Perspectives of physicians regarding the role of webinars on medical education during the COVID-19 pandemic

Perceptions of online surgical-focused learning amongst surgeons during the COVID pandemic: A scoping review 2020-22

INTRODUCTION

During the COVID pandemic many centres adopted e-learning as a tool to adhere to social distancing recommendations while continuing to provide ongoing postgraduate medical education. We aimed to complete this scoping review in order to map experience and perceptions amongst surgeons and surgical trainees to remote learning during the COVID pandemic.

METHODS

Using Arksey and O'Malley's five step model for conducting a scoping review, a systematic search strategy was undertaken across three online databases SCOPUS, MEDLINE and Web of Science. Only original articles in English in the field of postgraduate education in surgery were included.

RESULTS

44 studies were selected for review. Of these 44, 21 were studies of perception of a newly developed e-learning tool/platform. 17 were surveys of surgeon's attitudes towards e-learning during the COVID pandemic. The remaining 6 studies were studies of knowledge or skills acquired through new e-learning, which included a survey of experience. The United States was the most common country of origin with General Surgery the most represented surgical speciality. Response rates across all three study subgroups were on average >60%. Surgeon's experience of e-learning was reported in only positive terms in 86% (n = 38/44) of studies.

CONCLUSIONS

This paper is informative in that it focuses specifically on surgeons' perceptions of a e-learning tools used in addition to skills or knowledge gained. Positive e-learning experience reported in these studies may lead to more blended learning curriculums being developed, deployed and evaluated going forward.

Evaluating the impact of the supporting the advancement of research skills (STARS) programme on research knowledge, engagement and capacity-building in a health and social care organisation in England

OBJECTIVES

To evaluate the impact a novel education programme - to improve research engagement, awareness, understanding and confidence - had on a diverse health and social care workforce. Barriers and facilitators to engagement were explored together with research capacity-building opportunities and ways to embed a research culture. The programme is entitled 'Supporting The Advancement of Research Skills' (STARS programme); the paper reports findings from a health and social care setting in England, UK.

METHODS

A four-level outcome framework guided the approach to evaluation and was further informed by key principles of research capacity development and relevant theory. Quantitative data were collected from learners before and after engagement; these were analysed descriptively. Semi-structured online interviews were conducted with learners and analysed thematically. A purposive sample was achieved to include a diversity in age, gender, health and social care profession, and level of attendance (regular attendees, moderate attendees and non-attenders).

RESULTS

The evaluation spanned 18 half-day workshops and 11 seminars delivered by expert educators. 165 (2% of total staff at Midlands Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust (MPFT)) staffs booked one or more education sessions; 128 (77%) including Allied Health Professionals (AHPs), psychologists, nursing and midwifery, and social workers attended one or more session. Key themes of engagement with teaching sessions, relevance and impact of training and promoting a research active environment were identified with relevant sub-themes. Positive impacts of training were described in terms of research confidence, intentions, career planning and application of research skills as a direct result of training. Lack of dedicated time for research engagement, work pressures and time commitments required for the programme were key barriers. Facilitators that facilitated engagement are also described.

CONCLUSIONS

Findings demonstrate the impact that a free, virtual and high-quality research education programme had at individual and organisational levels. The programme is the product of a successful collaboration between health and social care and academic organisations; this provides a useful framework for others to adapt and adopt. Key barriers to attendance and engagement spoke to system-wide challenges that an education programme could not address in the short-term. Potential solutions are discussed in relation to protecting staff time, achieving management buy-in, recognising research champions, and having a clear communication strategy.

Pivoting Continuing Professional Development During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Narrative Scoping Review of Adaptations and Innovations

INTRODUCTION

Most formal continuing professional development (CPD) opportunities were offered in person until March 2020 when the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted traditional structures of CPD offerings. The authors explored the adaptations and innovations in CPD that were strengthened or newly created during the first 16 months of the pandemic.

METHODS

The objectives of the narrative review were to answer the following questions: (1) what types of adaptations to CPD innovations are described? and (2) what may shape future innovations in CPD? The following databases were searched: Medline, Embase, CINAHL, and ERIC to identify the literature published between March 2020 to July 2021. The authors conducted a comprehensive search by including all study types that described adaptations and/or innovations in CPD during the stated pandemic period.

RESULTS

Of the 8295 citations retrieved from databases, 191 satisfied the inclusion criteria. The authors found three categories to describe adaptations to CPD innovations: (1) creation of new online resources, (2) increased use of the existing online platforms/software to deliver CPD, and (3) use of simulation for teaching and learning. Reported advantages and disadvantages associated with these adaptations included logistical, interactional, and capacity building elements. The review identified five potential future CPD innovations: (1) empirical research on the effectiveness of virtual learning; (2) novel roles and ways of thinking; (3) learning from other disciplines beyond medicine; (4) formation of a global perspective; and (5) emerging wellness initiatives.

DISCUSSION

This review provided an overview of the adaptations and innovations that may shape the future of CPD beyond the pandemic.

Education and Training Adaptations for Health Workers during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Scoping Review of Lessons Learned and Innovations

Introduction: The COVID-19 pandemic has considerably impacted the clinical education and training of health workers globally, causing severe disruptions to learning environments in healthcare facilities and limiting the acquisition of new clinical skills. Consequently, urgent adaptation measures, including simulation training and e-learning, have been implemented to mitigate the adverse effects of clinical education. This scoping review aims to assess the impact of COVID-19 on medical education and training, examine the implemented adaptation measures, and evaluate their effectiveness in improving health workers' education and training during the pandemic. Methods: Employing the PRISMA-ScR framework and Arksey and O'Malley's methodological guidance, we conducted a scoping review, systematically searching PubMed, medRxiv, Google, and DuckDuckGo databases to account for the grey literature. The search included studies published between 1 December 2019 and 13 October 2021, yielding 10,323 results. Of these, 88 studies focused on health worker education and training during the pandemic. Results: Our review incorporated 31,268 participants, including physicians, medical trainees, nurses, paramedics, students, and health educators. Most studies (71/88, 81%) were conducted in high-income and lower-middle-income countries. The pandemic's effects on health workers' clinical skills and abilities have necessitated training period extensions in some cases. We identified several positive outcomes from the implementation of simulation training and e-learning as adaptation strategies, such as enhanced technical and clinical performance, increased confidence and comfort, and an expanded global educational outreach. Conclusions: Despite challenges like insufficient practical experience, limited interpersonal interaction opportunities, and internet connectivity issues, simulation training, e-learning, and virtual training have proven effective in improving clinical education and training during the COVID-19 pandemic. Further research is required to bolster preparedness for future pandemics or similar situations.

The Rise of Online Medical Education in Craniofacial Surgery

BACKGROUND

International travel had been radically disrupted by coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), leaving traditional medical conferences on a 2-year hiatus. The International Craniofacial Chang Gung Group (ICC) was thus created to disseminate knowledge related to craniofacial surgery. This study aimed to reveal how webinars fundamentally transformed the traditional format of medical conferences.

MATERIALS AND METHOD

In total, 64 ICC webinars held between December 13, 2020, and May 21, 2023, were documented and reviewed. A questionnaire was designed and sent to ICC members. The questionnaire collected information on attitudes and habits relating to videoconferencing in general before and after the start of COVID-19 and on the ICC webinars specifically. Responses were analyzed to inform our understanding of respondents' experience and satisfaction with the webinars.

RESULTS

The webinars covered a variety of topics related to craniofacial surgery. In total, 64 webinars were included for analysis. The mean number of attendees at each webinar was 86.7. In total, 111 respondents were more satisfied (4.25 ± 0.72 out of 5) with ICC webinars than with other media of online meetings ( P < 0.001). In total, 89.2% of respondents were willing to continue attending ICC webinars after COVID-19 restrictions have been lifted.

CONCLUSIONS

Webinars are an effective format for imparting knowledge, especially in the ICC, and will become key in continuing medical education.

Evaluation of a Webinar to Increase Health Professionals' Knowledge about Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS)

Myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS) is a severe chronic illness and patients with ME/CFS are often medically underserved in Germany and other countries. One contributing factor is health professionals' lack of knowledge about epidemiology, diagnostic criteria, and treatment of ME/CFS. Opportunities are scarce for health professionals to receive continuing medical education on ME/CFS. The current research addressed this need for further education and investigated the gain of knowledge from a webinar for German-speaking health professionals. In two studies (total sample: N = 378), participants in the intervention condition completed a knowledge test twice (before and after webinar participation). Study 2 also included a waiting-list control condition with repeated response to the knowledge test without webinar participation between measurements. Results showed that at baseline, most participants had seen patients with ME/CFS, but confidence in diagnosing and treating ME/CFS was only moderate-to-low. In the intervention condition, but not in the control condition, knowledge about ME/CFS increased between the first and the second knowledge test. These results indicate that the webinar was successful in increasing health professionals' knowledge about ME/CFS. We concluded that webinars can be a cost-efficient and effective tool in providing health professionals with large-scale continuing medical education about ME/CFS.

Physicians' continuing medical education activities and satisfaction with their ability to stay current in medical information and practice: A cross-sectional study

Background and Aims

Little is known about physicians' approaches to continuing medical education (CME) for continuing professional development despite the rapid evolution of CME offerings. We sought to identify the extent to which demographic, career, and experiential CME-activity variables were independently associated with physicians' satisfaction with their ability to stay current on medical information and practice.

Methods

Using the 2019 Association of American Medical Colleges' National Sample Survey of Physicians data, we ran multivariable logistic regression models examining demographic, career, and experiential (participation in 11 CME activities in the past year) variables for their associations with physicians' satisfaction (satisfied vs. not satisfied/neutral) with their ability to stay current.

Results

Of 5926 respondents, 90% (5341/5926) were satisfied with their ability to stay current. Significant (each two-sided p < 0.05) predictors of respondents who were satisfied included (among others) a surgery specialty (vs. primary care; adjusted odds ratio [AOR] = 1.41, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.06-1.88), an academic affiliation (vs. none; AOR = 1.35, 95% CI = 1.10-1.66), and participation (vs. no participation) in each of professional meetings (AOR = 1.31, 95% CI = 1.07-1.60) and journal-based CME (AOR = 1.29, 95% CI = 1.07-1.56). Respondents who self-identified as a race/ethnicity underrepresented in medicine (vs. white; AOR = 0.68, 95% CI = 0.48-0.97) and were between ages 40 and 49 years (vs. 50-59; AOR = 0.74; 95% CI = 0.58-0.94) were less likely to be satisfied. Gender, board certification status, and medical degree type did not independently predict satisfaction (each p > 0.05).

Conclusion

We observed independent associations between physicians' satisfaction with their ability to stay current in medical information and practice and each specialty, academic affiliation, race/ethnicity, age, and CME activity type (for 2 of 11 examined). Findings may be relevant to organizations and institutions designing and implementing CME activities in the current context of COVID-19 pandemic-related in-person activity limitations and can inform targeted interventions addressing differences in the satisfaction we observed to better support physicians' CME.

Online Survey Evaluation of Three Years of European Society of Thoracic Surgeons Educational Webinars as Part of The E-learning Platform

BACKGROUND

E-learning has become an important tool in surgical education in the last decade. The European Society of Thoracic Surgeons launched its e-learning platform in 2013 and started its educational webinars series in 2018. The aim of this paper is to discuss the introduction, evolution and impact of the educational webinars within this e-learning platform.

METHODS

Twenty-four English spoken webinars discussing different subdomains in general thoracic surgery (21 expert talks, 2 pro-con debates and 1 multidisciplinary case discussion) were analyzed. An online questionnaire on timing, quality and technical aspects of the webinars was sent to 3012 registrants.

RESULTS

The webinars reached 3128 unique registrants from 76 countries worldwide. The mean number of registrants was 355 with 171 live attendees (48%) and 155 replay watchers (36%). Hundred and twenty-six attendees (13.1% of people who registered for at least 4 webinars) completed the questionnaire. Timing and duration of the webinars were rated "very good" to "excellent" in 78%, and the quality of the webinar content and the expertise of the webinar presenters were rated "very good" to "excellent" in 88% and 90%, respectively. The impact on knowledge and clinical practice was scored with a weighted average of 7.27 out of 10 and 6.79 out of 10, respectively.

CONCLUSIONS

The ESTS educational webinars were effective in delivering up-to-date knowledge to almost half of the countries around the globe. The impact of these events on knowledge and clinical practice were rated high. New e-learning tools should be added to the surgical educational curriculum.

Scoping review of published research on medical education in India during the Covid-19 pandemic

Background Medical educators in India made rapid adjustments to maintain continuity and integrity of medical education in the midst of disruption caused by the Covid-19 pandemic. However, there are concerns regarding achievement of competence by undergraduate medical students due to inadequate clinical exposure. We explored the focus of initiatives from medical educators in India by a scoping review of published articles on developments in medical education during the pandemic to map concepts, main sources and the literature available in PubMed. Methods We did this scoping review of published articles in PubMed database in four steps: (i) identification of research questions; (ii) identification of relevant studies; (iii) selection of studies meeting inclusion and exclusion criteria, and charting of data; and (iv) collating the summary and reporting of results. Manual content analysis was done to derive frequencies of variables. Results Of the 52 articles identified, 22 met the requirements. Most studies (68.2%) were published in 2020. Half of the studies were conducted among undergraduate students and the remaining among postgraduates (27.3%), faculty (18.2%) and interns (4.5%). All the studies were evaluations at Kirkpatrick level-1 (18; 81.8%) and level-2 (4; 18.2%). Most of the studies (9, 41%) focused on exploration of perspectives about online learning among students and faculty, 9 (27.3%) on teaching- learning, 4 (18.2%) on formative assessment and 3 (13.6%) on summative assessment. Conclusions Most studies were evaluations at Kirkpatrick level-1 and level-2 among undergraduate medical students with a focus on conceptual understanding.

Survival Radiology: How a popular in-person interactive medical student radiology workshop pivoted online during the COVID-19 pandemic

Background

Survival Radiology (SR) is a flagship annual full-day in-person radiology workshop targeted at final year medical students in Singapore to prepare them for internship. Previous in-person editions have consistently received positive reviews from 2014 to 2019. However, the COVID-19 pandemic necessitated a rapid online pivot for its sixth edition in 2020.

Objectives

This study aims to (a) identify key success factors of a traditional in-person medical student radiology workshop, (b) describe the rapid online pivot in 2020 and (c) to identify key success factors for online educational initiatives.

Methods

Post-workshop survey responses of SR from 2014 to 2020 were evaluated. Likert-scale data were quantitatively analysed, while free-text responses were qualitatively analysed.

Results

A total of 1248 post-workshop surveys (2014–2020 workshops) and 266 free-text responses (2020 workshop) were received from 2640 participants over the years. Progressive changes that sustained or improved participant feedback for in-person SR workshops included adoption of a case-based approach, utility of ‘live’ audience response systems and incorporation of quizzes with a favourable overall feedback rating of 4.42–4.89 from 2014 to 2019. The webinar version of SR in 2020 became the best-rated edition since inception with a rating of 4.9. Qualitative analysis of feedback from SR 2020 showed that the participants preferred the webinar model, online modes of engagement and interactivity.

Conclusion

Our experience shows that it is not only possible to successfully pivot online for such workshops, but that blended educational formats utilising online engagements supplemented by in-person activities will be well-received by ‘Generation Z’ learners even after the COVID-19 pandemic.