What is the future of remote learning in medical education?

It’s no secret that globally education took a massive left turn due to the covid pandemic. In Academic Hospitals the teachers and students had to split their attention between education and critical patient care [1].  Although things are returning (more or less) to normal, the pandemic gave rise to many new ways of teaching and learning within the medical education market. This article will look at different ways remote learning was utilized during the pandemic, and how these procedures impacted how we teach.

What does a digital future of healthcare education look like?

Having explored the teaching methods during the pandemic, many educational institutions incorporated blended learning methodologies into their curricula [2][3]. Of the number of different methods utilized, a number of technologies stood out as popular choices:

SIMULATIONS

‘The role of simulation in healthcare education is to transition an academic learner to a practicing clinician.’ - Nathan Costiuc [4]

Simulations, as the name implies, is a practice where you (digitally) simulate a particular situation to try and imitate the simulated procedures. Simulation training can be implemented at different stages of the educational cycle. For instance, simulations can be used to help teach anatomy and physiology. Later, simulation may be used to practice certain procedures and might even be able to perform a thorough assessment of a particular process [4]. Simulation-based training in healthcare has demonstrated positive learning outcomes and effectively prepared trainees for situations during clinical experiences. [5]

ONLINE COURSES

‘Online courses during both the COVID-19 pandemic and the 2014-15 Ebola epidemic in West Africa were successful in providing standardized education’ - Peter P. Moschovis [5]

This method of learning is any such which educates one remotely and online. Including a wide variety of methods (often simulation also falls under online learning), online courses and videos were one of the most common methods of online learning during the pandemic. These courses have been shown to ‘increase accessibility’ and reach more diverse and dispersed audiences yet also decrease a sense of immersion and community [5]. However, a blended format of online courses with enough opportunity for physical connection may help alleviate the drawbacks of online courses.

GAMIFICATION

‘Gamification is rapidly becoming a trend in health profession education’ - van Gaalen [6]. 

Also called gamified learning, this method of learning is a unique way of education that incorporates elements of games into the curriculum. Gamified learning does not actually always consist of playing games. Instead, it's the addition of certain elements of games, such as leaderboards, points, or prizes, while the intention and setting of the teaching process remains that of education and learning. 

What are some problems with current eLearning and online education methods

Although there are many positives to eLearning practices in healthcare education,  many of the styles included in the above-discussed applications may not be suitable methods of learning for disciplines that require practical demonstrations. Engagement and interaction between learner and teacher are also often mentioned as demotivating factors, as the human connection is removed. 

BLENDED LEARNING

It is, however, unlikely that the online and eLearning trends seen within medical education won't continue for the next few years. Likely, is likely that a combination of online learning and physical learning will become the norm [3], encouraging the best each method of teaching has to offer. With this in mind, it’s likely educational curricula will shift to and remain more digital and start looking for tools that effectively help them do so.

THE CRESCENT VISION LIVE

One tool that may help move medical curricula online, is the Crescent Vision Live. Aimed at increasing the accessibility of digital and remote surgical education, the live streaming solution Crescent Vision Live, makes sharing high-grade surgical footage easy for both the surgeon and the audience. Enabled by the smart headcam, the Crescent Vision Live is a live streaming service that adds an immersive touch by directly streaming the perspective of the surgeon to the viewers, while simultaneously facilitating two way communication.  

Adding such a system to the curriculum might close the gap in the student’s ability to independently perform surgeries. Want to know more? Organize a demo here.