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Introduction Self-directed peer feedback is integral to the problem-based learning (PBL) process, but poorly scaffolded feedback processes can be inefficient and ineffective and there is little guidance on how students should structure these processes. This study aims to identify implementation considerations for a group function reflection tool and explore group feedback behaviours around the operationalization of the tool. Methods We conducted a qualitative study informed by direct content analysis using the group function reflection tool and conducted semi-structured focus groups in 2024 with 24 medical students and two tutors participating in a PBL curriculum. Students conducted peer feedback using the tool over four weeks, submitted feedback through an online form, and reflected on their experiences in focus groups. We analyzed feedback responses and transcripts in a staged approach, sensitized by three frameworks: the Human Factors Framework, the Task-Gap-Action model of feedback, and Thanks for the Feedback: Appreciation, Coaching, and Evaluation. Results We constructed five themes: 1) appreciative feedback is often under-valued, 2) there is tension between structure and flexibility in the feedback process, 3) the interplay between written and verbal feedback, 4) the density of feedback requires careful optimization, and 5) the tool as a threat to tutors. Discussion Operationalization of the tool exposed tensions around the peer feedback process. The tool reinforced the importance of a self-guided process for peer feedback which also requires prompting. It raised assumptions about the PBL feedback process which should be further studied to better understand peer feedback in broader contexts., Competing Interests: Human subjects: Consent for treatment and open access publication was obtained or waived by all participants in this study. Hamilton Integrated Research Ethics Board issued approval 16200. This project was approved by the Hamilton Integrated Research Ethics Board (HiREB) under Project #16200. Animal subjects: All authors have confirmed that this study did not involve animal subjects or tissue. Conflicts of interest: In compliance with the ICMJE uniform disclosure form, all authors declare the following: Payment/services info: All authors have declared that no financial support was received from any organization for the submitted work. Financial relationships: All authors have declared that they have no financial relationships at present or within the previous three years with any organizations that might have an interest in the submitted work. Other relationships: All authors have declared that there are no other relationships or activities that could appear to have influenced the submitted work., (Copyright © 2024, Mellon et al.)

Performing pharmaceutical calculations accurately is a fundamental aspect of the pharmacy profession, ensuring treatment efficacy and patient safety. Incorporating videos in teaching can enhance visualisation and reinforce learning. The current study utilised videos to teach calculations and assessed how these affected students' performance. Initially, pharmacy students were surveyed at one UK University to identify calculation topics they found most challenging, and then two prototype videos were created based on these topics. Feedback was gathered through a follow-up survey on these prototypes, leading to the development of five additional videos. To evaluate the impact of these videos, students were given quizzes before and after watching them. The data were analysed in Microsoft Excel and included paired t -tests to compare mean scores, with significance set at p < 0.05. The survey was completed by 98/130 (75% response rate), with 58% expressing average or low confidence in calculations. A majority (78%) believed that videos would aid their comprehension of calculation concepts. In the subsequent phase, most respondents (92%, 80/87) agreed that the prototype videos improved their understanding of the two topics, but this increase was not statistically significant. However, quiz performance evaluation revealed a significant increase in average scores. This study affirms that videos can boost students' performance in calculations by allowing them to visualise the relevant practical scenarios.

Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Spinal ultrasonography has increasingly been used to image axial structures from the cervical to sacral region in recent years. In this work, we propose a comprehensive, systematic cervical scanning protocol that we refined as a route map, especially for beginners, to facilitate teaching, learning, diagnosis, and treatment in clinical pain practice. As a simple and clear tool to demonstrate the scanning protocol, the route map is delineated with rectangles, lines, and arrows. The rectangles represent the positions of the transducer, the arrows indicate route directions, and the lines show the routes of transducer movement. In this article, we describe cervical spinal ultrasonography to illustrate the route map interpretation, scanning protocol and target anatomical structures in detail. We believe that this comprehensive, clear, systematic, and portable route map will be beneficial for inexperienced pain clinicians and ultrasound beginners., (© 2023. The Author(s).)

The traditional approach to anatomy teaching is still the most common. Recently, there has been a demand for methods that make students more active and open to communication and cooperation, and are well integrated with technology. Our aim in this study was to determine the social media usage characteristics and anatomy learning experiences of medical and dentistry students, and their expectations about learning via social media. A questionnaire was prepared and distributed to faculties of Medicine and Dentistry in 10 different universities in Türkiye via Google forms. The questionnaire was voluntarily answered by 762 students. Frequency, exploratory factor and confirmatory factor analyses were applied to the data acquired, and a structural equation modeling (SEM) approach was used. The results showed that 54.3% of the students spent more than 90 min/day on social media; 96.5% of the participants preferred to follow anatomical content pages on social media (acpSM) administered by an academic. They stated that the instant responses from acpSM's admin had a positive effect on motivation to learning (4.08 ± 0.89, mean ± SD, on 5-point Likert-type scale). The SEM revealed a statistically significant correlation between the students' learning motivation and the sufficiency and suitability of acpSM content (p < 0.010). Thus, medical and dental students are eager to learn anatomy via social media. However, they found acpSM to be insufficient in quality and quantity and wanted future content to be administered by academics. An acpSM optimized for content sufficiency and suitability increased students' learning motivation., (© 2023 The Authors. Clinical Anatomy published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of American Association of Clinical Anatomists and British Association of Clinical Anatomists.)

Introduction: It is common practice to use objects to bridge disciplines and develop shared understanding across knowledge boundaries. Objects for knowledge mediation provide a point of reference which allows for the translation of abstract concepts into more externalized representations. This study reports from an intervention that introduced an unfamiliar resilience perspective in healthcare, through the use of a resilience in healthcare (RiH) learning tool. The aim of this paper is to explore how a RiH learning tool may be used as an object for introduction and translation of a new perspective across different healthcare settings., Methods: This study is based on empirical observational data, collected throughout an intervention to test a RiH learning tool, developed as part of the Resilience in Healthcare (RiH) program. The intervention took place between September 2022 and January 2023. The intervention was tested in 20 different healthcare units, including hospitals, nursing homes and home care services. A total of 15 workshops were carried out, including 39-41 participants in each workshop round. Throughout the intervention, data was gathered in all 15 workshops at the different organizational sites. Observation notes from each workshop make up the data set for this study. The data was analyzed using an inductive thematic analysis approach., Results and Conclusion: The RiH learning tool served as different forms of objects during the introduction of the unfamiliar resilience perspective for healthcare professionals. It provided a means to develop shared reflection, understanding, focus, and language for the different disciplines and settings involved. The resilience tool acted as a boundary object for the development of shared understanding and language, as an epistemic object for the development of shared focus and as an activity object within the shared reflection sessions. Enabling factors for the internalization of the unfamiliar resilience perspective were to provide active facilitation of the workshops, repeated explanation of unfamiliar concepts, provide relatedness to own context, and promote psychological safety in the workshops. Overall, observations from the testing of the RiH learning tool showed how these different objects were crucial in making tacit knowledge explicit, which is key to improve service quality and promote learning processes in healthcare., Competing Interests: The author SW is a member of the editorial board (Associate Editor). The remaining authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2023 Lyng, Haraldseid-Driftland, Guise, Ree, Dombestein, Fagerdal, Wæhle and Wiig.)

Purpose: To study the role of digitally assisted vitreoretinal surgery (DAVS) as a learning and teaching tool compared to that of the standard binocular side-scope of the conventional analog microscope (CAM)., Methods: This was a cross-sectional, observational study conducted at a tertiary eye care center and teaching institute in South India. Postgraduate residents and clinical fellows observed a predecided set of retinal surgical procedures using both DAVS and CAM. A detailed questionnaire was used to compare the participants' subjective scoring of both the platforms in terms of level of comfort, clarity of image and stereopsis, level of understanding, and overall impression., Results: Thirty-six participants, including 20 residents and 16 fellows, took part in this study. DAVS obtained a higher score for all 15 questions compared to CAM and the differences were statistically significant. DAVS obtained a mean score of 4.80 (median: 5) whereas CAM obtained a mean score of 3.14 (median: 3) on a grading scale of 1-5 with regard to the overall experience of surgical viewing through either platform (P < 0.01)., Conclusion: DAVS is a better learning and teaching tool compared to the side scope of the CAM from a learner's perspective. Thus, DAVS can help beginners in the field of vitreoretinal surgery obtain a better understanding of the surgical steps prior to the initiation of hands-on training., Competing Interests: None

Background: Trigger videos have occasionally been used in medical education; however, their application to surgical faculty development is novel. We assessed participants' attitudes towards workshops on intraoperative teaching (IOT) that were anchored by trigger videos, and studied whether they could generate discussion-for-learning among surgeons in this workshop setting., Methods: Surgeons from multiple specialties attended one of six faculty development workshops where IOT trigger videos were shown and discussed during break-out sessions. Participants completed questionnaires to (1) evaluate videos via survey and feedback, and (2) identify adoptable and discardable IOT techniques. Teaching techniques were collated to identify planned IOT changes and survey data and feedback were analyzed., Results: A total of 135 surgeons identified 292 adoptable and 202 discardable IOT techniques based on trigger videos and discussions, and 94% of participants reported that the trigger videos were useful and encouraged them to discuss and consider new IOT techniques in their own practice., Conclusions: Participants reported that the trigger videos were useful and motivating. Surgeons critically reflected on IOT during the sessions, identifying numerous adoptable and discardable techniques relevant to their own teaching styles. Trigger videos can be a valuable tool for surgical faculty development and can be tailored to other medical specialties., (© 2021. The Author(s).)

Introduction: Laparoscopic surgery is an increasingly used technique, but it requires a high degree of learning, and communication between the operating room crew is considerably difficult. The use of eye tracking has been proposed as a didactic and evaluation tool in several settings, including in laparoscopy in simulators. Objectives: This study aimed to evaluate the usefulness of the use of eye tracking systems (Tobii glasses 2) in laparoscopic surgery as a didactic and assessment tool to improve communication in the operating room and improve patients' security. Methodology: An anonymous survey was sent to the students and medical teachers of a faculty of medicine and practicing doctors and residents. The message contained an explanation about the use of the Tobii glasses, a link to watch the video showing its use in a laparoscopic surgery, and the survey to complete after watching the video. Results: The survey was answered by 113 participants (51.3% medical students, 27.4% medical teachers, 18.6% practicing doctors, and 2.7% medicine residents). Eighty-three percent agreed with the usefulness of the "Tobii glasses" in the operating room for improving communication between the main surgeon and the assistant, for learning complex surgery techniques, for obtaining didactic videos, and for indicating anatomical structures. The item scored worst was the price of the glasses. Conclusions: It is possible to record and project expert gaze patterns in the operating room in real time using the Tobii glasses. This device allows improving communication among the surgical crew and the learning of residents and also improving the security of surgical patients., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2021 Marín-Conesa, Sánchez-Ferrer, Grima-Murcia and Sánchez-Ferrer.)

The plastination technique is a recently developed option to preserve biological tissues widely used in human and veterinary anatomy. This process allows one to obtain real, safe, clean, dry, resistant and permanently stable material without any additional treatment or maintenance. All these advantages are associated with the rapid expansion of plastination during recent decades in a high number of educational institutions. However, the studies of parasite conservation through plastination are scarce, although the material obtained has a high quality, as prior references have shown. In this study, 141 students of veterinary medicine and pharmacy university degrees used, in a blind study, plastinated specimens (experimental group) or wet specimens (control group) during three consecutive practical sessions. Afterwards all the students completed anonymous questionnaires on both knowledge and satisfaction. The results demonstrated that plastinated parasites are a valid and satisfactory alternative to be used as a teaching/learning tool during practical lessons. Moreover, with regard to the knowledge of morphological structures, the results from the questionnaire of assimilated knowledge showed no differences between the use of plastinated and formaldehyde-preserved parasites.

Sensors for environmental radioactivity based on two novel setups using photodiodes, on the one hand, and an advanced tablet-based hybrid pixel detector, on the other hand, are presented. Measurements of four kinds of terrestrial and every-day radiation sources are carried out: Airborne radon, a mineral containing traces of uranium, edible potassium salt, and an old radium watch. These measurements permit comparisons between different types of ambient radioactive sources and enable environmental monitoring. Available data comprise discrimination between α - and β - -particles in an energy range of 33 keV to 8 MeV and under ambient air conditions. The diode-based sensor is particularly useful in portable applications since it is small and sturdy with little power consumption. It can be directly connected to a smartphone via the headset socket. For its development, the low-cost silicon positive-intrinsic-negative (PIN) diodes BPX61 and BPW34 have been characterised with capacitance versus voltage (C-V) curves. Physical detection limits for ionising radiation are discussed based on obtained depletion layer width: ( 50 ± 8 ) μ m at 8 V. The mobile and low-cost character of these sensors, as alternatives to Geiger counters or other advanced equipment, allows for a widespread use by individuals and citizen science groups for environmental and health protection purposes, or in educational settings. Source code and hardware design files are released under open source licenses with this publication.

In recent years student exposure to computer applications has increased at an unprecedented rate. Yet the use of these promising technologies in education remains in its infancy. The growing practice of 'gamification' offers today's educators the means of conveying their lessons in a more engaging way, by utilising computer game mechanics. However, many of these learning tools have not been empirically evaluated. This research investigated the development of a desktop computer application, to replace an existing learning resource, a video, currently used by over 700 life sciences students a year in one of the top 100 universities of the world. The interactive game presents the same essential information as the video, on key anatomical features of mammalian skulls, and provides student self-testing. Results from a two-treatment, pre- and post-intervention experimental design suggest the new product is better for providing both knowledge acquisition and a positive learning experience. Nevertheless, the results are unlikely to be statistically significant. Insights from the findings are discussed and directions for future research are given.

Female genital mutilation type III (infibulation) is achieved by narrowing the vaginal orifice by creating a covering seal, accomplished by cutting and appositioning the labia minora and/or labia majora, with or without clitoral excision. Infibulation is responsible for significant urogynecological, obstetrical, and psychosexual consequences that can be treated with defibulation (or de-infibulation), an operation that opens the infibulation scar, exposing the vulvar vestibule, vaginal orifice, external urethral meatus, and eventually the clitoris. This article provides a practical comprehensive, up-to-date visual learning tool on defibulation, with information on pre-operative, post-operative, and follow-up information. Abdulcadir J, Marras S, Catania L, et al. Defibulation: a visual reference and learning tool. J Sex Med 2018;15:601-611., (Copyright © 2018 International Society for Sexual Medicine. All rights reserved.)

Context: Early clinical exposure (ECE) is one of the important tools to teach basic science to the MBBS students. It is one form of vertical integration between basic science and clinical subjects. This study is an effort at exploring the use of ECE as a motivational tool toward better learning in neuroanatomy for first year MBBS students., Aim: This study aims to make the students interested and motivated to study neuroanatomy by using ECE as learning tool in neuroanatomy and to make the students enable to retain the knowledge of neuroanatomy more efficiently and correlate the knowledge of neuroanatomy with neuromedicine., Settings and Design: This study was conducted in collaboration with the Departments of Anatomy, General Medicine and Medical Education Unit in the year 2016. This was cross-sectional study., Subjects and Methods: One hundred and fifty students of 1 st Professional MBBS were subdivided into two groups. After preliminary classes on brain, brainstem, and spinal cord for both groups, conventional lecture classes were taken for Group A only on upper motor neuron (UMN) and lower motor neuron (LMN) paralysis, and only Group B visited General Medicine ward where HOD, General Medicine showed and examined patients of UMN paralysis and LMN paralysis, elicited different symptoms, and discussed different investigation. It was followed by assessment of all by problem-based multiple choice questions (MCQ) and short answer questions. Then, Group B attended lecture class on different cranial nerve palsy whereas Group A visited medicine ward. It was followed by assessment of both groups by problem-based MCQ and short answer questions. The performance was compared. Then, the feedback of the students on ECE was collected by means of reflection writing followed by administration of questionnaire. Then, the perception of teachers regarding ECE was recorded by focused group discussion., Statistical Analysis Used: Student's t -test was used to compare the performance of both batches. Reflection writing and focus group discussion were analyzed qualitatively., Results: There was a significant difference in Group A ( P = 0.019) but no significant difference in Group B ( P = 0.679). All the teachers opined that ECE was an efficient method but more time and interdepartmental collaboration were necessary., Conclusions: Group A improved performance due to ECE but Group B maintained the motivational effect of it. Therefore, ECE can be used as an effective learning tool., Competing Interests: There are no conflicts of interest.

Objective: To evaluate the effectiveness of a new learning tool for needle insertion accuracy skills during a simulated ultrasound-guided regional anesthesia procedure., Methods: Thirty participants were included in this randomized controlled study. After viewing a prerecorded video of a single, discreet, ultrasound-guided regional anesthesia task, all participants performed the same task three consecutive times (pretest), and needle insertion accuracy skills in a phantom model were recorded as baseline. All participants were then randomized into two groups, experimental and control. The experimental group practiced the task using the new tool, designed with two video cameras, a monitor, and an ultrasound machine where the images from the ultrasound and video of hand movements are viewed simultaneously on the monitor. The control group practiced the task without using the new tool. After the practice session, both groups repeated the same task and were evaluated in the same manner as in the pretest., Results: Participants in both group groups had similar baseline characteristics with respect to previous experience with ultrasound-guided regional anesthesia procedures. The experimental group had significantly better needle insertion accuracy scores ( P  < 0.01) than the control group. Using the new learning tool, inexperienced participants had better needle insertion accuracy scores ( P  < 0.01) compared with experienced participants., Conclusions: This study demonstrates that the use of this new learning tool results in short-term improvement in hand-eye, motor, and basic needle insertion skills during a simulated ultrasound-guided regional anesthesia procedure vs traditional practice methods. Skill improvement was greater in novices compared with experienced participants., (© 2016 American Academy of Pain Medicine. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com)

Timely and effective assessment, resuscitation and transfer of patients with severe burns has been demonstrated to improve outcome. A dedicated one-day course exists to equip all frontline emergency healthcare workers with the necessary knowledge and skills to manage severe burn injuries. More recently, a board game has been developed which aims to act as a learning and practice development tool for those managing burn injuries. We present the findings of our preliminary evaluation of this game. We played this game with a multidisciplinary group of staff including doctors, nurses and therapists. A proportion of these participants had previously completed the Emergency Management of Severe Burns (EMSB) course. We obtained subjective results from a questionnaire, using both Likert-type ratings and open-ended questions. The styling of the game and ease of instructions was rated from 'average' to 'excellent'. The relevance of questions was rated from 'good' to 'excellent'. The usefulness of the game to increase knowledge and stimulate discussion was rated between 'good' and 'excellent'. All participants stated that they would recommend the game to other healthcare professionals. This is the only burns and plastic surgery-related educational game in the literature. Educational games adhere to principles of adult learning but there is insufficient evidence in the literature to either confirm or refute their utility. Our preliminary evaluation of this game has shown that it achieves its main aims, namely to increase knowledge in burn care and to stimulate discussion. Further work is required to assess the board game., Competing Interests: Declaration of conflicting interests: The authors declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

Objective: Despite the importance of psychiatric formulation, it remains one of the most challenging tasks for medical students and trainees. To facilitate teaching and learning this essential skill, we propose a visual metaphor in order to conceptualise psychiatric formulation., Conclusions: It is expected that this paper will assist educators and learners to better conceptualise psychiatric formulation through activating prior knowledge through this visual metaphor. Future educational research will determine the effectiveness of this proposed learning tool., (© The Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists 2015.)

Background: The pedagogical use of social networking technology in education is of growing interest to academics as a potential teaching and learning tool. However, the educational use of social networking sites such as Facebook is still under explored. Nursing students often perceive bioscience subjects as difficult and lack self-efficacy in their ability to be successful. In this case, as the final assessment for a bioscience related subject approached, students became increasingly anxious about their ability to perform in the assessment item. To better support students, a Facebook group was formed., Objectives: The aim of the study was to examine students' perceptions of the efficacy of using Facebook as a tool to support study., Design: A convenience sample of BN students (n=533 across 3 campuses), enrolled in the subject Medications and Safe Administration, were invited to join. 373 BN students joined the group (70% of the student cohort). A solution-focussed orientation underpinned the management of the group., Methods: A descriptive, online survey was administered following release of students' results for the final assessment item to assess students' perceptions of how effective the group had been in helping them learn. The survey contained both quantitative and qualitative questions. Responses were received from 89 students (24%). Survey data were analysed descriptively and qualitative data were analysed thematically by the academic team., Results: Students perceived the group to be an innovative method of study support that guided learning by enhancing self-efficacy in their learning. Students also described how it was useful in promoting peer learning and engaging with academics., Conclusions: Social media platforms such as Facebook have the potential to enhance students' self-efficacy in learning and can support students to develop their learning to a deeper level., (Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)