Building digital bridges: Sustaining medical education in Ukraine during the war through blended online modules

The invasion of Ukraine has severely disrupted medical education. This study evaluated a blended digital intervention to support medical students and examined factors influencing students' experiences under the conditions.

Two blended online modules (Medical Communication and Clinical Reasoning) were co-developed by the University of Würzburg and two Ukrainian medical universities. The modules combined asynchronous learning materials with synchronous online sessions, including simulated patients alongside case-based discussions. Displaced Ukrainian physicians contributed as instructors. A cross-sectional mixed-methods evaluation was conducted at the end of teaching using an online questionnaire with 15 Likert-scale items and open-ended questions. Quantitative data were analysed using descriptive statistics, exploratory factor analysis, and regression analyses with interaction terms. Qualitative responses underwent thematic content analysis.

In total, 376 valid questionnaires were completed (response rate: 28.8% of 1,306 module participations). Factor analysis identified three perceived outcome dimensions: teaching quality, learning gain, and module experience. These accounted for 54% of the total variance and captured students' perceived effectiveness of the modules. Ratings were high for organisation, clarity, and interactivity, while perceived learning gain was positive but lower for compensating missing practical training. War- and infrastructure-related interruptions were negatively associated with ratings, with a significant interaction of study location indicating stronger effects in Ternopil than in Vinnytsya. Qualitative comments corroborated these findings and highlighted practical relevance, cultural adaptation, and participants' exposure to different professional practices.

The blended online modules were positively evaluated, and represent a scalable and resilient approach to sustaining medical training in conflicts and other resource-limited contexts.