High User Acceptance of a Retina e-Learning App in Times of Increasing Digitalization of Medical Training for Ophthalmologists

Abstract

Introduction: The aim was to identify changes in continuing education and training in ophthalmology in the context of the Covid-19 pandemic and advancing digitalisation and to analyse the acceptance of e-learning tools among German ophthalmologists using a novel Retina Case App as an example. Methods: The participants’ training behaviour before and during the Covid-19 pandemic was surveyed. Furthermore, the acceptance and usability of the Retina Case App was evaluated using the System Usability Scale (SUS). A possible influence of the app on everyday clinical practice was assessed. Results: A total of 145 ophthalmologists participated in the survey. The frequency of continuing medical education did not decrease for 62.8% of ophthalmologists during the pandemic. A significant increase in at least monthly use of online courses or lectures has been observed (90.3% vs. 28.2%, p<0.001). No significant difference was identified in terms of frequency of use of print and digital journals or printed textbooks. The majority of participants stated that online training platforms are well suited to replace the absence of face-to-face events (73.8%). The mean SUS score was 87.7 (SD 11.9), which categorises the app's usability as excellent. The majority agreed that the newly developed app enables faster learning (82.1%) and leads to an increased motivation (71.7%). Most ophthalmologists (80.7%) felt that regular use of the app would improve confidence in the treatment of retinal diseases. Conclusions: The Covid-19 pandemic has led to a significant change in training behaviour in ophthalmology towards e-learning and online courses, which has not been accompanied by a general decline in training activity. The exemplarily investigated application showed a high user acceptance among ophthalmologists.

WeChat mini program in laboratory biosafety education among medical students at Guangzhou Medical University: a mixed method study of feasibility and usability

“…The average SUS score of WeMed was in the high marginal category according to the acceptability range (M = 68.17, SD = 14.39). The grade scale is in class D (D: 60–69, according to Kamouna et al [ 33 ]). A good usability was suggested by the adjective ratings for the SUS scale [ 33 ].…”

“…The grade scale is in class D (D: 60–69, according to Kamouna et al [ 33 ]). A good usability was suggested by the adjective ratings for the SUS scale [ 33 ].…”

“…The System Usability Scale (SUS) is a useful tool for assessing the usability of a system or application. Studies have indicated that it is commonly used to evaluate medical apps for usability [ 33 ]. There are ten items in the SUS which contains five positive statements and five negative statements.…”

Virtualization Development Trends: Scoping Review

“…Additionally, seven studies delved into the essence of the development of mobile communication technologies (Azari et al, 2022;Chie et al, 2020; , seven studies scrutinized the application of virtualization in medicine (Fouladi et al, 2021;Greenough et al, 2022;Grøndahl et al, 2022; , and seven studies were devoted to the development of e-learning (Kamouna et al, 2022). Lastly, three studies each focused on the virtualization of smart cities (Bibri, 2019;Bibri, 2022;Kuzior et al, 2022) , flexible work, and teleworkers respectively (Checcucci et al, 2021).…”