Digital adaptation of teaching disaster and deployment medicine under COVID-19 conditions: a comparative evaluation over 5 years

S M Henze; F Fellmer; S Wittenberg; S Höppner; S Märdian; C Willy; D A Back

doi:10.1186/s12909-022-03783-z

Digital adaptation of teaching disaster and deployment medicine under COVID-19 conditions: a comparative evaluation over 5 years

BMC Med Educ. 2022 Oct 12;22(1):717. doi: 10.1186/s12909-022-03783-z.

Authors

S M Henze^#¹, F Fellmer^#¹, S Wittenberg², S Höppner³, S Märdian², C Willy¹, D A Back^{4

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Affiliations

¹ Clinic for Traumatology and Orthopedics, Military Academic Hospital Berlin, Scharnhorststrasse 13, 10115, Berlin, Germany.
² Center for Musculoskeletal Surgery, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Corporate Member of Freie Universität Berlin and Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Augustenburger Platz 1, 13353, Berlin, Germany.
³ Clinic for Anesthesiology, Intensive Care, Emergency Medicine and Rescue Service, Military Academic Hospital Berlin, Scharnhorststrasse 13, 10115, Berlin, Germany.
⁴ Clinic for Traumatology and Orthopedics, Military Academic Hospital Berlin, Scharnhorststrasse 13, 10115, Berlin, Germany. david.back@charite.de.
⁵ Center for Musculoskeletal Surgery, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Corporate Member of Freie Universität Berlin and Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Augustenburger Platz 1, 13353, Berlin, Germany. david.back@charite.de.
⁶ Dieter Scheffner Center for Medical Education and Educational Research, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Corporate Member of Freie Universität Berlin and Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Charité Platz 1, 10117, Berlin, Germany. david.back@charite.de.

^# Contributed equally.

Abstract

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has not only brought many aspects of disaster medicine into everyday awareness but also led to a massive change in medical teaching due to the necessity of contact restrictions. This study aimed to evaluate student acceptance of a curricular elective module on disaster and deployment medicine over a 5-year period and to present content adjustments due to COVID-19 restrictions.

Methods: Since 2016, 8 semesters of the curricular elective module took place in face-to-face teaching (pre-COVID-19 group). From the summer semester of 2020 to the summer semester of 2021, 3 semesters took place as online and hybrid courses (mid-COVID-19 group). Student attitudes and knowledge gains were measured using pretests, posttests, and final evaluations. These data were statistically compared across years, and new forms of teaching under COVID-19 conditions were examined in more detail.

Results: A total of 189 students participated in the module from the summer semester of 2016 through the summer semester of 2021 (pre-COVID-19: n = 138; mid-COVID-19: n = 51). There was a high level of satisfaction with the module across all semesters, with no significant differences between the groups. There was also no significant difference between the two cohorts in terms of knowledge gain, which was always significant (p < 0.05). COVID-19 adaptations included online seminars using Microsoft Teams or Zoom, the interactive live-streaming of practical training components, and digital simulation games.

Conclusion: The high level of satisfaction and knowledge gained during the module did not change even under a digital redesign of the content offered. The curricular elective module was consistently evaluated positively by the students, and the adaptation to online teaching was well accepted. Experiences with digital forms of teaching should also be used after the COVID-19 pandemic to create digitally supported blended learning concepts in the field of deployment and disaster medicine and thus further promote the expansion of teaching in this important medical field.

Keywords: COVID-19 pandemic; Deployment medicine; Digital education; Disaster medicine; Undergraduate students.

MeSH terms

COVID-19* / epidemiology
Curriculum
Disasters*
Education, Medical, Undergraduate*
Humans
Pandemics
Students, Medical*
Teaching