platform has been published previously [ 5 ].…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…This platform can be accessed from mobile devices and desktop browsers. Working with this platform the learner selects patients from a virtual waiting room [ 5 , 6 ] and goes through several clinical encounters where there is an opportunity to perform a diagnostic work-up and to demonstrate their decision-making processes as applied to a patient’s management and follow-up.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The VPS platform was developed by a group of physician-educators and technology specialists specifically to promote and demonstrate improvement in HCP knowledge and competency [ 5 , 6 ]. The VPS platform provides the ability for its customers, Medical Education providers, to create case-based virtual patient learning modules, distribute them as part of an application to their end-users (HCPs) who experience these close-to-real-life virtual patient encounters, treat them, and receive annotated feedback (and optionally CME credits).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Virtual Patient Simulation Offers an Objective Assessment of CME Activity by Improving Clinical Knowledge and the Levels of Competency of Healthcare Providers

Iancu¹,

Zehavi²,

Draznin

2023

Journal of CME

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The main goal of continuing medical education (CME) is to help healthcare providers (HCP) improve their knowledge and levels of competency with an ultimate enhancement of their performance in practice. Despite the long and well-intentional history of CME, the proof of success (based on improved clinical outcomes) is difficult to obtain objectively. In the past several years, the traditional CME world has been disrupted by replacing multiple-choice questions with virtual simulation. We utilised an innovative, next-generation virtual patient simulation (VPS) platform to develop objective measures to assess the success of educational activities that can be applied to the CME. This VPS platform was used at five distinct educational events designed to assess learners’ knowledge and competency in the guideline-driven management of Type 2 diabetes, hyperlipidaemia, and hypertension. A total of 432 learners (medical doctors, nurse practitioners, and clinical pharmacists) participated in these educational events of whom 149 went through two consecutive cases with a similar clinical picture and educational goals. Their ability to achieve glycaemic, lipid, and blood pressure control improved significantly as they moved from the first to the second case. The participants improved their test performance in all categories – between 5 and 38%, achieving statistically significant increases in the many goals examined. In conclusion, this study employed the pioneering application of technology to produce, collect and analyse the VPS data to evaluate objectively educational activities. This VPS platform allows not only an objective assessment of the effectiveness of the CME activity but also provides timely and helpful feedback to both learners and providers of a given educational event.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Virtual Patient Simulation Offers an Objective Assessment of CME Activity by Improving Clinical Knowledge and the Levels of Competency of Healthcare Providers

Iancu¹,

Zehavi²,

Draznin

2023

Journal of CME

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Measuring Outcomes of Educational Activities with a Novel Virtual Patient Simulation-Gamification Platform

Iancu,

Zehavi,

Kaminer

et al. 2023

Preprint

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Background The goal of continuing medical education (CME) is to help healthcare providers (HCP) improve their knowledge and levels of competency and enhance their professional performance in practice. Despite the long history of the CME and the CME-like programs, proof of their success in demonstrating improved clinical outcomes has been difficult to obtain. Lately, digital encounters of virtual patient simulation (VPS) have disrupted medical education, replacing traditional presentations followed by multiple-choice questions as a means of assessing learning and progress.Methods The most current VPS applications can deliver educational activity in an engaging, “video game-style” way, allowing practice in a safe environment, and providing individualized detailed analysis of potential outcomes. We utilized the advanced VPS gamification platform (Edocate Ltd., Ramat Gan, Israel) to analyze the outcomes of educational activities offered in various settings. We analyzed the data collected by the platform in real-time that provide an objective picture of the learner’s performance of physical examination, diagnostic considerations, prescription patterns of various medications, appropriateness of laboratory and imaging investigation, referral patterns, and adherence to guidelines and best practices.Results Three virtual patient scenarios (obesity and type 2 diabetes) were offered to the learners with the time interval between the cases varied from 1 day to 6 weeks, 10 days on average, allowing us to assess the durability of the acquisition of knowledge. This CME activity was tested in 126 physicians and 261 advanced practice providers. Data analysis identified gaps in knowledge and competence, adherence to the most recent guidelines, selection and application of auxiliary tests, referral pattern to specialists, as well as prescription patterns and familiarity with medications and their side effects. From the learner’s side, utilization of VPS resulted in improved performance from one case to another. From the program host’s point of view, the advanced VPS platform allowed the development of measurable, detailed insights into what learners have done individually and as a group.Conclusions This study demonstrates the effectiveness, advantages, and limitations of the VPS-gamification platform in assessing knowledge gaps, performance, prescription patterns, and clinical competency improvement among learners.

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The Impact of Web-Based Continuing Medical Education Using Patient Simulation on Real-World Treatment Selection in Type 2 Diabetes: Retrospective Case-Control Analysis

Lucero¹,

Larkin²,

Zakharkin³

et al. 2023

JMIR Med Educ

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Background Despite guidelines recommending the use of glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1 RAs) in certain patients with type 2 diabetes (T2D), they are not being prescribed for many of these patients. Web-based continuing medical education (CME) patient simulations have been used to identify clinicians’ practice gaps and improve clinical decision-making as measured within a simulation, but the impact of this format on real-world treatment has not been researched. Objective This study aimed to evaluate the effect of a simulation-based CME intervention on real-world use of GLP-1 RAs by endocrinologists and primary care physicians. Methods Two evaluation phases of the CME simulation were conducted: phase I, the CME simulation phase, was a paired, pre-post study of 435 physician learners in the United States; and phase II, the real-world phase, was a retrospective, matched case-control study of 157 of the 435 physicians who had claims data available for the study period. Results Phase I CME results showed a 29 percentage point increase in correct decisions from pre- to postfeedback (178/435, 40.9% to 304/435, 69.9%; P<.001) in selecting treatment that addresses both glycemic control and cardiovascular event protection. Phase II results showed that 39 of 157 (24.8%) physicians in the intervention group increased use of GLP-1 RAs, compared to 20 of 157 (12.7%) in the comparison group. Being in the intervention group predicted GLP-1 RA use after education (odds ratio 4.49; 95% CI 1.45-13.97; P=.001). Conclusions A web-based CME simulation focused on secondary prevention of cardiovascular events in a patient with T2D was associated with increased use of evidence-based treatment selection in the real world.

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Virtual patient simulation platforms challenging traditional CME: Identification of gaps in knowledge in the management of Type 2 diabetes and Hyperlipidaemia

Cited by 4 publications

References 10 publications

Virtual Patient Simulation Offers an Objective Assessment of CME Activity by Improving Clinical Knowledge and the Levels of Competency of Healthcare Providers

Virtual Patient Simulation Offers an Objective Assessment of CME Activity by Improving Clinical Knowledge and the Levels of Competency of Healthcare Providers

Measuring Outcomes of Educational Activities with a Novel Virtual Patient Simulation-Gamification Platform

The Impact of Web-Based Continuing Medical Education Using Patient Simulation on Real-World Treatment Selection in Type 2 Diabetes: Retrospective Case-Control Analysis

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