In-person Discussion Research Articles

Investigation on Students Feedback about Distance Learning for Art Subject

The utilization of online platforms for learning has become increasingly common, although it is still relatively unexplored in specific disciplines such as Art and Design. In the Film and Animation Majors within the Art and Design Faculty, students encounter subjects that necessitate the development of technical proficiency in their learning outcomes and subjects that require in-person discussions to deepen their understanding. Gaining technical proficiency typically requires practical, hands-on practice, which is most effectively facilitated through in-person instruction. This article presents the feedback received from students enrolled in two foundation classes, one practical and one theoretical, regarding their experience with distance learning. The authors collected and analyzed feedback from both types of classes, focusing on participants who provided feedback for both practical and theoretical courses. The outcomes consist of recommendations from the students' perspectives, highlighting the successes and challenges encountered with distance learning in the respective classes. 
 
 Keywords: distance learning; film; animation; major; technical proficiency skill; online learning.

Abstract A002: Alcohol use patterns and patient-provider discussions about alcohol use among cancer survivors: Differences by race and ethnicity in the National Survey of Drug Use and Health

Abstract Background: Alcohol is a leading modifiable risk factor for cancer risk and recurrence. The American Cancer Society recommends abstaining from alcohol for cancer prevention and advises that those who choose to drink should limit their intake. Healthcare providers are uniquely positioned to counsel cancer survivors about alcohol’s harms. Prior research has revealed stark differences in heavy drinking among cancer survivors by race and ethnicity. We build on this work by examining the prevalence of multiple alcohol use patterns, alcohol screening, and patient-provider discussions about alcohol by race and ethnicity among a cancer survivor population. Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional study using data from the National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) 2015-2019. Eligible respondents included adults (18+ years) who reported a prior cancer diagnosis. Outcomes included alcohol use patterns (lifetime abstention, alcohol use and binge drinking in the past 30 days), alcohol screening in the past year, and report of an in-person alcohol discussion with a healthcare provider in the past year. We estimated the adjusted prevalence of these outcomes by race and ethnicity from marginal effects of logistic regression models that accounted for sociodemographic characteristics (i.e., age, gender, educational attainment, household income) and health insurance type. Models included cluster, strata, and weight variables to account for the complex survey design and nonresponse bias. Results: The unweighted analytic sample size included 6,240 cancer survivors – 431 identified as Black, Non-Hispanic; 461 identified as Hispanic, and 5,348 identified as White, Non-Hispanic. Though not statistically significant, adjusted binge drinking prevalence was highest among Black, Non-Hispanic survivors (17.3% [95% CI: 11.6 – 23.0]) followed by White survivors (13.4% [95% CI: 12.2 – 14.6]) and Hispanic survivors (13.1% [95% CI: 9.8 – 16.4]). Significant differences in adjusted binge drinking prevalence by race and ethnicity were found for binge drinking among current drinkers – Black (41.4% [95% CI: 30.7 – 52.1]), Hispanic (31.7% [95% CI: 22.6 – 40.8]), White (26.7% [95% CI: 24.6 – 28.8]). No significant differences were found for alcohol screening prevalence by race and ethnicity. Black (44.7% [955 CI: 36.4 – 53.0]) and Hispanic (48.8% [95% CI: 40.1 – 57.6%]) cancer survivors were less likely than White survivors (56.9% [95% CI: 54.9 – 59.0]) to report an in-person provider discussion about alcohol. Conclusions: There is a significant racial disparity in problematic drinking between Black, Hispanic, and White cancer survivors, with higher proportions of Black and Hispanic survivors reporting binge drinking than their White peers. Yet, Black and Hispanic cancer survivors are less likely to have an in-person discussion with a provider about alcohol use compared with White cancer survivors. Black and Hispanic cancer survivors may not be receiving important messages about alcohol’s harms from their providers, who could be important sources of this information. Citation Format: Naomi K. Greene, David Dean Jr. Alcohol use patterns and patient-provider discussions about alcohol use among cancer survivors: Differences by race and ethnicity in the National Survey of Drug Use and Health [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 16th AACR Conference on the Science of Cancer Health Disparities in Racial/Ethnic Minorities and the Medically Underserved; 2023 Sep 29-Oct 2;Orlando, FL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2023;32(12 Suppl):Abstract nr A002.

Enhancing Symptom Screening and Patient Education Among Patients with Metastatic Lung Cancer: a Qualitative Analysis.

We explored perspectives of patients with metastatic non-small cell lung cancer (mNSCLC) on symptom screening and population-level patient-reported outcome (PRO) data regarding common symptom trajectories in the year after diagnosis. A qualitative study of patients with mNSCLC was conducted at a Canadian tertiary cancer centre. English-speaking patients diagnosed ≥ 6months prior to study invitation were recruited, and semi-structured one-on-one interviews were conducted. Patient and treatment characteristics were obtained via chart review. Anonymized interview transcripts underwent deductive-inductive coding and thematic content analysis. Among ten participants (5 (50%) females; median (range) age, 68 (56-77) years; median (range) time since diagnosis, 28.5 (6-72) months; 6 (60%) with smoking histories), six themes were identified in total. Two themes were identified regarding symptom screening: (1) screening is useful for symptom self-monitoring and disclosure to the healthcare team, (2) screening of additional quality-of-life (QOL) domains (smoking-related stigma, sexual dysfunction, and financial toxicity) is desired. Four themes were identified regarding population-level symptom trajectory PRO data: (1) data provide reassurance and motivation to engage in symptom self-management, (2) data should be disclosed after an oncologic treatment plan is developed, (3) data should be communicated via in-person discussion with accompanying patient-education resources, and (4) communication of data should include reassurance about symptom stabilization, acknowledgement of variability in patient experience, and strategies for symptom self-management. The themes and recommendations derived from the patient experience with mNSCLC provide guidance for enhanced symptom screening and utilization of population-level symptom trajectory data for patient education.

A Pandemic Adaptation and Its Aftermath: Using AI and In-Person Facilitation for Community Health Education in Liberia and the United States.

Health promotion commonly focuses on supporting youth wellness, as health behaviors acquired in childhood and adolescence tend to have a significant impact on an individual's future. Adolescent health education is associated with positive health and educational outcomes, yet young people experience barriers to fully engaging in learning about health issues that are often unique to their social location. Barriers for successful engagement in health education for African diaspora youth in North American and European contexts may include school initiatives built around engagement models that do not center Black youth; for Black youth in majority-Black societies, barriers may include access to resources or exclusionary practices based on other social characteristics. Global health promotion has used a variety of multimodal educational tools from radio to more recently online engagement, especially in African contexts, to reach young people. This essay shares experiences using AI and in-person facilitation to engage in community health education with youth in Liberia and the United States. In our practice, we found that there are far more underlying systemic and structural similarities to the inequities experienced between African and Black American youth and that utilizing AI tools alongside of in-person discussion may contribute to better outcomes for youth health education.

“We must help them despite who they are…”: healthcare providers’ attitudes and perspectives on care for young gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men in Nairobi, Kenya

BackgroundCompared to young heterosexual men, young gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men (YMSM) face a disproportionate burden of sexual health conditions. This disparity is occasioned by factors such as criminalization and stigmatization of same-sex practices, YMSM’s limited access to non-judgmental and non-discriminatory health services, and challenges associated with healthcare delivery. We explored the attitudes and perspectives of tertiary academic institution-based healthcare providers (HCPs) toward provision of services to YMSM in Nairobi, Kenya.MethodsIn September 2021, six in-person focus group discussions (FGDs) were held with 36 HCPs drawn from six public tertiary academic institutions within the Nairobi metropolis. HCPs were drawn from six cadres: front office staff, nurses, clinicians, counsellors, laboratory technologists, and pharmaceutical technologists. Discussions were conducted in English, transcribed verbatim and analyzed thematically using NVivo version 12.ResultsAnalysis showed that despite expressing disapproval of same-sex practices, HCPs recognized their professional duty to provide care to YMSM, voiced challenges they experienced when providing care to YMSM, and suggested possible strategies for improving care for YMSM. Disapproval of same-sex practices mainly stemmed from HCPs’ personal values, societal norms and religious beliefs, though some HCPs identified religious principles such as the golden rule of “treating others as one would want to be treated” as motivation to providing care to YMSM. HCPs did not perceive criminalization of same-sex practices as a barrier to providing care to YMSM. Healthcare delivery challenges included inadequate knowledge and skills, a desire to “convert” YMSM’s perceived deviant homosexual to the normative heterosexual orientation, secondary stigma from other HCPs, and healthcare settings that did not support YMSM to disclose same-sex practices. Suggestions for improving care comprised sensitization and training of HCPs, encouraging more HCP-YMSM interaction, providing YMSM-friendly and inclusive services, and advocacy for YMSM services.ConclusionThere is need for interventions to improve HCPs’ knowledge of YMSM’s health needs, build skills to respond to these needs, and foster affirming attitudes toward same-sex practices. By so doing, YMSM can hopefully be able to access services that meet their needs, and are non-discriminatory, non-stigmatizing and non-judgmental.

Evaluating the Effectiveness of a Live Musical Theater-Based Approach to Child Sexual Abuse Prevention in Elementary Schools

ABSTRACT Hugs and Kisses is a theater-based child sexual abuse (CSA) prevention program designed for children in kindergarten through fifth grades. The purpose of this cross-sectional case study is to evaluate how a comprehensive live musical theater program can prepare teachers to discuss and identify the signs of CSA, help children increase their knowledge, and learn prevention strategies to stop CSA in the future. A total of 154 teachers and 2,700 children from 31 schools participated in this program during 2016. Findings show this program increases children’s awareness of touch and action knowledge through five primary safety lessons taught during the program and reinforced by a teacher led in-person discussion after the play. Nearly 85% of the students across all grade levels in this sample understood the lessons taught in the play, and students whose teachers held an in-class discussion after the play scored better than those students whose teachers did not hold a discussion. Teachers who were prepared with training resources also held longer in-class discussions compared to those who were not prepared. The Hugs play has the potential to be a national model for evidence-based CSA programs.

218.12: Improving organ donation authorization rates: A telephone versus in-person donation discussion comparison.

218.12: Improving organ donation authorization rates: A telephone versus in-person donation discussion comparison.

GRADE concept 6: a novel application of external indirect evidence into GRADE ratings of evidence certainty in network meta-analysis

ObjectivesWe describe how consideration of external evidence may play an important role in judging certainty in the process of establishing the certainty of the evidence. Our example is a network meta-analysis (NMA) addressing treatment for Ebola virus disease, which informed a World Health Organization guideline. Study Design and SettingThrough Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development, and Evaluations (GRADE) project group iterative online, in-person and email discussions, we developed this GRADE concept and obtained approval from the GRADE working group. Using the null as a threshold, we rated our certainty for network estimates in mortality, including consideration of evidence external to the NMA (i.e., did not meet eligibility criteria) and formal logical construction. ResultsBased on the existing GRADE guidance, we rated the network estimate for one indirect comparison as low certainty. The formal logical construction that lead us reevaluate the certainty of the evidence is as follows: if A is superior to B, and B is not inferior to C, then A must be superior to C. After considering the logic and the external indirect evidence, we concluded at least moderate certainty for the comparison. ConclusionSystematic review authors and guideline developers should apply the fundamental logical construction for indirect comparisons and consider compelling external evidence in NMA certainty ratings.

A Qualitative Study of Perceptions and Preferences Regarding Social and Behavioral Risk Screening Among Primary Care Patients

BackgroundDespite its relevance for healthcare settings, social and behavioral risk screening is not systematically performed by clinicians or healthcare systems.ObjectiveTo address clinician concerns, such as social and behavioral risk screening disrupting the clinician-patient relationship and lack of resources to respond, we interviewed primary care patients at an academic medical center regarding their perceptions and preferences on social and behavioral risk screening.ParticipantsBetween September and December 2020, we recruited a convenience sample of 14 English-speaking primary care patients 18 years + from three clinics affiliated with an academic medical center.ApproachUsing a semi-structured interview guide, we asked about the importance of social and behavioral risk screening, whether or not and how to share social and behavioral risk factors, and how social and behavioral risk factors are addressed. We used a multi-step analytic process to identify the range and commonality of participants’ responses thematically.Key ResultsParticipants recognized that social and behavioral risk factor domains were relevant to primary care and important for treating the patient as a whole person. Participants preferred a conversation regarding social and behavioral risk factor with their primary care providers (PCPs), and suggested that, if surveys are used, they be followed with an open-ended, in-person discussion. Participants also suggested framing the discussion as something that is done routinely with all patients so that patients do not feel judged. Participants felt comfortable sharing social and behavioral risk factors when they trusted their PCPs, and felt that discussing social and behavioral risk factors with their PCPs built trust. Participants recognized that resources exist outside of the clinic, and suggested that PCPs distribute lists of relevant community resources to patients.ConclusionIn our study of primary care patients on perceptions and preferences about screening and addressing social and behavioral risk factors, we found that patients were willing to share social and behavioral risk factors with their PCP, preferred an in-person discussions with or without a survey, and wanted a list of community resources to address their needs.

Flipping the Script in the New Normal: Investigating the Efficacy of Flip Learning for English Language Learning in University Settings

This research aims to illustrate the capacity of flipped learning to revitalize the classroom atmosphere and promote increased levels of student engagement and enthusiasm within the contemporary post-pandemic educational setting. Employing a mixed-methods approach, it includes surveys and interviews with 100 students from Indonesian universities. The study aims to uncover the benefits and challenges of implementing flip learning in non-English department English classrooms and explore how students perceive this approach. The intervention involved delivering pre-recorded lectures and activities for students to complete before class, followed by in-person activities and discussions to reinforce learning. Quantitative data were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics, while qualitative data underwent thematic analysis. The results indicate that implementing flip learning for non-English department students at the university level offers several benefits, including enhanced student engagement and motivation, improved short-term learning outcomes, increased student-teacher interaction, more opportunities for problem-solving practice, collaborative learning experiences, and flexible learning pace. However, challenges like increased workload, group activities, limited technology access, and teacher adaptation to new teaching methods may arise. Despite these challenges, the benefits of flip learning outweigh the drawbacks, making it a viable approach for non-English department university students studying English. These findings lay the groundwork for future research to address workload management, effective collaboration, technology accessibility, teacher support, long-term learning assessment, and implementing flipped learning in diverse educational contexts.

Predictive Ecology and Management of Phyllosphere Microbial Communities Through Cross-Scale Synthesis

In this article, we summarize the main takeaways from a symposium and hybrid virtual and in-person participatory discussion focused on the challenges of scale in understanding the ecology and management of phyllosphere microbial communities. We provide an overview of the confounding effects of spatial scale on inference in microbial ecology, the spatial organization of microbial interactions in the phyllosphere, advances and remaining gaps in measuring phyllosphere colonization across scales, and the epidemiology in the phyllosphere. We hope to motivate further discussion and the development and adoption of creative approaches to solving the challenges of scale to enhance fundamental understanding and practical management of the phyllosphere microbiomes.

Can storytelling of women’s lived experience enhance empathy in medical students? A pilot intervention study

Purpose This pilot study aimed to investigate the acceptability and efficacy of a patient storytelling intervention (live and recorded) on empathy levels of medical students. Materials and methods Medical students participated in a storytelling intervention that had three components: listening to live or recorded stories from women with abnormal uterine bleeding, reflective writing, and a debriefing session. Empathy scores of students pre- and post-intervention were measured using the Jefferson Scale of Empathy-student version (JSE-S). Students also completed a feedback survey. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used to analyse quantitative data and content analysis was used for text comments. Results Both live and recorded storytelling interventions had positive effects on student’s empathy scores post intervention. Overall, students were satisfied with the intervention and reported that it improved their understanding of life experiences of women. Suggestions were made for an in-person storytelling session and interactive discussion after listening to each story. Conclusion A storytelling intervention has the potential to improve medical students’ empathy and understanding of lived experience of women with health conditions. This could be valuable when student-patient interactions are limited in healthcare settings, or to enable stories of small numbers of patient volunteers to reach students.

Identifying adolescents' gaming preferences for a tobacco prevention social game: A qualitative study.

Considering the dangers of adolescent tobacco use, the successful design of behavioral programs is crucial for tobacco prevention. According to preliminary research, social game interventions can improve adolescent tobacco outcomes. The current qualitative study aims to (1) uncover the gaming elements that adolescents deem important for a positive learning experience, and (2) confirm these gaming elements with adolescents who are presented with a tobacco prevention game concept that applies these elements. Findings from this study are drawn from two phases. Phase 1 involved in-person focus group discussions (n = 15) and Phase 2 included three online focus groups and a paired interview with another set of adolescents (n = 15). The study was conducted under a project that aimed to design and test a social game-based tobacco prevention program for adolescents (Storm-Heroes). With open coding and thematic analysis, two research team members identified repeated topics and relevant quotes to organize them into themes. The themes evolved as new content was identified during the process. This process was repeated until thematic saturation was reached. Thematic analysis across Phase 1 and Phase 2 revealed four major themes: 1) Balance during gaming challenges, 2) Healthy social interaction, 3) Performance and creative freedom, and 4) Fictional world and game mechanics for tobacco prevention. This study identified specific intervention features that best fit the needs of adolescents in the context of a social game for tobacco prevention. For future research, we will use a participatory approach to allow adolescents to take part in the design process, improve Storm-Heroes, and develop health promotional messages that can be incorporated into the program. Ultimately, a board game for tobacco prevention is expected to bring adolescents together to create lasting memories that nudge them away from tobacco use and the harm it can cause.

Genealogy of an archive. The birth, construction, and development of the World Wide Web collection at CERN

Web and Internet historians have never been able to consider the sources preserved at CERN because of a 30-year closure law. The WWW collection is of major importance not only because it is located where the Web was born but, more importantly, because it preserves documents produced during the early and little-known stages of its development. Our study has a qualitative approach and is based on in-person discussions, e-mail exchanges, and a focus group we conducted with five main actors responsible for the birth and development of the WWW collection at CERN. Through this method, we co-constructed with them a discourse, which we later analysed through inductive thematic analysis. We extracted six main topics reflecting the principal themes represented in the collection: reasons for creating a specific collection of web-related documents; salient moments in the history of the collection; discussion about its naming; issues about the originality of the documents; and future digitisation projects. This paper may be of interest to web historians and archivists looking for an overview and hidden reasons for the creation of the collection.

Changes in the teaching of prosthodontics adopted in the last academic course of the degree in dentistry in Spain during the first period of the COVID-19 pandemic

ObjectivesTo investigate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic in the teaching of prosthodontics, on the 5th course of the Bachelor's degree in Dentistry in Spain. MethodsIn June 2021, a two-section survey was submitted to the coordinators of prosthodontics of the 23 Spanish faculties of Dentistry. The first section was focused on the theoretical lessons, seminars, and clinical discussion sessions. The second part relied on the clinical teaching and the implemented preventive measures. ResultsThe response rate was 100%. By the end of the 2020-21 course, both the theoretical and practical teaching were replaced by online activities, returning to face-to face in 2021-22. While most participants preferred in-person seminars and clinical discussion sessions, concerning the theory, comparable percentages of professors chose either face-to-face or blended learning (BL). The students’ satisfaction with BL is high, but they seem more attentive in-person. At the beginning of the pandemic, the most common emergency in prosthodontics was debonding. Overall, a low concern about cross-infection was noticed. The barrier measures were the mainly adopted for prevention. ConclusionsAlthough the BL is appreciated in prosthodontics for theoretical lessons, face-to-face teaching appears to be the best option for seminars and clinical case discussions. The students are satisfied with BL. Clinical significanceIn the face of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Spanish faculties of Dentistry responded quickly to continuing offering quality education through an accelerated digitization process that has created a new paradigm. Detailed analyses of these changes may help establish plans to respond systematically to unforeseen emergencies.

Restarting statins in a specialist lipid clinic setting

Abstract Funding Acknowledgements Type of funding sources: Public grant(s) – National budget only. Main funding source(s): Health Research Board. Background Statin therapy remains a gold standard in the primary and secondary prevention of cardiovascular disease (CVD).[1] Poor statin compliance and discontinuation due to statin intolerance (SI) remains a pervasive clinical issue.[1] Research has demonstrated that the prevalence of SI is overestimated with most SI symptoms being nocebo.[2-3] Our practice involves a patient centred intervention to restart statins with four components: 1) careful exclusion of differential diagnoses 2) an in-person discussion regarding SI based on contemporary evidence 3) an incremental introduction of statins starting at the lowest dose 4) virtual follow up to ensure implementation of the therapeutic plan. The aim of this study was to assess the effectiveness of this intervention in terms of statin reintroduction and subsequent cholesterol levels. Methods An ethically approved retrospective chart review was performed of consecutive adult patients attending a specialist lipid clinic over a six-month period in 2021. Patient data recorded included demographics, clinical characteristics, treatment received and biochemical profiles. Statistical analysis was performed using the Student T-test. Results This study included 370 patients. SI prevalence was 25% with 10% referred explicitly for SI. Patients with SI were predominantly female (71%). Statin-associated muscle symptoms were the most common SI (62%). Statin therapy was restarted in 48% of patients [Rosuvastatin: (62%), Simvastatin: (16%), Atorvastatin: (13%), Pravastatin: (9%)]. Restarting a statin demonstrated significantly improved mean reductions in both total cholesterol (TC) (P = 0.007) and low-density lipoprotein C (LDL-C) (P< 0.001) levels versus management with or without alternative lipid-lowering agents [primarily ezetimibe (30%)]. Statin restart: (TC mean reduction: 3.17 ± 2.27 mmol/L, LDL-C mean reduction: 2.93 ± 1.77 mmol/L). Management with or without alternative lipid-lowering agents: [TC mean reduction: 1.61 ± 1.46 mmol/L, LDL-C: 1.35 ± 0.93 mmol/L]. Conclusion This study highlights the prevalence of SI among patients attending a lipid clinic. Statins were successfully restarted in half of presenting cases and conferred significant improvement in both TC and LDL-C levels compared to management with or without alternative lipid-lowering agents. Interventions for SI are warranted given the high prevalence of nocebo effect and the undoubted benefits of statin treatment. Ideally such interventions should be replicated in a primary care setting.

Effective Feedback Strategy for Formative Assessment in an Integrated Medical Neuroscience Course.

Despite the different benefits of formative assessments in an integrated medical curriculum, the effective strategies to provide feedback to medical students to benefit from the different merits of formative assessment are not fully understood. This study aims to determine the effect of different strategies of formative feedback on students' outcomes in a medical neuroscience course. We compared medical students' performance in summative examinations in the academic year that formative feedback was provided using in-person discussion and compared such performances with the academic year when the feedback was provided by written rationales or a combination of written rationales and in-person discussion. We also surveyed medical students' preferences for whether written or in-person formative feedback is a better strategy to provide feedback at the end of each course. ANOVA found a significant difference in summative performance scores for those scoring ≥ 70% when formative feedback was provided by providing a rationale, in-person, and a combination of both ([F (2,80) = 247.60, P < 0.001]. Post hoc analysis revealed a significant and highest performance when feedback was provided using the written rationale approach (***P < 0.05), followed by in-person (**P < 0.05). In contrast, the least performance was recorded when formative feedback was provided using a combination of providing a written rationale for the answers to the questions and in-person discussion of the questions (*P < 0.05). Students' preferred approach for receiving formative feedback for their formative assessment was highest for written rationale (***P < 0.05), followed by in-person or a combination of in-person and written rationale (**P < 0.05). Our results found that medical students preferred a written formative feedback approach, which was associated with better student performance on the summative examination. This study reveals the importance of developing effective strategies to provide formative feedback to medical students for medical students to fully benefit from the merits of formative assessment in an integrated medical school curriculum.

Investigating the Impact of Virtual Versus In-Person Small Group Discussion on Academic Performance in a First-Year Medical Neuroscience Course (S10.003)

<h3>Objective:</h3> We aimed to determine if academic performance was different in students who self-selected to participate in virtual small group discussions, compared to students who engaged in traditional in-person small group discussions, in a first-year medical school neuroscience course. <h3>Background:</h3> Incorporating virtual instruction into the medical curriculum has been a longstanding subject of study and has increasingly been required due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Previous literature suggests that exchange and communication patterns during learning may be stunted on virtual platforms. In 2021, for the pre-clinical neuroscience course, the Mayo Clinic Alix School of Medicine gave students the choice to engage in small group sessions either in-person or virtually. These sessions have been used to facilitate case discussions to reinforce course material. <h3>Design/Methods:</h3> This is a retrospective analysis of academic performance in the 2021 neuroscience course. Students self-selected to participate either in-person or virtually for small group discussions. Academic performance was measured by scores on the National Board of Medical Examiners (NBME) shelf exam and professor-written final exam, as well as weighted final course grades. Unpaired t-tests were used to compare data from the two cohorts. <h3>Results:</h3> Of the 51 students, 23 chose the in-person cohort and 27 chose the virtual cohort. One student switched cohorts part way through the course and was excluded from analysis. Overall, when comparing the in-person and virtual cohorts, there was no difference in scores for the NBME shelf exam (87.13% vs 85.33%, p = 0.48), professor-written final exam (87.13% vs 86.22%, p = 0.55), or weighted course grades (87.56% vs 87.09%, p = 0.71). <h3>Conclusions:</h3> Students who self-selected to engage in virtual discussions of neuroscience course material performed comparably to their in-person counterparts. This suggests that virtual platforms may be appropriate for holding small group discussions within the medical curriculum. <b>Disclosure:</b> Dr. Vanood has nothing to disclose. Dr. Chhabra has nothing to disclose. Dr. Hoerth has a non-compensated relationship as a Epilepsy.com Editorial Board member with the Epilepsy Foundation of America that is relevant to AAN interests or activities.

An interdisciplinary student-led multifaceted intervention addressing overuse of broad-spectrum antibiotics for patients with penicillin allergies

BackgroundThough 15% of hospitalized patients have a documented penicillin (PCN) allergy, fewer than 1% have an IgE-mediated reaction that necessitates avoidance of β-lactam antibiotics.ObjectiveOur interdisciplinary team of medical and nursing students led and executed a two-pronged quality improvement intervention to reduce prescribing of non-β-lactam antibiotics (NBLs) for patients with reported PCN allergies. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first multidisciplinary student-led intervention aimed at educating providers on low-risk penicillin allergy and encouraging best antibiotic prescribing practices.Design and participantsThe intervention took place from June 2021 to February 2022. We developed and provided clinician education modules, including peer-to-peer information sharing and in-person small group discussions, as well as clinical decision support (CDS) strategies through the electronic medical record (EMR). The target population was attendings, residents, nurse practitioners, and physician assistants on the hospital medicine service at a large urban academic tertiary care center. We followed the SQUIRE 2.0 guidelines for reporting on quality improvement.Main measuresPrimary outcome measures included number of NBL prescriptions and use of nonspecific descriptors (e.g., “other” or “unknown”) for PCN allergy reaction type, and were compared with a pre-intervention period.Key resultsThe percent of β-lactam prescriptions for patients with a PCN allergy after the intervention increased from 19 to 23% (p = 0.006). For patients with a low severity PCN allergy, the percent of β-lactam prescriptions increased from 20 to 28% (p = 0.001). There was a significant decrease in nonspecific PCN allergy reaction type from 23% in the pre-intervention period to 20% post-intervention (p = 0.012).ConclusionsAn intervention focused on educating prescribers and CDS strategies delivered through the EMR increased appropriate β-lactam prescribing for patients with a documented low-risk PCN allergy and reduced the use of nonspecific PCN allergy reaction type in EMR documentation.

Comparing Online Discussion Forums to Traditional In-Person Discussions

Comparing Online Discussion Forums to Traditional In-Person Discussions