[Anesthesia for medical students : A brief guide to practical anesthesia in adults with a web-based video illustration]

Spinal Cord Stimulation and Related Health Information on Social Media: An Analysis of Instagram Posts

INTRODUCTION

Spinal cord stimulation (SCS) has been a well-established, effective, minimally invasive procedure for the treatment of chronic medically refractory neuropathic pain involving the limbs and trunk. Social media platforms, including Instagram, are increasingly being used for medical education and sharing patient experiences. This study aimed to investigate posts related to SCS on Instagram.

METHODS AND MATERIALS

This study presents a comprehensive analysis of Instagram posts utilizing the hashtags #spinalcordneuromodulation, #spinalcordstimulation, #spinalcordstimulationsurgery, #spinalcordstimulationtherapy, and #spinalcordstimulationimplant, all of which were collected on August 1, 2023. The outcomes were organized into four distinct source-based categories: posts generated by medical practitioners (both surgeons and non-surgeons); content shared by medical organizations; content created by patients; and content from indeterminate categories. The content was further classified based on its nature, encompassing educational material and reflections on patient or physician experiences. Moreover, the impact of users was evaluated in terms of their follower count and the count of posts.

RESULTS

The search yielded a total of 4983 posts. The majority of posts were created by medical practitioners (38.53%, n = 1920). The distribution of remaining Instagram posts about SCS was as follows: medical organizations for 35% (n = 1744), patients for 24.12% (n = 1202), and indeterminate categories for 2.35% (n = 117). Among the collected posts, 348 (41.4%) originated from accounts associated with medical practitioners, 286 (34%) from medical organizations, 145 (17.2%) from patients, and 62 (7.4%) remained unspecified. The statistical analysis revealed a significant difference in follower distribution between medical practitioners and all other groups (p<0.001). Reported side effects included pain over the implant (n = 257; 88.92%), lead migration (n = 18; 6.22%), infection (n = 9; 3; 11%), and seroma (n = 5; 1.73%).

CONCLUSIONS

When searching for posts about SCS on Instagram, one is more likely to encounter posts authored by medical practitioners that are mostly focused on educational content. Posts created by medical practitioners may be overshadowed and buried among numerous other posts created by patients. We suggest posting educational medical content with the hashtag #MedEd in an attempt to make educational content more easily accessible.

[Promoting young academics in anesthesiology: factors for an attractive internship]

BACKGROUND

Practical experiences in clinical traineeships can shape the later specialty choice of medical students.

KEY QUESTION

The following study aimed to find factors in anesthesiological clinical traineeship that encourage students to specialize in the field.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

As part of a nationwide online survey conducted by the working group for education of the German Association for Orthopedics and Trauma Surgery (Deutsche Gesellschaft für Orthopädie und Unfallchirurgie, DGOU), study participants (n = 479) answered questions about their minimum 4‑week traineeship in anesthesiology. The information on items was analyzed in six content categories: 1) integration into the team, 2) acquisition of skills, 3) teachers, 4) quality of teaching, 5) structure of teaching and 6) satisfaction with the clinical internship. The respondents were subdivided into 4 groups by answering the question "Could you imagine an elective in anesthesiology during the final year (PJ)" with "Yes, I have made this decision after the clinical traineeship" (JdF, n = 212, 44%), "No I have decided against an elective during the final year after the traineeship" (NdF, n = 56, 12%), "Yes I have decided for an elective in anesthesiology before the internship" (JvF Yes: n = 144, 30%) and "No, I have decided against an elective in anesthesiology before the internship" (NvF: n = 67, 14%). Answers of the participants regarding the six content categories were compared between the four groups.

RESULTS

The survey reached all medical faculties in Germany and included participants with an average age of 25.8 years and a balanced gender ratio. There were significant differences between satisfied and dissatisfied students in all four subgroups. Of the 479 respondents, 211 (44%) were already set regarding their decision of choosing anesthesiology as an elective during the final year before the clinical traineeship. Of the respondents 268 (56%) were influenced by the internship, 212 (44%) of them positively. In total, 81% of the trainees rated the internship as "satisfying". Students who were satisfied with the overall internship and who spoke in favor of the PJ elective in anesthesiology differed significantly from the other groups in the categories of team integration, skills acquisition, structure and quality of teaching. The teaching of practical skills and specialist knowledge as well as the integration into diagnostics and treatment planning promoted the recruitment of young people.

DISCUSSION

The positively evaluated anesthesiology internship promotes later specialty choice, with quality and structure of the teaching affecting student satisfaction. Trainees who were attracted by anesthesiology gave better overall ratings and acquired more skills during the course of the internship. In order to win aspiring doctors for anesthesiology, the medical team has to integrate trainees well and support the acquisition of practical skills and specialist knowledge. In addition, didactics and practical relevance should be given high priority.

Uses of quick response codes in healthcare education: a scoping review

BACKGROUND

To review published literature on the use of quick response (QR) codes within healthcare education. In addition, the authors aimed to gain information on user perceptions and the challenges faced when implementing QR codes in an educational context.

METHODS

Medline, EMBASE, CINAHL (Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature), HMIC (Healthcare Management Information Consortium) and HBE (Health Business Elite) were searched using specified search terms that included 'quick response code' and 'education'. Title and abstract review of 217 publications was performed. Papers which discussed the application of QR codes relevant to healthcare education were included. A total of 24 articles were reviewed and thematic analysis conducted to generate themes.

RESULTS

Use of QR codes in healthcare education were broadly aligned to four common themes. These included: to increase participant engagement, for simulation training, for just-in-time (JIT) learning and to facilitate with administrative tasks in training. Perceptions towards the use of QR codes was generally positive. Challenges identified, included: problems with technical infrastructure, unavailability of smartphones and resistance to use in certain environments.

CONCLUSIONS

The use of QR codes for healthcare education is increasing, and whilst they offer some advantages there are also some important considerations including: provision of the necessary technological infrastructure, patient and staff safety and governance and adherence to guidelines on safe and appropriate use of this technology in sensitive settings.

Improving the Pharmacology Curriculum at a German Medical School: A Structured Plan Based on a Student-Guided Large-Scale Study

With rapid progress in medicine, a thorough understanding of pharmacology remains crucial. Currently, lecturers are implementing competency-based learning objectives in medical curricula around the world. Advancing teaching modalities need to be integrated into pharmacology courses in a reasonable way. At Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität (LMU) Munich Medical Faculty, a systematic evidence-based approach was used to modernize pharmacology classes. The needs assessment was conducted by final-year students. It included focus groups and a large-scale online survey, which was distributed among all medical students at LMU, with 1018 students participating (response rate 20%). Survey results showed that most of the students (92%) aimed to become pharmacology-adept doctors. Also, a majority (88%) stated that their goal was to understand the material most critical to application of pharmacology concepts as well as prescribing practice. Only 38% of the students reported satisfaction with the current curriculum, and 93% supported modernization. Thus far, pharmacology teaching at LMU Munich had mainly consisted of lectures attended by 200 students. Now, students advocated for a stronger integration of clinical pharmacology teaching into clinical subjects in the last 2 years of medical school. Specifically, they called for classes with smaller groups of students including problem-based learning as well as video podcasts. These results provided the foundation for change in curriculum at the LMU medical school. In conclusion, a structured approach for curriculum development that considers students' views is feasible and can reveal their actual goals and demands. The approach has proven successful at LMU Munich and is transferrable to other universities.

[YouTube as an informational source for brachial plexus blocks: evaluation of content and educational value]

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES

YouTube, the most popular video-sharing website, contains a significant number of medical videos including brachial plexus nerve blocks. Despite the widespread use of this platform as a medical information source, there is no regulation for the quality or content of the videos. The goals of this study are to evaluate the content of material on YouTube relevant to performance of brachial plexus nerve blocks and its quality as a visual digital information source.

METHODS

The YouTube search was performed using keywords associated with brachial plexus nerve blocks and the final 86 videos out of 374 were included in the watch list. The assessors scored the videos separately according to the Questionnaires. Questionnaire-1 (Q1) was prepared according to the ASRA guidelines/Miller's Anesthesia as a reference text book, and Questionnaire-2 (Q2) was formulated using a modification of the criteria in Evaluation of Video Media Guidelines.

RESULTS

72 ultrasound-guided and 14 nerve-stimulator guided block videos were evaluated. In Q1, for ultrasound-guided videos, the least scores were for Q1-5 (1.38) regarding the complications, and the greatest scores were for Q1-13 (3.30) regarding the sono-anatomic image. In videos with nerve stimulator, the lowest and the highest scores were given for Q1-7 (1.64) regarding the equipment and Q1-12 (3.60) regarding the explanation of muscle twitches respectively. In Q2, 65.3% of ultrasound-guided and 42.8% of blocks with nerve-stimulator had worse than satisfactory scores.

CONCLUSIONS

The majority of the videos examined for this study lack the comprehensive approach necessary to safely guide someone seeking information about brachial plexus nerve blocks.