Computer-assisted instruction in clinical education: a roadmap to increasing CAI implementation

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Educational Technology

Background:

• Computer-assisted instruction (CAI) offers multimedia and interactive features beneficial for clinical education.
• Despite its advantages, CAI adoption in medical education remains limited due to educator skepticism and integration challenges.

Purpose of the Study:

• To advocate for increased use of CAI in clinical education.
• To propose a roadmap for medical educators to facilitate CAI implementation.
• To address barriers hindering CAI adoption and outline its potential roles.

Main Methods:

• This reflection analyzes the current state and potential of CAI in medical education.
• It discusses barriers to CAI adoption, including literature misinterpretation and integration knowledge gaps.
• Identifies specific roles for CAI in undergraduate and graduate medical training.

Main Results:

• Limited educator conviction regarding CAI's role is a primary barrier.
• Key challenges include misinterpreting effectiveness literature and a disconnect between developers and educators.
• Effective integration into clinical education requires further knowledge.

Conclusions:

• CAI can improve instruction uniformity, competency documentation, learner experience, and assessment.
• Overcoming financial barriers is anticipated with wider CAI adoption.
• A strategic roadmap can accelerate the integration of CAI in clinical settings.