Knowledge Mapping and Global Trends in the Field of the Objective Structured Clinical Examination: Bibliometric and Visual Analysis (2004-2023).

BACKGROUND: The Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE) is a pivotal tool for assessing health care professionals and plays an integral role in medical education. OBJECTIVE: This study aims to map the bibliometric landscape of OSCE research, highlighting trends and key influencers. METHODS: A comprehensive literature search was conducted for materials related to OSCE from January 2004 to December 2023, using the Web of Science Core Collection database. Bibliometric analysis and visualization were performed with VOSviewer and CiteSpace software tools. RESULTS: Our analysis indicates a consistent increase in OSCE-related publications over the study period, with a notable surge after 2019, culminating in a peak of activity in 2021. The United States emerged as a significant contributor, responsible for 30.86% (1626/5268) of total publications and amassing 44,051 citations. Coauthorship network analysis highlighted robust collaborations, particularly between the United States and the United Kingdom. Leading journals in this domain-BMC Medical Education, Medical Education, Academic Medicine, and Medical Teacher-featured the highest volume of papers, while The Lancet garnered substantial citations, reflecting its high impact factor (to be verified for accuracy). Prominent authors in the field include Sondra Zabar, Debra Pugh, Timothy J Wood, and Susan Humphrey-Murto, with Ronaldo M Harden, Brian D Hodges, and George E Miller being the most cited. The analysis of key research terms revealed a focus on "education," "performance," "competence," and "skills," indicating these are central themes in OSCE research. CONCLUSIONS: The study underscores a dynamic expansion in OSCE research and international collaboration, spotlighting influential countries, institutions, authors, and journals. These elements are instrumental in steering the evolution of medical education assessment practices and suggest a trajectory for future research endeavors. Future work should consider the implications of these findings for medical education and the potential areas for further investigation, particularly in underrepresented regions or emerging competencies in health care training.

Medical Schools Are Updating Their Curricula as Climate Change Becomes Impossible to Ignore.

This Medical News article discusses the introduction of coursework on climate change in medical schools, residency programs, and beyond.

[The integrated programs in medical education: modern trends and development prospects].

The article considers possibilities of forming integrated educational programs of personnel training. The integration supposes interdisciplinary approach and inclusion within curricula, besides medical subjects, disciplines from different fields of science. As practice demonstrates, this approach provides larger spectrum of professional knowledge, skills and competencies and contributes into better career guidance and subsequent employment of graduates.

Terminologia Anatomica 2nd edition: perspectives from anatomy educators in the United Kingdom.

English anatomical terminology has evolved over the long history of anatomical practice, with major influences from ancient Greek, classical Latin, Arabic, and post-classical Latin. Beginning in the nineteenth century, there have been various attempts to standardise and rationalise anatomical language, beginning in 1887, and culminating in the publication in 2019 of the second edition of the Terminologia Anatomica. This paper presents a brief historical overview of the development of anatomical terminology and usage in English, followed by a summary of the results of an anonymised survey of current practices that was sent out by email to anatomy educators at 45 medical schools in the United Kingdom. This is followed by personal reflections by six senior academics and/or clinicians, reviewing their extensive experience of teaching, researching, and communicating the language of anatomy within United Kingdom medical and clinical institutions.

Global Trends in mHealth and Medical Education Research: Bibliometrics and Knowledge Graph Analysis.

Background: Mobile health (mHealth) is an emerging mobile communication and networking technology for health care systems. The integration of mHealth in medical education is growing extremely rapidly, bringing new changes to the field. However, no study has analyzed the publication and research trends occurring in both mHealth and medical education. Objective: The aim of this study was to summarize the current application and development trends of mHealth in medical education by searching and analyzing published articles related to both mHealth and medical education. Methods: The literature related to mHealth and medical education published from 2003 to 2023 was searched in the Web of Science core database, and 790 articles were screened according to the search strategy. The HistCite Pro 2.0 tool was used to analyze bibliometric indicators. VOSviewer, Pajek64, and SCImago Graphica software were used to visualize research trends and identify hot spots in the field. Results: In the past two decades, the number of published papers on mHealth in medical education has gradually increased, from only 3 papers in 2003 to 130 in 2022; this increase became particularly evident in 2007. The global citation score was determined to be 10,600, with an average of 13.42 citations per article. The local citation score was 96. The United States is the country with the most widespread application of mHealth in medical education, and most of the institutions conducting in-depth research in this field are also located in the United States, closely followed by China and the United Kingdom. Based on current trends, global coauthorship and research exchange will likely continue to expand. Among the research journals publishing in this joint field, journals published by JMIR Publications have an absolute advantage. A total of 105 keywords were identified, which were divided into five categories pointing to different research directions. Conclusions: Under the influence of COVID-19, along with the popularization of smartphones and modern communication technology, the field of combining mHealth and medical education has become a more popular research direction. The concept and application of digital health will be promoted in future developments of medical education.

A Brief Review of Anatomy Education in Korea, Encompassing Its Past, Present, and Future Direction.

Anatomy is a foundational subject in medicine and serves as its language. Hippocrates highlighted its importance, while Herophilus pioneered human dissection, earning him the title of the founder of anatomy. Vesalius later established modern anatomy, which has since evolved historically. In Korea, formal anatomy education for medical training began with the introduction of Western medicine during the late Joseon Dynasty. Before and after the Japanese occupation, anatomy education was conducted in the German style, and after liberation, it was maintained and developed by a small number of domestic anatomists. Medicine in Korea has grown alongside the country's rapid economic and social development. Today, 40 medical colleges produce world-class doctors to provide the best medical care service in the country. However, the societal demand for more doctors is growing in order to proactively address to challenges such as public healthcare issues, essential healthcare provision, regional medical service disparities, and an aging population. This study examines the history, current state, and challenges of anatomy education in Korea, emphasizing the availability of medical educators, support staff, and cadavers for gross anatomy instruction. While variations exist between Seoul and provincial medical colleges, each manages to deliver adequate education under challenging conditions. However, the rapid increase in medical student enrollment threatens to strain existing anatomy education resources, potentially compromising educational quality. To address these concerns, we propose strategies for training qualified gross anatomy educators, ensuring a sustainable cadaver supply, and enhancing infrastructure.

Historical Inequities in Medical Education - Commitment to Opportunity, Diversity, and Equity at the University of Hawai'i School of Medicine.

Medical education in the US has contributed to institutionalized racism through historically exclusionary practices, which has led to health disparities and inequities in health care today. The 1910 Flexner report, which favored schools with greater resources, led to the closure of nearly half of medical schools in the Us, which were mostly small schools located in rural communities that served economically disadvantaged, ethnic minority, and female populations. Closing these schools ultimately limited the availability of physicians willing to serve disadvantaged and minority populations in impoverished and underserved communities. In order to transform medical education to be more equitable, medical schools must be proactive in opportunity, diversity, and equity efforts. This not only includes efforts in admissions and faculty hiring, but also curricula related to social and health disparities, interracial interactions between students and faculty, and service learning activities that engage and work with marginalized communities. The University of Hawai'i John A. Burns School of Medicine has a longstanding commitment to diversity, which is integral to the school's mission. Providing opportunities to underserved populations has been a priority since establishment of the school. As one of the most diverse univeristies in the US, the school of medicine continues to focus on opportunity, diversity, and equity priorities in both its strategic planning and overall mission.

Describing the Landscape of Medical Education Preprints on MedRxiv: Current Trends and Future Recommendations.

PURPOSE: A preprint is a version of a research manuscript posted to a preprint server prior to peer review. Preprints enable authors to quickly and openly share research, afford opportunities for expedient feedback, and enable immediate listing of research on grant and promotion applications. In medical education, most journals welcome preprints, which suggests that preprints play a role in the field's discourse. Yet, little is known about medical education preprints, including author characteristics, preprint use, and ultimate publication status. This study provides an overview of preprints in medical education to better understand their role in the field's discourse. METHOD: The authors queried medRxiv, a preprint repository, to identify preprints categorized as "medical education" and downloaded related metadata. CrossRef was queried to gather information on preprints later published in journals. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics. RESULTS: Between 2019 and 2022, 204 preprints were classified in medRxiv as "medical education," with most deposited in 2021 (n = 76; 37.3%). On average, preprint full-texts were downloaded 1,875.2 times, and all were promoted on social media. Preprints were authored, on average, by 5.9 authors. Corresponding authors were based in 41 countries, with 45.6% in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Canada. Almost half (n = 101; 49.5%) became published articles in predominantly peer-reviewed journals. Preprints appeared in 65 peer-reviewed journals, with BMC Medical Education (n = 9; 8.9%) most represented. CONCLUSIONS: Medical education research is being deposited as preprints, which are promoted, heavily accessed, and subsequently published in peer-reviewed journals, including medical education journals. Considering the benefits of preprints and the slowness of medical education publishing, it is likely that preprint depositing will increase and preprints will be integrated into the field's discourse. The authors propose next steps to facilitate responsible and effective creation and use of preprints.

The Role of Faculty Development in Advancing Change at the Organizational Level.

ABSTRACT: Although the traditional goal of faculty development (FD) has been to enhance individual growth and development, this goal may no longer suffice to address the compelling challenges faculty members are facing, such as increasing workloads, emotional well-being, and institutional support for education. Addressing these challenges will require change at the organizational level. The purpose of this perspective is to articulate a vision for FD programming that describes ways in which FD leaders, together with other educational leaders, can bring about change at the organizational level to support excellence and innovation in health professions education. To impact the organization at large, the authors propose a model that includes 4 major goals: (1) promoting individual and group development, through educational and leadership development programs, coaching and mentoring, and advanced degrees; (2) advocating for infrastructure and resources, including academies of medical educators, educational scholarship units, educational awards, and intramural funding for educational innovation and scholarship; (3) influencing policies and procedures, by engaging educators on key committees, reviewing appointment and promotion criteria, defining educator roles and portfolios, and valuing diversity, equity, and inclusion; and (4) contributing to organization-wide initiatives, such as addressing "hot button" issues, identifying value factors that support investments in FD and medical education, and enhancing the visibility of educators. In this model, the 4 goals are dynamically interconnected and can impact the culture of the organization. For each goal, the authors offer evidence-informed actions that FD leaders, along with other educational leaders, can adopt to improve the organizational culture and inspire institutionally relevant actions. Because each institution is unique, the options are illustrative and not prescriptive. The intent is to provide examples of how FD leaders and programs can enhance the educational mission through broader engagement with their institutions.

The Critical Need for Disaster Medicine in Modern Medical Education.

Current escalation of natural disasters, pandemics, and humanitarian crises underscores the pressing need for inclusion of disaster medicine in medical education frameworks. Conventional medical training often lacks adequate focus on the complexities and unique challenges inherent in such emergencies. This discourse advocates for the integration of disaster medicine into medical curricula, highlighting the imperative to prepare health-care professionals for an effective response in challenging environments. These competencies encompass understanding mass casualty management, ethical decision-making amidst resource constraints, and adapting health-care practices to varied emergency contexts. Therefore, we posit that equipping medical students with these specialized skills and knowledge is vital for health-care delivery in the face of global health emergencies.

The past, present and future of medical education in Cambodia.

This paper describes the past, present, and future of medical education in Cambodia. Although doctor training began in 1902, the first medical school was not founded until 1946. Since the colonial era, the curriculum and teaching strategies have been strongly influenced by the French system, dominated by didactic lectures and the apprenticeship model. Three chronic issues have plagued medical education in the country following the Khmer Rouge regime: a shortage of doctors, poor-quality training, and lack of relevance to the current and future population needs. An increasing number of medical schools and yearly student enrollment have addressed the first issue. Today, the fundamental challenges have shifted from quantity to ensuring the quality and relevance of medical education. Competency-based medical education (CBME) has been adopted as a new curricular model to tackle the latter two issues. Active collaboration between government institutions, public universities, and development partners drives this curricular reform at the national and institutional levels. This paper further examines the challenges associated with medical education and proposes recommendations.

[State of the art: Simulation in US]. / State of the art: Simulation in der Ultraschallausbildung.

Technical simulation of diagnostic and therapeutic procedures is of growing relevance for student education and advanced medical training and has already been introduced in the field of ultrasound. This review gives a broad overview on different levels of simulation for ultrasound diagnostics and highlights the technical background of the methodology. A critical review of the literature reveals recommendations for implementing simulation techniques in medical studies and professional ultrasound training. An analysis of strengths and weaknesses shows the advantages of simulation especially in the context of individual learning situations and COVID-19-related restrictions for personal interaction. However, simulation techniques cannot replace the experiences of complex clinical examinations with direct interaction to real patients. Therefore, future applications may focus on repetition and assessment of achieved competencies by using standardized feedback mechanisms in order to preserve the limited resources for practical medical training.

A Call to Action: Urgently Strengthening the Future Physician-Scientist Workforce in Infectious Diseases.

Infectious diseases (ID) research is vital for global public health, typically led by physician-scientists. This Perspective addresses challenges in the ID workforce and suggests solutions. Physician-scientists have made key discoveries that have significantly impacted human health. The importance of ID research in understanding diseases, leading to treatments and vaccines, is emphasized, along with the need to address persistent and new infections, antimicrobial resistance, and threats like HIV and influenza. The paper analyzes the physician-scientist workforce's struggles, including funding, training, and research-practice integration gaps. We suggest increased funding, better training, and mentorship, more collaborative and interdisciplinary research, and improved recognition systems. The article stresses the urgency of supporting physician-scientists in ID, advocating for proactive prevention and preparedness, and calls for immediate action to enhance ID research and care.

The Case for Advocacy Curricula and Opportunities in Medical Education: Past Examples to Inform Future Instruction.

ABSTRACT: With recent advances in understanding racial, socioeconomic, and mental health issues in medicine and their relation to policy and legislation, medical professionals are increasingly involved in local and national advocacy efforts. At the frontlines of these initiatives are medical students who, in addition to completing required coursework and clinical training, devote themselves to serving patients through civic participation. The burgeoning evidence concerning health care disparities and inequity, along with greater awareness of racial and socioeconomic discrimination, have made advocacy an essential aspect of many students' medical training. Every year, thousands of medical students join national medical advocacy organizations, in addition to regional, state, and local groups. Despite the rich history of medical student involvement in advocacy, there remains much speculation and skepticism about the practice as an essential component of the medical profession. From early initiatives pushing for national health insurance after World War II to encouraging antidiscrimination policies and practices, medical students have been collectively working to create change for themselves and their patients. Through efforts such as banning smoking on airplanes, creating safe syringe programs, and protesting against police brutality, many medical students work tirelessly in advocacy despite minimal educational support or guidance about the advocacy process. Given that medical student advocacy continues to grow and has shown measurable successes in the past, the authors believe that these efforts should be rewarded and expanded upon. The authors examine historical examples of medical student advocacy to suggest ways in which advocacy can be integrated into core medical school curricula and activities. They call attention to opportunities to support students' development of knowledge and skills to facilitate legislative change, expansion of interprofessional collaborations and credit, and curricular updates to promote social and health equity.

Embracing the (r)evolution of social media and digital scholarship in pediatric nephrology education.

Free Open-Access Medical Education (FOAMed) has transformed medical education in the past decade by complementing and substituting for traditional medical education when needed. The attractiveness of FOAMed resources is due to their inexpensive nature, wide availability, and user ability to access on demand across a variety of devices, making it easy to create, share, and participate. The subject of nephrology is complex, fascinating, and challenging. Traditional didactic lectures can be passive and ineffective in uncovering these difficult concepts and may need frequent revisions. Active teaching methods like flipped classrooms have shown some benefits, and these benefits can only be multifold with current social media tools. Social media will inspire the involvement of students and allow them to create and share educational content in a "trendy way," encouraging the participation of their peers and thus building an educational environment more conducive to them while promoting revision and retainment. FOAMed also promotes asynchronous learning, spaced learning, microlearning, and multimodal presentation with a meaningful variation. This article discusses the evolution of digital education, social media platforms, tools for creating and developing FOAMed resources, and digital scholarship.

Condiciones para mejorar las aulas virtuales de la disciplina Bases Biológicas de la Medicina / Conditions for Improving the Virtual Classrooms of the Discipline Biological Bases of Medicine

Introducción: La gestión didáctica con la plataforma Moodle requiere profesores aptos para actuar como gestores de dicho proceso. Objetivo: Evaluar las condiciones para mejorar el funcionamiento de las aulas virtuales de la disciplina Bases Biológicas de la Medicina, en el departamento de Ciencias Básicas Biomédicas de la Facultad de Ciencias Médicas Salvador Allende. Métodos: Se realizó una investigación descriptiva, con enfoque mixto, basada en un estudio de campo durante el curso 2023, en el Departamento de Ciencias Básicas Biomédicas de la Facultad de Ciencias Médicas Salvador Allende. Se utilizaron métodos teóricos: análisis-síntesis, deducción-inducción y enfoque sistémico; empíricos: cuestionario; y matemático-estadísticos. Resultados: Se apreciaron como fortalezas la actitud hacia el uso educativo de las tecnologías de la información y las comunicaciones, y el dominio general de estas. Se mostró limitado el uso de las actividades disponibles en la plataforma Moodle, por lo que las condiciones para mejorar el funcionamiento de las aulas virtuales se valoraron como insuficientes. Conclusiones: Para mejorar el funcionamiento de las aulas virtuales del Departamento de Ciencias Básicas Biomédicas de la Facultad de Ciencias Médicas Salvador Allende se requiere fomentar el uso creativo e innovador de las actividades disponibles en la plataforma Moodle, por lo que se debe incrementar la preparación de los profesores para asumir esta actividad. Se sugiere implementar una actividad metodológica departamental con este propósito(AU)

Introduction: Didactic management using the Moodle platform requires professors apt to act as managers of such process. Objective: To assess the conditions to improve the functioning of the virtual classrooms of the discipline Biological Bases of Medicine, in the Department of Basic Biomedical Sciences at Facultad de Ciencias Médicas Salvador Allende. Methods: A descriptive research, with a mixed approach and based on a field study, was carried out during the academic year 2023 in the Department of Basic Biomedical Sciences at Facultad de Ciencias Médicas Salvador Allende. Theoretical methods were used (analysis-synthesis, deduction-induction and systemic approach), as well as empirical methods (questionnaire) and mathematical-statistical methods. Results: Among the appreciated strengths, there was the attitude towards the educational use of information and communication technologies, together with the general mastery of such technologies. The use of the activities available in the Moodle platform was shown to be limited; therefore, the conditions for improving the functioning of virtual classrooms were assessed as insufficient. Conclusions: To improve the functioning of the virtual classrooms of the Department of Basic Biomedical Sciences at Facultad de Ciencias Médicas Salvador Allende, the creative and innovative use of the activities available on the Moodle platform are required to be encouraged; therefore, the training of professors to assume this activity should be increased. A departmental methodological activity is suggested to be implemented with this purpose(AU)

Uso de la telefonía móvil en el proceso de enseñanza aprendizaje de la oftalmología / The Usage of Mobile Telephony in the Teaching-Learning Process of Ophthalmology

Introducción: La oftalmología es la ciencia de la medicina que se encarga del estudio del sistema visual y el órgano de la visión, así como de sus anexos. Para ello es dotada de un conjunto de tecnologías de avanzada que permite describir las múltiples patologías que tienen los pacientes. En la actualidad se nutre del uso de los dispositivos móviles, fundamentalmente en la gestión del conocimiento, pero no se explotan sus otras dimensiones. Objetivo: Identificar los referentes que fundamentan el uso de la telefonía móvil en el proceso de enseñanza aprendizaje del residente de oftalmología. Métodos: Se realizó una investigación de desarrollo tecnológico en el campo de la educación médica superior. Se utilizaron como métodos teóricos el histórico-lógico, el analítico-sintético y el método sistémico estructural funcional. Resultados: La telefonía móvil constituye una nueva tendencia en la educación superior cubana y en la educación médica como alternativa para desarrollar los procesos de enseñanza aprendizaje, a través de su uso para la socialización, la comunicación entre los estudiantes, y la gestión de la información, como medio de enseñanza aprendizaje y herramienta de trabajo. Conclusiones: Existe una contradicción entre la formación que deben tener los residentes en oftalmología en cuanto al uso de las tecnologías, y la preparación que poseen para su utilización en función de su especialidad. A pesar de que existen varios estudios que demuestran la importancia del uso de la telefonía móvil en la formación de los residentes de oftalmología, como objeto de estudio y herramienta de trabajo, no se ha establecido la vía para incluirla como una de las tecnologías dentro de la residencia de oftalmología en Cuba(AU)

Introduction: Ophthalmology is the medical science dealing with the study of the visual system and the organ of vision, as well as its annexes. For this purpose, it is equipped with a set of advanced technologies that allow describing the multiple pathologies presented by patients. Nowadays, it is nourished by the use of mobile devices, mainly in knowledge management, but its other dimensions are not exploited. Objective: To identify the references that support the use of mobile telephony in the teaching-learning process of ophthalmology residents. Methods: A technological development research was carried out in the field of higher medical education. As theoretical methods, the historical-logical, the analytical-synthetic, and the systemic-structural-functional methods were used. Results: Mobile telephony is a new trend in Cuban higher education, as well as in medical education, as an alternative to develop teaching-learning processes, through its use for socialization, communication among students, and information management, as a teaching-learning means and a work tool. Conclusions: There is some contradiction between the training that ophthalmology residents should receive with respect to the use of technologies and the preparation that they have for their usage in accordance with their specialty. Although there are several studies that demonstrate the importance of using mobile telephony in the training of ophthalmology residents, as an object for studying and a work tool, there has not been a way to include it as one of the technologies within the ophthalmology residency in Cuba(AU)

Universidad latinoamericana y el derecho social a la salud / The Latin-American University and the Social Right to Health

Este artículo se presenta en la sección de Conferencias Magistrales por ser el texto de una conferencia dictada en la IV Conferencia Internacional Educación Médica en el Siglo xxi durante la IV Convención Internacional de Salud, La Habana, octubre de 2022. Se ha mantenido su carácter de discurso oral. Se aborda el tema universidad latinoamericana y el derecho social a la salud, al considerar la relevancia de la salud en el desarrollo social y económico de la población y al tomar en cuenta la importancia de formar recursos humanos comprometidos con la salud como un derecho social, un bien público y una responsabilidad del Estado. Esto permite analizar críticamente el espacio de la salud pública y la formación de los recursos humanos en el siglo xx y el inicio del siglo xxi para aportar a la demanda de una nueva dimensión estratégica que responda, de forma comprometida, a las necesidades y prioridades de salud de nuestras poblaciones(AU)

This article is presented in the Keynote Lectures section because it is the text of a lecture given at the IV International Conference on Medical Education in the 21st Century during the IV International Health Convention, Havana, October 2022. It has been kept as an oral text. The topic on the Latin-American university and the social right to health is addressed, considering the relevance of health in the social and economic development of the population, as well as taking into account the importance of training human resources committed to health as a social right, a public good, and a responsibility of the State. This allows to analyze critically the public health space and the training of human resources in the twentieth century and the beginning of the twenty-first century, in order to contribute to the demand for a new strategic dimension that responds, in a committed manner, to the health needs and priorities of our populations(AU)