Embedding medical student computer tutorials into a busy emergency department.

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Digital Learning Technologies

Background:

• Medical students often train in fast-paced clinical environments.
• Integrating supplementary educational tools can enhance learning during clinical rotations.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the utilization of computer tutorials by medical students in a clinical setting.
• To determine if these tutorials improve knowledge acquisition beyond regular clinical education.

Main Methods:

• Six interactive, 10-minute computer tutorials were deployed in an emergency department.
• Usage was tracked, and a randomized pretest-posttest study involving 74 students was conducted.
• Surveys assessed student and faculty perceptions of the tutorials.

Main Results:

• 95 students used the tutorials 544 times over 46 weeks.
• Students completing tutorials showed significantly improved examination scores (effect size=0.39).
• Students found tutorials valuable, with 54% preferring them over traditional small group sessions.

Conclusions:

• Medical students readily adopt computer tutorials in busy clinical settings.
• These tutorials are an effective method for enhancing medical student examination scores.