Telemedicine Education Program for Medical Students

Selcuk University68 enrolled

Overview

This study evaluated a structured telemedicine education program for undergraduate medical students. Third-year medical students participated in either a structured telemedicine education program or a control condition. The education program included theoretical sessions, observation of real telemedicine consultations, simulated patient encounters, and structured feedback. Students' telemedicine knowledge was assessed before and after the study, and their telemedicine consultation skills were evaluated through a standardized simulated patient encounter. The study aimed to examine whether structured telemedicine education could improve medical students' knowledge and consultation skills.

This quasi-experimental study used a pretest-posttest control group design to evaluate a structured telemedicine education program for third-year medical students. The study included an intervention group and a control group. The intervention group participated in a 15-week structured telemedicine education program. The program included theoretical sessions on telemedicine, observation of real telemedicine consultations, simulated patient encounters, and structured feedback from instructors, simulated patients, and peers. The control group continued the routine medical curriculum and did not receive the structured telemedicine education program during the study period. Telemedicine knowledge was assessed using a multiple-choice knowledge test before and after the intervention period. At the end of the study, students' telemedicine consultation performance was evaluated through a standardized simulated patient encounter using a 20-item structured checklist. Student feedback on the education program was also collected from the intervention group.

Study Type

INTERVENTIONAL

Allocation

NON_RANDOMIZED

Purpose

OTHER

Masking

NONE

Enrollment

Interventions

Structured Telemedicine Education ProgramBEHAVIORAL

The intervention was a 15-week structured telemedicine education program for third-year medical students. It included theoretical sessions on telemedicine, observation of real telemedicine consultations, simulated patient encounters, and structured feedback. The program was designed to develop students' knowledge of telemedicine and their skills in conducting telemedicine consultations.

Eligibility

Sex: ALLMin age: 18 YearsHealthy volunteers:

Medical Language ↔ Plain English

Inclusion Criteria: * Third-year medical students enrolled at Selcuk University Faculty of Medicine during the 2023-2024 academic year. Voluntary participation in the study. Provision of informed consent. Exclusion Criteria: * Students who did not complete the pretest or posttest assessments. Students who did not participate in the final simulated telemedicine consultation.

Locations (1)

Selcuk University

Konya, Konya, Turkey (Türkiye)

Outcomes

Primary Outcomes

Telemedicine Knowledge Test Score

Telemedicine knowledge was assessed using the Telemedicine Knowledge Test, a multiple-choice test developed for this study. The total score was calculated as the number of correct responses, with higher scores indicating greater telemedicine knowledge.

Time frame: Baseline and immediately after the 15-week intervention

Telemedicine Consultation Performance

Telemedicine consultation performance was assessed using a 20-item structured checklist during a standardized simulated patient encounter. Each item was scored as performed (1) or not performed (0), resulting in a total score ranging from 0 to 20. Higher scores indicated better telemedicine consultation performance.