RE-AIMing COVID-19 online learning for medical students: a massive open online course evaluation.

BACKGROUND: Clinical training during the COVID-19 pandemic is high risk for medical students. Medical schools in low- and middle-income countries (LMIC) have limited capacity to develop resources in the face of rapidly developing health emergencies. Here, a free Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) was developed as a COVID-19 resource for medical students working in these settings, and its effectiveness was evaluated. METHODS: The RE-AIM (reach, effectiveness, adoption, implementation, and maintenance) framework was utilized to evaluate the effectiveness of MOOC in teaching medical students about COVID-19. The data sources included the student registration forms, metrics quantifying their interactions within the modules, students' course feedback, and free-text responses. The data were collected from the Moodle learning management system and Google analytics from May 9 to September 15, 2020. The research team analyzed the quantitative data descriptively and the qualitative data thematically. RESULTS: Among the 16,237 unique visitors who accessed the course, only 6031 medical students from 71 medical schools registered, and about 4993 (83% of registrants) completed the course, indicating high levels of satisfaction (M = 8.17, SD = 1.49) on a 10-point scale. The mean scores of each assessment modules were > 90%. The free-text responses from 987 unique students revealed a total of 17 themes (e.g., knowing the general information on COVID-19, process management of the pandemic in public health, online platform use, and instructional design) across the elements of the RE-AIM framework. Mainly, the students characterized the MOOC as well-organized and effective. CONCLUSIONS: Medical students learned about COVID-19 using a self-paced and unmonitored MOOC. MOOCs could play a vital role in the dissemination of accurate information to medical students in LMIC in future public health emergencies. The students were interested in using similar MOOCs in the future.

Interprofessional education and social interaction: The use of automated external defibrillators in team-based basic life support.

Automated external defibrillators are pervasive computing devices designed for the treatment and management of acute sudden cardiac arrest. This study aims to explain users' actual use behavior in teams formed by different professions taken after a short time span of interaction with automated external defibrillator. Before the intervention, all the participants were certified with the American Heart Association Basic Life Support for healthcare providers. A statistically significant difference was revealed in mean individual automated external defibrillator technical skills between uniprofessional and interprofessional groups. The technical automated external defibrillator team scores were greater for groups with interprofessional than for those with uniprofessional education. The nontechnical automated external defibrillator skills of interprofessional and uniprofessional teams revealed differences in advantage of interprofessional teams. Students positively accept automated external defibrillators if well-defined and validated training opportunities to use them expertly are available. Uniprofessional teams were successfully supported by their members and, thereby, used automated external defibrillator effectively. Furthermore, the interprofessional approach resulted in as much effective teamwork as the uniprofessional approach.

A review of simulation-enhanced, team-based cardiopulmonary resuscitation training for undergraduate students.

Cardiopulmonary resuscitation training is an essential element of clinical skill development for healthcare providers. The International Liaison Committee on Resuscitation has described issues related to cardiopulmonary resuscitation and emergency cardiovascular care education. Educational interventions have been initiated to try to address these issues using a team-based approach and simulation technologies that offer a controlled, safe learning environment. The aim of the study is to review and synthesize published studies that address the primary question "What are the features and effectiveness of educational interventions related to simulation-enhanced, team-based cardiopulmonary resuscitation training?" We conducted a systematic review focused on educational interventions pertaining to cardiac arrest and emergencies that addressed this main question. The findings are presented together with a discussion of the effectiveness of various educational interventions. In conclusion, student attitudes toward interprofessional learning and simulation experiences were more positive. Research reports emphasized the importance of adherence to established guidelines, adopting a holistic approach to training, and that preliminary training, briefing, deliberate practices, and debriefing should help to overcome deficiencies in cardiopulmonary resuscitation training.

Developing a Simulation-Based Training Program for the Prehospital Professionals and Students on the Management of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome.

INTRODUCTION: Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) is a major global health threat. Prehospital professionals face the risk of infection as they work to save lives. They should be made aware of the disease and be prepared to handle such cases. The aims of our study are to develop a training program about the prehospital management of a MERS case using standardized patient (SP) scenarios, to evaluate the awareness and preparedness of the participants about MERS, and to evaluate the effectiveness of this training. METHODS: We developed 5 scenarios using SPs and an observation form. We included paramedic students and emergency medical service (EMS) providers in our study. They were involved in the simulations. RESULTS: A total of 24 paramedic students and 33 EMS providers participated in our study. Sixteen (84%) of 19 teams recognized the possibility of MERS as a measure of their awareness in the baseline evaluation. The participants lacked donning and doffing personal protective equipments, which revealed their baseline level of preparedness for MERS. Certain improvements in donning and doffing personal protective equipment were observed in the posttraining evaluation. The participants provided positive feedback on the training program. CONCLUSIONS: The training program was appropriate for both paramedic students and EMS providers. A positive educational climate was created. Because the main concerns of this study were awareness and preparedness, which required human interaction, the SP methodology was the optimal simulation modality.

Age and sex estimation by metric measurements and fusion of hyoid bone in a Turkish population.

The hyoid bone is of great importance in forensic medicine practice and it has been studied for various forensic purposes; however, there have been few studies dealing with age and sex estimation using the hyoid bone. Using discriminant function analysis this study attempts to determine the utility of metric measurements and non-metric variations of the hyoid bone in terms of estimation of sex and age in a Turkish population and to find out differences with other populations by comparison of obtained results with the literature. For this purpose, the hyoid bones of 85 cadavers of known sex and age were extracted and 33 measurements were made with a computer program following photography with a camera. In addition to these measurements, the degree of fusion of the greater cornua to the hyoid corpus was examined. Out of 33 measurements, 18 showed significant sex-related differences. There was a sharp rise in hyoid bone fusion in both males and females after the age of 60 years. However, no marked sex-related differences were observed regarding fusion. The unstandardised canonical discriminant function was estimated based on three variables, and the correct classification ratio was 77.4% for males and 81.3% for females. The obtained findings suggest that measurements of hyoid bone can be used for sex estimation in the Turkish population.