OSCE 3D: a virtual clinical skills assessment tool for coronavirus pandemic times

Abstract

Introduction: In pandemic times, in which the “lockdown strategy” has been adopted, the use of innovations using technological resources such as the creation of instruments that can replace traditional teaching-learning methods in the training of health professionals is essential. Objective: the aim of this study was to develop and evaluate the usability of a realistic interactive simulation computer system using three-dimensional imaging technology and virtual reality with free-access computational tools available on the web. Methods: the development of a prototype (OSCE 3D) was based on the steps used for the construction of a “Serious Game” simulation software. The free-access version of the Unity Editor 3D platform (Unity Technologies, version 2018), used for developing educational games, the software GNU Image Manipulation Program (GIMP, version 2.10.12), Blender (version 2.79) and MakeHuman (version 1.1.1) were utilized for creating textures and building models of the 3D environments. An experimental phase was carried out to assess usability, through a questionnaire based on the System Usability Scale. The study was approved by the Research Ethics Committee of the institution and all participants signed the Informed Consent Form. Results: a total of 39 undergraduate medical students attending the 6th semester of a private university center of northeastern Brazil voluntarily participated in the evaluation of the OSCE 3D. The usability evaluation resulted in a mean score of 75.4 with a margin of error of 3.2, which is considered a good usability score according to the literature. Conclusions: this study allowed the development of a low-cost prototype, using a three-dimension realistic simulation system for clinical skills assessment. This product, even in the prototype phase, showed good usability.

Student engagement in online learning in Latin American higher education during the COVID‐19 pandemic: A systematic review

“…Self‐regulated learning has become more important in online learning environments, as distance learning requires students' agency and ownership of their learning (Çebi & Güyer, 2020 ). The reviewed studies revealed that the levels of self‐regulated learning in online environments were higher than (Faria et al., 2021 ; Rodríguez Fernández et al., 2021 ) or similar to that of face‐to‐face classes (Domínguez‐Torres et al., 2021 ). However, some students reported difficulties in self‐regulated learning (Molina Gutiérrez et al., 2021 ).…”

“…For example, one study found that students using social media exhibited excellent learning performance (Mendoza‐Lizcano et al, 2020 ). However, in other studies, students reported having some difficulties in online learning activities (Bazán‐Ramírez et al., 2020 ), which they needed a considerable amount of training to ensure that their performance was not affected (Faria et al., 2021 ), indicating that online learning requires more work (Molina Gutiérrez et al., 2021 ).…”

“…Nowadays, higher education students use technology in everyday life, and they desire effective online learning environments and online support during learning activities (Peytcheva‐Forsyth et al., 2018 ). Most of the reviewed articles reported positive attitudes of students toward online learning (Cárdenas Zea et al, 2021 ; De la Fuente et al., 2021 ; Silva et al., 2021 ), video resources (Delgado, 2021 ), technology usage (Romero Alonso et al., 2021 ) and online courses (Faria et al, 2021 ; Chávez‐Miyauchi et al., 2021 ; Flores Ferro et al., 2021 ).…”

Adaptations in clinical examinations of medical students in response to the COVID-19 pandemic: a systematic review

“…There was considerable variation between studies in the approach to patient participation in stations. Four studies described holding examinations without real or simulated patients [ 37 , 53 , 57 , 66 ]; examiners asked candidates questions based on sequential images or laboratory results shared with the candidate using the ‘share-screen’ function of Zoom [ 53 ], or Microsoft Teams [ 37 , 62 ]. In addition, candidates were questioned on what they would then ask patients in their history to formulate a diagnosis [ 37 , 53 ].…”

“…Two studies incorporated virtual patients [ 56 , 60 ]; authors in one study created a 3D virtual patient in a consultation room (Fig. 5 , from Centro Universitario Christus) [ 75 ] using specialist software. Candidates could move 360° around the patient and a virtual script was created with responses activated according to which option the candidate selected, for example, “order exams” with a list of drop-down options to select [ 56 ].…”