ABSTRACT
Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has substantially affected medical school curriculum, limiting access to simulationbased trauma education and core surgical clerkship rotations. Virtual learning has been integrated into medical education as an alternative to live synchronous sessions. However, its effectiveness for teaching critical concepts in trauma resuscitation has not been validated. Moreover, while small-group sessions are an effective pedagogical model in-person, less is known about how they translate to online learning in clerkship. Methods: Medical students were invited to attend a 2-day virtual trauma conference organized by student interest groups at McMaster University and promoted on social media. The event included 9 interactive presentations by physicians and residents in 5 specialties, followed by virtual small-group case discussions. A best-match algorithm assigned students to their preferred small-group sessions. Participants completed anonymous pre- and post-conference trauma knowledge tests and feedback questionnaires. Results were analyzed using paired t tests and descriptive content analysis. Results: A total of 360 students from over 17 medical schools in 5 countries registered to attend the conference. There was a peak of 167 simultaneous connections during presentations and 68 participants during small-group discussions. A total of 131 students (36%) completed the pretest, with a mean baseline score of 3.4 out of 10 (standard deviation [SD] 2.04). Eighty-six students (24%) completed the posttest, with a mean score of 6.3 out of 10 (SD 2.3, p < 0.001). Among students who completed both preand post-tests (20%, n = 73), paired t test analysis reveals a substantial improvement of the mean score of 2.7 out of 10 (SD 2.3, 95% confidence interval 2.17-3.23, p < 0.001). There were no significant correlations between years of education and school attended with pretest performance. Social media enhanced group engagement, resulting in a total of 147 posts, whereby 37.4% were participant generated. Live polling and a moderated chat box improved participation during presentations, with 74% of participants agreeing that the didactic sessions were interactive. The conference was well received. Overall, 95.2% of participants agreed that the online platform was effective and 78.3% agreed that the conference was helpful preparation for clerkship. The response rate for feedback forms for the small group sessions was 58.8% (40/68). Preliminary descriptive analysis revealed 42.5% (17/40) of participants reflected favourably on group interaction during small-group sessions. Overall, 92.7% of the participants rated the small-group discussions as effective. Conclusion: With high participant satisfaction and significantly improved posttest results, this virtual model for trauma education at the medical student level is an effective adjunct to the clerkship curriculum. Virtual small-group case-based discussions and social media were beneficial in enhancing participant engagement. This study has important implications for the future design and implementation of international virtual conferences.