Department for General, Visceral and Transplantation Surgery, University Hospital RWTH Aachen, Pauwelsstr. 30, 52074, Aachen, Germany.
Department of Nanomedicine and Theranostics, Institute for Experimental Molecular Imaging, RWTH University Clinic and Helmholtz Institute for Biomedical Engineering, Aachen, Germany.
BMC Surg. 2021 Apr 17;21(1):196. doi: 10.1186/s12893-021-01203-5.
During the worldwide COVID-19 pandemic, the quality of surgical education experiences sudden major restrictions. Students' presence in the operating theater and on wards is reduced to a bare minimum and face-to-face teaching is diminished. Aim of this study was therefore to evaluate alternative but feasible educational concepts, such as an online-only-platform for undergraduates.
A new online platform for undergraduate surgical education was implemented. A virtual curriculum for online-only education was designed.
A video-based online platform was designed. Following this, a cohort of medical students participating in a (voluntary) surgical course was randomized into a test and control group. Prior to conducting a written exam, students in the test group prepared using the video platform. Students in the control group prepared with standard surgical text books. Results of the exam were used to compare educational means.
Students in the test group preparing through the video-based online platform reached significantly higher scores in the written exams (p = 0.0001) than students of the control group. A trend towards reduced preparation time that did not reach statistical significance was detectable in the test group (p = 0.090). Scores of "perceived workload" and "desire to become a surgeon" offered no differences between the groups. (p = 0.474 and 1.000).
An online-only, virtual curriculum proved feasible for surgical education in undergraduates. While blended learning concepts were applied in both groups, only the test group had access to case-based videos of surgical procedures and scored significantly better in the written exams. Thus, video-based virtual education offers a realistic alternative to face-to-face teaching or conventional text books in times of restricted access to the operating theatre.
在全球 COVID-19 大流行期间，外科教育质量突然受到严重限制。学生在手术室和病房的存在减少到最低限度，面对面教学减少。因此，本研究旨在评估替代但可行的教育概念，例如为本科生提供的纯在线平台。
为本科生外科教育实施了新的在线平台。设计了一个纯在线教育的虚拟课程。
设计了一个基于视频的在线平台。在此之后，将参加（自愿）外科课程的医学生分为实验组和对照组。在进行书面考试之前，实验组学生使用视频平台进行准备。对照组学生使用标准外科教科书进行准备。使用考试成绩来比较教育手段。
通过基于视频的在线平台进行准备的实验组学生在书面考试中得分显著高于对照组学生（p=0.0001）。实验组中可检测到准备时间减少的趋势，但未达到统计学意义（p=0.090）。“感知工作量”和“成为外科医生的愿望”得分在两组之间没有差异。（p=0.474 和 1.000）。
纯在线、虚拟课程为本科生的外科教育提供了可行的方案。虽然混合学习概念在两组中都得到了应用，但只有实验组可以访问手术程序的基于案例的视频，并且在书面考试中得分显著更高。因此，基于视频的虚拟教育为手术室受限时期的面对面教学或传统教科书提供了一种现实的替代方案。
