Clinical decision making: a pilot e-learning study

TY - JOUR

T1 - Clinical decision making: a pilot e-learning study

AU - Abendroth, Martin

AU - Harendza, Sigrid

AU - Riemer, Martin

N1 - © Blackwell Publishing Ltd 2013.

PY - 2013/2/1

Y1 - 2013/2/1

N2 - BACKGROUND: As many medical schools focus on student-centred learning strategies, e-learning provides a useful approach to foster clinical decision-making skills in a case-based way. We developed an e-learning module based on real patient cases for final-year students as a self-directed studying tool.METHODS: Ten patient cases were developed from patients treated in the emergency room. Original documents were integrated into the virtual patient system CASUS(®) . In total, 522 students from three different terms of their final year were invited to use the e-learning module. Students filled out a self-assessment questionnaire regarding clinical decision-making skills before and after the module, and were also asked to fill out an evaluation form.RESULTS: Only 30 per cent of the students invited participated in the e-learning module, and even fewer filled out the questionnaires. Nevertheless, the students participating liked the online cases and valued the relevance of the diseases. An increase in the self-assessment rating of clinical decision-making skills after the e-learning module was only seen for students in the first term of their final year. Additionally, those students showed significantly lower scores in their pre-module clinical decision-making skills compared with students in terms two and three of their final year.DISCUSSION:   Even though the overall participation was small, participating students were satisfied with the e-learning module and were motivated to work with the cases. A better integration into the clinical curriculum and a stronger association with an exam might provide an even better learning opportunity for medical students with respect to the acquisition of clinical decision-making skills.

AB - BACKGROUND: As many medical schools focus on student-centred learning strategies, e-learning provides a useful approach to foster clinical decision-making skills in a case-based way. We developed an e-learning module based on real patient cases for final-year students as a self-directed studying tool.METHODS: Ten patient cases were developed from patients treated in the emergency room. Original documents were integrated into the virtual patient system CASUS(®) . In total, 522 students from three different terms of their final year were invited to use the e-learning module. Students filled out a self-assessment questionnaire regarding clinical decision-making skills before and after the module, and were also asked to fill out an evaluation form.RESULTS: Only 30 per cent of the students invited participated in the e-learning module, and even fewer filled out the questionnaires. Nevertheless, the students participating liked the online cases and valued the relevance of the diseases. An increase in the self-assessment rating of clinical decision-making skills after the e-learning module was only seen for students in the first term of their final year. Additionally, those students showed significantly lower scores in their pre-module clinical decision-making skills compared with students in terms two and three of their final year.DISCUSSION:   Even though the overall participation was small, participating students were satisfied with the e-learning module and were motivated to work with the cases. A better integration into the clinical curriculum and a stronger association with an exam might provide an even better learning opportunity for medical students with respect to the acquisition of clinical decision-making skills.

KW - Clinical Competence

KW - Consumer Satisfaction

KW - Decision Making

KW - Education, Distance

KW - Education, Medical, Undergraduate

KW - Humans

KW - Internet

KW - Patient Simulation

KW - Students, Medical

KW - User-Computer Interface

U2 - 10.1111/j.1743-498X.2012.00629.x

DO - 10.1111/j.1743-498X.2012.00629.x

M3 - SCORING: Journal article

C2 - 23294745

VL - 10

SP - 51

EP - 55

JO - CLIN TEACH

JF - CLIN TEACH

SN - 1743-4971

IS - 1

ER -