Zoomification of medical education: can the rapid online educational responses to COVID-19 prepare us for another educational disruption? A scoping review

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.36834/cmej.74697

Abstract

Introduction: In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, educators have increasingly shifted delivery of medical education to online/distance learning. Given the rapid and heterogeneous nature of adaptations; it is unclear what interventions have been developed, which strategies and technologies have been leveraged, or, more importantly, the rationales given for designs. Capturing the content and skills that were shifted to online, the type of platforms used for the adaptations, as well as the pedagogies, theories, or conceptual frameworks used to inform the adapted educational deliveries can bolster continued improvement and sustainability of distance/online education while preparing medical education for future large-scale disruptions.

Methods: We conducted a scoping review to map the rapid medical educational interventions that have been adapted or transitioned to online between December 2019 and August 2020. We searched MEDLINE, EMBASE, Education Source, CINAHL, and Web of Science for articles pertaining to COVID-19, online (distance) learning, and education for medical students, residents, and staff. We included primary research articles and reports describing adaptations of previous educational content to online learning.

Results: From an initial 980 articles, we identified 208 studies for full-text screening and 100 articles for data extraction. The majority of the reported scholarship came from Western Countries and was published in clinical science journals. Cognitive content was the main type of content adapted (over psychomotor, or affective). More than half of the articles used a video-conferencing software as the platform to pivot their educational intervention into virtual. Unfortunately, most of the reported work did not disclose their rationale for choosing a platform. Of those that did, the majority chose technological solutions based on availability within their institutions. Similarly, most of the articles did not report the use of any pedagogy, theory, or framework to inform the educational adaptations.

Metrics

Metrics Loading ...

References

Gordon M, Patricio M, Horne L, et al. Developments in medical education in response to the COVID-19 pandemic: a rapid BEME systematic review: BEME Guide No. 63. Med teach. 2020 Nov 1;42(11):1202-15. https://doi.org/10.1080/0142159X.2020.1807484 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/0142159X.2020.1807484

United Nations. Policy Brief: Education during COVID-19 and Beyond. New York: United Nations; 2020 Aug. Retrieved 15 June 2021. Available from: https://www.un.org/development/desa/dspd/wp-content/uploads/sites/22/2020/08/sg_policy_brief_covid-19_and_education_august_2020.pdf

Byrnes KG, Kiely PA, Dunne CP, McDermott KW, Coffey JC. Communication, collaboration and contagion: “Virtualisation” of anatomy during COVID‐19. Clin Anat. 2021 Jan;34(1):82-9. https://doi.org/10.1002/ca.23649 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/ca.23649

Figueroa F, Figueroa D, Calvo-Mena R, Narvaez F, Medina N, Prieto J. Orthopedic surgery residents’ perception of online education in their programs during the COVID-19 pandemic: should it be maintained after the crisis?. Acta Orthop. 2020 Sep 2;91(5):543-6. https://doi.org/10.1080/17453674.2020.1776461 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/17453674.2020.1776461

Gupta MP, Sridhar J, Wykoff CC, Yonekawa Y. Ophthalmology conferences in the coronavirus disease 2019 era. Curr Opin Ophthalmol. 2020 Sep 1;31(5):396-402. https://doi.org/10.1097/ICU.0000000000000688 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1097/ICU.0000000000000688

Schwarzkopf R, Maher NA, Slover JD, Strauss EJ, Bosco JA, Zuckerman JD. The response of an orthopedic department and specialty hospital at the epicenter of a pandemic: the NYU Langone health experience. J arthroplasty. 2020 Jul 1;35(7):S3-5. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.arth.2020.04.041 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.arth.2020.04.041

Shahrvini BB, Coffey CS, MacDonald BB, Lander SL. Pre-Clinical Remote Undergraduate Medical Education During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Survey Study. Res Squ. 2020 Jun 10:rs-3. https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-33870/v1 DOI: https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-33870/v1

Srinivasan DK. Medical Students' Perceptions and an Anatomy Teacher's Personal Experience Using an e-Learning Platform for Tutorials During the Covid-19 Crisis. Anat Sci Educ. 2020 May;13(3):318-9. https://doi.org/10.1002/ase.1970 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/ase.1970

James HK, Pattison GT. Disruption to surgical training during Covid-19 in the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, and Australasia: a rapid review of impact and mitigation efforts. J Surg Educ. 2021 Jan 1;78(1):308-14. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jsurg.2020.06.020 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jsurg.2020.06.020

Arksey H, O'Malley L. Scoping studies: towards a methodological framework. Int J Soc Res Metho. 2005 Feb 1;8(1):19-32. https://doi.org/10.1080/1364557032000119616 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/1364557032000119616

Tricco AC, Lillie E, Zarin W, et al. PRISMA extension for scoping reviews (PRISMA-ScR): checklist and explanation. Ann Intern Med. 2018 Oct 2;169(7):467-73. https://doi.org/10.7326/M18-0850 DOI: https://doi.org/10.7326/M18-0850

Halas G, Schultz AS, Rothney J, et al.. A scoping review protocol to map the research foci trends in tobacco control over the last decade. BMJ Open 2015;5:e006643 10.1136/bmjopen-2014-006643. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2014-006643

Kastner M, Tricco AC, Soobiah C, et al.. What is the most appropriate knowledge synthesis method to conduct a review? Protocol for a scoping review. BMC Med Res Methodol 2012;12:114 10.1186/1471-2288-12-114 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1186/1471-2288-12-114

American College of Surgeons. What are the surgical specialties?. American College of Surgeons. 2021. Retrieved 9 Nov 2020. Available from: https://www.facs.org/education/resources/medical-students/faq/specialties

Lee JS, Chan JJ, Ithnin F, Goy RW, Sng BL. Resilience of the restructured obstetric anaesthesia training programme during the COVID-19 outbreak in Singapore. Int J Obstet Anesth. 2020 Aug;43:89. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijoa.2020.04.002 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijoa.2020.04.002

Almarzooq ZI, Lopes M, Kochar A. Virtual learning during the COVID-19 pandemic: a disruptive technology in graduate medical education. J Am Coll Cardiol. 2020 May 26;75(20):2635-8. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jacc.2020.04.015 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jacc.2020.04.015

Guerandel A, McCarthy N, McCarthy J, Mulligan D, Lane A, Malone K. An approach to teaching psychiatry to medical students in the time of Covid-19. Ir J Psychol Med. 2021 Dec;38(4):293-9. https://doi.org/10.1017/ipm.2020.87 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/ipm.2020.87

Moszkowicz D, Duboc H, Dubertret C, Roux D, Bretagnol F. Daily medical education for confined students during coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic: A simple videoconference solution. Clin Anat. 2020 Sep;33(6):927-8. https://doi.org/10.1002/ca.23601 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/ca.23601

Downloads

Published

2023-05-08

How to Cite

1.
Rojas D, Tailor J, Fournier K, Cheung JJ, Rangel C. Zoomification of medical education: can the rapid online educational responses to COVID-19 prepare us for another educational disruption? A scoping review . Can. Med. Ed. J [Internet]. 2023 May 8 [cited 2024 Nov. 17];14(5):33-48. Available from: https://journalhosting.ucalgary.ca/index.php/cmej/article/view/74697

Issue

Section

Reviews, Theoretical Papers, and Meta-Analyses