Interactive Algorithms for Teaching and Learning Acute Medicine in the Network of Medical Faculties MEFANET

Medical Faculties Network (MEFANET) has established itself as the authority for setting standards for medical educators in the Czech Republic and Slovakia, 2 independent countries with similar languages that once comprised a federation and that still retain the same curricular structure for medical...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of medical Internet research Vol. 15; no. 7; p. e135
Main Authors: Schwarz, Daniel, Štourač, Petr, Komenda, Martin, Harazim, Hana, Kosinová, Martina, Gregor, Jakub, Hůlek, Richard, Smékalová, Olga, Křikava, Ivo, Štoudek, Roman, Dušek, Ladislav
Format: Journal Article
Language:English
Published: Canada Journal of Medical Internet Research 01.07.2013
Gunther Eysenbach MD MPH, Associate Professor
JMIR Publications Inc
JMIR Publications
Subjects:
Algorithms
Analgesia
Anesthesia
Attitudes
Authorization
CAI
Clinical standards
Communication
Communications technology
Computer & video games
Computer assisted instruction
Data collection
Education
Education, Medical - methods
Educational materials
Educational software
Educational technology
Emergency medicine
Emergency Medicine - education
Feedback
First aid
Games
Health care
Health services
Indexing
Information systems
Information technology
Internet
Languages
Learning
Learning management systems
Medical colleges
Medical education
Medical schools
Medicine
Metadata
Midwives
Networks
Nursing
Online instruction
Original Paper
Pain
Patients
Polls & surveys
Problem based learning
Professional education
Publishing
Quality assessment
Questionnaires
Self study
Simulation
Student attitudes
Students
Teachers
Teaching
Teams
User-Computer Interface
Web portals
Web sites
Czech Republic
Slovakia
algorithms
problem-based learning
community networks
medical education
patient simulation
students
survey
serious games
ISSN:1438-8871, 1439-4456, 1438-8871
Online Access:Get full text
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Summary:Medical Faculties Network (MEFANET) has established itself as the authority for setting standards for medical educators in the Czech Republic and Slovakia, 2 independent countries with similar languages that once comprised a federation and that still retain the same curricular structure for medical education. One of the basic goals of the network is to advance medical teaching and learning with the use of modern information and communication technologies. We present the education portal AKUTNE.CZ as an important part of the MEFANET's content. Our focus is primarily on simulation-based tools for teaching and learning acute medicine issues. Three fundamental elements of the MEFANET e-publishing system are described: (1) medical disciplines linker, (2) authentication/authorization framework, and (3) multidimensional quality assessment. A new set of tools for technology-enhanced learning have been introduced recently: Sandbox (works in progress), WikiLectures (collaborative content authoring), Moodle-MEFANET (central learning management system), and Serious Games (virtual casuistics and interactive algorithms). The latest development in MEFANET is designed for indexing metadata about simulation-based learning objects, also known as electronic virtual patients or virtual clinical cases. The simulations assume the form of interactive algorithms for teaching and learning acute medicine. An anonymous questionnaire of 10 items was used to explore students' attitudes and interests in using the interactive algorithms as part of their medical or health care studies. Data collection was conducted over 10 days in February 2013. In total, 25 interactive algorithms in the Czech and English languages have been developed and published on the AKUTNE.CZ education portal to allow the users to test and improve their knowledge and skills in the field of acute medicine. In the feedback survey, 62 participants completed the online questionnaire (13.5%) from the total 460 addressed. Positive attitudes toward the interactive algorithms outnumbered negative trends. The peer-reviewed algorithms were used for conducting problem-based learning sessions in general medicine (first aid, anesthesiology and pain management, emergency medicine) and in nursing (emergency medicine for midwives, obstetric analgesia, and anesthesia for midwifes). The feedback from the survey suggests that the students found the interactive algorithms as effective learning tools, facilitating enhanced knowledge in the field of acute medicine. The interactive algorithms, as a software platform, are open to academic use worldwide. The existing algorithms, in the form of simulation-based learning objects, can be incorporated into any educational website (subject to the approval of the authors).
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ISSN:1438-8871
1439-4456
1438-8871
DOI:10.2196/jmir.2590