Advanced Communication and Examination Skills in Telemedicine: A Structured Simulation-Based Course for Medical Students
Mary Mulcare,
Neel Naik,
Peter Greenwald,
Kaitlin Schullstrom,
Kriti Gogia,
Sunday Clark,
Yoon Kang,
Rahul Sharma
Affiliations
Mary Mulcare
Assistant Professor of Clinical Emergency Medicine, Department of Emergency Medicine, New York-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medicine; Director, Undergraduate Medical Education for Department of Emergency Medicine, New York-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medicine
Neel Naik
Assistant Professor of Clinical Emergency Medicine, Department of Emergency Medicine, New York-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medicine; Director, Simulation Education for Department of Emergency Medicine, New York-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medicine
Peter Greenwald
Associate Professor of Clinical Emergency Medicine, Department of Emergency Medicine, New York-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medicine; Director, Telemedicine for Department of Emergency Medicine, New York-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medicine
Kaitlin Schullstrom
Undergraduate Medical Education Coordinator, Telehealth Services, Department of Emergency Medicine, New York-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medicine
Kriti Gogia
Research Analyst, Department of Emergency Medicine, New York-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medicine
Sunday Clark
Associate Professor of Emergency Medicine, Department of Emergency Medicine, New York-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medicine; Director, Research, New York-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medicine
Yoon Kang
Associate Professor of Medical Education, Office of Medical Education, Weill Cornell Medicine
Rahul Sharma
Professor of Clinical Emergency Medicine, Department of Emergency Medicine, New York-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medicine; Chair, Department of Emergency Medicine, New York-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medicine
Introduction Telemedicine has become part of mainstream medical practice. High quality virtual care is a skill that will be required of many physicians. Skills required for effective evaluation and communication during a video encounter differ from skills required at bedside, yet few rubrics for educational content and student performance evaluation in telemedicine training have been developed. Our objective was to develop, implement, and assess a training module designed to teach medical providers techniques to deliver professional, effective, and compassionate care during a telemedicine encounter. Methods We created a simulation-based, 8-hour modular curriculum using the PEARLS debriefing framework with video-based encounters focused on “web-side manner” as a critical corollary to traditional bedside manner. We recorded simulated cases for each student with standardized patients, guided debriefs, and incorporated small-group exercises to teach advanced communication and examination skills. Results Of medical students, 98 in their major clinical year participated in 2019. Of participants, 97% were enthusiastic about the course; 100% felt simulation was an effective mechanism for delivery of the educational material. After participation, 71% believed that telemedicine had the potential to become part of their future practice; 92% perceived an improvement in their comfort and ability to conduct video-based patient encounters. Discussion Teaching telemedicine using this methodology was well received by students, providing early exposure to this evolving aspect of medical practice. Qualitative comments were used for targeted improvements of the content and delivery for curriculum development. Objective assessment tools of students completing telemedicine encounters need to be created.
