Education Research: NeuroBytes: A New Rapid, High-Yield e-Learning Platform for Continuing Professional Development in Neurology

The Daily Fact Pile: Exploring Mutual Microlearning in Neurology Resident Education

Problem: A significant proportion of learning during residency takes place through informal channels. Spontaneous collaboration among medical learners significantly contributes to this informal learning and is increasingly recognized as a component of the hidden curriculum in medical education. Yet historically, a disproportionate emphasis in medical education has been placed on didactic, structured, and faculty-initiated methods, leaving an important force in medical education understudied and underutilized. We hypothesize that there is significant educational potential in studying and deploying targeted tools to facilitate collaboration among medical learners. Intervention: At our institution, neurology residents implemented the "Daily Fact Pile" (DFP), a resident-led, email-based collaboration that served as a platform to share clinical pearls in an informal, digital way. Participation was voluntary and participants were encouraged to share facts that were new to them and thought to be clinically relevant. Motivated by the positive collective experience, we conducted a retrospective examination of this phenomenon. In this context, we developed the concept of "mutual microlearning" to characterize this efficient, multidirectional exchange of information. Context: Thirty-six residents in a single neurology residency program utilized the DFP at a large university hospital in the USA between 2018 and 2019. After 21 months of spontaneous and voluntary participation, we assessed the feasibility of the DFP, its impact on the education and morale of neurology residents, and compared its mutual microlearning approach to traditional lectures. This was done through a survey of the DFP participants with a response rate of 80.7%, and analysis of the statistics of participation and interaction with the DFP. Impact: Most participants felt that the DFP was beneficial to their education and thought they often or always learned something new from reading the DFP. The impact of the DFP extended beyond education by improving interest in neurology, morale, and sense of teamwork. The DFP was feasible during neurology residency and participation was high, though participants were more likely to read facts than share them. Lessons learned: Mutual microlearning represents an opportunity to augment residents' education, and well-designed mutual microlearning tools hold promise for complementing traditional teaching methods. We learned that efficiency, ease of use, and a supportive, non-judgmental environment are all essential to the success of such tools. Future research should delve deeper into the underlying mechanisms of mutual microlearning to establish its position within the theoretical frameworks of medical education.

Design and Implementation of a Brief, Self-Directed Course on Immunotherapy Best Practices for Neurology Trainees

OBJECTIVES

To create and implement a brief, self-directed course on immunotherapy (IT) best practices for trainees on a neuroimmunology elective rotation.

METHODS

A working group of neurology faculty developed a curriculum covering the mechanism of action, indications, and necessary monitoring for different IT used in neurology practice. The content was presented as a web-based course and hosted on local servers. Neurology residents and fellows participating in a neuroimmunology elective were given access to the curriculum over a 2-week period. A multiple-choice assessment and questionnaire assessing learner confidence with IT was administered prior to starting the course, and again upon course completion. Twelve months after implementation, the pretest and posttest were revised following an item analysis.

RESULTS

Twenty-two neurology residents and fellows completed the course since July 2022. The average score on the first version of the pretest and posttest was 78% versus 92% (P = .02), and 51% versus 70% (P = .02) on the revised version. Trainee self-reported confidence with IT also improved, although only 59.1% of trainees completed the postcourse questionnaire. Respondents provided positive feedback on the format and content of the course and expressed a desire for a reference to the material for future use.

CONCLUSION

In this pilot study, our course improved resident confidence and knowledge of IT best practices. The course was well-received, and our methods can be implemented in a variety of clinical environments to supplement trainee learning.

Be in the Digital Room Where it Happens, Part I: Tweeting & Technology for Career Development

Social media has become a part of everyday life. It has changed the way we obtain and distribute information, connect, and interact with others. As the number of platforms and users grow, medical professionals have learned the value social media can have in education, research, advocacy, and clinical care initiatives. Platforms provide opportunities to network, build collaborations, and develop a reputation. This is part one of a two-part series. This article provides an overview on how social media can benefit professional career development for clinicians and researchers, as well as for advocacy to raise awareness against biases, disparities, and for patient benefit. We review challenges, limitations, and best practices for social media use by medical professionals with neurology-specific examples.