Evaluation of multidisciplinary strategies and traditional approaches in teaching pathology in medical students

Background: Online “e-modules” integrated into medical education may enhance traditional learning. Medical students use e-modules during clinical rotations, but these often lack histopathology correlates of diseases and minimal time is devoted to pathology teaching. To address this gap, we created pediatric pathology case-based e-modules to complement the clinical pediatric curriculum and enhance students’ understanding of pediatric diseases. Methods: Philips Tutor is an interactive web-based program in which pediatric pathology e-modules were created with pre-/post-test questions. Each e-module contains a clinical vignette, virtual microscopy, and links to additional resources. Topics were selected based on established learning objectives for pediatric clinical rotations. Pre- and post-tests were administered at the beginning/end of each rotation. Test group had access to the e-modules, but control group did not. Both groups completed the pre/post-tests. Posttest was followed by a feedback survey. Results: Overall, 7% (9/123) in the control group and 8% (13/164) in the test group completed both tests and were included in the analysis. Test group improved their posttest scores by about one point on a 5-point scale ( P = 0.01); control group did not ( P = 1.00). Students responded that test questions were helpful in assessing their knowledge of pediatric pathology (90%) and experienced relative ease of use with the technology (80%). Conclusions: Students responded favorably to the new technology, but cited time constraints as a significant barrier to study participation. Access to the e-modules suggested an improved posttest score compared to the control group, but pilot data were limited by the small sample size. Incorporating pediatric case-based e-modules with anatomic and clinical pathology topics into the clinical medical education curriculum may heighten students’ understanding of important diseases. Our model may serve as a pilot for other medical education platforms.

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 90%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Improving Medical Students’ Understanding of Pediatric Diseases through an Innovative and Tailored Web-based Digital Pathology Program with Philips Pathology Tutor (Formerly PathXL)

Chen

Clifford

O'Leary

et al. 2019

“…Since the advent of whole slide imaging (WSI), the utility of digitized slides for education in medical school and residency has been amply documented. Entire histology and histopathology databases exist on digital platforms,[123] “unknown” slides are routinely made available to residents for review prior to conferences,[1] many major academic medical centers have made thematic slide collections digitally available for medical student[456] and resident[789] education, and continuing medical education seminars in pathology are frequently hosted on digital platforms. These applications have enhanced the educational value of histologic and pathologic slides by affording use that is unrestricted in time or place and by preventing loss of educational slide sets through breakage, misplacement, and theft.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A Taxonomic Index for Retrieval of Digitized Whole Slide Images from an Electronic Database for Medical School and Pathology Residency Education

Loeffler

Smith

Way

et al. 2019

Since the advent of whole slide imaging, the utility of digitized slides for education in medical school and residency has been amply documented. Pathology departments at most major academic medical centers have made digitized slides available to pathology residents for study, even before the use of digitized slides for clinical purposes (i.e., primary diagnosis) has become commonplace. This article describes the experience of one academic medical center with the storage and indexing of large volumes of digitized slides. Our goal was to be able to retrieve scanned slides for a variety of educational applications and thereby maximize the heuristic value of the slides. This posed a formidable challenge in terms of development and deployment of an index system that would allow exemplary slides to be identified and retrieved irrespective of the purpose for which the slide was scanned. We used the structure inherent in Aperio's image management software (eSlide Manager) to build an educational database that allowed each image to be appended with a unique taxonomic identifier so that the individual files could be retrieved in a flexible and utilitarian manner.

“…Digital microscopy through whole-slide imaging (WSI) has been used in training programs of pathology residents and as a component of education for undergraduate students in several medical-related schools, mainly in histology and pathology subjects. [23456789101112] WSI is also used in histopathological routine diagnosis, substituting conventional microscopy. [131415] The images are stored in high resolution and samples can be manipulated, similarly to conventional light microscopy.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Interactive Digital Microscopy at the Center for a Cross-Continent Undergraduate Pathology Course in Mozambique

David

Martins

Ismail

et al. 2018

Background:Recent medical education trends encourage the use of teaching strategies that emphasize student centeredness and self-learning. In this context, the use of new educative technologies is stimulated at the Faculty of Medicine of Eduardo Mondlane University (FMUEM) in Mozambique. The Faculty of Medicine of University of Porto (FMUP) and FMUEM have a long-lasting record of collaborative work. Within this framework, both institutions embarked in a partnership, aimed to develop a blended learning course of pathology for undergraduates, shared between the two faculties and incorporating interactive digital microscopy as a central learning tool.Methods:A core team of faculty members from both institutions identified the existing resources and previous experiences in the two faculties. The Moodle course for students from the University of Porto was the basis to implement the current project. The objective was to develop educational modules of mutual interest, designed for e-learning, followed by a voluntary student's survey conducted in FMUEM to get their perception about the process.Results:We selected contents from the pathology curricula of FMUP and FMUEM that were of mutual interest. We next identified and produced new contents for the shared curricula. The implementation involved joint collaboration and training to prepare the new contents, together with building quizzes for self-evaluation. All the practical sessions were based on the use of interactive digital microscopy. The students have reacted enthusiastically to the incorporation of the online component that increased their performance and motivation for pathology learning. For the students in Porto, the major acquisition was the access to slides from infectious diseases as well as autopsy videos.Conclusions:Our study indicates that students benefited from high-quality educational contents, with emphasis on digital microscopy, in a platform generated in a win-win situation for FMUP and FMUEM.