Mobile technologies (including handheld and wearable devices) have the potential to enhance learning activities from basic medical undergraduate education through residency and beyond. In order to use these technologies successfully, medical educators need to be aware of the underpinning socio-theoretical concepts that influence their usage, the pre-clinical and clinical educational environment in which the educational activities occur, and the practical possibilities and limitations of their usage. This Guide builds upon the previous AMEE Guide to e-Learning in medical education by providing medical teachers with conceptual frameworks and practical examples of using mobile technologies in medical education. The goal is to help medical teachers to use these concepts and technologies at all levels of medical education to improve the education of medical and healthcare personnel, and ultimately contribute to improved patient healthcare. This Guide begins by reviewing some of the technological changes that have occurred in recent years, and then examines the theoretical basis (both social and educational) for understanding mobile technology usage. From there, the Guide progresses through a hierarchy of institutional, teacher and learner needs, identifying issues, problems and solutions for the effective use of mobile technology in medical education. This Guide ends with a brief look to the future.
The means to share educational materials have grown considerably over the years, especially with the multitude of Internet channels available to educators. This article describes an innovative use of YouTube as a publishing platform for clinical educational materials.The authors posted online a series of short videos for teaching clinical procedures anticipating that they would be widely used. The project Web site attracted little traffic, alternatives were considered, and YouTube was selected for exploration as a publication channel. YouTube's analytics tools were used to assess uptake, and viewer comments were reviewed for specific feedback in support of evaluating and improving the materials posted.The uptake was much increased with 1.75 million views logged in the first 33 months. Viewer feedback, although limited, proved useful. In addition to improving uptake, this approach also relinquishes control over how materials are presented and how the analytics are generated. Open and anonymous access also limits relationships with end users.In summary, YouTube was found to provide many advantages over self-publication, particularly in terms of technical simplification, increased audience, discoverability, and analytics. In contrast to the transitory interest seen in most YouTube content, the channel has seen sustained popularity. YouTube's broadcast model diffused aspects of the relationship between educators and their learners, thereby limiting its use for more focused activities, such as continuing medical education.
The widespread use of digital media (both computing devices and the services they access) has blurred the boundaries between our personal and professional lives. Contemporary students are the last to remember a time before the widespread use of the Internet and they will be the first to practice in a largely e-health environment. This article explores concepts of digital professionalism and their place in contemporary medical education, and proposes a series of principles of digital professionalism to guide teaching, learning and practice in the healthcare professions. Despite the many risks and fears surrounding their use, digital media are not an intrinsic threat to medical professionalism. Professionals should maintain the capacity for deliberate, ethical, and accountable practice when using digital media. The authors describe a digital professionalism framework structured around concepts of proficiency, reputation, and responsibility. Digital professionalism can be integrated into medical education using strategies based on awareness, alignment, assessment, and accountability. These principles of digital professionalism provide a way for medical students and medical practitioners to embrace the positive aspects of digital media use while being mindful and deliberate in its use to avoid or minimize any negative consequences.
BackgroundPhysician claims data are one of the largest sources of coded health information unique to Canada. There is skepticism from data users about the quality of this data. This study investigated features of diagnostic codes used in the Alberta physician claims database.MethodsAlberta physician claims from January 1 to March 31, 2011 are analyzed. Claims contain coded diagnoses using the International Classification of Diseases, 9th revision (ICD-9), procedures, physician specialty and service-fee type. Descriptive statistics examined the diversity and frequency of unique ICD-9 diagnostic codes used and the level of code extension (e.g. 3- or 4-digit coding).ResultsA total of 7,441,005 claims by 6,601 physicians were analyzed. The average number of claims per physician was 1,079, with ranges between 1,330 for family medicine, 690 for internal medicine, 722 for surgery, 516 for pediatrics and 409 for neurology. Family physicians used an average of 121 diagnostic codes, internal medicine physicians 32, surgery 36, pediatrics 46 and neurology 27. Overall, 43.5% of claims had a more detailed diagnosis (ICD code with >3 digits). Physicians on a fee-for-service plan submitted 1,184 claims and used 88 unique diagnosis codes on average compared to 438 claims and 44 unique diagnosis codes from physicians on an alternative payment plan (APP).ConclusionsFace validity of diagnosis coded in physician claims is substantially high and the features of diagnosis codes seem to reasonably reflect the clinical specialty. Physicians submit a diverse array of ICD 9 diagnostic codes and nearly half of the ICD-9 diagnostic codes examined were more detailed than required (i.e. ICD code with >3 digits). Finally, guidelines and policies should be explored to assess the submission of shadow billings for physicians on APPs.
Virtual patients can be used for more than independent study. Clinical teachers are encouraged to explore the multitude of uses that virtual patients can be put to, and the ways in which activities can be constructed around them. Different kinds of activity can employ different kinds of virtual patients, of varying levels of complexity.
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