[Surgical Education in the Digital Age - Virtual Reality, Augmented Reality and Robotics in the Medical School]. / Chirurgische Ausbildung im digitalen Zeitalter ­ Virtual Reality, Augmented Reality und Robotik im Medizinstudium.

BACKGROUND: The digital transformation of healthcare is changing the medical profession. Augmented/Virtual Reality (AR/VR) and robotics are being increasingly used in different clinical contexts and require supporting education and training, which must begin within the medical school. There is currently a large discrepancy between the high demand and the number of scientifically proven concepts. The aim of this thesis was the conceptual design and structured evaluation of a newly developed learning/teaching concept for the digital transformation of medicine, with a special focus on the influence of surgical teaching. METHODS: Thirty-five students participated in three courses of the blended learning curriculum "Medicine in the digital age". The 4th module of this course deals with virtual reality, augmented reality and robotics in surgery. It is divided into the following course parts: (1) immersive surgery simulation of a laparoscopic cholecystectomy, (2) liver surgery planning using AR/VR, (3) basic skills on the VR simulator for robotic surgery, (4) collaborative surgery planning in virtual space and (5) expert discussion. After completing the overall curriculum, a qualitative and quantitative evaluation of the course concept was carried out by means of semi-structured interviews and standardised pre-/post-evaluation questionnaires. RESULTS: In the qualitative evaluation procedure of the interviews, 79 text statements were assigned to four main categories. The largest share (35%) was taken up by statements on the "expert discussion", which the students consider to be an elementary part of the course concept. In addition, the students perceived the course as a horizon-widening "learning experience" (29% of the statements) with high "practical relevance" (27%). The quantitative student evaluation shows a positive development in the three sub-competences knowledge, skills and attitude. CONCLUSION: Surgical teaching can be profitably used to develop digital skills. The speed of the change process of digital transformation in the surgical specialty must be considered. Curricular adaptation should be anchored in the course concept.

Digital skills for medical students - qualitative evaluation of the curriculum 4.0 "Medicine in the digital age".

Introduction: The digital transformation has far-reaching implications for the qualification profile of medical students, which have not been addressed in medical studies so far. Teaching concept: The competence-oriented blended learning curriculum "Medicine in the digital age" has been implemented at Mainz University Medical Centre since 2017. It represents a curricular reform project of the "Curriculum 4.0" program (Stifterverband). In six modules, the qualification requirements for digital skills are addressed. Evaluation Methodology: The qualitative evaluation of the course concept took place in the form of semi-structured interviews. All 58 participants from five courses were interviewed. Results: Using the "Qualitative Content Analysis" according to Philipp Mayring, the statements were divided into deductive main categories (process, content, methodology, learning success, learning experience and conclusion). The results reflect the student's view of the curriculum and the current qualification needs that still need to be specialised. Discussion: The didactic teaching of digital skills is a relevant and highly topical component of the further development of medical studies. In this development, the focus is not only on technological skills, but also on the.