Using Virtual Clinical Placements to overcome challenges and enhance medical education in Ukraine: An Objective Evaluation of Learning

Helena Manzulych, Pavlo Kolesnyk, Vladyslav Lazaryk, Svitlana Ivanchenko, Francis Ugwu

Keywords: medical education, clinical education, virtual placement, remote learning, family medicine, general practice, blended learning, war

Background:

The lack of practical medical education in family doctors` practices is particularly severe in Ukraine, where war has placed additional burdens on the healthcare system. A key obstacle in training new doctors is the limited availability of high-quality clinical learning experiences. Implementing effective virtual clinical environments (VCE) into undergraduate medical education has therefore become crucial during wartime.

Research questions:

In the context of war, what are the changes in knowledge and self-confidence assessment of medical students learning family medicine through virtual clinical experiences?

Method:

Two groups of senior medical students from Uzhhorod National University (n=9) and Kharkiv National Medical University (n=9), a war-affected region, completed 13 clinical teaching sessions over 13 weeks covering common family medicine cases using real patients. Sessions were led by experienced clinicians using the VCE platform. Written assessments forms of knowledge and self-confidence were designed and validated for each teaching session to evaluate students’ knowledge. Students completed these before each session and again afterwards along with a validated self-assessment of skills questionnaire.
To assess knowledge retention, at the end of the teaching program, students were assessed using a selection of questions from the previous written tests.

Results:

Students’ posttest scores following the VCE teaching sessions were increased compared to their pretest scores. This increase was maintained in the end of program assessment. In the self-assessment questionnaires students showed an increased level of confidence in their communication and clinical management skills.

Conclusions:

Virtual clinical experience is an effective method of teaching family medicine to medical students within the context of war. Further work is needed to assess the effectiveness of VCE in teaching hands-on clinical skills.

Points for discussion:

How can VCE be integrated into traditional medical education program, both in the context of war and outside of this?

What are the potential strengths and limitations of VCE in medical education?

#41