MedEdPORTAL (Mar 2012)
Deconstructing Pediatric Acute Lymphocytic Leukemia
Abstract
Abstract This is an online module which is aimed at teaching medical students key concepts about Pediatric Acute Lymphocytic Leukemia. At the end of this module, the learner will be able to: (1) Recognize different presenting symptoms of leukemia in pediatric patients; (2) Describe proper and improper techniques used when delivering bad news to parents and patients; (3) Interpret complete blood count data and bone marrow aspirates to help create differential diagnoses, and (4) Recognize specific lab data and patient information to be able to categorize patients as having high- or low-risk Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia. The learner will work on three representative cases: David's limp, Amy's rash, and Kevin's fever. Background: Different styles of computer-based learning are used in medical education to teach students concepts in time-efficient and interactive ways. Learning Activity Management System (LAMS), is a novel educational tool, which allows educators to use various multimedia formats (videos, images, audio clips and website links) to create a sequence of activities to teach specific concepts. Objective: To create an effective online interactive case-based module integrating basic and clinical science which teaches medical students about leukemia. Design/Method: After creating a module using LAMS, we asked all 3rd and 4th year medical students to complete the module and feedback questions during their pediatric clerkship. Our sample size consisted of 198 students over 2 years. 167 students completed both the module and online feedback survey and their responses were analyzed. In the survey, the students responded to 13 statements with a response of strongly disagree, somewhat disagree, neutral, somewhat agree or strongly agree. Also, there were four additional open-ended questions for students to provide comments. Results: 89% of respondents felt that the module integrated an adequate balance of basic and clinical science concepts. Over 70% felt that the module was an efficient use of their time and was more effective than studying using text. However, only 48% would use this module to specifically study for the pediatric shelf exam. Students felt that the module was interactive and allowed them to “think about the cases,” because of the case-based question/short answer format. Additionally, students enjoyed use of bone marrow aspirates in cases and the audio explanation of the details of the pathology. The least favorite portion of the module was the video demonstrating delivering bad news in an improper manner feeling that the video was “unnecessary” and at times “comical”. They felt the video with delivering bad news in a proper manner was “too long”, but “somewhat helpful.” Conclusion: Medical students felt this module was a nice supplemental tool to use, however, should not be the sole source of information for studying for the shelf exam. The LAMS online learning modules were relatively easy to create and use a variety of multimedia to explain concepts within pediatric clerkships.
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