Quality assurance and curricular development of medical faculties using graduate surveys: Challenges - proposal of a core questionnaire - implementation guide.

Graduate surveys provide valuable information to further improve and develop an academic study program. The aim of this project report is to point out the relevance of these surveys for medical schools and to offer guidance on planning and implementing such surveys so that comparable evaluations of medical degree programs are possible. The authors of this project report were asked by the MFT working subgroup on Quality Assurance in Education to generate quality recommendations for surveying medical graduates. To accomplish this, the questionnaires used by the medical schools to survey graduates were closely inspected and analyzed. A questionnaire containing core and optional questions was created as part of this project. A comprehensive matrix was also developed listing all of the procedural elements of graduate surveys.

Defining Learning Outcomes as a Prerequisite of Implementing a Longitudinal and Transdisciplinary Curriculum with Regard to Digital Competencies at Hannover Medical School.

BACKGROUND: Worldwide educational programs face the challenge how to define and integrate digital competencies in medical education. This article describes the implementation of learning outcomes with respect to digital competencies in the compulsory curriculum at Hannover Medical School (MHH). METHODS: An interdisciplinary MHH project group was constituted consisting of physicians and experts in medical informatics and in curriculum development. Over the course of 7 work sessions the group compared different international and national frameworks dealing with digital competencies for physicians. By a consensus driven approach the working group drew up a collection of learning outcomes which were regarded relevant to be incorporated in the curriculum at MHH. RESULTS: The analysis of different frameworks indicated that data literacy is a central domain within all viewed preexisting catalogs. During the course of the project group analysis, 57 learning outcomes with respect to digital competencies were identified as necessary to be integrated in the compulsory curriculum. They were divided in 5 main categories: "handling of medical data," "the digital infrastructure of the health system," "scope of application: usage in patient care and in the field of preventive medicine," "medico-legal and ethical basics," and "transformation processes in medicine due to digitalization." CONCLUSIONS: The MHH project group concluded that medical students should be taught digital competencies that enable an understanding of underlying functional principles of digital systems rather than their correct utilization. The presented project indicates that a close interdisciplinary collaboration of physicians and medical informaticians can be a promising approach to incorporate digital competencies in the undergraduate medical curriculum.

Interdisciplinary Teaching of Digital Competencies for Undergraduate Medical Students - Experiences of a Teaching Project by Medical Informatics and Medicine.

The increasing digitalization of medicine stressed the importance of teaching digital competencies in undergraduate medical education. However, in many medical curricula in Germany, medical informatics is underrepresented. Due the upcoming reorganization of medical undergraduate education in Germany, topics previously assigned to medical informatics represent curricular challenges for all medical disciplines. Against this background, experiences from the project DigiWissMed show how medical informatics can support the teaching of digital competencies in all disciplines of medical education. Therefore, interdisciplinary teaching teams of medical informatics professionals and physicians were formed. In different academic years, this teaching teams jointly designed and implemented new seminars to convey digital competencies. The seminars covers topics such as technology acceptance, telemedicine and assistive health care related to the medical specialty. So, in the project DigiWissMed, the practicability and usefulness of interdisciplinary teaching teams to convey digital competencies could be demonstrate. In the digitalization process of medicine, medical informatics plays a key role. For future-proof medical education, experts of this field should be involved in teaching digital competencies, too.

Medical students' experiences with sexual discrimination and perceptions of equal opportunity: a pilot study in Germany.

BACKGROUND: Data is available on sexual discrimination and subjective perceptions of equal opportunity in medical education for many countries. Surveys focussing on sexual harassment have not yet been conducted at German medical schools. METHODS: A student initiative surveyed all medical students at the Hannover Medical School (MHH) using an anonymous online questionnaire on equal opportunity and sexual discrimination to identify potential problems in education. RESULTS: A total of 343 students (15%) participated in the survey. Over 50% reported having either witnessed sexual harassment or experienced it themselves. Female students indicated having experienced sexual harassment three times more often than their male peers; verbal forms of sexual discrimination predominate. These observations and experiences of sexual harassment demonstrated significant influences on many perceptions regarding equal opportunity and equal treatment in the MHH undergraduate medical education at MHH. CONCLUSION: This blind spot in medical education in the German-speaking countries should be scrutinized more closely. The experience of sexism in the context of undergraduate medical education, which has negative effects on students, should no longer be ignored in empirical education research.

[Medical training in palliative care at the Hannover Medical School: development of the interdisciplinary and cross-sectoral education in the cross-sectional subject Q13 (WEISE-Q13)]. / Ärztliche Ausbildung im Fach Palliativmedizin an der Medizinischen Hochschule Hannover ­ Weiterentwicklung der interdisziplinären und sektorenübergreifenden Lehre im Querschnittsbereich Q13 (WEISE-Q13).

BACKGROUND: The implementation of the cross-sectional subject of palliative care (Q13) at medical faculties in Germany is heterogeneous. In faculties without a chair for palliative medicine, other solutions are needed. OBJECTIVES: This study describes the development and implementation process of the new educational concept in Q13 at the Hannover Medical School and its evaluation by medical students and lecturers. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The new educational concept was developed in 2017/18 following the six-step approach of curriculum development by Kern, and was implemented and tested in the academic year 2018/19. Evaluation was assessed in two steps, both in qualitative and quantitative terms (mixed methods): an anonymous written evaluation by students with the option of free text answers and feedback discussions with lecturers. RESULTS: Students and lecturers welcomed the new educational concept in equal measures. Students thought that education in Q13 stimulates reflection on the individual attitude towards the issues of death and dying and prepares them for encounters with terminally ill and dying people. The case-based learning units in particular led to a consolidation of theoretical knowledge (i.e. pain management) with adequate patient orientation. Teachers positively highlighted the organization and the educational material. Content structuring was considered to be particularly helpful. CONCLUSIONS: With the new teaching concept, medical students feel well prepared for the treatment of terminally ill and dying patients. The combination of different learning formats with an interdisciplinary and cross-sectoral focus promotes education with a practical orientation.

HannibaL - the model curriculum at Hannover Medical School: targets, implementation and experiences.

Aim: The model curriculum known as HannibaL is an integrated, professionally-based adaptive curriculum that began at the Hannover Medical School (MHH) during the 2005/06 academic year. HannibaL turns medical students into competent physicians through its patient-based interdisciplinary instruction. This paper provides an overview of the curriculum's creation, educational content and philosophy and reflects on the experience that has been gathered. Also described are organizational and quality assurance measures which were also employed to implement the model curriculum. Method: The central ideas and processes are reported in a primarily narrative manner in an attempt to present the information coherently. The aspects discussed are setting up the model curriculum, central features of teaching and exams with their underlying educational premises; organization and evaluation are also covered in the context of the research literature on curriculum and faculty development. Developing the teaching and learning culture of the model curriculum is also explored. Results: The basic objectives were realized, including the design of learning spirals and intensifying the inclusion of patients and practical elements at the beginning of study. However, plans to allow students more freedom to pursue their own learning and research interests have not yet been satisfactorily implemented. Key areas to support teaching have been expanded (teacher training for instructors, student advising, course evaluations). Conclusion: The model curriculum and its aims are widely recognized and supported not only by medical students and instructors, but also external committees and experts. As a consequence, HannibaL will be developed further in upcoming years to implement the objectives which have not yet been met and to master new challenges faced by medical education.

Perceived usability of the National Competence Based Catalogue of Learning Objectives for Undergraduate Medical Education by medical educators at the Hannover Medical School.

Background: The aim of this study was to assess usability and identify possible challenges in the implementation of the National Competence Based Catalogue of Learning Objectives for Undergraduate Medical Education (NKLM) among medical educators. Methods: A comprehensive survey among experienced medical educators (responsible for the teaching content and didactical development in their module/field) based on the System Usability Scale (SUS) was carried out focusing on the awareness, usability and challenges of the NKLM. Results: The questionnaire was completed by 52 of the 64 addressed educators. Most of the participants had 6-10 years of teaching experience. 30% of the educators were not familiar with the NKLM. During the evaluation of the NKLM, usability was rather poorly rated. However, 71.9% of medical educators agreed that the various aspects of the medical professions were well integrated in the NKLM with only 12,5% stating that they would not use the NKLM for teaching and lesson preparation. Conclusion: The awareness and promotion of the NKLM need to be improved. Furthermore, these data suggest that - although difficult to use - there is a solid acceptance of the content of the NKLM. Medical educators seem to be willing to use the NKLM. Therefore, further attempts to support colleagues with the handling of the NKLM seem to be inevitable to pave the way for a competency-based curricular change.

Hannover model for the implementation of physical and rehabilitation medicine teaching in undergraduate medical training.

As any patient may require rehabilitation and physical therapies, all physicians need to acquire at least a basic knowledge of Physical and Rehabilitation Medicine (PRM). In 2005 PRM teaching was implemented in all phases of the curriculum for medical students in Germany. The curriculum includes, among others, the following topics: principles of rehabilitation; the model of the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF); principles and effects of physiotherapy and occupational therapy; indications and contraindications for PRM interventions. Teaching of PRM topics is implemented from the first week in all phases of the curriculum, as: (i) lectures in the module "Introduction to Medicine (Propaedeuticum)"; (ii) a cross-sectional course entitled "Rehabilitation, Physical Medicine and Naturopathic Treatment (RPMN)"; (iii) single lectures on PRM in other fields; (iv) elective mandatory courses on the social model of rehabilitation, balneology, and others; and (v) the option to choose PRM as a subject for practical training. All modules are evaluated regularly by the students. Global ratings of the module "Propaedeuticum" were good, and of the cross-sectional course "RPMN" very good. The advanced part of the practical training was rated highly by the students. In conclusion, the implementation of teaching of PRM and other rehabilitation topics in undergraduate medical education is a successful concept that fulfils the criteria for education in medical school set out by the American Association of Academic Physiatrists.