JMIR Medical Education最新文献

Unlabelled: An April 2025 survey of 118 first-year Japanese medical students found high use of generative artificial intelligence (84.7%) but limited formal learning (49.2%), with strong learning interest yet neutral assignment use, indicating a need for structured literacy in generative artificial intelligence.

Background: Project Extension for Community Healthcare Outcomes (ECHO) is an innovative model to increase capacity to treat patients in their community. Despite a growing body of evidence supporting its effectiveness, little is known about the implementation processes of multiple ECHO programs within an institution from the perspective of executives and institutional leaders.

Objective: The study objective was to explore from an institutional and organizational standpoint the systemic characteristics that influence the implementation of Project ECHO programs, their growth within an ecosystem, and their sustainability.

Methods: Focus groups and individual interviews were carried out with executives and leaders from an institution that implemented 3 Project ECHO programs, and verbatim were analyzed based on organizational readiness and implementation tools for Project ECHO.

Results: This study highlighted the rarely reported perspectives of executives and institutional partners, shedding light on the organizational components that are essential to the deployment and sustainability of Project ECHO. Results reflect the intricate balance between institutional resources and its broader mission within a provincial, public health care system. In terms of acceptability, the fit between the projects and the institution's values of innovation, contribution to the broader community, and improving patient trajectory was central from the organizational leaders' standpoint. The structure of the projects and their rapid growth within the institution confirmed the adequacy with the institution. The projects benefited from temporary funds initially, and the lack of performance indicators that were easily measurable and the lack of recognition for invested time from clinicians were barriers to moving toward sustainability. Organizational characteristics, including a decentralized management structure and ministerial support for innovative educational practices, increased the perceived feasibility of implementing and maintaining these programs.

Conclusions: This qualitative study of institution leaders and directors highlighted the challenges and facilitators to the deployment of an innovative continuous education model aimed at building capacity in the community for the management of various health conditions. Despite limitations, such as temporary initial funding, challenges in collecting performance indicators, most valued, and rigidity of the projects' structure, results also show many characteristics (innovative model, alignment with the institution's mission, and simplicity of its deployment) that helped move these projects toward sustainability within the institution. Results offer learning experiences that will be relevant to other settings evolving within a similar public health care system, wanting to implement this model.

Background: Free Open Access Medical Education has the potential to democratize access to medical knowledge globally; however, this potential remains largely unrealized, particularly in resource-limited settings. Content is increasingly concentrated on a small number of platforms, each hosting large volumes of material compiled from diverse sources.

Objective: This scoping review aimed to identify and synthesize reported barriers and enablers to the successful design, production, and operation of open access medical education platforms, with the goal of informing strategies to improve their impact, reach, and sustainability.

Methods: We conducted a scoping review using the Arksey and O'Malley framework. A structured search was carried out on April 17, 2023, in PubMed and EBSCOhost. Citation chaining with the SnowGlobe tool and manual reference checking supplemented the search. Studies were eligible for inclusion if they examined platforms that compile content from multiple sources and reported barriers and enablers. Two reviewers (AAEA and AB) independently screened records and extracted data, with discrepancies resolved by a third reviewer (EPOF). Beginning with an a priori framework of "barriers" and "enablers," coding was then developed inductively. Thematic synthesis categorized findings by stakeholder group.

Results: Of 1108 records identified, 1064 unique records were screened, and 64 full-text papers were assessed; 34 met the inclusion criteria. The most frequently reported barriers were concerns about content-quality control, incomplete or unstructured materials, and the resources needed to sustain platforms long-term. Key enablers included the use of validated tools to assess content quality and collaboration with existing content providers and platforms to enhance visibility and learner engagement. Findings were organized into 3 stakeholder groups: learners and training programs, content designers and creators, and platform managers.

Conclusions: Open access medical education platforms have significant untapped potential to enhance global medical training. Addressing these persistent challenges-particularly around quality assurance, content organization, and sustainability-will require more structured, collaborative, and internationally coordinated approaches.

Background: Global health care education that cultivates international orientation is important for providing medical care in consideration of diverse backgrounds and collaboration with foreign medical professionals. Virtual international exchange programs could be a new type of global education in the present postpandemic era.

Objective: This study aimed to examine the effectiveness of a virtual international exchange program in fostering quality academic and professional learning and international orientation from student perspectives across 5 countries. This research is expected to contribute to education for the development of global human resources in the health professions.

Methods: This quasi-experimental study used a before-and-after design using a convergent parallel mixed methods approach. In this study, a 5-day interactive virtual program was offered to occupational therapy students from Bangladesh, Indonesia, Japan, the Philippines, and Thailand. The students were asked about their expectations and international orientation before the program, and about their evaluation of the program and international orientation afterward. Numerical data from a questionnaire on program expectations and evaluations were analyzed using descriptive statistics. Data on international orientation were subjected to qualitative analysis using steps for coding and theorization.

Results: In total, 29 students participated in the program, out of which 12 students (response ratio 41.4%) answered the research questionnaires both before and after the program. Overall, the students' expectations of the program were met in terms of expertise, scientific learning skills, and group interactions. Comparing before and after the program, mean scores of how the program met expectations increased, and the mean scores after the program in all 12 items asking about program evaluation were from 3.8 (SD 1.19) to 4.9 (SD 0.67; range: score 1 [lowest]-5 [highest]). Even though their motivation for participating in the program was not specific before the program, after the program, they reported having a more concrete image and specific form of what they learned from an international perspective. The participants enjoyed communication with others from diverse backgrounds while recognizing the difficulty of understanding different values. They also expressed satisfaction with their understanding of occupational therapy professionals and diverse societies, including medical systems from other countries.

Conclusions: Even though the analyzed sample data were small, these findings suggest that the program in this study may provide the participants with valuable opportunities. The virtual exchange program could foster students to cultivate qualities such as problem-finding or problem-solving and having interactions with groups from diverse backgrounds.

Background: The venipuncture is one of the most frequently performed procedures in health care. Arm phantoms are available for training, because the procedure itself can be challenging. These phantom arms do not represent a realistic setting and do not offer opportunities to train challenging scenarios.

Objective: This randomized, single-blind study aimed to train health care workers on both a commercially available injection arm and an in-house developed 3D-printed arm, to evaluate the perceived realism and adequacy of training on both arms.

Methods: Participants were trained on both the commercially available arm (arm A) and the 3D-printed arm (arm B). Participants were randomized and blinded from knowing which arm they started training on. A questionnaire was filled in on, among others, the perceived realism of the arm (0 for not realistic, 100 for realistic) and adequacy of the training (inadequate, moderate, or adequate).

Results: A total of 68 participants evaluated the perceived realism of arm A and B, which were scored on average 62.97 (SD 21.47) and 63.79 (SD 17.45), respectively. The difference in perceived realism of the two arms was not statistically significant (based on the paired t test, mean difference=-0.82, P=.78). Training on arm A was reported inadequate by 7% (5/68 participants), moderately adequate by 31% (21/68), and adequate by 62% (42/68). This was not significantly different from arm B (marginal homogeneity test, P=.74), with 4% (3/68), 38% (26/68), and 57% (39/68), respectively, reporting that the training was inadequate, moderately adequate, and adequate.

Conclusions: The 3D-printed arm is as realistic and provides an equally adequate training compared to the commercially available arm. The 3D-printed arm offers the additional possibility to design different models representing several levels of difficulty for vascular morphology. This potentially lowers the number of venipuncture failures by preparing health care workers on challenging scenarios.

Background: Since January 2022, Sharjah in the United Arab Emirates has implemented the 4-day work week model for the first time in the public and private sectors, including universities. While this framework may enhance productivity and work-life balance for many professionals, the current study specifically explores the perceptions of students in medicine, dentistry, and health sciences programs regarding the impact of transitioning from a 5-day to a 4-day work week on their academic performance.

Objective: The objective of this study was to explore and analyze the perceptions of students in medicine, dentistry, and health sciences regarding the implementation of a 4-day academic week in the Emirate of Sharjah, United Arab Emirates.

Methods: Twenty-four university students (mean age 20.95, SD 1.30 years; 12 men) studying in medicine, dentistry, physiotherapy, nursing, or medical diagnostic imaging programs, who experienced a transition from a 5-day week to a 4-day week, participated in semistructured interviews lasting approximately 20-30 minutes. All interviews were recorded and transcribed verbatim. The Braun and Clarke 6-phase framework of thematic analysis was used.

Results: We identified 5 themes: academic journey, academic work-life balance, support systems, classroom dynamics, and common stressors of the 4-day academic week. Overall, most students reported increased motivation, engagement, and academic achievement following the transition from a 5-day to a 4-day week. In addition, participants described a positive academic work-life balance, improved physical and mental well-being, optimal use of time for both academic and personal commitments, favorable support from faculty and family members, and maintained or even improved attendance levels. Nevertheless, some students expressed concerns about condensed schedules and longer days, increased stress, disrupted work-life balance, and inadequate support systems to cope with this new framework.

Conclusions: Overall, the 4-day academic week enhanced motivation, academic performance, work-life balance, and the physical and mental well-being of medicine, dental, and health science students. However, some students experienced challenges related to condensed schedules and increased stress. These mixed outcomes highlight that while the 4-day work week offers notable advantages, careful planning and support are essential to mitigate the potential drawbacks and ensure all students can succeed within this new academic framework. Future research could explore strategies to address these challenges and further improve the 4-day week experience for all students.

Unlabelled: Faculty development is a cornerstone of academic medicine, supporting personal growth, professional advancement, and departmental effectiveness across all stages of a faculty member's career. Among the tools available, faculty retreats have increasingly emerged as a high-impact strategy to foster collaboration, advance strategic planning, and address individual and collective goals in a structured, reflective setting. While retreats are widely used in other sectors, practical guidance tailored to the academic medicine context remains limited. This tutorial offers a comprehensive, step-by-step framework for planning and implementing faculty retreats within academic departments. Key elements of effective retreat design are outlined, including (1) conducting a preretreat needs assessment to align goals with faculty priorities, (2) selecting an appropriate format (eg, in-person or hybrid), (3) fostering psychological safety to enhance participation, and (4) using facilitation techniques that promote inclusive dialogue and actionable outcomes. The tutorial also emphasizes logistical considerations, such as agenda design, timing, and participant engagement strategies, alongside mechanisms to ensure follow-up and accountability after the retreat. In addition to highlighting common barriers, such as resource limitations, scheduling constraints, and engagement disparities, the tutorial provides practical solutions drawn from real-world examples in academic medicine. By integrating thoughtful planning, evidence-informed facilitation, and postretreat follow-through, faculty retreats can serve as transformative experiences that support both individual development and departmental cohesion. This resource aims to fill a gap in the literature by equipping leaders in academic medicine with a structured approach to designing, executing, and sustaining the benefits of faculty retreats.

The increasing use of generative large language models (LLMs) necessitates a fundamental reevaluation of traditional didactic lectures in medical education, particularly within psychiatry. The specialty's inherent diagnostic ambiguity, biopsychosocial complexity, and reliance on nuanced interpersonal skills demand an educational model that transcends mere information transfer, focusing instead on cultivating sophisticated clinical reasoning. This viewpoint argues for a shift from passive knowledge transmission to active, facilitated development of higher-order thinking, aligning with the Bloom taxonomy. We describe four core propositions: (1) shifting foundational knowledge acquisition to faculty-curated asynchronous artificial intelligence (AI)-assisted micromodules; (2) transforming synchronous time into "Ambiguity Seminars" for discussing nuanced cases, biopsychosocial formulation, and ethical dilemmas, leveraging faculty expertise in guiding reasoning; (3) integrating live LLM critical interaction drills to develop prompt engineering skills and critical appraisal of AI outputs; and (4) realigning assessment methods (eg, objective structured clinical examinations [OSCEs], reflective writing) to evaluate clinical reasoning and integrative skills rather than rote recall. Successful implementation requires comprehensive faculty development, explicit institutional investment, and a phased approach that addresses scalability across varying resource settings. This reimagined approach aims to cultivate clinical wisdom, equipping psychiatric trainees with adaptive reasoning frameworks essential for excellence in an AI-mediated future.

Unlabelled: The Dellavalle/Dunnick Dermato-Epidemiology Lab transitioned from a single campus to a dual-campus collaboration between the University of Colorado and the University of Minnesota in 2024. Since the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic, the laboratory has been operating on Zoom and allows medical students from any institution to join. This innovative laboratory structure offers students and other researchers unique opportunities to engage in dermatological research and develop professional networks across two large academic institutions. The laboratory's model embraces a virtual collaborative approach, promotes inclusivity, encourages student-led inquiry, and provides a structured environment for professional development and academic output. Through its commitment to diverse student perspectives and interdisciplinary cooperation, the Dellavalle/Dunnick Dermato-Epidemiology Lab creates a new, equitable, nationwide model for research and mentorship in dermatology, supporting medical students, residents, and fellows to navigate future careers in dermatology.