Breath of Knowledge: An Interactive Computer-Based Program and Group Exercise to Teach Gas Exchange.

Foundational principles of pulmonary gas exchange are complicated and can be difficult for trainees to master. Computer-based programs can provide opportunities for interactive instruction, but previous literature has not demonstrated the impact of such programs on learning this topic. To evaluate whether the addition of an interactive, clinically relevant computer-based gas exchange program and small-group exercise to reinforce principles of gas exchange improves medical student learning as measured by performance on relevant multiple-choice exam questions. This was a pre-post study design surrounding the implementation of a gas exchange program used during a small-group session with students working through a manual of prepared experiments during the 2023-2024 academic year at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. Student examination scores before program implementation (academic year 2022-23) were compared with student examination scores after program implementation. Questions were dichotomized based on their relevance to the principles reinforced by the program. Student perceptions of the program were assessed by a postcourse survey. When comparing the control ( = 106) and intervention ( = 114) groups, scores improved for both non-gas exchange questions ( < 0.001) and gas exchange questions ( < 0.001). Although the improvement in gas exchange questions was greater than in other questions, this difference did not reach statistical significance ( = 0.09 for the interaction term). Most students were satisfied with the program and rated it more useful than a traditional didactic lecture. At a time when medical school instruction is dominated by lectures with few laboratory-based exercises, we offer this interactive, computer-based program as a strategy to reinforce principles of gas exchange. By tailoring accompanying cases and exercises to different groups of learners, this resource can be implemented in diverse settings.