REQUEST DEMO
MENUCLOSE

 

REQUEST DEMO
Clinical Operations
Commercial Teams
Resources
Medical Education
About Us
Connect with us
Facebook-f Twitter Linkedin-in
Sign in

Author: Brian S McGowan, PhD

ABSTRACT: Gamified Twitter Microblogging to Support Resident Preparation for the American Board of Surgery In-Service Training Examination

OBJECTIVE:
We sought to determine if a daily gamified microblogging project improves American Board of Surgery In-Service Training Examination (ABSITE) scores for participants.
DESIGN:
In July 2016, we instituted a gamified microblogging project using Twitter as the platform and modified questions from one of several available question banks. A question of the day was posted at 7-o׳clock each morning, Monday through Friday. Respondents were awarded points for speed, accuracy, and contribution to discussion topics. The moderator challenged respondents by asking additional questions and prompted them to find evidence for their claims to fuel further discussion. Since 4 months into the microblogging program, a survey was administered to all residents. Responses were collected and analyzed. After 6 months of tweeting, residents took the ABSITE examination. We compared participating residents׳ ABSITE percentile rank to those of their nonparticipating peers. We also compared residents׳ percentile rank from 2016 to those in 2017 after their participation in the microblogging project.
SETTING:
The University of Connecticut general surgery residency is an integrated program that is decentralized across 5 hospitals in the central Connecticut region, including Saint Francis Hospital and Medical Center, located in Hartford.
PARTICIPANTS:
We advertised our account to the University of Connecticut general surgery residents. Out of 45 residents, 11 participated in Twitter microblogging (24.4%) and 17 responded to the questionnaire (37.8%).
RESULTS:
In all, 100% of the residents who were participating in Twitter reported that daily microblogging prompted them to engage in academic reading. Twitter participants significantly increased their ABSITE percentile rank from 2016 to 2017 by an average of 13.7% (±14.1%) while nonparticipants on average decreased their ABSITE percentile rank by 10.0% (±16.6) (p = 0.003).
CONCLUSIONS:
Microblogging via Twitter with gamification is a feasible strategy to facilitate improving performance on the ABSITE, especially in a geographically distributed residency.

via Gamified Twitter Microblogging to Support Resident Preparation for the American Board of Surgery In-Service Training Examination. – PubMed – NCBI.

Continue Reading

MANUSCRIPT: Resource format preferences across the medical curriculum

OBJECTIVE:
This research study sought to determine the formats (print or electronic) of articles and book chapters most-preferred by first-year medical students, third-year medical students entering clinical clerkships, and incoming residents and to determine if these preferences change during the course of the medical curriculum. These trends will enable academic health sciences libraries to make appropriate collection development decisions to best cater to their user populations.
METHODS:
First-year medical students, third-year medical students, and incoming medical residents were asked to complete a paper survey from September 2014 to June 2015. The survey consisted of five multiple-choice questions, with two questions given space for optional short answers. Quantitative and qualitative responses were collected and calculated using Microsoft Excel.
RESULTS:
First-year students, third-year students, and incoming residents all preferred to read journal articles and book chapters in print, except in cases where the article or book chapter is under ten pages in length. Although print is preferred, demand for electronic articles and book chapters increases as students progress from undergraduate medical education into residency. The only category where a majority of incoming residents chose an electronic resource was which format they would give to a colleague, if the article or book chapter was critical to the care of an individual patient.
CONCLUSIONS:
The preference for print resources is strong across the medical curriculum, although residents show an increased preference for electronic materials when compared to first- and third-year students. Academic health sciences libraries should take these preferences into account when making decisions regarding collection development.

via Resource format preferences across the medical curriculum. – PubMed – NCBI.

Continue Reading

MANUSCRIPT: An Analysis of the Top-cited Articles in Emergency Medicine Education Literature

NTRODUCTION:
Dissemination of educational research is critical to improving medical education, promotion of faculty and ultimately patient care. The objective of this study was to identify the top 25 cited education articles in the emergency medicine (EM) literature and the top 25 cited EM education articles in all journals, as well as report on the characteristics of the articles.
METHODS:
Two searches were conducted in the Web of Science in June 2016 using a list of education-related search terms. We searched 19 EM journals for education articles as well as all other literature for EM education-related articles. Articles identified were reviewed for citation count, article type, journal, authors, and publication year.
RESULTS:
With regards to EM journals, the greatest number of articles were classified as articles/reviews, followed by research articles on topics such as deliberate practice (cited 266 times) and cognitive errors (cited 201 times). In contrast in the non-EM journals, research articles were predominant. Both searches found several simulation and ultrasound articles to be included. The most common EM journal was Academic Emergency Medicine (n = 18), and Academic Medicine was the most common non-EM journal (n=5). A reasonable number of articles included external funding sources (6 EM articles and 13 non-EM articles.).
CONCLUSION:
This study identified the most frequently cited medical education articles in the field of EM education, published in EM journals as well as all other journals indexed in Web of Science. The results identify impactful articles to medical education, providing a resource to educators while identifying trends that may be used to guide EM educational research and publishing efforts.

via An Analysis of the Top-cited Articles in Emergency Medicine Education Literature. – PubMed – NCBI.

Continue Reading

ABSTRACT: Cystic Fibrosis Diagnostic Challenges over 4 Decades: Historical Perspectives and Lessons Learned

OBJECTIVE:
Because cystic fibrosis (CF) can be difficult to diagnose, and because information about the genetic complexities and pathologic basis of the disease has grown so rapidly over the decades, several consensus conferences have been held by the US CF Foundation, and a variety of other efforts to improve diagnostic practices have been organized by the European CF Society. Despite these efforts, the application of diagnostic criteria has been variable and caused confusion.
STUDY DESIGN:
To improve diagnosis and achieve standardization in terms and definitions worldwide, the CF Foundation in 2015 convened a committee of 32 experts in the diagnosis of CF from 9 countries. As part of the process, all previous consensus-seeking exercises sponsored by the CF Foundation, along with the important efforts of the European CF Society, were comprehensively and critically reviewed. The goal was to better understand why consensus conferences and their publications have not led to the desired results.
RESULTS:
Lessons learned from previous diagnosis consensus processes and products were identified. It was decided that participation in developing a consensus was generally not inclusive enough for global impact. It was also found that many efforts to address sweat test issues were valuable but did not always improve clinical practices as CF diagnostic testing evolved. It also became clear from this review that premature applications of potential diagnostic tests such as nasal potential difference and intestinal current measurement should be avoided until validation and standardization occur. Finally, we have learned that due to the significant and growing number of cases that are challenging to diagnose, an associated continuing medical education program is both desirable and necessary.
CONCLUSIONS:
It is necessary but not sufficient to organize and publish CF diagnosis consensus processes. Follow-up implementation efforts and monitoring practices seem essential.

via Cystic Fibrosis Diagnostic Challenges over 4 Decades: Historical Perspectives and Lessons Learned. – PubMed – NCBI.

Continue Reading

MANUSCRIPT: Rapid Cycle Deliberate Practice in Medical Education – a Systematic Review

Rapid Cycle Deliberate Practice (RCDP) is a novel simulation-based education model that is currently attracting interest, implementation, exploration and research in medical education. In RCDP, learners rapidly cycle between deliberate practice and directed feedback within the simulation scenario until mastery is achieved. The objective of this systematic review is to examine the literature and summarize the existing knowledge on RCDP in simulation-based medical education. Fifteen resources met inclusion criteria; they were diverse and heterogeneous, such that we did not perform a quantitative synthesis or meta-analysis but rather a narrative review on RCDP. All resources described RCDP in a similar manner. Common RCDP implementation strategies included: splitting simulation cases into segments, micro debriefing in the form of ‘pause, debrief, rewind and try again’ and providing progressively more challenging scenarios. Variable outcome measures were used by the studies including qualitative assessments, scoring tools, procedural assessment using checklists or video review, time to active skills and clinical reports. Results were limited and inconsistent. There is an absence of data on retention after RCDP teaching, on RCDP, with learners from specialties other than pediatrics, on RCDP for adult resuscitation scenarios and if RCDP teaching translates into practice change in the clinical realm. We have identified important avenues for future research on RCDP.

via Rapid Cycle Deliberate Practice in Medical Education – a Systematic Review. – PubMed – NCBI.

Continue Reading

MANUSCRIPT: Identifying high quality medical education websites in Otolaryngology: a guide for medical students and residents

BACKGROUND:
Learners often utilize online resources to supplement formalized curricula, and to appropriately support learning, these resources should be of high quality. Thus, the objectives of this study are to develop and provide validity evidence supporting an assessment tool designed to assess the quality of educational websites in Otolaryngology- Head & Neck Surgery (ORL-HNS), and identify those that could support effective web-based learning. METHODS: After a literature review, the Modified Education in Otolaryngology Website (MEOW) assessment tool was designed by a panel of experts based on a previously validated website assessment tool. A search strategy using a Google-based search engine was used subsequently to identify websites. Those that were free of charge and in English were included. Websites were coded for whether their content targeted medical students or residents. Using the MEOW assessment tool, two independent raters scored the websites. Inter-rater and intra-rater reliability were evaluated, and scores were compared to recommendations from a content expert.
RESULTS:
The MEOW assessment tool included a total of 20 items divided in 8 categories related to authorship, frequency of revision, content accuracy, interactivity, visual presentation, navigability, speed and recommended hyperlinks. A total of 43 out of 334 websites identified by the search met inclusion criteria. The scores generated by our tool appeared to differentiate higher quality websites from lower quality ones: websites that the expert “would recommend” scored 38.4 (out of 56; CI [34.4-42.4]) and “would not recommend” 27.0 (CI [23.2-30.9]). Inter-rater and intra-rater intraclass correlation coefficient were greater than 0.7.
CONCLUSIONS:
Using the MEOW assessment tool, high quality ORL-HNS educational websites were identified.

via Identifying high quality medical education websites in Otolaryngology: a guide for medical students and residents. – PubMed – NCBI.

Continue Reading

Backward Planning, Adult Learning Theory, and the Learning Actions Model

Over the past few years I have been working on the theory that learning IS a behavior – in other words, not only does learning lead to behavior changes (as classically believed), but learning requires learners to take actions (behaviors) that allow them to learn. To be clear, the idea that learning IS a behavior is not quite the same thing as active learning, which is understood to be a cognitive concept. My work instead suggests that there are physical (and necessary) actions that learners must take to support the learning process.

Once you acknowledge that learning IS a behavior then you should immediately recognize a new universe of greater complexity that challenges learning and teaching. For everything we know about adult learning theory, there is little doubt that behavior change has got its own challenges – you’d be hard pressed to find someone that can’t share a lifetime of stories of struggling to commit to healthy or productive behaviors (vs the unhealthy and unproductive ones). On the other hand, once you acknowledge that learning IS a behavior then you can immediately benefit from decades of research about human behavior and behavioral economics (e.g., irrationality, mindfulness, and nudges, etc…).

My professional curiosity and scholarly exploration of adult learning theory AND behavioral science is what lead me to originally envision the Learning Actions Model and eventually co-found ArcheMedX allowing me to first establish and then extend this science over the past five years.

Connecting the dots
The Learning Actions Model allows faculty and educational planners to connect backward educational planning, adult learning theory, AND behavioral science to simplify and accelerate learning. It serves to address a critical missing piece of andragogy and suggests that learners, though self-directed, struggle to efficiently and effectively take the actions that support the process of learning. For this reason, the Learning Actions Model is both complimentary and necessary.

Undoubtedly, both the backward educational planning process and adult learning theory are essential to effective educational interventions. Identifying desired outcomes, then deconstructing gaps, needs, and objectives should point an educational planner in the right direction. Likewise, understanding that learners are self-directed, emotionally driven, and skeptical; and that knowledge is formed by connecting new information to prior experiences; should help direct the narrative of the educational content. However the long-held belief that backward educational planning process and adult learning theory are the cornerstones of education and training has proven incomplete. The Learning Actions Model has demonstrated that once presented with educational content, learners struggle to structure the information and take the actions that catalyze (and underpin) the process of learning.

During an educational experience – whether live, online, mentored, or even informal – a learner must take notes, set reminders, search for related information; and they must do so in a way that mitigates extraneous load – but they don’t. We have now demonstrated this reality across tens of thousands of learners.

Here is your take-away message: Learners desperately need help learning. They try, they struggle… and our educational interventions rarely achieve our desired results. As with so many of the behavioral struggles we each face, as learners we don’t always make the right choices or take the right actions at the right time. In short, learners need to be nudged to take action, to have their attention reset, to be made mindful of what is ultimately most important. We can no longer assume that these ‘learning moments’ are natural, or intuitive, or conspicuous – they aren’t.

Without the Learning Actions Model shaping the learning experiences we plan, develop, and deliver; we are relying on a learner skillset that we have demonstrated IS NOT readily available.

Without the Learning Actions Model shaping the learning experiences we plan, develop, and deliver; we are (in)effectively operating with one arm tied behind our back.

Instead, once we commit to connect the backward educational planning process and adult learning theory to the Learning Actions Model we now have three cornerstones to build on.

Continue Reading

ABSTRACT: Examining the July Effect: A National Survey of Academic Leaders in Medicine

BACKGROUND:
Whether the “July Effect” affects perspectives or has prompted changes in US Internal Medicine residency programs is unknown.
METHODS:
We designed a survey-based study to assess views and efforts aimed at preventing harm in July. A convenience sampling strategy (email listserv and direct messages to program leaders via the Electronic Residency Application Service) was used to disseminate the survey.
RESULTS:
The response rate was 16% (65/418 programs); however, a total of 262 respondents from all 50 states where residency programs are located were included. Most respondents (n = 201; 77%) indicated that errors occur more frequently in July compared with other months. The most common identified errors included incorrect or delayed orders (n = 183, 70% and n = 167, 64%, respectively), errors in discharge medications (n = 144, 55%), and inadequate information exchange at handoffs (n = 143, 55%). Limited trainee experience (n = 208, 79%), lack of understanding hospital workflow, and difficulty using electronic medical record systems (n = 194; 74% and n = 188; 72%, respectively) were reported as the most common factors contributing to these errors. Programs reported instituting several efforts to prevent harm in July: for interns, additional electronic medical record training (n = 178; 68%) and education on handoffs and discharge processes (n = 176; 67% and n = 108; 41%, respectively) were introduced. Similarly, for senior residents, teaching sessions on how to lead a team (n = 158; 60%) and preferential placement of certain residents on harder rotations (n = 103; 39%) were also reported. Most respondents (n = 140; 53%) also solicited specific “July attendings” using a volunteer system or highest teaching ratings.
CONCLUSION:
Residency programs in Internal Medicine appear to have instituted various changes to mitigate harm in July. Further evaluation to understand the impact of these interventions on trainee education and patient safety is necessary.

via Examining the July Effect: A National Survey of Academic Leaders in Medicine. – PubMed – NCBI.

Continue Reading

MANUSCRIPT: Resource format preferences across the medical curriculum

Objective: This research study sought to determine the formats (print or electronic) of articles and book chapters most-preferred by first-year medical students, third-year medical students entering clinical clerkships, and incoming residents and to determine if these preferences change during the course of the medical curriculum. These trends will enable academic health sciences libraries to make appropriate collection development decisions to best cater to their user populations.

Methods: First-year medical students, third-year medical students, and incoming medical residents were asked to complete a paper survey from September 2014 to June 2015. The survey consisted of five multiple-choice questions, with two questions given space for optional short answers. Quantitative and qualitative responses were collected and calculated using Microsoft Excel.

Results: First-year students, third-year students, and incoming residents all preferred to read journal articles and book chapters in print, except in cases where the article or book chapter is under ten pages in length. Although print is preferred, demand for electronic articles and book chapters increases as students progress from undergraduate medical education into residency. The only category where a majority of incoming residents chose an electronic resource was which format they would give to a colleague, if the article or book chapter was critical to the care of an individual patient.

Conclusions: The preference for print resources is strong across the medical curriculum, although residents show an increased preference for electronic materials when compared to first- and third-year students. Academic health sciences libraries should take these preferences into account when making decisions regarding collection development.

To access the full article, click here….

 

Continue Reading

MANUSCRIPT: Continuing Medical Education Speakers with High Evaluation Scores Use more Image-based Slides

Introduction: Although continuing medical education (CME) presentations are common across health professions, it is unknown whether slide design is independently associated with audience evaluations of the speaker. Based on the conceptual framework of Mayer’s theory of multimedia learning, this study aimed to determine whether image use and text density in presentation slides are associated with overall speaker evaluations.

Methods: This retrospective analysis of six sequential CME conferences (two annual emergency medicine conferences over a three-year period) used a mixed linear regression model to assess whether postconference speaker evaluations were associated with image fraction (percentage of image-based slides per presentation) and text density (number of words per slide).

Results: A total of 105 unique lectures were given by 49 faculty members, and 1,222 evaluations (70.1% response rate) were available for analysis. On average, 47.4% (SD=25.36) of slides had at least one educationally-relevant image (image fraction). Image fraction significantly predicted overall higher evaluation scores [F(1, 100.676)=6.158, p=0.015] in the mixed linear regression model. The mean (SD) text density was 25.61 (8.14) words/slide but was not a significant predictor [F(1, 86.293)=0.55, p=0.815]. Of note, the individual speaker [χ2 (1)=2.952, p=0.003] and speaker seniority [F(3, 59.713)=4.083, p=0.011] significantly predicted higher scores.

Conclusion: This is the first published study to date assessing the linkage between slide design and CME speaker evaluations by an audience of practicing clinicians. The incorporation of images was associated with higher evaluation scores, in alignment with Mayer’s theory of multimedia learning. Contrary to this theory, however, text density showed no significant association, suggesting that these scores may be multifactorial. Professional development efforts should focus on teaching best practices in both slide design and presentation skills.

 

Access to the full article here….

Continue Reading
Social
Facebook-f Twitter Linkedin-in
Recent News
Contact Us

300 E Main Street, Suite 101 Charlottesville, VA 22902

+1-434-260-1850

Email Us

About Us

ArcheMedX helps life sciences and healthcare organizations to better equip, evaluate, and predict team and clinician performance

ArcheMedX Privacy Policy