ABSTRACT
Photovoice is a participatory action research method in which participants take and narrate photographs to share their experiences and perspectives. This method is gaining in popularity among health researchers. Few studies, however, have described virtual photovoice data collection despite the growing interest among qualitative health researchers for online data collection. As such, the aim of this article is to discuss the implementation of a virtual photovoice study and presents some of the challenges of this design and potential solutions. The study examined issues of social isolation and mental health among older adults during the COVID-19 pandemic in the Canadian province of Québec. Twenty-six older adults took photographs depicting their experience of the pandemic that were then shared in virtual discussion groups. In this article, we discuss three key challenges arising from our study and how we navigated them. First, we offer insights into managing some of the technical difficulties related to using online meeting technologies. Second, we describe the adjustments we made during our study to foster and maintain positive group dynamics. Third, we share our insights into the process of building and maintaining trust between both researchers and participants, and amongst participants. Through a discussion of these challenges, we offer suggestions to guide the work of health promotion researchers wishing to conduct virtual photovoice studies, including with older adults.
ABSTRACT
Background: Centralized examinations are key to competency-based curricula as they are carried out by neutral assessors who are not involved in teaching the learner and allow for evaluation of trainees against their peers. The COVID-19 pandemic has limited the ability to gather to perform in-person evaluations. We sought to assess the effectiveness and end-user experience of virtual centralized Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE) for basic orthopedic surgery modules. Methods: A virtual evaluation process including assessor training followed by online OSCE for basic orthopaedic surgery modules (arthroplasty and trauma) were developed. Surveys were used to assess the effectiveness of the assessor training and the overall examination environment. Results: All 14 assessors completed the post-training survey and agreed that the training session was useful and should be repeated prior to all virtual centralized examinations. Seventy-four percent of residents (n = 17) responded to the survey. Most trainees (59%) recommend that some, but not all, examinations be conducted virtually. The online platform generally did not alter trainees' preparation, comfort levels, stress levels prior to or during the examination, or ability to demonstrate their skills. Technical difficulties were rare, though when they did occur, the trainees perceived it to negatively impact their score. Conclusion: Most residents wished for increased frequency of formative examinations, which is in keeping with the Competence by Design education framework. Given the minimal perceived difference between the virtual and in-person assessment environments, and with the added convenience of virtual examinations, the virtual platform may be a useful tool to facilitate increased frequency of formative assessments for any learner.
ABSTRACT
Background: The COVID-19 third wave in Ontario from April to June 2021 led to a province-wide cancellation of elective surgeries and the development of policies to minimize in-person patient encounters. We aimed to assess the educational impact of the third wave on the orthopedic surgical trainees in a competency-based program. Methods: Qualitative post-third-wave surveys were distributed to residents in postgraduate years (PGY) 1-4 in a competency-based orthopedic training program in Ontario (n = 48). Results: Thirty-one residents (64.5%) responded to the survey. Overall average work hours per week were reduced from 79.3 to 73.3 hours among the junior residents (n = 16) and from 79.7 to 72.5 hours among the senior residents (n = 15). More than half of the residents saw their overall patient encounter volume either decrease or significantly decrease. More senior residents (66.7%, n = 10) reported significant decreases in their operating volume than the junior residents (43.8%, n = 7). Five senior residents (33.3%) and 6 junior residents (37.5%) did not receive credits for their rotation. Of those residents, 4 senior residents (80%) and 2 junior residents (33.3%) perceived that they achieved all expected competencies to pass the rotation. Conclusion: Several residents, especially residents in PGY3 and PGY4, perceived that they achieved the necessary competencies to progress to the next level of training despite seeing reduced work hours, decreased patient encounters, and reduced operating volume during the COVID-19 third wave in Ontario. Further studies on identifying and managing discrepancies pertaining to assessment of residents' performance and faculty's perception of their competence in orthopedic surgery training may be warranted.