ABSTRACT
Contribution: Although engineering hackathon events are common, this is one of the first reports of such an event used for the purpose of teaching engineering students about public health concepts. Results from this study suggest that hackathons are an effective format for teaching topics that are not core to the engineering discipline in a short period of time. Background: The current COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the essential role that computer scientists and engineers have in controlling disease outbreaks. However, engineering programs generally do not provide training on public health issues. Thus, there is a critical need to develop innovative and engaging ways to educate engineering students about public health without interfering with required discipline-specific content. Intended Outcomes: Hackathons, short-term events, held outside of the classroom, can provide an engaging and effective method for increasing the interest and knowledge of engineering students in disease outbreaks. In this article, the effectiveness of a hack day in increasing the interest and knowledge of engineering students in disease outbreaks is assessed. Application Design: One-hundred-six undergraduate students, 30 of whom were engineering majors, participated in a multidisciplinary disease focused hackathon. Student learning and engagement during the hackathon was assessed for the 30 engineering students that participated through pre- and post-event surveys. Findings: The results indicated that the hackathon increased both content knowledge and engagement of engineering students in public health issues. Additionally, students gained an increased understanding of public health professions and how they can contribute to disease tracking, prevention, and treatment. Therefore, hackathons are an effective and efficient tool for teaching engineering students about topics outside of their discipline.
ABSTRACT
Introduction Patient education and engagement is a priority for heart failure (HF) care but given low health literacy and high anxiety around diagnosis in HF, consultations and written materials may not be the optimum medium for this, particularly with the rise in remote consultations following the Covid-19 pandemic. Mobile applications (Apps) have shown early promise as patient education tools. In particular, 'Avatar'-based Apps, where a virtual, interactive 3D character serves as a teacher, have shown potential in other conditions such as ischaemic heart disease and rheumatoid arthritis. Methods A moderated, structured focus group of 8 HF patients and one patient carer was held to explore their experiences with patient education and identify areas in which HF education and knowledge of self-care was lacking. All participants shared their thoughts during moderated discussion, and recurring themes were identified. Participants then developed a 'curriculum' of topics that they considered most important in an educational App, with input from the HF team. Results Key themes that emerged from patients' prior experience of patient education included feelings of being overwhelmed and isolated during the initial diagnosis of HF, the importance of a trusted medium for accessing health information (and fear of misinformation), and 'a picture says a thousand words' - visual information was easier to absorb than text. The educational curriculum developed by participants prioritised the following areas: impact on lifestyle, medical management (including the importance of HF medicines), lifestyle changes and care planning, and self-management (including monitoring for signs of deterioration). A prototype App was developed in conjunction with Cognitant Group, using an Avatar (figure 1). The Avatar was designed to be a patient expert in HF, aged ∼65 years old. A living room setting was picked for the content for viewers to feel more relaxed. For Avatar movements to seem natural, voice and movements were recorded and synchronised using motion-capture technology. The first module entitled 'Living with heart failure' outlines of the following topics: explaining HF and the typical patient journey, the purpose of HF medications, lifestyle advice (including exercise and healthy eating, smoking and alcohol, sex and relationships), self-monitoring of HF symptoms, when to call for help and signposts to trusted HF educational resources. Acceptability of the App is currently being evaluated in the HF cohort at this specialist centre. Conclusions Avatar-based Apps may be a useful tool in patient education in HF when co-designed with patients. Further research will evaluate the acceptability of such an App to a cohort of patients in a specialist HF centre.