‘WhatsApp®’ening in nephrology training

Abstract

Background Teaching methods in most residency and fellowship programs have not yet addressed the challenges of rapid dissemination of new scientific information. Our Northwell nephrology fellowship program used the smartphone application WhatsApp® to facilitate nephrology education. A qualitative study was conducted to explore perceptions of nephrology fellows and faculty using WhatsApp® as a teaching tool. Methods A WhatsApp® messenger group called ‘Northwell Renal Forum’ was created in 2018, which included all eight fellows and seven selected faculty members. Multiple choice questions on various nephrology topics were posted, about one to two per week. Fellows responded at their leisure. After 7 months, data were analyzed following two 1-h focus groups (one for faculty and one for fellows). Focus groups were moderated by two qualitative researchers, unknown to the participants, who asked open-ended questions about the WhatsApp® learning approach. Results Faculty feedback was generally positive. Three major themes arose: control over learning material, comfort being fostered between faculty and fellows and faculty perceptions of fellows. The fellows also reported an overall positive experience. Control and comfort were themes again identified in this focus group. Fellows reported feeling control over which faculty member was in the group and when to respond to questions. Fellows also felt comfort from learning without pressure. Variety was the third theme that arose. Conclusion Focus group evaluations elucidated the strengths of using WhatsApp®, and the overall positive experience of both faculty and fellows. This inexpensive and easy-to-use tool can augment the learning of nephrology during fellowship.

Impact of online communication and type of media formats in enhancing orthodontic patients’ knowledge

“…This study supports both the findings of Giordano et al ,[ 6 ] as well as other reports that prove WhatsApp to be an effective tool for professional health education. [ 7 8 9 10 11 ]…”

Untitled

“…Comfort and control emerged as the main themes. The finding was that the ease of use, familiarity, and cost-effectiveness of the tool can augment student learning during fellowship (Jhaveri et al, 2020). During the COVID-19 lockdown in India, studies showed that the most common mode of consultation was by WhatsApp messages while email was the least preferred method (Pandey et al, 2020;Kapasia et al, 2020).…”

“…In higher education contexts in India, most of the published WhatsApp research has been situated in medical education (Bakshi & Bhawalkar, 2017;Jhaveri et al, 2020;Kaliyadan et al, 2016;Kapoor et al, 2016). Bakshi and Bhawalkar (2017) examined second-and third-year anesthesia residents' perception of being in a WhatsApp group with a board-certified anesthesiologist with specialization in pain management, and how WhatsApp discussions in pain management presented through clinical scenarios, resident inquiries, and instructional support benefitted anesthesiology residents.…”

Design, Dissemination, and Assessment of NephSIM: A Mobile-Optimized Nephrology Teaching Tool

“…[2][3][4][5][6][7] In the last decade, online learning tools such as blogs, social media, online journal clubs, videos, games, and texting apps have been embraced by the nephrology community and other specialties. 3,6,[8][9][10] Additionally, social media dissemination of educational content enables quick, broad uptake of these materials.…”