Evaluating the Educational Impact of Telehealth on Adolescent Medicine Trainees: a Qualitative Approach

Abstract

Purpose of Review Telehealth has been swiftly incorporated into clinical practice since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, with limited understanding of how it affects trainees’ educational experiences. Our study evaluates the impact of telehealth on clinical education in pediatric and Adolescent Medicine trainees during the pandemic. Recent Findings Previous literature on telehealth focused on provider and patient perceptions in addition to clinical education for students, though none has evaluated the experiences of medical residents and fellows in Adolescent Medicine. Summary Trainees reported enhanced opportunities for bidirectional observation with attending physicians, increased flexibility for the trainee and families, and the opportunity to engage with adolescents in their home environment. Drawbacks include decreased physical exam skill-building and technological difficulties that can interrupt the learning experience. Telehealth is a valuable tool in clinical education and innovative strategies are needed to refine and enhance these educational experiences for pediatric and Adolescent Medicine trainees.

A Qualitative Study on Using Telemedicine for Precepting and Teaching in the Academic Setting

“…37 Importantly, our results emphasize the importance of developing curricula that support virtual communication and physical examination skills, which were also identified through a prior needs assessment survey. 38 A main limitation of our study was the lack of trainee perspectives, which are described in numerous other studies, 5,6,8,9,20 but not included in our sampling frame. There is also limited generalizability to other sites due to the variability between centers and departments.…”

“…A main limitation of our study was the lack of trainee perspectives, which are described in numerous other studies, 5,6,8,9,20 but not included in our sampling frame. There is also limited generalizability to other sites due to the variability between centers and departments.…”

“…18 Although a consensus agreement on telemedicine curricular competencies for GME training has been developed, 19 the lack of a standardized curriculum remains a barrier to preparing trainees. Literature in the adult primary care setting focuses largely on telemedicine 5,6,8,9,[18][19][20][21] We conducted a secondary analysis of a qualitative study on providers' and patients' experiences with and attitudes towards telemedicine during the COVID-19 pandemic. To systematically examine factors associated with telemedicine implementation in precepting and teaching in medical education, we applied a widely recognized implementation science framework, the 2009 Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research (CFIR).…”

“…Literature in the adult primary care setting focuses largely on telemedicine curriculum development and resident perspectives of telemedicine training interventions while literature is lacking on preceptors’ and patients’ experiences with telemedicine in the learning environment. 5,6,8,9,18–21…”

The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Research and Volunteering Activities among Medical Students: A Cross-Sectional Study among Romanian and International Students from One Medical Faculty from Romania

“…Our findings relate to the effect of the current health crisis on the proper conduct of research and volunteering activities performed by medical students. Several international studies have documented the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on medical education, following the implementation of social distancing measures to avoid the virus’s spread [ 4 , 6 , 30 ]. Concerns surrounding academic performance have been raised as a result of adopting virtual pedagogical practices.…”