Evidence map›Paper›PMID 39416848›Full record

ArticleHeliyon2024

Medical education during the COVID-19 pandemic: An online-only course can achieve good to medium psychomotor skill level of basic head and neck examination.

Axel Lechner, Stefan P Haider, Pablo Escrihuela Branz, Benedikt Paul, Fatemeh Kashani, Martin Canis, Florian Schrötzlmair, Kariem Sharaf

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Heliyon, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
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1 · What the graph read from it

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.

2 · The registry

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.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

8 authors.

Axel LechnerDepartment of Otorhinolaryngology, University Hospital, LMU, Marchioninistr. 15, D-81377, Munich, Germany.
Stefan P HaiderDepartment of Otorhinolaryngology, University Hospital, LMU, Marchioninistr. 15, D-81377, Munich, Germany.
Pablo Escrihuela BranzDepartment of Otorhinolaryngology, University Hospital, LMU, Marchioninistr. 15, D-81377, Munich, Germany.
Benedikt PaulDepartment of Otorhinolaryngology, University Hospital, LMU, Marchioninistr. 15, D-81377, Munich, Germany.
Fatemeh KashaniDepartment of Otorhinolaryngology, University Hospital, LMU, Marchioninistr. 15, D-81377, Munich, Germany.
Martin CanisDepartment of Otorhinolaryngology, University Hospital, LMU, Marchioninistr. 15, D-81377, Munich, Germany.
Florian SchrötzlmairDepartment of Otorhinolaryngology, University Hospital, LMU, Marchioninistr. 15, D-81377, Munich, Germany.
Kariem SharafDepartment of Otorhinolaryngology, University Hospital, LMU, Marchioninistr. 15, D-81377, Munich, Germany.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Background/Objectives: New teaching methods are warranted to meet the demand for increased flexibility in medical education while making optimal use of the limited resources of educators. The COVID-19 pandemic forced universities to resort to online-only teaching, even for training of psychomotor skills. The objectives of this study were: (I) to investigate the performance of students without previous experience in ear, nose and throat (ENT) examination after completing an asynchronous online teaching course in an objective standardized clinical examination (OSCE) and (II) to evaluate the degree of over- and underestimation of their abilities. Methods: The study was designed as a prospective, single-institution medical education cohort study. Medical students (n = 54; 3rd/4th year, no previous head and neck examination skills) completed a comprehensive online training for basic head and neck examination skills 1-14 days before undergoing an OSCE on 5 different examination items (cervical lymph node examination, oral/oropharyngeal examination, otoscopy, Weber/Rinne hearing test, anterior rhinoscopy). Expert-evaluated theoretical knowledge and practical abilities were measured using Likert scales (1 = high proficiency to 5 = low proficiency). Participants self-evaluated their own skills before and after the OSCE (5-point Likert scales). Results: Students achieved an overall good to medium skill level in basic head and neck examination after online training. Increased psychomotor complexity of tasks contributed to worse performance. Expert evaluation of practical skills was better in male participants and those who rated their preparation as thorough. Low/no misjudgment (discrepancy between self- and expert-evaluation) was observed in most participants, while high discrepancy levels (strong misjudgment) were mainly attributable to the students' underestimation of their own abilities. Conclusions: Online training of head and neck examination skills is a cost- and resource-efficient introduction to skill training and was inevitable during the pandemic. However, it cannot replace practical hands-on training, especially in tasks with high psychomotor requirements. Refresher-courses could compensate for cancelled skill training during the pandemic.

Indexed as

COVID-19 pandemicMedical educationOnline teachingOtorhinolaryngologyTeaching of examination skills

Identifiers

PMID39416848
PMCPMC11481623

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Registered trials

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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.