A Multimodal Approach to Training Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) Processes Across Four Intensive Care Units

Background

Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) required innovative training strategies for emergent aerosol generating procedures in intensive care units. This manuscript summarizes institutional operationalization of COVID-specific training, standardized across four intensive care units.

Methods & Results

An interdisciplinary team collaborated with the Simulator Program and OpenPediatrics refining logistics using process maps, walkthroughs and simulation. A multimodal approach to information dissemination, high-volume team training in modified resuscitation practices and technical skill acquisition included instructional videos, training superusers, small-group simulation using a flipped classroom approach with rapid cycle deliberate practice, interactive webinars, and cognitive aids. Institutional data on application of this model are presented.

Conclusion

Success was founded in interdisciplinary collaboration, resource availability and institutional buy in.

Online educational interventions in pediatric intensive care medicine

Background

Online education has experienced explosive growth, particularly in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. We explored the current state of the evidence base for online education targeted towards healthcare professionals working in pediatric intensive care units (PICUs), to report how we are using online education in our field.

Materials and Methods

We performed a literature review by systematically generating a list of publications indexed in PubMed describing online educational interventions in the PICU, using Medical Subject Header (MeSH)-based search terms and the following inclusion criteria: studies published after 2005 that describe online educational interventions aimed at healthcare professional working in the PICU. We reviewed the full text of all included articles, and summarized the study aims, design, and results.

Results

Our initial search yielded 1,071 unique articles. After screening abstracts and titles, then full texts, eight articles were included in the review. Many online learning modalities are represented, including websites, self-study modules, videos, videoconferencing, online self-assessment with feedback, virtual patient cases, screen-based simulation, and podcasts. Three studies focused on residents, two studies on nurses, two studies on a multidisciplinary team, and one study on transport nurses and paramedics. Most studies utilized participant surveys to assess satisfaction, and half included pre- and post-intervention multiple-choice question tests. Only one study included a patient-related outcome measure.

Conclusions

Despite growth in online medical educational intervention research, there are relatively few published studies in pediatric critical care, and only one study evaluated the impact of online learning on patient outcomes. There remain significant opportunities for PICU educators to assess the impact of online educational interventions, especially related to clinician behaviors and patient outcomes.

A Narrative Review of Key Studies in Medical Education in 2021: Applying Current Literature to Educational Practice and Scholarship

To remain at the forefront of clinical practice and pedagogy, pediatric medical educators must stay informed of the latest research. Yet familiarization with the growing body of literature in both pediatrics and medical education is a near-impossible task for the busy medical educator. The purpose of this annotated bibliography is to summarize key manuscripts in medical education published in 2021 that have the potential to significantly influence a pediatric medical educator's practice. Using a 2-staged iterative process, discrete author pairs reviewed 1599 abstracts from 16 medical education and specialty journals. In summary, 16 manuscripts were selected and grouped into the following 6 domains: assessment and feedback, USMLE Step 1 changes, communication, wellness, diversity and inclusion, and professional development. The authors provide abridged summaries and high-yield take-aways from these manuscripts that may impact educational practices in pediatrics. This year, we also provide a 6-year retrospective review of the journals that have had selected articles for this annotated bibliography since inception.

Evaluation of Open Access Websites for Anesthesia Education

BACKGROUND

While the prevalence of free, open access medical education resources for health professionals has expanded over the past 10 years, many educational resources for health care professionals are not publicly available or require fees for access. This lack of open access creates global inequities in the availability and sharing of information and may have the most significant impact on health care providers with the greatest need. The extent of open access online educational websites aimed for clinicians and trainees in anesthesiology worldwide is unknown. In this study, we aimed to identify and evaluate the quality of websites designed to provide open access educational resources for anesthesia trainees and clinicians.

METHODS

A PubMed search of articles published between 2009 and 2020, and a Startpage search engine web search was conducted in May 2021 to identify websites using the following inclusion criteria: (1) contain educational content relevant for anesthesia providers or trainees, (2) offer content free of charge, and (3) are written in the English language. Websites were each scored by 2 independent reviewers using a website quality evaluation tool with previous validity evidence that was modified for anesthesia (the Anesthesia Medical Education Website Quality Evaluation Tool).

RESULTS

Seventy-five articles and 175 websites were identified; 37 websites met inclusion criteria. The most common types of educational content contained in the websites included videos (66%, 25/37), text-based resources (51%, 19/37), podcasts (35%, 13/37), and interactive learning resources (32%, 12/37). Few websites described an editorial review process (24%, 9/37) or included opportunities for active engagement or interaction by learners (30%,11/37). Scores by tertile differed significantly across multiple domains, including disclosure of author/webmaster/website institution; description of an editorial review process; relevancy to residents, fellows, and faculty; comprehensiveness; accuracy; disclosure of content creation or revision; ease of access to information; interactivity; clear and professional presentation of information; and links to external information.

CONCLUSIONS

We found 37 open access websites for anesthesia education available on the Internet. Many of these websites may serve as a valuable resource for anesthesia clinicians looking for self-directed learning resources and for educators seeking to curate resources into thoughtfully integrated learning experiences. Ongoing efforts are needed to expand the number and improve the existing open access websites, especially with interactivity, to support the education and training of anesthesia providers in even the most resource-limited areas of the world. Our findings may provide recommendations for those educators and organizations seeking to fill this needed gap to create new high-quality educational websites.

An Annotated Bibliography of Key Studies in Medical Education in 2020: Applying the Current Literature to Educational Practice and Scholarship

Pediatric medical educators, with their multitude of responsibilities, may have difficulty staying abreast with both medical education and specialty specific medical literature. The body of medical literature is growing at an exponential rate. This annotated bibliography serves as a summary of highlighted medical education literature in the year 2020. The purpose was to identify manuscripts which have the potential to significantly influence a pediatric medical educator's practice. The authors reviewed abstracts from 14 medical education and specialty journals using a two-staged review process. Each stage of review was completed by 2 different authors. A total of 1861 abstracts were reviewed and ultimately 15 key manuscripts were identified. The authors grouped the manuscripts into 6 core domains: diversity and inclusion, faculty development, feedback, learner development, mentorship, and teaching skills. Condensed summaries of each medical education manuscript likely to influence educational practice are provided by the authors in this annotated bibliography.

An Annotated Bibliography of Key Studies in Medical Education in 2019: Applying the Current Literature to Educational Practice and Scholarship

Pediatric medical educators have the dual challenge of remaining up-to-date in the field of pediatrics and in the field of medical education. Due to the volume of information published in these 2 fields it can be nearly impossible to remain current in both fields of practice. To facilitate interpretation of the most recent medical education research, the authors conducted an annotated bibliography of medical education literature published in 2019. The purpose of this annotated bibliography was to identify manuscripts which had the potential to significantly influence a pediatric educator's practice. Using a 2-staged review process, the authors reviewed abstracts from 13 medical education and specialty journals. All reviews were independently completed by 2 different reviewers for each journal in both stages. A total of 4700 abstracts were reviewed and 17 key manuscripts were identified. The authors grouped the key manuscripts into 6 core themes: bedside teaching, learning climate, bias, learner autonomy, learner in trouble, and resident competency. This annotated bibliography provides the authors' condensed summary of the medical education manuscripts most likely to influence educational practices for the busy pediatric medical educator.

Online education in a hurry: Delivering pediatric graduate medical education during COVID-19

In the setting of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, an emergency hospital-wide eWork policy was enacted at Boston Children's Hospital on March 16, 2020. The number of clinicians on campus was restricted to only essential personnel, guidelines limited clinical care delivery to solely non-elective patients, and strict maximums were placed on the numbers of people allowed to congregate in the same physical space. With this abrupt transition to social distancing and electronic communication, the established approach to educating graduate medical trainees became obsolete overnight. Anticipating significant impact on trainee and faculty professional and personal lives, the importance of adaptive teaching strategies was evident. This document details one approach to redesigning the clinical learning system including a description of the learners and environment, the pedagogical principles that guided the approach, and technological tools used in implementation. Additionally, available literature pertinent to this topic is explored, assessment of the work to date is presented, and suggestions are provided regarding future directions related to online graduate medical education.

Applying a novel cost-evaluation framework to assess video-based neurosurgery education

BACKGROUND

Analysis of comparative effectiveness uses different metrics to ensure that a new treatment is both effective and economical. However, there is a lack of financial frameworks to estimate the costs of introducing new technologies in medical and surgical education.

METHODS

After conducting a literature review, we created and applied a framework ('REC') for the evaluation of three recent neurosurgery video modules aimed at medical students at Harvard Medical School.

RESULTS

The most expensive component of these video-based education (VBE) modules was time cost. This cost was highly variable depending on the level of clinical seniority of the individuals involved in the video production process.

CONCLUSION

Application of the REC framework to the three modules showed highly variable time and monetary cost differences between the modules. Usage of the REC framework will enable educators to institute effective planning, efficiently use resources, and clearly define a minimal viable education product to achieve desired learning outcomes.

Teaching Pediatric Peritoneal Dialysis Globally through Virtual Simulation

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES

Despite the increasing prevalence of childhood kidney disease worldwide, there is a shortage of clinicians trained to provide peritoneal dialysis (PD). E-learning technologies may provide a solution to improve knowledge in PD. We describe the development of a virtual PD simulator and report the first 22 months of online usage.

DESIGN, SETTING, PARTICIPANTS, & MEASUREMENTS

The PD simulator was developed and released on OPENPediatrics in January of 2016. A prospective study of international, multidisciplinary healthcare providers was conducted from January of 2016 through October of 2017. User action data were analyzed with descriptive statistics and linear regression. Paired t tests compared user pre- and post-test scores. User satisfaction was assessed by survey.

RESULTS

The simulator was accessed by 1066 users in 70 countries. Users spent a median of 35 minutes (interquartile range [IQR] 14-84) in the simulator. Users who completed the structured learning curriculum (n=300) spent a median of 85 minutes (IQR 46-95), and those who completed the entire simulator (n=63) spent a median of 122 minutes (IQR 69-195). Users who completed the simulator were more likely to scroll through text and access the simulator in multiple sessions. The 300 users that completed testing showed statistically significant increases in the post- versus pretest scores, with a mean increase of 36.4 of 100 points, SD 19.9 (95% confidence interval, 34.1 to 38.6, P<0.001). Eighty-seven percent (20 of 23) of survey respondents felt the simulator was relevant to their clinical practice, and 78% (18 of 23) would recommend it to others.

CONCLUSIONS

This is the first reported virtual PD simulator. Increased test scores were observed between pre- and post-tests by clinicians who completed testing, across disciplines, training levels, and resource settings.

The Top Ten Websites in Critical Care Medicine Education Today

INTRODUCTION:

The number of websites for the critical care provider is rapidly growing, including websites that are part of the Free Open Access Med(ical ed)ucation (FOAM) movement. With this rapidly expanding number of websites, critical appraisal is needed to identify quality websites. The last major review of critical care websites was published in 2011, and thus a new review of the websites relevant to the critical care clinician is necessary.

METHODS:

A new assessment tool for evaluating critical care medicine education websites, the Critical Care Medical Education Website Quality Evaluation Tool (CCMEWQET), was modified from existing tools. A PubMed and Startpage search from 2007 to 2017 was conducted to identify websites relevant to critical care medicine education. These websites were scored based on the CCMEWQET.

RESULTS:

Ninety-seven websites relevant for critical care medicine education were identified and scored, and the top ten websites were described in detail. Common types of resources available on these websites included blog posts, podcasts, videos, online journal clubs, and interactive components such as quizzes. Almost one quarter of websites (n = 22) classified themselves as FOAM websites. The top ten websites most often included an editorial process, high-quality and appropriately attributed graphics and multimedia, scored much higher for comprehensiveness and ease of access, and included opportunities for interactive learning.

CONCLUSION:

Many excellent online resources for critical care medicine education currently exist, and the number is likely to continue to increase. Opportunities for improvement in many websites include more active engagement of learners, upgrading navigation abilities, incorporating an editorial process, and providing appropriate attribution for graphics and media.

Building a Global, Online Community of Practice: The OPENPediatrics World Shared Practices Video Series

PROBLEM

Health care professionals are familiar with engaging in local communities of practice (CoPs) within their hospital, region, and/or country, but despite the availability of online technologies that facilitate online global collaboration, the health care sector has yet to fully embrace these tools.

APPROACH

In 2013, OPENPediatrics (an online social learning platform) launched the World Shared Practices video (WSP) series to engage and coalesce the global community of critical care clinicians. Each month, a 30- to 45-minute video featuring a pediatric critical care medicine expert, interspersed with questions for the audience, is released. Viewers contribute to the community discussion by leaving comments that display alongside the video. Clinicians are encouraged to asynchronously host an educational conference so they can watch the videos and participate in the discussion together.

OUTCOMES

From March 2013-November 2015, 28 WSPs were launched on a variety of topics. They were viewed over 18,414 times by 1,864 viewers in 132 countries and 760 hospitals; 1,155 comments were submitted. Attending physicians/consultants were the largest audience (36% [671/1,864]), and 37% (30/81) of responding viewers that commented in WSPs watched in small groups. The WSP series was reported to add value to respondents' learning or teaching and to have had a positive impact on their knowledge or practice.

NEXT STEPS

Future research will focus on further describing the context and structure of the CoP and on more deeply investigating its higher-level outcomes and impact. More work is needed to identify barriers and strategies that improve online community engagement.

Test-Enhanced E-Learning Strategies in Postgraduate Medical Education: A Randomized Cohort Study

Background

The optimal design of pedagogical strategies for e-learning in graduate and postgraduate medical education remains to be determined. Video-based e-learning use is increasing, with initial research suggesting that taking short breaks while watching videos (independent of answering test questions) may improve learning by focusing attention on the content presented. Interspersed test questions may also improve knowledge acquisition and retention.

Objective

To examine the effect of interspersed test questions and periodic breaks on immediate knowledge acquisition and retention at 6 months by pediatric residents engaged in video-based e-learning.

Methods

First- and second-year pediatric residents were randomized to 1 of the following 3 groups: viewing the complete video uninterrupted (full video), viewing the video interrupted with unrelated logic puzzles (logic puzzles), or viewing the video interrupted with brief comprehension test questions (short answer questions). Residents answered pre- and post-tests before and after video viewing, followed by a retention test at 6 months. Primary outcome included comparison of the change in test scores between groups.

Results

A total of 49 residents completed the initial testing session. All 3 learning groups had comparable mean increases in immediate knowledge gain, but with no significant differences between groups (F_2,46=0.35, P=.71). Thirty-five residents completed retention testing with comparable degrees of knowledge retention in the full video and short answer test questions groups (P<.001), but no significant change in the logic puzzles group (F_1,32=2.44, P=.13).

Conclusions

Improved knowledge gain was not demonstrated among residents answering interspersed questions or completing logic puzzles during interrupted online video viewing when compared with residents viewing uninterrupted video content. However, residents who either participated in uninterrupted video viewing or answered interspersed questions during interrupted video viewing demonstrated significant knowledge retention at 6 months.

Internet-based learning and applications for critical care medicine

PURPOSE

Recent changes in duty hour allowances and economic constraints are forcing a paradigm shift in graduate medical education in the United States. Internet-based learning is a rapidly growing component of postgraduate medical education, including the field of critical care medicine. Here, we define the key concepts of Internet-based learning, summarize the current literature, and describe how Internet-based learning may be uniquely suited for the critical care provider.

METHODS

A MEDLINE/PubMed search from January 2000 to July 2011 using the search terms: "e-learning," "Web-based learning," "computer-aided instruction," "adult learning," "knowledge retention," "intensive care," and "critical care."

RESULTS

The growth of the Internet is marked by the development of new technologies, including more user-derived tools. Nonmedical fields have embraced Internet-based learning as a valuable teaching tool. A recent meta-analysis described Internet-based learning in the medical field as being more effective than no intervention and likely as efficacious as traditional teaching methods. Web sites containing interactive features are aptly suited for the adult learner, complementing the paradigm shift to more learner-centered education. Interactive cases, simulators, and games may allow for improvement in clinical care. The total time spent utilizing Internet-based resources, as well as the frequency of returning to those sites, may influence educational gains.

CONCLUSION

Internet-based learning may provide an opportunity for assistance in the transformation of medical education. Many features of Web-based learning, including interactivity, make it advantageous for the adult medical learner, especially in the field of critical care medicine, and further work is necessary to develop a robust learning platform incorporating a variety of learning modalities for critical care providers.