Dataset Information

Evaluating the Effectiveness of Interactive Virtual Patients for Medical Education in Zambia: Randomized Controlled Trial.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Zambia is facing a severe shortage of health care workers, particularly in rural areas. Innovative educational programs and infrastructure have been established to bridge this gap; however, they encounter substantial challenges because of constraints in physical and human resources. In response to these shortcomings, strategies such as web-based and blended learning approaches have been implemented, using virtual patients (VPs) as a means to promote interactive learning at the Levy Mwanawasa Medical University (LMMU) in Zambia.

Objective

This study aimed to evaluate the students' knowledge acquisition and acceptance of 2 VP medical topics as a learning tool on a Zambian higher education e-learning platform.

Methods

Using a mixed methods design, we assessed knowledge acquisition using pre- and posttests. In a randomized controlled trial setting, students were assigned (1:1) to 2 medical topics (topic 1: appendicitis and topic 2: severe acute malnutrition) and then to 4 different learning tools within their respective exposure groups: VPs, textbook content, preselected e-learning materials, and self-guided internet materials. Acceptance was evaluated using a 15-item questionnaire with a 5-point Likert scale.

Results

A total of 63 third- and fourth-year Bachelor of Science clinical science students participated in the study. In the severe acute malnutrition-focused group, participants demonstrated a significant increase in knowledge within the textbook group (P=.01) and the VP group (P=.01). No substantial knowledge gain was observed in the e-learning group or the self-guided internet group. For the appendicitis-focused group, no statistically significant difference in knowledge acquisition was detected among the 4 intervention groups (P=.62). The acceptance of learning materials exhibited no substantial difference between the VP medical topics and other learning materials.

Conclusions

In the context of LMMU, our study found that VPs were well accepted and noninferior to traditional teaching methods. VPs have the potential to serve as an engaging learning resource and can be integrated into blended learning approaches at LMMU. However, further research is required to investigate the long-term knowledge gain and the acceptance and effectiveness of VPs in medical education.

Trial registration

Pan African Clinical Trials Registry (PACTR) PACTR202211594568574; https://pactr.samrc.ac.za/TrialDisplay.aspx?TrialID=20413.

SUBMITTER: Horst R

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10501501 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Publications

Evaluating the Effectiveness of Interactive Virtual Patients for Medical Education in Zambia: Randomized Controlled Trial.

Horst Rebecca R Witsch Lea-Mara LM Hazunga Rayford R Namuziya Natasha N Syakantu Gardner G Ahmed Yusuf Y Cherkaoui Omar O Andreadis Petros P Neuhann Florian F Barteit Sandra S

JMIR medical education 20230629

<h4>Background</h4>Zambia is facing a severe shortage of health care workers, particularly in rural areas. Innovative educational programs and infrastructure have been established to bridge this gap; however, they encounter substantial challenges because of constraints in physical and human resources. In response to these shortcomings, strategies such as web-based and blended learning approaches have been implemented, using virtual patients (VPs) as a means to promote interactive learning at the ...[more]

PMID: 37384369

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Project description:BACKGROUND:Organ donation registration rates remain low, especially among people with lower educational levels. An interactive educational intervention was developed to prepare lower-educated students in the Netherlands for making a well-informed decision about organ donation. This article reports on the effects of this intervention on the intention to register (i.e., the primary outcome in the study at hand) and beliefs regarding organ donation. MATERIALS AND METHODS:The effectiveness was investigated in a post-test-only cluster randomized controlled trial, in which the intervention was offered to the experimental group and after measurement also to the control group. Randomization to the experimental and control groups took place at a class level. Teachers of schools for Intermediate Vocational Education who taught a course on Citizenship delivered three intervention elements (i.e., video fragments and discussion, quizzes with tailored feedback and exercise filling out a registration form) to their students during two 50-min lessons. RESULTS:A total of 1170 students participated in the trial and filled out a questionnaire (45 experimental and 43 control classes). Compared to the control group, students in the experimental group had higher odds of having positive registration intentions (OR = 1.81; 95%CI [1.10-2.96]), their perceived knowledge was higher (B = 0.62; 95%CI [0.23-1.01]) and they had higher intentions to talk to family members (B = 0.68; 95%CI [0.28-1.08]) and friends (B = 0.36; 95%CI [0.07-0.66]) about organ donation. There were no effects on the choice students intended to register (OR = 1.08; 95%CI [0.67-1.73]). CONCLUSIONS:Providing education in a classroom setting is an effective tool in increasing registration intentions. Despite uncertainties about the effects on actual registration behavior, a larger-scale dissemination of this intervention is recommended. Providing clear information and opening the discussion about organ donation is an important and promising first step towards higher registration rates. TRIAL REGISTRATION:The Dutch Trial Register, ID: NTR6771. Registered on 24 October 2017. https://www.trialregister.nl/trial/6557.

Project description:BackgroundInteractive and experiential learning programs have proven effective to teach children safety and prevent child unintentional injury. However, previously-published programs were designed primarily to address safety concerns of children living in urban, well-resourced areas, and therefore might be less effective or economically infeasible to distribute to children in resource-limited areas, such as those living in rural areas or underdeveloped regions. This proposed study will evaluate the effectiveness of teaching children safety lessons to rural preschoolers in China through the preschool-based Safety Experience Room intervention that was developed based on relevant theories, the lessons of previous intervention research, the characteristics of child injuries in underdeveloped rural areas, and the needs and circumstances of rural families and preschools in China. The study will also evaluate the cost-effectiveness of delivering the program.Methods and analysisA single-blinded, 12-month follow-up, parallel-group cluster randomized controlled trial with a 1:1 allocation ratio will be implemented in two selected counties. In total, at least 2378 rural preschoolers aged 3-6 years old will be recruited from 12 preschools, 6 in Yang County and 6 in Shicheng County. Clusters will be randomized at the preschool level and allocated to the control group (routine school-based education) or the intervention group (routine school-based education plus the Safety Experience Room education). External support strategies will be implemented by local partners to minimize attrition. Data collection will be conducted at baseline and then every 3 months during a 12-month follow-up time period. Intention-to-treat (ITT) data analysis will be used. Generalized estimation equations (GEE) will evaluate the effectiveness of the program and generalized cost-effectiveness analysis (GCEA) will evaluate the cost-effectiveness of it. A per-protocol (PP) sensitivity analysis will assess the robustness of ITT results. Subgroup analyses will be performed to evaluate the impact of socio-demographic factors on the intervention effect, following the same strategies as the primary analyses.DiscussionThe newly-designed Safety Experience Room program is expected to be feasible, effective, and financially beneficial. If these hypotheses prove true, we will take steps to disseminate the program to rural preschools across China.Trial registrationChinese Clinical Trial Registry ( http://www.chictr.org.cn ), CHiCTR2000038025, registered on 8 September 2020.

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Dataset Information

Evaluating the Effectiveness of Interactive Virtual Patients for Medical Education in Zambia: Randomized Controlled Trial.

Background

Objective

Methods

Results

Conclusions

Trial registration

Publications

Evaluating the Effectiveness of Interactive Virtual Patients for Medical Education in Zambia: Randomized Controlled Trial.

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