Going viral: A systematic review exploring the impact of COVID- 19 on medical student education in urology

ABSTRACT

Introduction & Objectives: During the COVID-19 pandemic, medical students across the globe were temporarily dismissed from clinical placements. In the field of urology, prevocational exposure is closely linked to medical students' interest in pursuing urology as a career and their confidence in dealing with urological conditions post-graduation. This systemic review evaluates the emerging educational interventions to improve urological knowledge and urology exposure among medical students in the context of a global pandemic. Method(s) A modified PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta- Analyses) search was conducted using MEDLINE and EMBASE were searched with keywords related to urology education, medical education, and medical students. The inclusion criteria were all English language articles in peer-reviewed publications from January 2020- current. Full-text articles were retrieved, evaluated, and included in the final analysis. Result(s) In total, 1255 records were identified through the initial literature search, and 21 full-text articles were reviewed for eligibility. Eight studies met the selection criteria and were included in this review. Most studies were conducted in the United States. All studies utilised online learning platforms or videoconferencing applications as part of their interventions. All studies implemented a combination of interventions, including case-based learning, didactic lectures, and online discussion boards. All studies reported at least one positive finding on Kirkpatrick level 1 or 2. (See table 1 for complete data extraction). Conclusion(s) A wide variety of effective educational interventions has been implemented since 2020 to ensure adequate urology education for medical students. The pandemic largely drove the broad adoption of online learning, and these online resources should be incorporated into pre-existing Australian and New Zealand urology curricula post- COVID, given their effectiveness and popularity among medical students internationally. There was, however, a lack of educational outcomes assessed at higher Kirkpatrick levels. A robust methodology and a larger sample size are needed for future studies.