ArticlePloS one2021
How COVID-19 kick-started online learning in medical education-The DigiMed study.
Article in PloS one, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 61 papers.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
61 citing papers in PubMed.
- The Role of Augmented Reality in Advancing Medical Training Techniques: A Pilot RCT Study on Cricothyroidotomy.Yonsei medical journal · 2026Trial
- The effect of self-reflection on the outcomes of online clinical skills training: a comparative study.Advances in health sciences education : theory and practice · 2025Trial
- Contemporary perspectives and debates in student ultrasound education: exploring didactic elements and theoretical aspects.BMC medical education · 2026Review
- Social media engagement and professional identity among Indonesian medical students: a cross-sectional analysis of patterns, intensity, and correlation.Korean journal of medical education · 2026Article
- The Influence of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Current Teaching Methods, Training, and Perception Among Romanian Surgery-Oriented Students: Cross-Sectional Study.JMIR formative research · 2026Observational
- Factors affecting medical students' attendance on clinical attachments: a qualitative focus group study.BMC medical education · 2026Article
- Perception of online learning, knowledge assessment, and clinical skills among third-year ophthalmology residents studying during the COVID-19 pandemic in Thailand.Scientific reports · 2026Article
- Learning together: a narrative review of external resources for medical education through a shared student-faculty lens.Annals of medicine · 2025Review
- Article
- Teaching methods, facilities, and institutions in student ultrasound education (SUSE): e-learning, simulation, and ultrasound skills labs.Journal of ultrasonography · 2025Review
- Self-rated benefits and knowledge gain from e-learning: the longitudinal use of an online learning experience at an international medical school.BMC medical education · 2025Article
- Nursing knowledge in cardio-oncology: results of an international learning needs-assessment survey.Cardio-oncology (London, England) · 2025Article
- Pedagogical innovation and educator wellbeing in UK audiology teaching: cross-institutional insights from the COVID-19 experience.Frontiers in medicine · 2025Article
- From Crisis to Opportunity: Reinventing Medical Education After COVID-19.Perspectives on medical education · 2025Article
- Microscopy without a microscope? Opportunities and limitations of dental studies in anatomy during the COVID-19 pandemic in Germany.MedEdPublish (2016) · 2025Article
- Design and validation of a cross-cultural virtual exchange experience among bilingual medical students.Frontiers in medicine · 2025Article
- Physician preferences for Online and In-person continuing medical education: a cross-sectional study.BMC medical education · 2024Article
- Student advanced trauma management and skills (SATMAS): a validation study.European journal of trauma and emergency surgery : official publication of the European Trauma Society · 2024Article
- Self-study and online interactive case-based discussion to improve knowledge of medical students in the COVID-19 era.BMC medical education · 2024Article
- Shared Decision-Making Training in Family Medicine Residency: A Scoping Review.Korean journal of family medicine · 2024Article
1 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
29 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundThe coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic led to far-reaching restrictions of social and professional life, affecting societies all over the world. To contain the virus, medical schools had to restructure their curriculum by switching to online learning. However, only few medical schools had implemented such novel learning concepts. We aimed to evaluate students' attitudes to online learning to provide a broad scientific basis to guide future development of medical education.
methodsOverall, 3286 medical students from 12 different countries participated in this cross-sectional, web-based study investigating various aspects of online learning in medical education. On a 7-point Likert scale, participants rated the online learning situation during the pandemic at their medical schools, technical and social aspects, and the current and future role of online learning in medical education.
resultsThe majority of medical schools managed the rapid switch to online learning (78%) and most students were satisfied with the quantity (67%) and quality (62%) of the courses. Online learning provided greater flexibility (84%) and led to unchanged or even higher attendance of courses (70%). Possible downsides included motivational problems (42%), insufficient possibilities for interaction with fellow students (67%) and thus the risk of social isolation (64%). The vast majority felt comfortable using the software solutions (80%). Most were convinced that medical education lags behind current capabilities regarding online learning (78%) and estimated the proportion of online learning before the pandemic at only 14%. In order to improve the current curriculum, they wish for a more balanced ratio with at least 40% of online teaching compared to on-site teaching.
conclusionThis study demonstrates the positive attitude of medical students towards online learning. Furthermore, it reveals a considerable discrepancy between what students demand and what the curriculum offers. Thus, the COVID-19 pandemic might be the long-awaited catalyst for a new "online era" in medical education.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.