Carolinas Research Day 2021

Simulation and Technology Studies

02 Common Technology Issues Encountered in Telemedicine Standardized Patient Encounters and Their Prevention

Rachel Burke, OMS II; Grayson White, OMS II; and Tom Lindsey, DO, FACOS

The Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine-Carolinas

Background: : In light of the SARS-CoV-2 Pandemic, the medical education system was faced with the challenge of how to continue teaching clinical skills under social distancing guidelines. Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine (VCOM) faculty responded by creating a telemedicine-like visit to provide students with an encounter that would mimic previous in-person Standardized Patient Encounters (SPEs). As more medical schools begin incorporating these telemedicine-like visits into curriculum, we highlight the technology issues experienced at VCOM to serve as a baseline for other institutions. The goal is to report on problems encountered in order to offer advice on how to avoid these issues with use in new telemedicine SPE programs. Methods: Data was collected from anonymous surveys administered on SimulationIQ to OMS I and

OMS II students at all four VCOM campuses following their December SPE. The survey asked students to explain the technology issues they experienced both personally and from their Standardized Patient. A 5-point likert scale was included to identify the extent students felt the issues impacted their encounter. A frequency distribution of the reported issues was used to categorize the most frequently reported problems. Results: Out of 790 total student responses, an overwhelming majority (59.49%) reported that they did not experience any technology issues during their encounter. Of the reported issues, 60.63% reported having trouble with the augmented reality software, 32.81% reported issues with audio, 20.31% reported issues with internet connection, 15.00% reported issues with video, and 24.06% reported other unspecified issues. These students also selected

how strongly they agreed to the following statement: “I experienced technology issues that affected my overall SP experience.” Of the 789 student that responded to this statement, 50.70% strongly disagreed, 13.56% somewhat disagreed, 10.90% were undecided, 19.39% somewhat agreed, and 5.45% strongly agreed. Conclusion: We identified the most common technology issues reported from the December 2020 Standardized Patient Encounters at VCOM. With these issues, we provide potential ways to mitigate experiencing these problems in future telemedicine- like encounters at VCOM and at institutions preparing to incorporate these encounters into their curriculum.

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