Prioritise longitudinal research and cost analysis when evaluating digital clinical skills modalities¶

Strategy · All strategies
Evidence · 2 claims (2 for) · 1 study (1 quant-synthesis), q2 · 0 of 1 report an effect size · 2 claims rest on one study

Description¶

The review recommends that future work assess long-term impact and economics of digital and blended learning. It states "Future research should focus on longitudinal studies to assess the long-term impact of digital and blended learning on clinical skills and professional competencies", and notes the lack of detailed cost analyses in most studies limits economic assessment. It also recommends exploring the optimal balance between digital and traditional methods and factors influencing student preferences.

Design Implications¶

Context¶

Requirements¶

• Studies must measure academic performance, not satisfaction alone, to meet the review's inclusion standard

Constraints¶

• The review excluded virtual reality technologies because they typically require face-to-face delivery and specialised equipment

Target Learners¶

• undergraduate and postgraduate medical trainees

Target Learning Goals¶

• long-term acquisition of clinical skills and professional competencies

Claims¶

• Digital interventions show sustained improvements in performance and retention, with confidence and diagnostic ability remaining elevated four months post-intervention in some studies [+W]
• Digital and virtual classroom suturing training can cost less than face-to-face training, with printed savings of 58.9% and 44.2% [+W]

Related Strategies¶

• Future psychiatry education technology studies should use active comparators, standardized assessment tools, and long-term follow-up
• Future research should include long-term RCTs with adequate sample sizes, standardized outcome measures, and cost-effectiveness analyses
• Prioritize rigorous RCTs with retention tests and transfer measures before expanding distance simulation programs
• Prioritize longitudinal, comparative-effectiveness, and patient-outcome research and standardized practices for podiatry simulation
• Future research should use standardized validated outcome measures, longitudinal follow-up designs, and methods linking learner gains to patient-relevant outcomes
• Evaluate interactive, simulation-based, spaced and mobile forms of digital education for guideline adoption, reporting skills, behaviour, patient and cost outcomes
• Future research agenda: detailed BCT-coded systematic review, primary qualitative examination of patient experience, and economic analysis within trials

Examples¶

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Key Sources¶

• McGee RG, Wark S, Mwangi F, Drovandi A, Alele F, Malau-Aduli BS, The ACHIEVE Collaboration. (2024). Digital learning of clinical skills and its impact on medical students’ academic performance: a systematic review. BMC Medical Education. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12909-024-06471-2