The COVID-19 pandemic has left an indelible mark on various sectors, including medical education. As the world grappled with unprecedented challenges, the shift from traditional in-person learning to virtual platforms became inevitable. This transition, while necessary, revealed a myriad of impacts on medical education, prompting a comprehensive review of existing systematic studies to understand the broader implications.
Methodology and Scope
A meticulous search was conducted across several databases such as PubMed, Scopus, and Google Scholar up to April 2023. Keywords including “COVID-19,” “Medical Education,” and “Virtual Education” guided the selection of systematic reviews. A total of 28 reviews, encompassing between five and 64 primary studies each, were chosen. These studies collectively represented a wide participant base, ranging from 897 to 139,381 individuals. The AMSTAR-2 checklist was employed to assess the quality of these reviews.
Findings and Implications
The analysis highlighted that technology-enhanced learning and simulation-based approaches were prominent during the pandemic. Despite the benefits, virtual teaching faced significant obstacles such as technical glitches, confidentiality issues, and diminished student engagement. Digital fatigue emerged as a prevalent concern among students. However, more than half of the participants expressed satisfaction with online learning. Positive feedback was noted in areas like perception, acceptability, motivation, and involvement. From a market access perspective, these findings underscore the necessity for robust digital infrastructure and support systems to facilitate seamless virtual learning experiences.
The quality of the systematic reviews was predominantly low, with 27 reviews rated critically low and one as low. This indicates a pressing need for higher-quality reviews to better inform future educational strategies and policies.
Inferences on Medical Education During COVID-19
• Technology-enhanced learning proved essential but highlighted the digital divide and the need for equitable access to online resources.
• Simulation-based learning offered an alternative to hands-on practice, yet raised questions about its effectiveness compared to traditional methods.
• Student engagement and motivation were affected by the lack of personal interaction and increased screen time, emphasizing the importance of interactive and engaging virtual content.
• Market access to reliable internet and digital tools became crucial, affecting students’ ability to fully participate in and benefit from online education.
In conclusion, while online learning provided a viable alternative during the pandemic, it surfaced several challenges that need addressing. Enhanced digital infrastructure, improved virtual engagement strategies, and high-quality systematic reviews are essential to refining medical education in a post-pandemic world. The transition to digital learning platforms has highlighted the critical role of market access in ensuring all students can engage effectively in their education.
Original Article:
Front Med (Lausanne). 2024 Jul 5;11:1358084. doi: 10.3389/fmed.2024.1358084. eCollection 2024.
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic affected many aspects of lifestyle and medical education during the recent years. We aimed to determine the impacts of COVID-19 pandemic on medical education to provide an overview of systematic reviews on it.
METHODS: We searched PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, Cochrane library, Google Scholar, and medRxiv, with the following keywords: “SARS-CoV-2,” “COVID-19,” “Medical Education,” “E-learning,” “Distance Education,” “Online Learning,” “Virtual Education,” “systematic review,” and “meta-analysis,” up to 15 April 2023. Studies were included if they were systematic reviews assessing the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on medical sciences students. We used A MeaSurement Tool to Assess systematic Reviews 2 (AMSTAR-2) checklist for quality assessment.
RESULTS: A total of 28 systematic reviews were included. The eligible reviews included between five and 64 primary studies, ranging from 897 to 139,381 participants. Technology-enhanced learning and simulation-based learning were the most frequently used strategies. Virtual teaching has several drawbacks like technical difficulties, confidentiality problems, lower student involvement, connection problems, and digital fatigue. The overall satisfaction rate for online learning was above 50%. Also, favorable opinions about perception, acceptability, motivation, and engagement were reported. The quality of 27 studies were critically low and one was low.
CONCLUSION: There were reduced clinical exposure and satisfaction for medical students during the pandemic. Further high-quality systematic reviews are required.
PMID:39036099 | PMC:PMC11257851 | DOI:10.3389/fmed.2024.1358084
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