Journal of Medical Internet Research - International Scientific Journal for Medical Research, Information and Communication on the Internet

Journal of Medical Internet Research - International Scientific Journal for Medical Research, Information and Communication on the Internet

Background: Virtual Patients (VPs) may improve cognitive and behavioral skills better than traditional methods do. The aim of this paper was to investigate challenges faced by teachers and students in order to effectively implement VPs across undergraduate and postgraduate curricula. In addition, differences in student and teacher perceptions that could impact curricular integration of VPs were explored. Methods: A two-phase descriptive study was performed: 1) evaluation of the VP design process and curricular integration, conducted upon academic medical teachers; 2) evaluation of learning and clinical reasoning experiences with VPs, from the students’ perspective. Results: The results of this study document high acceptance of VPs by both medical teachers and students (n = 252).VPs seem to fulfill most needs as set by course directors, while they satisfy student needs and create perceptions of improved knowledge and clinical skills reasoning. Conclusions: Medical educators have encountered educational challenges upon transforming the curriculum. To develop VPs, academic institutions have to pay equal attention to the needs of potential adopters and VP authors. Strategic development and use of VPs may motivate more widespread integration of VPs and lead to a high quality medical education system.

Journal of Medical Internet Research - International Scientific Journal for Medical Research, Information and Communication on the Internet

Medical education escape rooms are emerging as a viable technological resource for pedagogy-first, learner-centric educational activities. This work presents the evaluation results of the first flipped classroom implementation in medical education, thus utilizing a mobile-driven augmented reality (AR) escape room. A total of 21 first-year medical students attended a flipped classroom educational activity that aimed to acclimate the students with the workflows of basic life support. Knowledge acquisition and user perceptions were evaluated. Knowledge acquisition was evaluated with an ad hoc relevant instrument at three timepoints: (a) baseline at recruitment, (b) preclass after students had prepared for the episode, and (c) after class. Learner perceptions about the activity and the AR escape room were recorded at the activity’s end using a previously designed evaluation instrument. The results demonstrated sufficient knowledge acquisition only after completing the whole educational activity, while learners found the experience interesting, and the AR escape room challenging, thus reflecting an activity that was well formulated in structure and content. The challenges identified were the limited out of class collaboration capacity of the digital application and the highly gamified approach that at points counteracted the educational scope of the activity. Overall, these positive initial results demonstrate the potential of collaborative, escape based, activities for self-directed, learner-centric medical education.

Background: Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common sustained cardiac arrhythmia and is a leading cause of mortality and morbidity. Patient knowledge about AF and its management is paramount but often limited. Patients need to be appropriately informed about treatment options, medicinal adherence, and potential consequences of nonadherence, while also understanding treatment goals and expectations from it. Mobile health apps have experienced an explosion both in their availability and acceptance as “soft interventions” for patient engagement and education; however, the prolific nature of such solutions revealed a gap in the evidence base regarding their efficacy and impact. Virtual patients (VPs), interactive computer simulations, have been used as learning activities in modern health care education. VPs demonstrably improved cognitive and behavioral skills; hence, they have been effectively implemented across undergraduate and postgraduate curricula. However, their application in patient education has been rather limited so far. Objective: This work aims to implement and evaluate the efficacy of a mobile-deployed VP regimen for the education and engagement of patients with AF on crucial topics regarding their condition. A mobile VP app is being developed with the goal of each VP being a simple scenario with a set goal and very specific messages and will be subsequently attempted and evaluated. Methods: A mobile VP player app is being developed so as to be used for the design of 3 educational scenarios for AF management. A pseudorandomized controlled trial for the efficacy of VPs is planned to be executed at 3 sites in Greece, Ukraine, and Kazakhstan for patients with AF. The Welch t test will be used to demonstrate the performance of patients’ evaluation of the VP experience. Results: Our study is at the development stage. A preliminary study regarding the system’s development and feasibility was initiated in December 2022. The results of our study are expected to be available in 2024 or when the needed sample size is achieved. Conclusions: This study aims to evaluate and demonstrate the first significant evidence for the value of VP resources in outreach and training endeavors for empowering and patients with AF and fostering healthy habits among them. International Registered Report Identifier (IRRID): PRR1-10.2196/45946