Use of 360° Video for a Virtual Operating Theatre Orientation for Medical Students.

BACKGROUND: Operating theatres are a unique learning environment that some learners find daunting. By employing orientations some of these fears can be reduced but these require operating theatre space and personnel and are not standardized. METHODS: We utilized a 360° camera to generate a "virtual" 360° video orientation. It was filmed in first-person perspective to improve engagement and to make it more experiential. EVALUATION: It was shown to 34 medical students in a tutorial setting before their first operating theatre experience. We analyzed their knowledge gain with use of a questionnaire and change in self-reported confidence using a 7-point Likert scale. The students' knowledge improved from 38.4% to 78.2% (p < 0.01) as well as self-reported confidence from 4.3 to 6.1 (p < 0.01). DISCUSSION: The use of 360° video for a virtual operating theatre orientation improved knowledge and confidence of learners which suggests its expanded use in medical education.

Virtual Patient Journey: a novel learning resource.

BACKGROUND: Virtual Patient Journey (VPJ) is a novel online resource that follows a patient through their illness and integrates first-person video content with in-video decision making, allowing the student to take on the responsibility of a health care professional. The aim of our project was to compare this new VPJ format with standard teaching tutorials. METHODS: Third-year medical students selected from two Bristol hospitals were allocated to either the VPJ format or a typical tutorial-style teaching session. Both formats covered an identical level and scope of material and lasted the same length of time. Data were collected on pre- and post-test knowledge and confidence gain using self-reported questionnaires at the time of the teaching. RESULTS: The study recruited 30 students. The average knowledge gain for the VPJ group and for the tutorial group was 39% and 35%, respectively. The confidence increase was 2.4 and 1.8 on a scale of 1-10 for the VPJ and tutorial groups, respectively. Of the students who used the VPJ, 92% believed that it was a useful teaching resource and 96% enjoyed the VPJ experience and would re-watch the material at home. CONCLUSIONS: VPJ can expose students to clinical situations that they may not see on placement and can help to deliver a baseline level of clinical exposure and knowledge. Our VPJ may help overcome the rigidity of current virtual patients in teaching a range of core competencies and also allowing the students to take responsibility for a patient's care in a safe, controlled environment.

Acting like a doctor: oral case presentation curriculum for medical students.

This article was migrated. The article was marked as recommended. Background Verbal communication is an important element to clinical practice and an integral part of undergraduate medical education. The oral case presentation (OCP) is often used in professional verbal communication and remains commonplace in the clinical setting. The OCP additionally has a complex role in undergraduate teaching. Methods We designed a OCP curriculum taking into account reasoning, rhetorical and linguistic mechanisms. Delivered through a content and drama workshop involving a trained theatre actor to 45 pre-clinical, undergraduate medical students at our U.K. institution. Students were assessed objectively at weekly intervals by trained faculty. A paired t-test was performed to determine if the curriculum was effective in increasing OCP scores. Students' confidence was assessed using Likert scales. Findings An overall mean score improvement (M=20.3, SD 14.6, N=45) was significantly greater than zero, t (44) =9.3, two tail p <0.05, providing evidence that the curriculum was effective. A 95% confidence interval around the mean difference in score was 15.9-24.7. Confidence scores for both non-verbal and verbal elements of the OCP improved. Conclusion This curriculum led to an improvement in OCP scores and increased our students 'confidence with this modality of communication. Consideration should be given to incorporating dedicated teaching of the OCP in undergraduate education.