Enhanced Web-Based Otitis Study Case vs Simple Paper-Case: Impact on Medical Student Objective Structured Clinical...

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Distance Learning
• Otitis Media Management

Background:

• Distance education is increasingly vital for medical student training as education moves off-campus.
• Optimal methods for delivering information to students in remote community settings remain undetermined.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate if enhanced, web-based otitis media (OM) case studies improve student performance on OM-focused Objective Structured Clinical Examinations (OSCEs) compared to traditional e-mailed cases.
• To assess the impact of visual and web-based referrals in distance learning materials on medical student learning outcomes.

Main Methods:

• Medical students at distant sites were randomized to receive either an enhanced (E) or simple (S) e-mailed OM case study.
• The enhanced case included a referral to a web-based interactive OM case and learning objectives.
• Student performance was assessed via two OSCE stations: patient interview/counseling and case presentation, with scores compared between groups.

Main Results:

• No significant difference in OSCE scores was observed between the enhanced (E) and simple (S) case groups for either the simulated patient interview (72.6 vs 75.4, p=0.09) or the case presentation station (82.9 vs 83.7, p=0.55).
• A high response rate (90%) confirmed students accessed the e-mailed materials.

Conclusions:

• Enhanced visual distance education cases, including web-based referrals, did not demonstrate a significant advantage over simple e-mailed case studies for improving medical student OSCE performance in otitis media.
• Current findings suggest that traditional, non-enhanced case study guides may be as effective as visually enhanced materials for distance medical education in this context.