COVID-19 infection control education for medical students undergoing clinical clerkship: a mixed-method approach

Abstract

Background Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) has induced an urgent need to train medical students not only in infection prevention control but also in the treatment of infectious diseases, including COVID-19. This study evaluates the impact of simulated clinical practice with peer role-plays and a lecture on clinical education for COVID-19. Methods The sample for the study included 82 fourth- and fifth-year medical students undergoing clinical clerkship in respiratory medicine. They answered questionnaires and participated in semi-structured focus group interviews (FGIs) regarding the advantages of simulated clinical practice with peer role-plays and lectures on clinical education for COVID-19. Results A total of 75 students participated in the COVID-19 education program between January and November 2021. The responses to the questionnaire revealed that the satisfaction level of students with COVID-19 education was high. No significant change was found among students concerning fear of COVID-19 before and after the program. The degree of burden of handling information on COVID-19 reduced significantly, while the degree with respect to the use of personal protective equipment (PPE), including appropriate wearing and removing of PPE, and care of patients with confirmed COVID-19 while taking steps to prevent infection, exhibited a decreasing trend. Nine FGIs were conducted (n = 74). The advantages of simulated clinical practice were segregated into five categories (infection prevention control, educational methods, burden on healthcare providers, self-reflection, and fear of COVID-19); and that of the lecture were segregated into four categories (information literacy, knowledge of COVID-19, educational methods, and self-reflection). Conclusions Simulated clinical practice with peer role-plays and the lecture pertaining to COVID-19 can prove to be efficient and safe methods for learning about COVID-19 infection and prevention control for medical students. They can reduce the burden of COVID-19 patients’ care. Moreover, they can also provide an opportunity for self-reflection, realize the burden of medical care, and acquire relevant information.

Effect of a workplace-based learning program on clerkship students’ behaviors and attitudes toward evidence-based medicine practice

“…Furthermore, peer teaching has been effective in EBM education [ 25 ]. In this study, in addition to the lecture on literature search conducted in our previous report [ 13 ], the program included activities that trained medical students to formulate clinical questions, critically review the literature examined, and reflect on their assigned patients. Peer reviews were also conducted, in which students shared the literature they examined and identified areas for improvement in their critical-thinking ability.…”

“…In our lecture for clerkship students in respiratory medicine held in 2019 [ 13 ], we showed that lectures on literature search during CC, where medical students needed to solve clinical questions, could be effective in improving literature search literacy. However, our previous report only focused on literature search during CC, while other elements of the five steps of EBM were not adequately addressed.…”

Development and Implementation of a Mobile-Integrated Simulation for COVID-19 Nursing Practice: A Randomized Controlled Pretest–Posttest Experimental Design

“…While infectious disease-prevention simulation programs have been developed for healthcare professionals since the outbreak of COVID-19 [20][21][22], they could not be implemented practically when caring for patients with infectious diseases, as the developed program was not diverse and the target audience was limited [4,20,23,24]. During the pandemic, we examined cases of applying electronic devices to infection management-related simulations, comparing them based on different situations and variables.…”

“…During the pandemic, we examined cases of applying electronic devices to infection management-related simulations, comparing them based on different situations and variables. However, comparing them across countries and devices was challenging owing to differing circumstances, and we plan to consider this aspect in future research [4,[21][22][23][24].…”