Education Research Study Research Articles

Employing Simulated Participants to Develop Communication Skills in Medical Education: A Systematic Review.

Simulated participants (SPs) are often employed to teach communication skills in medical education. Although there is a large number of qualitative and/or noncomparative studies in this field, there is no current evidence for the effectiveness of this teaching method based on quantitative comparative meta-data. The aim of this review was to evaluate the effectiveness of SP-based teaching on patient-centered communication skills in medical education compared with traditional teaching formats such as lecture or peer role play focusing on quantitative and comparative data. According to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis guidelines, we searched MEDLINE, Cochrane Library, PsycINFO, CINAHL, and ERIC databases for relevant studies published through February 2023. We also conducted hand searches and ancestry searches. Of the 8523 publications identified, 21 studies with 2500 participants and a Medical Education Research Study Quality Instrument score of 13.7 (SD = 1.3, N = 21) were included in the synthesis. Ten studies were eligible for meta-analysis. The pooled effect for communication skills outcomes suggests a medium effect preferring SP-based teaching to traditional teaching formats (standardized mean difference = 0.74, 95% confidence interval = 0.37 to 1.11, I2 = 95%, n = 2061). The heterogeneity is high among the analyzed studies. Further analysis reveals great differences among the studies' characteristics (population, objectives, interventions, control group settings, and outcome measurements).

Exploring the Transformative Intersection of Artificial Intelligence and Educational Research: K-12 Principals Supporting English Learners

The integration of artificial intelligence (AI) into educational research marks a significant paradigm shift where AI intersects with educational research from diverse perspectives, emphasizing its transformative potential. By leveraging AI technologies, researchers can transcend traditional limitations, thereby enhancing their capabilities to pose more incisive questions, analyze vast datasets, and refine research methodologies, ultimately leading to more impactful outcomes. Within the context of a research endeavor focused on K-12 principals supporting classroom teachers serving English Learners in the United States, we explore how AI algorithms can refine research questions and augment research methodologies, leading to deeper insights and more informed decisions in educational studies. Innovative techniques for optimizing survey questions and methodologies are discussed, showcasing AI's analytical prowess in unlocking new avenues of understanding and leading to deeper insights and more informed decisions in educational research studies. Through advanced data processing techniques, AI unveils patterns, correlations, and insights that may elude traditional analysis methods. This analytical prowess not only facilitates deeper understanding but also empowers researchers to make more informed decisions. Moreover, AI augments research methodologies by offering innovative techniques for optimizing research questions and methodologies. By harnessing AI's analytical capabilities, researchers unlock new avenues of understanding, leading to more comprehensive and nuanced studies. The realm of AI-driven skill enhancement for researchers is addressed by illustrating the process in the context of a study that seeks to gain a deeper understanding of the strategies principals employ to develop teachers working with English learners. This collaborative approach enriches individual research endeavors and contributes to the collective advancement of research methodologies within the educational landscape. We highlight the transformative potential of AI in revolutionizing educational research practices and enhancing outcomes for English learners in the K-12 education system. By leveraging AI, researchers can improve their interviewing techniques, refine performance, and foster a culture of continuous improvement. AI-powered tools provide real-time feedback and facilitate iterative refinement of practices. This collaborative approach can enrich individual research endeavors and contribute to the collective advancement of research methodologies within the educational landscape.

A bibliometric study of Swedish educational research: mapping key themes, 2000–2020

ABSTRACT This article maps the landscape of Swedish educational research as it has been published over the period 2000–2020 in peer-reviewed English language journals. Topic modeling techniques were used to analyze the metadata of keywords, abstracts, and titles from 7,402 peer-reviewed articles in the Scopus database. This analysis identified 25 topics characteristic of Swedish educational research. Analysis of supplementary bibliographic information, including reference lists, authorship, and journal titles, reveals that qualitative studies on teaching and learning, particularly those using phenomenographic, pragmatic, and socio-cultural/activity theory approaches, have dominated Swedish educational research. The article concludes by examining the content of this body of knowledge along key axes of contestation. Research on skills and competences often employs a markedly different language than studies focusing on values and attitudes. Furthermore, research centered on learning and didactics as a microphenomenon contrasts with work that emphasizes educational organization and large-scale evaluation.

Distributed training vs. massed practice for surgical skills training-a systematic review.

Surgical skills training is often conducted using a massed approach. However, using a distributed training schedule may have benefits and increase skill retention. This study aimed to review the evidence for distributed training vs. massed training and recommend how surgical training should be scheduled. A systematic review was performed in three databases (MEDLINE, Web of Science, and EMBASE). Two authors screened the articles for inclusion according to the eligibility criteria. Data were extracted for each article, including general information, intervention, outcome, etc. A qualitative synthesis was performed, and the Medical Education Research Study Quality Instrument (MERSQI) was used to assess the methodological quality. Of 12,088 potential studies screened, 28 were included in the final synthesis. Nineteen of the studies directly compared a distributed and a massed schedule, and thirteen studies combined the massed vs. distributed with various distributed training schedules or only investigated different types of distributed schedules. Of the 19 studies which compared distributed and massed training, 15 found a positive effect of distributed training, and no studies found massed training to be superior. Of the 13 that compared different types of distributed schedules, 6 found a positive effect for one of the distributed schedules, while the remaining 7 studies found no difference between the various training schedules. Only 1 of the 28 studies examined training during different times of the day. Distributed training is superior to massed training. The optimal distributed schedule seems to be with shorter intervals between sessions. The recommended schedule is one session per day, lasting a maximum of 2h.

The effectiveness of online educational interventions on impostor syndrome and burnout among medical trainees: a systematic review

BackgroundImpostor syndrome and burnout are highly prevalent among medical students and trainees, significantly impacting their mental health and professional development. The advent of online educational interventions provides a promising solution, offering accessibility and flexibility to tackle these issues. This systematic review aims to evaluate the effectiveness of online educational interventions in alleviating impostor syndrome and burnout among medical learners.MethodsA comprehensive literature search was conducted across PubMed, Cochrane Library, Embase, Scopus and PsycInfo, identifying relevant studies published up to March 2024. Studies focusing on online interventions targeting impostor syndrome and burnout among medical students, residents, and fellows were included, and their quality was assessed using the Medical Education Research Study Quality Instrument (MERSQI).ResultsAmong the screened studies, six met our inclusion criteria, comprising four randomized controlled trials, one qualitative study, and one mixed-methods study. Their mean MERSQI score was 14.67 (SD 1.23), indicating a high methodological quality. The interventions adopted in these studies varied, including group coaching sessions, workshops, and provision of educational resources. Notably, two randomized trials demonstrated significant reductions in impostor syndrome symptoms after online interventions, compared with the control groups. On the other hand, results for burnout outcomes were equivocal, with some studies reporting improved emotional exhaustion scores and decreased burnout risk, while others found no significant differences.ConclusionsCurrent evidence suggests that structured online educational interventions, particularly those incorporating coaching and cognitive reframing strategies, can effectively reduce impostor syndrome among medical trainees. However, the impact on burnout remains inconclusive. Further research is needed to optimize online program components and implementation strategies to comprehensively address both impostor syndrome and burnout in this population.Clinical trial numberAs this is a systematic review rather than a clinical trial, no clinical trial number is applicable. Nonetheless, this systematic review has been prospectively registered with PROSPERO (registration number: CRD42024541034), in line with best practice recommendations for systematic reviews.

To Lecture or Not Lecture: A Correlational Nursing Education Research Study.

Lecturing has been a primary method for delivering knowledge and information to nursing students from the early days of nursing education. Recent literature on the effectiveness of lecturing is based on literature published more than 10 years ago; current data on the influence of lecturing on learning outcomes are sparse. Our graduate nursing faculty program conducted a retrospective correlational study to evaluate if the addition of lectures influenced graduate students' learning outcomes.

Integration of social determinant of health in patient’s history-taking in medical education: an educational scholarship and action research study: phase I

Background and objectiveOne of the most important aspects of health is social health. Addressing social health and social accountability is possible by education of social determinants of health (SDH) to medical students. The aim of current study is to integrate the SDH variables to patient’s history-taking in medical education during clerkship stage as an action research and scholarship in education. Pediatric patients were selected as the target population for this study.MethodsThe present study is an action-research including three phases of the program's design, implementation, and evaluation. The present paper reports the results of phase I including the following steps; rapid scoping review and expert panel for development of history-taking form. The goal of this phase was to prepare an SDH checklist for history-taking in the Pediatrics Ward of Firoozabadi Teaching Hospital, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran. The checklist of history-taking was evaluated in terms of measurability, feasibility, priority, and clarity using a 5-choice Likert scale.ResultsAccording to the results of the scoping review and consensus-based methods, the preliminary version of the program was prepared including the SDH history-taking checklist. A total of 21 items were selected after two expert panel rounds. The overall absolute agreement was 0.704 (95% CI: 0.587 – 0.793) which was significantly higher than 0.5 (P < 0.001). The range of scores was 3.5 – 4.83 (out of five).ConclusionWe developed a SDH history-taking form including nine domains and 21 items. This form should be piloted and evaluated by an expert panel in the next phases. The present phase of the project proposed a consensus-based program for the imputation of SDH education in the education program of medical students. The reason for the importance of choosing children is that social factors in the group of children can have a greater impact considering the long life ahead and being in the growing age. After the implementation and evaluation phases, this program may be imputed in the medical education curriculum.

Training and education of operating room nurses in robot-assisted surgery: a systematic review.

With the introduction of robot-assisted surgery, the role and responsibility of the operating room nurses have been expanded. The surgical team for robotic-assisted surgery depends on the ability of the operating room nurses to operate and handle the robotic system before, during, and after procedures. However, operating room nurses must acquire the necessary competencies for robotic-assisted surgery. We performed a systematic review using the databases MEDLINE and EMBASE to review the evidence on educating and training operating room nurses in robot-assisted surgery. Studies describing operating room nurses' training and team-training with operating room nurses for robot-assisted surgery were included. The Medical Education Research Study Quality Instrument (MERSQI) and the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale-Education (NOS-E) were used to evaluate the quality of the included studies. We identified 3351 potential studies and included 16 in the final synthesis. Nine studies focused on team-training in robot-assisted surgery: four focused solely on training for operating room nurses, and only three on operating room nurses as first assistants in robot-assisted surgery. Most studies examined team-training in RAS, including OR nurses, focused on emergency situations and conversion to an open procedure. Only a few studies addressed other competencies relevant to OR nurses in RAS. No randomized controlled trials were identified. Only a few studies used pre- and post-testing, and only one examined clinical outcomes. The quality assessment of the included studies was moderate to low, with a median MERSQI score of 10.3 and a median NOS-E score of 2. There is sparse research on the education of operating room nurses in robot-assisted surgery, and the literature emphasizes the training of surgeons. More research is needed to develop evidence-based training for operating room nurses in robot-assisted surgery.

Medical student perceptions of gender and pain: a systematic review of the literature.

Gender bias exists in healthcare and affects how pain is assessed and managed. This bias affects patient outcomes and their trust in healthcare professionals. We also know that future clinicians develop their attitudes early in training. Medical school is therefore an opportunity to shape the values of future doctors and to combat systemic gender bias in healthcare. This systematic review aims to explore medical student perceptions of the relationship between patients' gender and their pain, so that recommendations can be made for developing medical education. Embase, MEDLINE, PsychINFO, LILACS, Global Index Medicus, PakMediNet and ERIC were searched for articles relating to medical student perceptions of gender and pain, with no geographical or language limitations. Quality was assessed using the Medical Education Research Study Quality Index and the Critical Appraisal Skills Programme checklist. Nine publications were identified, two qualitative and seven quantitative. All studies had methodological limitations. Many different study designs were used, although most involved simulated patients. All studies referred to gender as binary. Multiple studies found that women's pain is more likely to be underestimated by medical students and that the patient's gender drives different approaches during clinical history taking, examination and management in these simulated situations. Only one study found no effect of patients' gender on students' perception of their pain. Whilst there is a paucity of high-quality studies in this area, patients' gender was found to affect how their pain is perceived by medical students. No studies explored where students' attitudes towards gender and pain arise from, and few involved 'real life situations'. We propose that further work into medical student perceptions in 'real situations' is needed. This will help to inform how undergraduate medical education can be developed to tackle gender bias, and ultimately improve outcomes for patients.

Decoding machine learning in nursing research: A scoping review of effective algorithms.

The rapid evolution of artificial intelligence (AI) technology has revolutionized healthcare, particularly through the integration of AI into health information systems. This transformation has significantly impacted the roles of nurses and nurse practitioners, prompting extensive research to assess the effectiveness of AI-integrated systems. This scoping review focuses on machine learning (ML) used in nursing, specifically investigating ML algorithms, model evaluation methods, areas of focus related to nursing, and the most effective ML algorithms. The scoping review followed the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis Extension for Scoping Reviews (PRISMA-ScR) guidelines. A structured search was performed across seven databases according to PRISMA-ScR: PubMed, EMBASE, CINAHL, Web of Science, OVID, PsycINFO, and ProQuest. The quality of the final reviewed studies was assessed using the Medical Education Research Study Quality Instrument (MERSQI). Twenty-six articles published between 2019 and 2023 met the inclusion and exclusion criteria, and 46% of studies were conducted in the US. The average MERSQI score was 12.2, indicative of moderate- to high-quality studies. The most used ML algorithm was Random Forest. The four second-most used were logistic regression, least absolute shrinkage and selection operator, decision tree, and support vector machine. Most ML models were evaluated by calculating sensitivity (recall)/specificity, accuracy, receiver operating characteristic (ROC), area under the ROC (AUROC), and positive/negative prediction value (precision). Half of the studies focused on nursing staff or students and hospital readmission or emergency department visits. Only 11 articles reported the most effective ML algorithm(s). The scoping review provides insights into the current status of ML research in nursing and recognition of its significance in nursing research, confirming the benefits of ML in healthcare. Recommendations include incorporating experimental designs in research studies to optimize the use of ML models across various nursing domains. The scoping review demonstrates substantial clinical relevance of ML applications for nurses, nurse practitioners, administrators, and researchers. The integration of ML into healthcare systems and its impact on nursing practices have important implications for patient care, resource management, and the evolution of nursing research.

Ground rules for talk – the use of conversation rules to increase productivity in mathematical conversations in the early years

ABSTRACT In recent years, social aspects of teaching and learning have gained increased recognition, prompting researchers to focus on conversations and language in mathematics classrooms. While prior studies have highlighted the importance of conversations in primary school teaching, a gap remains in understanding how they influence mathematics teaching and learning, especially among younger children (Muhonen et al. 2016; Patterson 2018). To address this gap, this study explores the implementation of ground rules for talk in two first-grade classrooms in Norway (ages 5–6 years). This educational design research study investigated the impact of conversation rules on enhancing mathematical reasoning and promoting productive communication in primary school. Findings indicate that implementing ground rules for talk can foster productivity by encouraging pupils to inquire about others’ reasoning and share their perspectives to foster a respectful discourse. However, it also emphasises the importance of teachers being mindful of their language to foster reasoning effectively.

Incorporating equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI) into the education and assessment of professionalism for healthcare professionals and trainees: a scoping review

BackgroundCurrent definitions of professionalism for healthcare trainees often lack equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI) in the expectations and assessment of professionalism. While professionalism teaching is incorporated in healthcare training, equity-deserving groups still experience discrimination. This scoping review investigates the literature to understand how EDI and associated domains of cultural humility, and advocacy can be incorporated in healthcare trainees’ education and assessment of professionalism.MethodsThe Arksey and O’Malley framework was applied to this scoping review. MEDLINE, Embase & PsychINFO were searched up to March 2023, with terms surrounding health professionals, professionalism, EDI, cultural humility, and advocacy. Titles and abstracts (n = 3870) and full-texts (n = 140) were independently screened by two reviewers. Articles were included if they focused on EDI, cultural humility, or advocacy among healthcare students/trainees, and had outcomes related to professionalism. Articles lacking discussion of professionalism as an outcome were excluded. Themes were generated by mutual discussion. Risk of bias was assessed using the Cote et al. and Medical Education Research Study Quality Instrument (MERSQI) tools.Results48 articles underwent thematic analysis. Studies investigated the disciplines of medicine, nursing, social work, physiotherapy, and dentistry. Most studies were qualitative in methodology (n = 23). Three themes emerged: (1) EDI-related interventions are associated with improved professionalism of healthcare trainees/workers (n = 21). Interventions employed were either an EDI-associated educational course (n = 8) or an exchange program to promote EDI competencies among trainees (n = 13). (2) Trainee definitions and perceptions of professionalism include themes related to EDI and cultural humility (n = 12). (3) Current standards of professionalism are perceived as non-inclusive towards historically-marginalized populations (n = 15). Literature investigating advocacy as it relates to professionalism is limited.ConclusionThis review identified that core EDI principles and its associated domains of cultural humility and advocacy are often viewed as integral to professionalism. These findings create a strong impetus to incorporate EDI principles within professionalism frameworks in healthcare education. Future research should employ standardized tools for professionalism assessment to provide more conclusive evidence. Incorporating patient perspectives of professionalism can inform actionable recommendations for fostering inclusive healthcare environments.

Improvement of executive functions and math-ematical skills through fitness/physical activity in elementary school children: a systematic review

Executive functions (EF) play a fundamental role in the acquisition of learning, especially in mathematics. The literature seems to indicate that fitness and physical activity (PA) have an important impact on cognition, including EF. Although the relationship between these variables seems evident, few studies have investigated the mediation role of EF between fitness/PA and mathematical skills (MS). The purpose of this systematic review was analysing the relationship between EF, fitness/PA and mathematical skills (MS) in children aged 6 to 12 aged. The systematic review (CRD42021237840) used information from Pubmed, WOS and ERIC published between 2010 and 2021. Eligibility criteria were: scientific articles, in English, children aged 5-16 years, assessment of EF using standardised tests and inclusion of the three variables (fitness/PA, EF and MS). For assess risk of bias was used the Medical Education Research Study Quality Instrument (MERSQI). From the selected articles were extracted the following data: country, age, type of study, characteristics of the sample, evaluation instruments, physical activity program and results. From the 387 initial records, 21 studies with a total of 8601 participants have been selected to be included in the systematic review. Only one of the studies analysed shows a clear causal relationship between the three variables, while five show a linear relationship. EF could act as a mediator between fitness and MS but not between PA and MS, although long-term randomised and controlled intervention studies are needed.

How do we assess social justice and leadership at institutions? A new study looks at mission statements

A new article in The Journal of Higher Education Policy and Research Studies, “The Complexity of Social Justice and Leadership on Campuses: An Analysis of Institutional Mission Statements,” explores how social justice and leadership function on 40 campuses that include social justice as part of their mission statement.

A Scoping Review of Obstetrics and Gynecology Curricula in Primary Care Residency Programs.

While Women's Health (WH) is a priority for primary care, (Family Medicine (FM), Internal Medicine (IM), Pediatrics (Peds), and combined Medicine/Pediatrics (Med/Peds)), residency curricula remain heterogeneous with deficits in graduates' WH expertise and skills. The overall objective of this study was to assess the quality of WH curricula at primary care residency programs in the United States (US), with a focus on topics in obstetrics and gynecology (OBGYN). PubMed®, ERIC, The Cochrane Library, MedEdPORTAL, and professional organization websites were systematically searched in 2019 and updated in 2021. Included studies described OBGYN educational curricula in US primary care residency programs. Following abstract screening and full-text review, data from eligible studies was abstracted and quality assessed using the Medical Education Research Study Quality Instrument (MERSQI). A total of 109 studies met the inclusion criteria. Over a quarter of studies were interdepartmental or interdisciplinary. The most common single-department studies were IM (38%) and FM (26%). Twenty (25%) studies addressed comprehensive OBGYN curricula; the most common individual topics were cervical and breast cancer screening (31%) and contraception (16%). Most studies utilized multiple instructional modalities, most commonly didactics (54%), clinical experiences (41%), and/or simulation (21%). Most studies included self-reported outcomes by residents (70%), with few (11%) reporting higher-level assessments (i.e., patient, or clinical outcomes). Most studies were single-group pre- and post-test (42%) with few randomized controlled trials (4%). The mean MERSQI score for studies with sufficient data (90%) was 9.8 (range 3 to 15.5). OBGYN educational curricula for primary care trainees in the US was varied with gaps in represented residents, content, assessments, and study quality.

The Role of Family and Friends to Broaden and Diversify Participation in Educational Research

This study examined critical factors in a mentoring system within a federally-funded Pathways to the Education Sciences Research Training Program to prepare undergraduates at a Hispanic-serving institution (HSI) for graduate studies in educational research. Our conceptual framework integrates an inclusive model of family engagement consistent with the literature recommendations for diverse families of college students. We considered the following question: what is the role of family and friends within an orchestrated network of mentors who provide support to undergraduate fellows from minoritized groups in their pathways toward graduate studies in educational sciences? We analyzed quantitative and qualitative responses from an end-of-program survey administered to one cohort of this program. Within their mentoring network, fellows reported that family and friends provided important support in socio-emotional, cognitive, and identity development, but not as strong as that provided by distributed faculty and academic mentors. This study furthers our understanding of the role of family and friends within an orchestrated network of mentors within our Pathways Training Program. However, we still need to extend our knowledge of how research training programs at HSIs can be more intentional in emphasizing the important contributions family and friends provide to promote the success of diverse students in their pathways toward graduate studies.

Leveraging evaluation of quality on medical education research with ChatGPT

What is the educational challenge? The Medical Education Research Study Quality Instrument (MERSQI) is widely used to evaluate the quality of quantitative research in medical education. It has strong evidence of validity and is endorsed by guidelines. However, the manual appraisal process is time-consuming and resource-intensive, highlighting the need for more efficient methods. What are the proposed solutions? We propose to use ChatGPT to evaluate the quality of medical education research with the MERSQI and compare its scoring with those of human evaluators. What are the potential benefits to a broader global audience? Using ChatGPT to evaluate medical education research with the MERSQI can decrease the resources required for quality appraisal. This allows faster summaries of evidence, reducing the workload of researchers, editors, and educators. Furthermore, ChatGPTs’ capability to extract supporting excerpts provides transparency and may have the potential for data extraction and training new medical education researchers. What are the next steps? We plan to continue evaluating medical education research with ChatGPT using the MERSQI and other instruments to determine its feasibility in this realm. Moreover, we plan to investigate which types of studies ChatGPT performs best in.

Surveillance and datafication in higher education

It has become a commonplace in educational research and policy discourses to state that digital technology has ‘transformed’ the nature of higher education, and even the university itself, leading to what is claimed to be more interactive or less hierarchical formats and engagement, in which traditional modes of teaching such as the lecture, are claimed to be obsolete. These narratives, arguably, express a widespread desire for ‘transformation’ in the university. In terms of digital education, this has been expressed variously in the apparently benign ideologies of ‘active learning’, ‘connectivism’, and ‘the flipped classroom’, all of which share common values, those which prize student interaction, and observable engagement, both online and in the face-to-face setting. Although these constructs appear to be ‘student centred’ and progressive, critics (e.g. Macfarlane 2017) have pointed out that an emphasis on student performance of a particular form of engagement and identity in higher education may in fact threaten the fundamental values of academic freedom. In parallel, regimes of audit concerning academic performance have become more prevalent in higher education, with metrics measuring publications and impact becoming more influential on academic careers. I have argued elsewhere (Author 2020) that this tendency is greater in the context of digital education, where performativity, surveillance and regulation are intensified via digital technologies, as part of a broader ‘culture of surveillance’ in society (Lyon 2018). As recent commentators have argued (e.g. Williamson 2017a), the increased use of big data to track and monitor student activity, has the effect of ‘datafying’ them as human subjects; the same could be said for the technology of the h-index for academics. In this paper I will combine insights of digital education research, science and technology studies and information science in order to interrogate the nature and effects of this increased ‘datafication’ of higher education, looking at two examples; learner analytics and the author publication metric h-index. I will argue that these two digitally-mediated ‘documenting’ practices share several features; they have a supervisory or surveilling function, they are underpinned by particular ideologies, and they carry normative force regarding the nature of ‘desirable’ subjectivities and practices. I conclude that there is a need to sustain a critical agenda of research around these technologies of surveillance and documentation, particularly in the current context in which ‘discourses of inevitability’ surrounding digitisation of higher education prevail.

Escape room design in training crew resource management in acute care: a scoping review

BackgroundEffective teamwork is crucial to providing safe and high-quality patient care, especially in acute care. Crew Resource Management (CRM) principles are often used for training teamwork in these situations, with escape rooms forming a promising new tool. However, little is known about escape room design characteristics and their effect on learning outcomes. We investigated the current status of design characteristics and their effect on learning outcomes for escape room-based CRM/teamwork training for acute care professionals. We also aimed to identify gaps in literature to guide further research.MethodsMultiple databases were searched for studies describing the design and effect of escape rooms aimed training CRM/teamwork in acute care professionals and in situations that share characteristics. A standardized process was used for screening and selection. An evidence table that included study characteristics, design characteristics and effect of the escape room on learning outcomes was used to extract data. Learning outcomes were graded according to IPE expanded typology of Kirkpatrick’s levels of learning outcome and Medical Education Research Study Quality Instrument (MERSQI) scores were calculated to assess methodology.ResultsFourteen studies were included. Common design characteristics were a team size of 4–6 participants, a 40-minute time limit, linear puzzle organization and use of briefing and structured debriefing. Information on alignment was only available in five studies and reporting on several other educational and escape room design characteristics was low. Twelve studies evaluated the effect of the escape room on teamwork: nine evaluated reaction (Kirkpatrick level 1; n = 9), two evaluated learning (Kirkpatrick level 2) and one evaluated both. Overall effect on teamwork was overtly positive, with little difference between studies. Together with a mean MERSQI score of 7.0, this precluded connecting specific design characteristics to the effect on learning outcomes.ConclusionsThere is insufficient evidence if and how design characteristics affect learning outcomes in escape rooms aimed at training CRM/teamwork in acute care professionals. Alignment of teamwork with learning goals is insufficiently reported. More complete reporting of escape rooms aimed at training CRM/teamwork in acute care professionals is needed, with a research focus on maximizing learning potential through design.

Extended Reality-Based Head-Mounted Displays for Surgical Education: A Ten-Year Systematic Review.

Surgical education demands extensive knowledge and skill acquisition within limited time frames, often limited by reduced training opportunities and high-pressure environments. This review evaluates the effectiveness of extended reality-based head-mounted display (ExR-HMD) technology in surgical education, examining its impact on educational outcomes and exploring its strengths and limitations. Data from PubMed, Cochrane Library, Web of Science, ScienceDirect, Scopus, ACM Digital Library, IEEE Xplore, WorldCat, and Google Scholar (Year: 2014-2024) were synthesized. After screening, 32 studies comparing ExR-HMD and traditional surgical training methods for medical students or residents were identified. Quality and bias were assessed using the Medical Education Research Study Quality Instrument, Newcastle-Ottawa Scale-Education, and Cochrane Risk of Bias Tools. Results indicate that ExR-HMD offers benefits such as increased immersion, spatial awareness, and interaction and supports motor skill acquisition theory and constructivist educational theories. However, challenges such as system fidelity, operational inconvenience, and physical discomfort were noted. Nearly half the studies reported outcomes comparable or superior to traditional methods, emphasizing the importance of social interaction. Limitations include study heterogeneity and English-only publications. ExR-HMD shows promise but needs educational theory integration and social interaction. Future research should address technical and economic barriers to global accessibility.