Social networking website increases efficacy and engagement in a distance learning course about oral lesions.

PURPOSE: Distance learning appears to be an attractive approach to continuing education courses, but one barrier is maintaining learner engagement throughout the course. The primary aim of this research was to evaluate the operational efficacy of a private Facebook™ group (FG) in serving as a support mechanism for distance learning courses, and its impact on three fundamental dimensions: the attrition rates of participants who did not complete the course (commonly referred to as dropout rates), the rates of course completion and approval, and the overall performance of the participants. METHODS: The participants of this quasi-experimental study comprised 159 dental students and 565 dentists enrolled in an e-learning course on oral mucosal lesion diagnosis. Prior to the initiation of the course, all participants were provided with the option to join a private FG. Within this group, moderators shared motivational messages and provided reminders concerning deadlines. Moreover, participants had the opportunity to engage in interactive discussions pertaining to topics related to the course. The course itself followed a self-guided format, employing the flipped-classroom methodology, spanning a total of 50 instructional hours. In order to assess the effectiveness of the course, participants were presented with photographs illustrating 30 oral lesions and were asked to propose diagnostic hypotheses both before and after the educational intervention (pre-tests and post-tests). RESULTS: Dentists who participated in the FG exhibited a significantly lower rate of discontinuation. As for dental students, their involvement in the group was positively associated with better performance, as determined by the percentage of accurate diagnostic hypotheses (a minimum of 70% correct responses was required for their approval in the course). CONCLUSIONS: Facebook™ demonstrates promise as a supplementary pedagogical tool in distance education courses. The interactive nature of the platform has the potential to alleviate the inherent challenges of remote learning.

Computer-Supported Collaborative Design of Standardized Clinical Cases: Algorithm Development and Validation.

Background: The creation of computer-supported collaborative clinical cases is an area of educational research that has been widely studied. However, the reuse of cases and their sharing with other platforms is a problem, as it encapsulates knowledge in isolated platforms without interoperability. This paper proposed a workflow ecosystem for the collaborative design and distribution of clinical cases through web-based computing platforms that (1) allow medical students to create clinical cases collaboratively in a dedicated environment; (2) make it possible to export these clinical cases in terms of the Health Level 7 (HL7) Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resources (FHIR) interoperability standard; (3) provide support to transform imported cases into learning object repositories; and (4) use e-learning standards (eg, Instructional Management Systems Content Packaging [IMS-CP] or Sharable Content Object Reference Model [SCORM]) to incorporate this content into widely-used learning management systems (LMSs), letting medical students democratize a valuable knowledge that would otherwise be confined within proprietary platforms. Objective: This study aimed to demonstrate the feasibility of developing a workflow ecosystem based on IT platforms to enable the collaborative creation, export, and deployment of clinical cases. Methods: The ecosystem infrastructure for computer-supported collaborative design of standardized clinical cases consists of three platforms: (1) Mosaico, a platform used in the design of clinical cases; (2) Clavy, a tool for the flexible management of learning object repositories, which is used to orchestrate the transformation and processing of these clinical cases; and (3) Moodle, an LMS that is geared toward publishing the processed clinical cases and delivering their course deployment stages in IMS-CP or SCORM format. The generation of cases in Mosaico is exported in the HL7 FHIR interoperability standard to Clavy, which is then responsible for creating and deploying a learning object in Moodle. Results: The main result was an interoperable ecosystem that demonstrates the feasibility of automating the stages of collaborative clinical case creation, export through HL7 FHIR standards, and deployment in an LMS. This ecosystem enables the generation of IMS-CPs associated with the original Mosaico clinical cases that can be deployed in conventional third-party LMSs, thus allowing the democratization and sharing of clinical cases to different platforms in standard and interoperable formats. Conclusions: In this paper, we proposed, implemented, and demonstrated the feasibility of developing a standards-based workflow that interoperates multiple platforms with heterogeneous technologies to create, transform, and deploy clinical cases on the web. This achieves the objective of transforming the created cases into a platform for web-based deployment in an LMS.

Use of an audience response system during a continuing education action about oral lesion diagnosis.

OBJECTIVES: The present cross-sectional study aimed to evaluate the perceptions of continuing education action (CEA) participants on the use of an audience response system (ARS). Secondarily, the study assessed the association between the diagnostic abilities of participants and their self-confidence in managing oral lesions METHODS: Oral medicine specialists, dentists, hygienists, and students (n = 193) who attended the 'Maio Vermelho Project', a CEA held in a Southern Brazilian State, answered a diagnostic ability test using the ARS Socrative software during a case discussion section. The test comprised 16 simulated clinical cases based on photos of oral lesions. The questions required classification of the lesion's nature, diagnostic hypothesis, and decision making (manage the case or refer it to a specialist) for each case. A second questionnaire composed of 12 questions was also applied to evaluate satisfaction and perception of the use of ARS Socrative RESULTS: Hygienists displayed lower scores in the diagnostic abilities test, whereas the other groups' performances were quite similar. Dentists and dental students who scored higher on the diagnostic abilities test showed higher self-confidence in the management of benign lesions. All participants stated that the use of technology can improve their learning experience and should be incorporated into the classroom. Moreover, the participants' perception was highly favorable to the use of Socrative in educational activities CONCLUSION: Our findings showed good acceptance of the ARS tool in a CEA environment and suggest an association between performance on the questionnaire and self-confidence in oral lesion management.

Effect of a Video-Based Case Presentation Educational Intervention Anchored on the Theory of Planned Behavior on Adoption of Oral Health Behaviors Among Dental Patients: A Quasi-Experimental Study / Efecto de una intervención educativa de presentación de casos en video basada en la teoría del comportamiento planificado sobre la adopción de comportamientos de salud oral entre los pacientes dentales: un estudio cuasi-experimental

ABSTRACT: Objective: The integration of video technology in case-based presentations are useful approaches in teaching real-world problems that ultimately improves an individual's ability to reflect, analyze, and decide regarding any circumstance leading to change in behavior. Anchored on the Theory of Planned Behavior, this study aims to determine the effectiveness of an online case-based video patient education tool on the adoption of oral health behaviors by patients in the dental setting. Materials and Methods: The study was carried on 74 dental patients who were selected using simple sampling (37 patients each in Groups I and II). The two groups differed in presence (Group I-Control) or absence (Group II-Experimental) of prior exposure to professional oral care before Patient Educational Intervention through video-based case presentation was performed in the control and experimental groups. Data were collected using a questionnaire and analyzed by the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences version 18 software at 0.05 significance level. Results: A total of 37 participants per group in Groups I and II (N=74) responded to the pre-test phase and post-test phase. The pre-test mean scores of Groups I and II were 11.43 and 15.05, respectively. The post-test mean score of Groups I and II were 10.81 and 12.76, respectively. There is no statistical significance seen in the pre-test mean score and the post-test mean score of the patients who experienced professional oral health care (Group I) (p=0.113). However, there is a statistical significance in the mean pre-test score and the mean post-test score among patients who never experienced professional oral health care (Group II) (p=0.032). Conclusion: The study revealed that the video-based case presentations is an effective patient education strategy for dental patients who have never experienced professional oral health care manifested as a decline in the degree of dental neglect.

RESUMEN: Objetivo: La integración de la tecnología de video en presentaciones basadas en casos son enfoques útiles para enseñar problemas del mundo real que, en última instancia, mejoran la capacidad de un individuo para reflexionar, analizar y decidir sobre cualquier circunstancia que conduzca a un cambio de comportamiento. Anclado en la Teoría del Comportamiento Planificado, este estudio tiene como objetivo determinar la efectividad de una herramienta de educación del paciente en video basada en casos en línea sobre la adopción de comportamientos de salud bucal por parte de los pacientes en el entorno dental. Materiales y métodos: El estudio se llevó a cabo en 74 pacientes dentales que fueron seleccionados mediante muestreo simple (37 pacientes cada uno en los Grupos I y II). Los dos grupos difirieron en presencia (Grupo I-Control) o ausencia (Grupo II-Experimental) de exposición previa a cuidados bucales profesionales antes de que se realizara la Intervención Educativa del Paciente a través de la presentación de casos en video en los grupos control y experimental. Los datos se recopilaron mediante un cuestionario y se analizaron con el software Statistical Package for the Social Sciences versión 18 a un nivel de significancia de 0.05. Resultados: Un total de 37 participantes por grupo en los Grupos I y II (N=74) respondieron a la fase previa a la prueba y a la fase posterior a la prueba. Las puntuaciones medias previas a la prueba de los Grupos I y II fueron 11,43 y 15,05, respectivamente. La puntuación media posterior a la prueba de los Grupos I y II fue 10,81 y 12,76, respectivamente. No se observa significancia estadística en la puntuación media previa a la prueba ni en la puntuación media posterior a la prueba de los pacientes que recibieron atención profesional de la salud bucal (Grupo I) (p=0,113). Sin embargo, existe una significancia estadística en la puntuación media previa a la prueba y la puntuación media posterior a la prueba entre los pacientes que nunca recibieron atención médica bucal profesional (Grupo II) (p=0,032). Conclusión: El estudio reveló que las presentaciones de casos en video son una estrategia eficaz de educación del paciente para los pacientes dentales que nunca han experimentado la atención de la salud bucal profesional que se manifiesta como una disminución en el grado de negligencia dental.

Standardized Extubation and High Flow Nasal Cannula Training Program for Pediatric Critical Care Providers in Lima, Peru.

Introduction: Acute lower respiratory tract infections are the top cause of nonneonatal mortality in children under 5 years of age. Since many resource-limited settings lack basic pediatric respiratory support modalities, introducing respiratory technology in these settings may improve survival. Unfortunately, data suggest that many interventions in these settings are not sustainable and that after several months, local staff are no longer comfortable using newly implemented technology. Methods: We aimed to create training modules for implementation of a standardized extubation process and high flow nasal cannula for physician and nurse providers at a tertiary care center in Lima, Peru. This training curriculum combined a didactic lecture with hands-on practicum and clinical case discussion over multiple sessions spanning a year. We created all materials in English and translated to Spanish for use. Participants completed evaluations after the training program to determine whether objectives were met. This training was intended for critical care providers but could be modified for other audiences. Results: A total of 76 providers (12 attending/fellow critical care physicians, 40 bedside nurses, eight pediatric residents, and 14 medical technicians) participated in this multiday training. Almost all (75, 99%) participants felt the objectives were clearly stated, and 70 (92%) felt objectives were met. Discussion: We have provided materials to help instructors set up and implement a standardized training curriculum with recommended timing and improvements based on feedback. The tools provided allow for adaptation depending on the instructors' primary objectives, language of audience (English or Spanish), and learners' level of training.

Razonamiento clínico en kinesiología mediante aprendizaje basado en casos / Clinical reasoning in kinesiology by case-based learning

Introducción: En cursos clínicos con gran número de estudiantes, las experiencias clínicas con pacientes reales son limitadas, dificul-tando el logro de objetivos de aprendizaje. La didáctica aprendizaje basado en casos (ABC) promueve el pensamiento crítico y trabajo coolaborativo, aspectos esenciales para desarrollar competencias profesionales. El objetivo de este estudio fue reportar si la incorpo-ración de la metodología ABC en una asignatura clínica curricular promueve el razonamiento clínico en la formación en kinesiología. Metodología: En la asignatura curricular "evaluación cardiorrespiratoria en kinesiología", 10 grupos de 7 estudiantes desarrollaron casos clínicos de temas disciplinares seleccionados bajo criterio de jueces por expertos del área, y lo presentaron al resto de sus compañeros. Un académico guió la reflexión del tema tratado en el ABC, fomentando la discusión entre los estudiantes. Al finalizar la asignatura se evaluó la percepción de la didáctica educativa mediante encuesta y logro de objetivos de aprendizaje con indicadores académicos. Resultados: Los estudiantes reportaron gran satisfacción con la metodología, mayor preparación para actividades de campo clínico y mejoras en sus habilidades comunicacionales. El promedio obtenido en las interrogaciones y en las actividades clínicas fue superior a versiones previas de la asignatura, aumentando el porcentaje de aprobación y satisfacción con el curso. Conclusión: La incorporación de la didáctica de ABC fomentó el razonamiento clínico, reflexión y habilidades comunicacionales mejorando el rendimiento académico y promoviendo competencias profesionales. Como producto final se elaboró un libro de descarga libre con los temas tratados en los ABC, titulado: "Identificando problemas kinesiológicos: aprendizaje basado en casos".

Introduction: In clinical courses with a large number of students, clinical experiences with real patients are limited, difficult to achieve the learning objectives. The 'Case-Based Learning' (CBL), like educational methodology, promotes critical thinking and improve collaborative work, which are essential aspects of the development of professional skills. The objective of this study was to report how the incorporation of the CBL methodology in a clinical course promoted the clinical reasoning in kinesiology students. Methodology: In the curriculum subject ten groups of seven students analyzed different clinical cases and presented them to their classmates. The CBL topics were selected by academic experts, who also guided and encouraged the discussion among the students. An online survey at the end of the course assessed perceptions students participated in this methodology. The final academic indicators assessed the learning objectives of the course achieved by students that participated with this methodology. Results: The students reported high satisfaction with the CBL methodology. They showed better preparation for clinical experiences and an improvement in their communication skills. The final marks obtained in the interrogations and the clinical practice activities were higher than in previous years. There was an increase in academic approval and student satisfaction with the course. Conclusion: The incorporation of the CBL methodology enhanced clinical reasoning, reflection, and communication skills, improving academic performance, and promoting professional skills. The topics covered in the CBLs conformed a free download book, entitled: «Identifying kinesiology problems: case-based learning.