COVID-Necessitated Online Radiology Elective Improves Student Imaging Appropriateness in Clinical Case Vignettes

Effectiveness of a virtual reality-based interventional radiology simulator for medical student education

PURPOSE

We developed an interventional radiology (IR) simulator using a virtual reality system (the VR-IR simulator) to teach IR procedures to medical students. In this study, we investigated the effectiveness of this teaching method.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

All ninety-nine fifth-year medical students attended a conventional classroom lecture. To teach students the actual procedure, they were randomly divided into two groups: One received conventional verbal explanations and educator demonstrations (the conventional group [n = 44]), and the other received VR-IR simulator training (the VR-IR simulator group [n = 55]). Afterward, they underwent a test using an augmented reality- (AR-) IR simulator (the VIST® G5 image-guided AR-IR simulator, Mentice, Gothenburg, Sweden). The total procedure time, amount of contrast media used, fluoroscopic time, and patient peak skin dose in the simulated patients were compared between groups. A board-certified radiologist evaluated ten aspects of the procedure technique using a 5-point Likert scale (total: 50 points).

RESULTS

Two students in the VR-IR simulator group were excluded due to VR sickness and simulator malfunction. There were no significant differences between the VR-IR simulator group and the conventional group regarding total procedure time (median [25-75% interquartile range]: 13.5 [11.8-14.5] vs. 14.3 [12.3-16.8] minutes, p = 0.11), fluoroscopic time (10.1 [8.5-13.0] vs. 11.0 [8.6-13.7] minutes, p = 0.31), and patient peak skin dose (276 [243-373] vs. 303 [239-395] mGy, p = 0.57), respectively. However, the amount of contrast media used was significantly lower (28.0 [21.0-36.2] vs. 40.0 [32.3-50.9] mL, p < 0.01) and the technical achievement scores by the radiologist (36 [34-44] vs. 31 [29-32], p < 0.01) were significantly higher in the VR-IR simulator group.

CONCLUSION

The VR-IR simulator helped reduce the amount of contrast media in interventional procedures and improved technical achievement scores.

[High interaction potential of online-only courses with breakout sessions-results of a pilot study]

BACKGROUND

The flipped classroom (FC) is nowadays a popular principle of blended student-centered learning. Students first prepare basic knowledge at home and subsequently meet for consolidation and a more in-depth look at a certain topic. During the COVID-19 pandemic, several groups developed approaches to also transform the characteristic FC second session into an online-only format.

OBJECTIVE

Herein, we present a pilot study on establishing an online-only FC format with elements of collaborative learning and its evaluation by medical students.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

The FC design related to diseases of the salivary glands was transformed into an online-only event. After studying the basic information online, supported by self-made interactive videos and/or lecture recordings, students met in a video conference enriched by breakout sessions, interactive demonstration of the related clinical examination including ultrasound, and a formative assessment. A questionnaire with 27 items was answered by participants to evaluate the concept and the event.

RESULTS

Use of common hard- and software systems led to a technically stable video conference. A total of 55 students completed the questionnaire and were included into data analysis. During the breakout sessions, lively interaction between participants was observed. The evaluation of both the event itself and the related learning progress showed good results despite the lack of preparation beforehand in 27% of participants.

CONCLUSION

Online-only FC designs can result in high satisfaction. High quality of online preparation, a solid technical platform, accurate time management, and a reasonable selection of topics are the main parameters contributing to successful course design. Nowadays, embedding medical imaging can be realized in appropriate quality for educational purposes. The implementation of breakout sessions and voting tools enables collaborative online learning with high levels of interaction and satisfaction for both teachers and students.