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Purpose The COVID-19 pandemic has caused significant disruption to medical education and clinical training and resulted in stressors that impede student learning. This study aimed to assess student satisfaction and self-efficacy in a novel online clinical clerkship curriculum delivered during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods Fourth- and fifth-year medical students completed an online survey in January 2021 covering the following areas: student satisfaction, self-efficacy, and perceived effectiveness of online versus face-to-face learning. Results Just over half of students (51%) were satisfied with online clerkship delivery. However, fewer than half of students (46%) believed online learning effectively increased their knowledge, compared to 56% of students who believed face-to-face learning was effective. The perception of the effectiveness of online learning and face-to-face teaching for clinical skills was 18% and 89%, respectively (p < 0.0001). Few students perceived online teaching to be effective for developing social competencies (27%) compared to face-to-face instruction (67%) (p < 0.001). In addition, mean self-efficacy scores were higher for persons who perceived online teaching to be effective for increasing knowledge, improving clinical skills, and developing social competencies. Overall, students’ perception of online learning was strongly associated with online self-efficacy. Conclusion Student satisfaction and perceived self-efficacy in online learning were higher than reported acceptance of online clerkship curriculum.
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INTRODUCTION: In the COVID-19 environment of reduced patient interaction with the healthcare system, evidenced-based self-care of chronic disease is vital. We will evaluate the effect of an online chronic disease self-management programme (CDSMP) plus medication adherence tools on systolic blood pressure (SBP) (primary aim) and, seek to understand the barriers and facilitators to implementation of this modified CDSMP in faith-based organisations (FBOs) (secondary aim). METHODS: We will conduct an unblinded cluster randomised trial in FBOs throughout Barbados. Eligibility: Persons ages 35-70 years; a previous diagnosis of hypertension or currently on antihypertensive therapy and the occurrence of two or more blood pressure readings above 130 mm Hg (systolic) or 80 mm Hg (diastolic) on the day of recruitment. Persons not known to have hypertension but who have two or more blood pressure readings at or above 130 mm Hg (systolic) or 80 mm Hg (diastolic) on two recruitment days at least 1 week apart will also be eligible. The unit of randomisation is a church cluster which consists of 7-9 churches. We will perform block randomisation to assign 24 clusters to intervention or control. The intervention has three components: modified CDSMP workshops, distribution of medication pill boxes and use of social media (WhatsApp V.2.0) to encourage medication adherence. Controls will receive one didactic lecture only. We will determine the mean changes in SBP levels for the intervention group versus controls and compare differences in outcomes 6 months' post intervention using mixed effects regression models. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: This project has received ethical approval from the Institutional Review Board of the University of the West Indies in Barbados. Dissemination will use peer-reviewed publications, policy briefs to government and guidelines to leaders of FBOs. We aim to increase the proportion of patients with controlled hypertension and inform implementation of self-management programmes in small populations. TRAIL REGISTRATION NUMBER: NCT04437966.
