Telephone-based communication training in the era of COVID-19

COVID-19: Development and implementation of a video-conference-based educational concept to improve the hygiene skills of health and nursing professionals in the Republic of Kosovo

INTRODUCTION

The COVID-19 pandemic caught the health care systems of all countries unprepared. For the further education of healthcare personnel in the Republic of Kosovo, it became necessary to implement a concept for practical training in hygienic working. A video-conference-based educational concept to bridge the physical distance between Germany and Kosovo enabled the rapid, theoretical and practical transfer of knowledge.

METHODS

Current evidence on COVID-19 and Standard Operation Procedures (SOP) were researched. Healthcare staff in Pristina were advised and trained in ten online sessions on hygienic working under pandemic conditions via the "Logitech Rally for DFNconf" video conferencing system. The seminars were interpreted consecutively (Albanian). The Situational Judgement Test (HygiKo-SJT) should describe changes in participants' hygiene knowledge.

RESULTS

A total of 25 people were trained in hygiene-related knowledge in terms of basic and specific hygiene for COVID-19. The weekly training sessions made it possible to address questions and subsequently provide practical knowledge. The HygiKo-SJT did not show a generalizable, measurable improvement in hygiene competence.

CONCLUSION

Participants benefited from the concept and rapid implementation of a live video-conference-based seminar on "Hygiene under Pandemic Conditions". The positive experience in terms of guidance, advice and training provides the basis for implementing a dedicated "Hygiene" module in Kosovo.

Telephone-Based Structured Communication Simulation Program for the Follow-Up of COVID-19 Cases and Contacts in Primary Care

(1) The COVID-19 pandemic has had many consequences on health systems worldwide. In the Spanish health system, telephone-based consultations were coupled to in-person consultations. This type of consultation was mainly a challenge for the primary care teams, who had to assume the greatest load of care provision. The objective of the present study was to discover the satisfaction and perception of health professionals related to a training program on efficient communication based on high-fidelity simulation. (2) Methods: A cross-sectional descriptive study based on a convergent and parallel mixed method. The satisfaction and perception of 275 health professionals associated with COVID-19 training based on the structured communication model CERCAR© was analyzed. (3) Results: The assessment of the satisfaction with the training and methodology was high. With respect to the transfer of information, the participants gave a high score to the categories of consolidation of learning, applicability to their work, and benefits for the institution. The qualitative results supported these findings. (4) Conclusions: The training program and its virtual modality were well received, and had a high degree of transference. The application of active, online learning methodologies is a relevant format for continuous education.

A scoping review on adaptations of clinical education for medical students during COVID-19

Rapid advances in clinical education in response to the COVID-19 pandemic are taking place globally. This scoping review updated the educational strategies which could be applied by clinical educators in their practice to effectively maintain clinical attachment programs for medical students amidst public health crises. Almost all elements of clinical teaching were deliverable, whether it was online, onsite, virtual or blended, their educational effectiveness should be further examined. Increase in the number of telemedicine related publications were remarkable, and they could serve as a scalable model for future educational programs to be incorporated into the medical student curricula.