Learning and competence development via clinical cases – what elements should be investigated to best train good medical doctors?

Improving students' performance via case-based e-learning

BACKGROUND

The integration of interdisciplinary clinical reasoning and decision-making into the medical curriculum is imperative. Novel, high-quality e-learning environments, encompassing virtual clinical and hands-on training, are essential. Consequently, we evaluated the efficacy of a case-based e-learning approach.

METHOD

The impact of a case-based interdisciplinary e-learning environment with an integrated question/feedback system on medical students' academic performance was examined in a cross-sectional sample of different study years, longitudinally matched per academic year. Differences between the groups were analyzed through an unpaired t-test.

RESULTS

The exam results of students who participated in the e-learning course (n = 296) were compared with those of all students at the university (n = 5,800). A statistically significant (p-value < 0.01) improvement in students' final examination grades was observed through intensive training on the offered platform.

CONCLUSIONS

Our analyses demonstrated the positive influence of a case-based e-learning approach within the Viennese medical curriculum.

COVID-19 and psychiatry training: A cross-national trainee perspective

The coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic has significantly altered many aspects of our professional lives, including how psychiatry as a medical discipline is taught and learnt. Training in psychiatry relies on developing competencies through observing and interacting with patients, developing empathic consultation skills and seeking feedback from colleagues derived from cognitive and constructivist theories of learning, in a time-bound manner. The pandemic has drawn attention to the dual role of psychiatry residents as both trainees and physicians, with a pressing identity crisis at an inopportune time. This paper aims to illustrate some of the emerging themes in psychiatry training during the pandemic and some solutions for the same.