Open AccessCultivating “Webside Manner” at the UME-GME Transition Point During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Novel Virtual Telemedicine Curriculum
Author(s) -
Roya Samuels,
Stacy McGeechan,
Erin Allmer,
Joseph Castiglione,
Jack Chen,
Stephanie Sayres,
Henry H. Bernstein,
Stephen Barone
Publication year - 2022
Publication title -
journal of medical education and curricular development
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
ISSN - 2382-1205
DOI - 10.1177/23821205221096361
Subject(s) - telemedicine , curriculum , covid-19 , pandemic , medical education , medicine , psychology , nursing , health care , pedagogy , political science , disease , infectious disease (medical specialty) , law , pathology
BACKGROUND Telemedicine use in the US has continued to grow over the past few years with the development of new technology and in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. This has led to a growing need for formal training in telemedicine for clinicians in order to improve communication skills and provide better patient outcomes.METHODS A self-directed, five-unit online curriculum focused on telemedicine essentials was developed through discussions among Pediatric clinical educators and adapted from literature in telemedicine education. Improvement of communication skills was determined through evaluations of interns randomly assigned to either the telemedicine curriculum or the control group, which was then compared to their baseline encounters.RESULTS Interns who completed the telemedicine curriculum showed significant improvement in communication scores compared to those who did not complete the curriculum.CONCLUSION Results from the study show the effectiveness of a formal telemedicine curriculum in improving critical communication skills for application in telemedicine.