With the rise of generative artificial intelligence and large language models, medical education is undergoing a significant transformation. Numerous studies have highlighted the limitations of traditional educational knowledge acquisition and the potential impact of artificial intelligence on medical education, resident training, and continuing education for clinical practitioners. However, there is a lack of real-world experiments on the effectiveness of AI-integrated education. Artificial intelligence can provide extensive educational resources and tools that are not limited by geographical location or language, thereby lowering the barrier to accessing high-quality medical education and promoting educational equity. Nevertheless, the performance of AI models trained by different medical institutions or healthcare systems may vary. To offer a more universal, accessible, high-quality, and interconnected educational journey. We have developed a virtual ophthalmology teacher, which developed based on foundational model and large language models. This model, named EyeTeacher provide comprehensive theoretical knowledge and clinical skills enhancement for untrained medical students. To verify the effectiveness of our EyeTeacher across different national ophthalmology education systems and languages, we plan to implement a randomized controlled trial. This trial will assess the clinical capabilities of all participants and explore the advantages and disadvantages of the system compared to traditional teaching methods.
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Purpose
OTHER
Masking
SINGLE
Enrollment
252
Participants randomized to the intervention group will receive access to the EyeTeacher system, along with their username, password, and a user manual, one week before the start of the course. They will follow instructions on the website and complete a quiz before and after each course. After completing the EyeTeacher curriculum, they will take the first examination (Examination 1) and complete a set of questionnaires. A classroom will be provided for study purposes, but no restrictions will be imposed on the study location. Following the EyeTeacher section, participants will attend the ophthalmology course in the regular training program, with support from the EyeTeacher system. They will be evaluated according to the ophthalmology posting's evaluation criteria (Examination 2).
University of Melbourne
Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Peking Union Medical College Hospital
Beijing, Beijing Municipality, China
University of Ghana
Accra, Greater Accra Region, Ghana
Sankara Nethralaya
Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India
University of Malaya
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Duke-NUS medical school
Singapore, Singapore
Moorfields Eye Hospital
London, United Kingdom
Grade of ophthalmology examination
Title: Ophthalmology Theoretical Examination. The examination includes 40 multiple-choice questions and two essay questions related to ophthalmology knowledge, to be completed within one hour without the use of reference materials. The exam will be graded by experts based on a standardized answer key. The score ranges from 0 to 100, with a higher score indicating a deeper understanding of the ophthalmology knowledge. Students in both the interventional group and the control group will complete the exam within the specified time on the EyeTeacher system. The data will be collected in the system's backend.
Time frame: 1 day after complete lectures
Time of studying ophthalmology
The study time spent using each teaching module in the interventional group is tracked by the EyeTeacher system website, while the study time for the control group and the out-of-system study time for the interventional group are collected through a questionnaire. Questionnaire title: Time of Study in Ophthalmology The questionnaire consists of fill-in-the-blank questions, with time measured in minutes. The content includes: class time, exercise time, discussion time, and reading reference material time. The questionnaires for both the interventional and control groups are completed on the EyeTeacher system, and the data is collected through the backend.
Time frame: 1 day after complete lectures
Feedback of teaching from students
Questionnaire title: Feedback of Study in Ophthalmology: The Likert scale is used for scoring. The topics include students' evaluations of course design, teacher guidance, empathy, as well as students' self-assessment and evaluation of their interest in ophthalmology. The questionnaires for both the interventional and control groups are completed on the EyeTeacher system, and the data is collected through the backend.
Time frame: 1 day after complete lectures
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