Online Liver Imaging Course; Pivoting to Transform Radiology Education During the SARS-CoV-2 Pandemic

Abstract

Purpose: The SARS-CoV-2 pandemic has drastically disrupted radiology in-person education. The purpose of this study was to assess the implementation of a virtual teaching method using available technology and its role in the continuity of education of practicing radiologists and trainees during the pandemic. Methods: The authors created the Online Liver Imaging Course (OLIC) that comprised 28 online comprehensive lectures delivered in realtime and on-demand over six weeks. Radiologists and radiology trainees were asked to register to attend the live sessions. At the end of the course, we conducted a 46-question survey among registrants addressing their training level, perception of virtual conferencing, and evaluation of the course content. Results: One thousand four hundred and thirty four radiologists and trainees completed interest sign up forms before the start of the course with the first webinar having the highest number of live attendees (343 people). On average, there were 89 live participants per session and 750 YouTube views per recording (as of July 9, 2020). After the end of the course, 487 attendees from 37 countries responded to the postcourse survey for an overall response rate of (33%). Approximately (63%) of participants were practicing radiologists while (37%) were either fellows or residents and rarely medical students. The overwhelming majority (97%) found the OLIC webinar series to be beneficial. Essentially all attendees felt that the webinar sessions met (43%) or exceeded (57%) their expectations. When asked about their perception of virtual conferences after attending OLIC lectures, almost all attendees (99%) enjoyed the virtual conference with a majority (61%) of the respondents who enjoyed the virtual format more than in-person conferences, while (38%) enjoyed the webinar format but preferred in-person conferences. When asked about the willingness to attend virtual webinars in the future, (84%) said that they would attend future virtual conferences even if in-person conferences resume while (15%) were unsure. Conclusion: The success of the OLIC, attributed to many factors, indicates that videoconferencing technology provides an inexpensive alternative to in-person radiology conferences. The positive responses to our postcourse survey suggest that virtual education will remain to stay. Educational institutions and scientific societies should foster such models.

Multidisciplinary approach of teaching radiology to medical students in Egypt: Is this an effective method?

“…In comparing pre-test and post-test results, the cohort of students performed better on the post-test after completing the virtual rotation, with statistically significant results. In the same fashion, several studies showed the effectiveness of virtual teaching of radiology [ 2 , 13 ]. In a study from Harvard Medical School, 111 medical students enrolled in a virtual radiology curriculum and were given a final exam at the conclusion of the rotation.…”

“…The final exam results were compared to those of the final exam taken when the rotation was in-person in prior years, with the final exam scores being similar to those of the in-person rotation. This demonstrates the quality of online education delivery with minimal to no deficiency when compared to in-person learning [ 13 ]. In the Egyptian cohort that we assessed, employing a similar comparison model with the performance of students enrolled in an in-person radiology curriculum at Egyptian medical schools pre-COVID-19 pandemic could be useful to assess efficacy for future implementation of online learning.…”

Curriculare Lehre während der COVID-19-Pandemie

“…Auch wenn es sich bei dieser Arbeit nur um die Evaluation eines Kurses handelt, zeigen die Daten, dass onlinebasierte Lehrkonzepte in der Radiologie vielfältig anwendbar sind, und es sich dabei, vergleichbar zu Studien aus Amerika und Großbritannien [2][3][4][5][6]11], um ein zukunftsträchtiges Konzept handelt. Daher sollte man an der weiteren Optimierung der Onlinelehre arbeiten.…”

HCC diagnosis DFP report

“…A post-course survey was sent to all registrants with 487 respondents to the survey. The results of the survey were published [1] and highlights from the survey include: a. On average, there were 89 live participants per session and 750 YouTube views per recording b.…”