The effectiveness of sequencing virtual patients with lectures in a deductive or inductive learning approach

Effect of Virtual Reality Simulation Versus Traditional Education on Rates of Clostridium difficile Infection: An Experimental Cluster Randomized Controlled Trial and Return on Investment Analysis

BACKGROUND

Virtual reality simulation (VRS) is an innovative modality in nursing professional development that has the potential to affect patient outcomes.

METHOD

An experimental cluster randomized controlled trial was performed with RNs on two inpatient units at a large academic health system. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of VRS compared with traditional education on Clostridium difficile rates. Return on investment of nursing professional development activities was also measured to support decision-making and resource allocation.

RESULTS

Rates of C. difficile infection were significantly lower for both groups for the 3-month postintervention period compared with the 10-month period preintervention. Financial analysis showed a return on investment for both modalities, with VRS having higher yields over time.

CONCLUSION

Findings showed that VRS was an effective instructional method. [J Contin Educ Nurs. 2024;55(7):351-358.].

Perception of enhanced learning in medicine through integrating of virtual patients: an exploratory study on knowledge acquisition and transfer

INTRODUCTION

Virtual Patients (VPs) have been shown to improve various aspects of medical learning, however, research has scarcely delved into the specific factors that facilitate the knowledge gain and transfer of knowledge from the classroom to real-world applications. This exploratory study aims to understand the impact of integrating VPs into classroom learning on students' perceptions of knowledge acquisition and transfer.

METHODS

The study was integrated into an elective course on "Personalized Medicine in Cancer Treatment and Care," employing a qualitative and quantitative approach. Twenty-two second-year medical undergraduates engaged in a VP session, which included role modeling, practice with various authentic cases, group discussion on feedback, and a plenary session. Student perceptions of their learning were measured through surveys and focus group interviews and analyzed using descriptive statistics and thematic analysis.

RESULTS

Quantitative data shows that students highly valued the role modeling introduction, scoring it 4.42 out of 5, and acknowledged the practice with VPs in enhancing their subject matter understanding, with an average score of 4.0 out of 5. However, students' reflections on peer dialogue on feedback received mixed reviews, averaging a score of 3.24 out of 5. Qualitative analysis (of focus-group interviews) unearthed the following four themes: 'Which steps to take in clinical reasoning', 'Challenging their reasoning to enhance deeper understanding', 'Transfer of knowledge ', and ' Enhance Reasoning through Reflections'. Quantitative and qualitative data are cohered.

CONCLUSION

The study demonstrates evidence for the improvement of learning by incorporating VPs with learning activities. This integration enhances students' perceptions of knowledge acquisition and transfer, thereby potentially elevating students' preparedness for real-world clinical settings. Key facets like expert role modeling and various authentic case exposures were valued for fostering a deeper understanding and active engagement, though with some mixed responses towards peer feedback discussions. While the preliminary findings are encouraging, the necessity for further research to refine feedback mechanisms and explore a broader spectrum of medical disciplines with larger sample sizes is underscored. This exploration lays a groundwork for future endeavors aimed at optimizing VP-based learning experiences in medical education.

Effect of a Virtual Reality Simulation Modality on Registered Nurse Knowledge and Behavior Related to Clostridioides difficile Prevention : An Experimental, Cluster Randomized Controlled Trial

Virtual reality simulation (VRS) has emerged as an educational methodology in nursing professional development. A cluster randomized controlled trial was conducted with a sample of clinical registered nurses to compare effectiveness of VRS and traditional education on knowledge and behavior related to Clostridioides difficile prevention. No significant differences were found in the effectiveness of the two modalities, suggesting the usefulness of VRS as a teaching methodology.

Problem-solving in virtual environment simulations prior to direct instruction for differential diagnosis in medical education: An experimental study

Background: Despite acquiring vast content knowledge about the functioning of the human body through university teaching, medical students struggle to transfer that knowledge to one of the core disciplinary practices - differential diagnosis. The authors aimed to overcome this problem by implementing computer-based virtual environment simulations in medical education courses. Methods: In an experimental study, the authors compared problem-solving in medical computer-based virtual environment simulations prior to instruction with an instruction-first approach. They compared the effects on isomorphic testing and transfer performance of clinical knowledge and clinical reasoning skills as well as evoked learning mechanisms. The study took place in spring 2021 with undergraduate medical students in the scope of a medical trajectory course. Due to Corona-Virus-19 measures participants completed all study activities remotely from home. Results: The authors did not find any learning activity sequence to be superior to the other. However, when looking at the two learning activities individually, they found that problem-solving in computer-based virtual environment simulations and direct instruction might be equally effective for learning content knowledge. Nevertheless, problem-solving in computer-based virtual environment simulations with formative feedback might be more effective for learning clinical reasoning skills than mere instruction. Conclusions: The findings indicate that problem-solving in computer-based virtual environment simulations might be more effective for learning clinical reasoning skills than mere theoretical instruction. The present study has a high level of ecological validity because it took place in a realistic setting where students had to perform all learning and testing tasks autonomously.

Methods to Improve Diagnostic Reasoning in Undergraduate Medical Education in the Clinical Setting: a Systematic Review

BACKGROUND

In recent years, there have been numerous studies exploring different teaching methods for improving diagnostic reasoning in undergraduate medical students. This systematic review examines and summarizes the evidence for the effectiveness of these teaching methods during clinical training.

METHODS

PubMed, Embase, Scopus, and ERIC were searched. The inclusion criteria for the review consist of articles describing (1) methods to enhance diagnostic reasoning, (2) in a clinical setting (3) on medical students. Articles describing original research using qualitative, quantitative, or mixed study designs and published within the last 10 years (1 April 2009-2019) were included. Results were screened and evaluated for eligibility. Relevant data were then extracted from the studies that met the inclusion criteria.

RESULTS

Sixty-seven full-text articles were first identified. Seventeen articles were included in this review. There were 13 randomized controlled studies and four quasi-experimental studies. Of the randomized controlled studies, six discussed structured reflection, four self-explanation, and three prompts for generating differential diagnoses. Of the remaining four studies, two employed the SNAPPS¹ technique for case presentation. Two other studies explored schema-based instruction and using illness scripts. Twelve out of 17 studies reported improvement in clinical reasoning after the intervention. All studies ranked level two on the New World Kirkpatrick model.

DISCUSSION

The authors posit a framework to teach diagnostic reasoning in the clinical setting. The framework targets specific deficiencies in the students' reasoning process. There remains a lack of studies comparing the effectiveness of different methods. More comparative studies with standardized assessment and evaluation of long-term effectiveness of these methods are recommended.

Collaborative use of virtual patients after a lecture enhances learning with minimal investment of cognitive load

BACKGROUND

The use of virtual patients (VPs), due to their high complexity and/or inappropriate sequencing with other instructional methods, might cause a high cognitive load, which hampers learning.

AIM

To investigate the efficiency of instructional methods that involved three different applications of VPs combined with lectures.

METHOD

From two consecutive batches, 171 out of 183 students have participated in lecture and VPs sessions. One group received a lecture session followed by a collaborative VPs learning activity (collaborative deductive). The other two groups received a lecture session and an independent VP learning activity, which either followed the lecture session (independent deductive) or preceded it (independent inductive). All groups were administrated written knowledge acquisition and retention tests as well as transfer tests using two new VPs. All participants completed a cognitive load questionnaire, which measured intrinsic, extraneous and germane load. Mixed effect analysis of cognitive load and efficiency using the R statistical program was performed.

RESULTS

The highest intrinsic and extraneous load was found in the independent inductive group, while the lowest intrinsic and extraneous load was seen in the collaborative deductive group. Furthermore, comparisons showed a significantly higher efficiency, that is, higher performance in combination with lower cognitive load, for the collaborative deductive group than for the other two groups.

CONCLUSION

Collaborative use of VPs after a lecture is the most efficient instructional method, of those tested, as it leads to better learning and transfer combined with lower cognitive load, when compared with independent use of VPs, either before or after the lecture.