Using online game-based platforms to improve student performance and engagement in histology teaching

BACKGROUND

Human morphology is a critical component of dental and medical graduate training. Innovations in basic science teaching methods are needed to keep up with an ever-changing landscape of technology. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether students in a medical and dental histology course would have better grades if they used gaming software Kahoot® and whether gamification effects on learning and enjoyment.

METHODS

In an effort to both evoke students' interest and expand their skill retention, an online competition using Kahoot® was implemented for first-year students in 2018 (n = 215) at the University of Eastern Finland. Additionally, closed (160/215) or open-ended (41/215) feedback questions were collected and analyzed.

RESULTS

The Kahoot® gamification program was successful and resulted in learning gains. The overall participant satisfaction using Kahoot® was high, with students (124/160) indicating that gamification increased their motivation to learn. The gaming approach seemed to enable the students to overcome individual difficulties (139/160) and to set up collaboration (107/160); furthermore, gamification promoted interest (109/160), and the respondents found the immediate feedback from senior professionals to be positive (146/160). In the open-ended survey, the students (23/41) viewed collaborative team- and gamification-based learning positively.

CONCLUSION

This study lends support to the use of gamification in the teaching of histology and may provide a foundation for designing a gamification-integrated curriculum across healthcare disciplines.

Psychometric testing of a checklist for procedural training of peripheral intravenous insertion

Background

Nurses, medical technologists, nuclear medicine technologists, pre-hospital providers, and medical students are a few groups of healthcare learners asked to learn intravenous (IV) cannulation in their training (J Surg Educ. 69:536-43, 2012). Despite the fact that IV cannulation has been taught to several health professions, it is difficult to find a psychometrically validated checklist to guide teaching this skill in the simulated procedural training (Pediatrics 124: 610-9, 2009, J Assoc Vasc Access 21: 196-204, 2016). In the absence of a pragmatic, valid checklist for the initial teaching of peripheral IV skills in the simulation procedural skills lab, this investigation sought to describe the process and create a psychometrically valid checklist.

Methods

Expert raters used Lawshe's method for identifying valid items from the universe of items for IV insertion. Gwet's AC₂ and generalizability (G) theory was used assess inter-rater reliability.

Results

The literature and in-house IV checklists were examined for steps to inserting a peripheral IV, and the steps were compiled into a survey and sent to experts who rated each item. Of the 37 potential steps, 16 steps were identified as being psychometrically valid. The checklist content validity index was .82. Inter-rater reliability was .94 (95% CI .91-.98). Good inter-rater reliability was confirmed using generalizability theory.

Conclusions

This study created and provided evidence of content validity and reliability for this checklist using Lawshe's methodology. As such, this method of evaluating a checklist for validity and reliability evidence can be followed for other healthcare checklists. This checklist can be used for teaching IV placement in healthcare students in the simulation procedural training lab.

Development and Student Evaluation of an Anatomically Correct High-Fidelity Calf Leg Model

Obstetrical chain placement requires location of specific landmarks and a certain dexterity that must be practiced. Use of low-fidelity models may not always provide students with a realistic experience. In this study we developed an anatomically correct high-fidelity calf leg model that would serve as a better teaching model for pre-clinical veterinary students than a pre-existing low-fidelity polyvinyl chloride (PVC) model. One hundred and twenty pre-clinical veterinary students were instructed how to use obstetrical chains with a low-fidelity PVC model and the anatomically correct high-fidelity calf leg model. After a 45-minute lab, students were surveyed on their experience with both models. Overall students felt the anatomically correct high-fidelity calf leg model increased accuracy in chain placement and provided more accurate landmarks, a more realistic model, and more real-life scenario training.

Use of virtual clinical simulation to improve communication skills of baccalaureate nursing students: a pilot study

BACKGROUND

According to The Joint Commission (2012), the leading cause of sentinel events in the United States was miscommunication. Lack of thorough and accurate communication remains a serious challenge in healthcare and an educational priority in schools of nursing. Virtual clinical simulation is an online educational approach where students use avatars to practice various skills.

OBJECTIVES

The purpose of this pilot study was to evaluate the educational innovation of using virtual clinical simulation to improve communication skills of BSN students. The objectives of the simulations were to 1) recognize significant patient data and 2) accurately perform the ISBAR communication technique.

DESIGN

The study used a within-group, time-series design with eight students. Students participated in two synchronous virtual simulations in an online virtual clinical environment called CliniSpace. Students performed in groups of four to five students.

METHODS

Students performed in two virtual simulations in groups of four to five students. Student performances were scored by two raters using the CliniSpace ISBAR Rating Sheet. Field notes from debriefing sessions were analyzed for content.

RESULTS

Mean group student performance scores more than doubled from performance one to performance two. This change was found to be statistically significant, p<.001. Field notes revealed that students listened to how their peers communicated and learned from them. Students expressed having less anxiety, knowing what to expect, and having "better flow" with communication. Students verbalized learning to assess the patient prior to calling the physician and to give a recommendation to the physician.

Literature review: instructional design and pedagogy science in healthcare simulation

This article is a review of the literature focused on simulation as an educational intervention in healthcare. The authors examined the literature based on four key levels: (1) the validity and reliability of the simulator, (2) the validity and reliability of the performance evaluation tool, (3) the study design, and (4) the translational impact. The authors found that the majority of research literature in healthcare simulation does not address the validity and reliability of the simulator or the performance evaluation tool. However, there are well-designed research studies that address the translation into clinical settings and have positive patient safety outcomes.