Abstract
BACKGROUND: E-learning techniques are spreading at great speed in medicine, raising concerns about the impact of adopting them. Websites especially designed to host courses are becoming more common. There is a lack of evidence that these systems could enhance student knowledge acquisition. GOAL: To evaluate the impact of using dedicated-website tools over cognition of medical students exposed to a first-aid course. METHODS: Prospective study of 184 medical students exposed to a twenty-hour first-aid course. We generated a dedicated-website with several sections (lectures, additional reading material, video and multiple choice exercises). We constructed variables expressing the student's access to each section. The evaluation was composed of fifty multiple-choice tests, based on clinical problems. We used multiple linear regression to adjust for potential confounders. RESULTS: There was no association of website intensity of exposure and the outcome - beta-coeficient 0.27 (95%CI - 0.454 - 1.004). These findings were not altered after adjustment for potential confounders - 0.165 (95%CI -0.628 - 0.960). CONCLUSION: A dedicated website with passive and active capabilities for aiding in person learning had not shown association with a better outcome.
Highlights
Simulation and e-learning techniques are spreading at great speed in medicine, in emergency medicine[1,2,3]
It is true that simulation-based courses for learning cardiac arrest protocols have already shown benefit in patients’ survival and that many e-learning software is available[1,2,8,9,10]
The implementation of these techniques requires more commitment from the teaching staff, which could confound the association between exposure to the new method and the outcome of better knowledge acquisition and retention[4]
Summary
Simulation and e-learning techniques are spreading at great speed in medicine, in emergency medicine[1,2,3]. Traditional lectures are limited in transmitting knowledge, especially when “how to do” is of greater importance than “what to do”[7] Regardless of this pressure, there are some concerns about the impact of adopting these techniques[2]. Goal: To evaluate the impact of using dedicated-website tools over cognition of medical students exposed to a first-aid course. Results: There was no association of website intensity of exposure and the outcome — beta-coeficient 0.27 (95%CI — 0.454 — 1.004) These findings were not altered after adjustment for potential confounders — 0.165 (95%CI —0.628 — 0.960). Conclusion: A dedicated website with passive and active capabilities for aiding in person learning had not shown association with a better outcome
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