TY - JOUR
T1 - Teaching Telemedicine in the COVID-19 Era
T2 - a National Survey of Internal Medicine Clerkship Directors
AU - Henschen, Bruce L.
AU - Jasti, Harish
AU - Kisielewski, Michael
AU - Pincavage, Amber T.
AU - Levine, Diane
N1 - Funding Information:
We wish to thank our colleagues from the CDIM Survey and Scholarship Committee for assistance with drafting and reviewing the survey content. We extend our appreciation to the CDIM Council for its review of the survey instrument and for encouraging us to conduct this research during a challenging time, and to Jordan Ortiz of the Alliance for Academic Internal Medicine for her invaluable assistance as project staff. Finally, we thank the medicine clerkship directors who completed the survey for taking the time to provide critical data as they faced multiple competing priorities due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2021, Society of General Internal Medicine.
PY - 2021/11
Y1 - 2021/11
N2 - Background: Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, telemedicine (TM) experiences in undergraduate medical education were uncommon. When students’ clinical experiences were interrupted due to the pandemic, TM education provided opportunities for students to participate in clinical care while adhering to social distancing guidelines. Objective: To assess the prevalence of TM experiences in the internal medicine (IM) core clerkship experience prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, during interruption in clinical clerkships, and following the return to in-person activities at US medical schools. Design: The Clerkship Directors in Internal Medicine (CDIM) survey is a national, annually recurring thematic survey of IM core clerkship directors. The 2020 survey focused on effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, including a section about TM. The survey was fielded online from August through October 2020. Participants: A total of 137 core clinical medicine clerkship directors at Liaison Committee on Medical Education fully accredited US/US territory–based medical schools. Main Measures: A 10-item thematic survey section assessing student participation in TM and assessment of TM-related competencies. Key Results: The response rate was 73.7% (101/137 medical schools). No respondents reported TM curricular experiences prior to the pandemic. During clinical interruption, 39.3% of respondents reported TM experiences in the IM clerkship, whereas 24.7% reported such experiences occurring at the time they completed the survey. A higher percentage of clerkships with an ambulatory component reported TM to be an important competency compared to those without an ambulatory component. Conclusions: The extent to which TM was used in the IM clinical clerkship, and across clinical clerkships, increased substantially when medical students were removed from in-person clinical duties as a response to COVID-19. When students returned to in-person clinical duties, experiences in TM continued, suggesting the continued value of TM as part of the formal education of students during the medicine clerkship. Curricula and faculty development will be needed to support TM education.
AB - Background: Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, telemedicine (TM) experiences in undergraduate medical education were uncommon. When students’ clinical experiences were interrupted due to the pandemic, TM education provided opportunities for students to participate in clinical care while adhering to social distancing guidelines. Objective: To assess the prevalence of TM experiences in the internal medicine (IM) core clerkship experience prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, during interruption in clinical clerkships, and following the return to in-person activities at US medical schools. Design: The Clerkship Directors in Internal Medicine (CDIM) survey is a national, annually recurring thematic survey of IM core clerkship directors. The 2020 survey focused on effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, including a section about TM. The survey was fielded online from August through October 2020. Participants: A total of 137 core clinical medicine clerkship directors at Liaison Committee on Medical Education fully accredited US/US territory–based medical schools. Main Measures: A 10-item thematic survey section assessing student participation in TM and assessment of TM-related competencies. Key Results: The response rate was 73.7% (101/137 medical schools). No respondents reported TM curricular experiences prior to the pandemic. During clinical interruption, 39.3% of respondents reported TM experiences in the IM clerkship, whereas 24.7% reported such experiences occurring at the time they completed the survey. A higher percentage of clerkships with an ambulatory component reported TM to be an important competency compared to those without an ambulatory component. Conclusions: The extent to which TM was used in the IM clinical clerkship, and across clinical clerkships, increased substantially when medical students were removed from in-person clinical duties as a response to COVID-19. When students returned to in-person clinical duties, experiences in TM continued, suggesting the continued value of TM as part of the formal education of students during the medicine clerkship. Curricula and faculty development will be needed to support TM education.
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U2 - 10.1007/s11606-021-07061-4
DO - 10.1007/s11606-021-07061-4
M3 - Article
C2 - 34494207
AN - SCOPUS:85114302854
SN - 0884-8734
VL - 36
SP - 3497
EP - 3502
JO - Journal of general internal medicine
JF - Journal of general internal medicine
IS - 11
ER -