Leadership | 05.12.22
Cultivating 'Webside Manner' at the UME-GME Transition Point During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Novel Virtual Telemedicine Curriculum
by Journal of Medical Education and Curricular Development
Researchers designed a virtual curriculum to train clinicians in the effective use of telemedicine technology at the Undergraduate Medical Education-Graduate Medical Education transition point during the pandemic. The self-directed curriculum was focused on fostering a "webside manner" skillset and concentrated on everything from introductory telemedicine to legal and ethical ramifications to technical skills. The telehealth experience was incorporated into orientation week for 33 incoming pediatric interns, each of whom engaged with a mock video ambulatory encounter on Zoom to "practice" telemedicine skills as a baseline. Interns were rated on eight communication skills via a "Communication Checklist," such as ensuring privacy and expressing empathy. Seventeen interns were randomly assigned to an intervention group and 18 to a control cohort following baseline encounters, then re-scored a week later during a second virtual mock encounter. Interns who completed the telemedicine curriculum demonstrated statistically significant improvement, unlike those who did not. Higher post-curriculum scores were observed in privacy assurance, rapport establishment, demonstration of empathy, and more. "The results of this study demonstrate the effective role our formalized training played in the improvement of critical communication skills for telemedicine application on entry into residency," the authors concluded.
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