A rapid review of the effectiveness of alternative education delivery strategies in medical, dental, nursing and pharmacy education during the COVID-19 pandemic

Abstract

Background Education delivery in higher education institutions was severely affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, with emergency remote teaching developed and adapted promptly for the circumstances. This rapid review investigated the effectiveness of alternative education delivery strategies during the pandemic for medical, dental, nursing and pharmacy students, to help plan and adapt further education provision. Methods We included 23 primary studies in undergraduate education, all published in 2020-2021, no relevant UK-based or postgraduate studies were found. Included studies comprised 10 single cohort descriptive; 11 comparative descriptive; and two RCTs. There was considerable variability in terms of students, type of distance learning, platforms used and outcome measures. Results In medicine (n=14), self-reported competency and confidence, and demonstrable suturing skills were achieved through participating in remote learning. However, lower levels of knowledge were obtained by students who received virtual or blended learning compared to in-person teaching (low-very low confidence). Using bespoke interactive platforms in undergraduate medical training was superior to standard video (low confidence) or textbook presentations (very low confidence). In dentistry (n=2), remote learning led to knowledge gained (low confidence), but self-reported practical and interpersonal skills were lower with remote rather than in-person learning (very low confidence). In nursing (n=3), remote learning, when compared to in-person, resulted in similar knowledge and self-reported competency levels (very low confidence) pre-COVID, but confidence was higher when learning or assessment was conducted virtually (low confidence). In pharmacy (n=4), virtual learning was associated with higher skills, but lower knowledge compared to in-person, pre-COVID; self-reported competency and confidence scores were similar between the two groups (very low confidence). Conclusions Remote teaching was valued, and learning was achieved, but the comparative effectiveness of virtual versus in-person teaching is less clear. Supplementary alternative or in-person practical sessions may be required post-emergency to address learning needs for some disadvantaged student groups.

Competing Interest Statement

The authors have declared no competing interest.

Funding Statement

The Wales Centre for Evidence Based Care was funded for this work by the Wales COVID-19 Evidence Centre, itself funded by Health & Care Research Wales on behalf of Welsh Government.

Author Declarations

I confirm all relevant ethical guidelines have been followed, and any necessary IRB and/or ethics committee approvals have been obtained.

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I confirm that all necessary patient/participant consent has been obtained and the appropriate institutional forms have been archived, and that any patient/participant/sample identifiers included were not known to anyone (e.g., hospital staff, patients or participants themselves) outside the research group so cannot be used to identify individuals.

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I understand that all clinical trials and any other prospective interventional studies must be registered with an ICMJE-approved registry, such as ClinicalTrials.gov. I confirm that any such study reported in the manuscript has been registered and the trial registration ID is provided (note: if posting a prospective study registered retrospectively, please provide a statement in the trial ID field explaining why the study was not registered in advance).

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I have followed all appropriate research reporting guidelines and uploaded the relevant EQUATOR Network research reporting checklist(s) and other pertinent material as supplementary files, if applicable.

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Data Availability

All data produced in the present work are contained in the manuscript

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