Multicenter Randomized Controlled Trial to Assess an e-Learning on Acute Burns Management

Abstract

An e-learning tutorial was developed to cover the basic aspects of acute burns management. The aim of this study was to provide objective educational evidence supporting the role of an e-learning on acute burns management ("basic burns management" or BBM) when compared with traditional teaching methods when introduced in different medical school settings around the world. A multicenter randomized controlled trial was conducted at the University of Pittsburgh, Peninsula College of Medicine and Dentistry, and St. George's University of London comparing the learning experience of medical students with the BBM e-learning tool (intervention) and a traditional lecture (control). A group of medical students was randomly allocated to the e-learning or lecture arms. Both groups were subjected to a 10-question pre-intervention and post-intervention tests assessing burns knowledge, and were asked to fill out a satisfaction survey. A total of 79 medical students of varying years of study participated. As a whole, students demonstrated a significant gain in knowledge after intervention (overall = 47.6%, P < .001), regardless of medical school year of study or interest in surgery. Participants undertaking the BBM e-learning had a greater exam score improvement and satisfaction compared with the traditional lecture even though they were not statistically significant. BBM e-learning is a free tool that provides comparable acute burn care learning opportunity and satisfaction outcomes to a traditional lecture, allowing convenient and standardized incorporation of burns teaching within an educational setting, regardless of geographical location, level of experience, or interest in surgery.