Applying the Plan-Do-Study-Act cycle in medical education to refine an antibiotics therapy active learning session

Based case based learning and flipped classroom as a means to improve international students' active learning and critical thinking ability

BACKGROUND

International student education has become an important part of higher education and an important symbol to measure the level of higher education. To change the traditional teaching model, here we introduced a combination of Case-Based Learning (CBL)and Flipped Classroom (FC) into the pathophysiology course for international students. This study aimed to explore whether the active learning ability and critical thinking ability of international students can be improved, based on this new teaching model, improving the innovation ability of teachers' team and students' attitude to the reform.

METHODS

The two chapters of Cardiac Insufficiency and Apoptosis in Pathophysiology are designed as a CBL + FC teaching method. Distribute the Self-assessment Scale on Active Learning and Critical Thinking (SSACT) and satisfaction questionnaire to international students to evaluate teaching reform based on CBL + FC.

RESULTS

Compared with the traditional classroom, the online flipped classroom based on CBL has significantly improved the learning enthusiasm, as these students are required to independently complete literature review, actively participate in classroom teaching, learn to use multiple learning strategies, and collaborate with other students to complete PowerPoint (PPT)production. At the same time, the students' ability to raise problems and solve problems has been greatly improved by analyzing clinical cases; By consulting the literature, the theoretical knowledge learned can be better applied to clinical analysis. The results of the satisfaction survey also show that international students are more likely to accept the flipped classroom teaching mode.

CONCLUSIONS

This teaching mode will stimulate the learning motivation of international students, enhance teaching attraction and increase teaching interaction; At the same time, the CBL + FC teaching method can strengthen the evaluation of international students' in and out of class and online learning, enhance students' active learning ability and critical thinking ability, promote the development of personalized learning, and integrate with international medical education.

Assessment of quality improvement of simulation-based learning using an evidence-based framework in dental education

INTRODUCTION

Simulation-based education is of paramount importance in a dental pre-clinical setting. Hence, continuous quality improvement is crucial to optimize students' knowledge and clinical skills. This study aimed to evaluate the impact of evidence-based simulation learning (EBSL) compared with traditional-based simulation learning (TBSL) using Plan-Do-Study-Act (PDSA) model.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

This quality improvement project was undertaken at a private university. Guided by the PDSA model, rubber dam application tasks were conducted in the simulation lab in 2 phases. Phase 1 included TBSL and phase 2 included EBSL comprising of 2 PDSA cycles. 'Plan' stage involved obtaining feedback from students and the concerned staff. 'Do' stage included implementation of EBSL in eight steps adopted from Higgins's framework. 'Study' stage evaluated the outcomes and in 'Act' stage amendments were made to the first EBSL cycle. In the second PDSA cycle re-implementation and evaluation of the rubber dam application exercises were carried out. Descriptive data were presented as percentages and mean scores were compared using paired t-test.

RESULTS

Thirty-seven year 2 students participated in this study. A significant improvement in the mean scores was observed between TBSL and EBSL (3.02 + 0.16 and 3.91 + 0.27, respectively, p < .001) using PDSA model with the highest mean score for rubber dam application in the second PDSA cycle for EBSL (4.00 + 0.01). Ninety-five per cent of the students provided positive feedback pertaining to EBSL.

CONCLUSION

EBSL was effective in achieving high student satisfaction, desired knowledge, and skills required during simulation-based exercises. The PDSA cycle can be considered to optimize pre-clinical skills learning.

Content and process: using continuous quality improvement to teach and evaluate learning outcomes in quality improvement residency education

Background

Psychiatry has not prioritised quality improvement and patient safety (QIPS) to the same degree as other medical specialties. Professional capacity building in QIPS through the education of residents is essential to improving the quality and safety of mental healthcare delivery.

Local problem

The University of Toronto postgraduate psychiatry program is the largest psychiatry training program in North America. Training in QIPS was introduced in 2006. In 2019, a curricular review found that few trainees acquired competence in QIPS.

Methods

Curricular change was undertaken using Kern’s Six-Step Approach to curricular design. We used a continuous quality improvement framework to inform the evaluation with data collection using an online educational application. We aimed to improve competence in QIPS as demonstrated by assessment of the quality of individual quality improvement projects (IQIP) on an 11-item rubric. We used a family of quality improvement measures to iteratively improve the curriculum over 3 years.

Interventions

We restructured the QIPS curriculum into four case-based seminars for third year psychiatry residents. The curriculum included: clear learning objectives, multimodal instructional methods, and an IQIP.

Results

The mean score on preintervention project evaluations was 5.3/11 (49% (18)), which increased to 9.2/11 (84% (11.5)) with the revised curriculum (t=8.80, two tail, p<0.001; Cohen’s ds2.63). In the first two cohorts of residents to complete the IQIPs, 67/72 (93%) completed at least one Plan-Do-Study-Act cycle, compared with 11/23 (48%) in the 2 years before the new curriculum.

Conclusions

To ensure our trainees were attaining the educational goal of competence in QIPS, we introduced a revised QIPS curriculum and embedded an evaluation rooted in improvement science. This study adds to the limited literature which uses continuous quality improvement to enhance QIPS education, which is particularly needed in mental health.

Towards high reliability in national pathology education: Evaluating the United States and Canadian Academy of Pathology educational product

The United States and Canadian Academy of Pathology (USCAP) leadership undertook a high level, global review of educational product outcomes data using high reliability organization (HRO) principles: preoccupation with failure; reluctance to simplify; sensitivity to operations; commitment to resilience; and deference to expertise. HRO principles have long been applied to fields such as aviation, nuclear power, and more recently to healthcare, yet they are rarely applied to the field that underpins these—and many other—complex systems: education. While errors in education are less calamitous than in air travel or healthcare delivery, USCAP's educational products impact over 15,000 learners a year, and thus have important implications for the future practice of pathology. Here we report USCAP's experiences using HRO principles to evaluate our keystone educational product, the “USCAP Short Course.” Following this novel method of data review, USCAP leadership was able to better understand diverse learner needs based on practice venue, training level, and course topic. Unexpected lessons included the identification of specifically challenging educational topics, such as molecular pathology, and a need to focus more resources on emerging fields such as quality and patient safety. The results allow USCAP to assess educational product performance using HRO tools, and provide strong data-driven decision support for future national pathology education strategy.