Cevik Arif Alper, Abu-Zidan Fikri M
Department of Internal Medicine, Emergency Medicine Section, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, United Arab Emirates University, Al Ain, 15551, United Arab Emirates.
Emergency Department, Tawam Hospital, Al Ain, United Arab Emirates.
Int J Emerg Med. 2024 Nov 22;17(1):178. doi: 10.1186/s12245-024-00764-5.
Research training is important for medical trainees, because it improves their critical thinking, problem-solving, and the application of scientific principles to clinical practice. The COVID-19 Pandemic, which limited trainees' access to hospitals, had also disrupted traditional research training. The International Emergency Medicine Education Project introduced the online Fundamentals of Research in Medicine course to support trainees. The course was designed as an expert interview. This format intended to foster a relaxed learning environment and promote experience sharing rather than transferring only factual information about research. This study assesses the course's effect on participants' perceived knowledge and confidence in research concepts.
A prospective observational mixed-methods research was conducted through the International Emergency Medicine Education Project's online platform. Pre- and post-course surveys measured participants' perceived knowledge and confidence levels across 16 research-related topics. Quantitative survey data were analysed using the Wilcoxon Signed-Rank test, and qualitative feedback was evaluated to explore participants' experiences.
A total of 272 participants enrolled in the course. 168 participants started, and 52 (19.2%) completed the pre- and post-surveys and the course completion exam. Medical students and interns, as well as participants from Africa and Asia, comprised the majority. Most participants were from India. 78.8% of the participants were from low-income or lower-middle-income countries. Participants' perceived knowledge and confidence significantly improved after completing the course, p < 0.001, with large effect sizes (-0.902 and - 0.819, respectively). Qualitative feedback highlighted the course's clarity, simplicity, and effectiveness of the informal interview format. Some participants suggested adding more visual aids and detailed explanations for complex topics.
The online course, designed as an interview format, effectively enhanced participants' perceived research knowledge and confidence. Future studies should incorporate objective measures of research skill acquisition from online courses and evaluate the long-term impact on participants' academic and professional development.
研究培训对医学实习生很重要，因为它能提高他们的批判性思维、解决问题的能力以及将科学原理应用于临床实践的能力。2019冠状病毒病疫情限制了实习生进入医院的机会，也扰乱了传统的研究培训。国际急诊医学教育项目推出了在线医学研究基础课程，以支持实习生。该课程设计为专家访谈形式。这种形式旨在营造轻松的学习环境，促进经验分享，而不仅仅是传授关于研究的事实性信息。本研究评估该课程对参与者在研究概念方面的感知知识和信心的影响。
通过国际急诊医学教育项目的在线平台进行前瞻性观察性混合方法研究。课程前后的调查测量了参与者在16个与研究相关主题上的感知知识和信心水平。定量调查数据采用威尔科克森符号秩检验进行分析，定性反馈则用于探索参与者的体验。
共有272名参与者报名参加该课程。168名参与者开始学习，52名（19.2%）完成了课前和课后调查以及课程结业考试。医学生和实习生以及来自非洲和亚洲的参与者占大多数。大多数参与者来自印度。78.8%的参与者来自低收入或中低收入国家。完成课程后，参与者的感知知识和信心显著提高，p < 0.001，效应量较大（分别为-0.902和-0.819）。定性反馈强调了课程的清晰度、简单性以及非正式访谈形式的有效性。一些参与者建议为复杂主题增加更多视觉辅助工具和详细解释。
设计为访谈形式的在线课程有效地提高了参与者的感知研究知识和信心。未来的研究应纳入对在线课程中研究技能获取的客观测量，并评估对参与者学术和职业发展的长期影响。
