Original Article
Open Access: Assessing Medical Students’ Comfort with Telemedicine
Abstract
Objective: The Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) has recommended that the provision of telemedicine services become an entrustable professional activity (EPA). Given its increased scope, medical student comfort with telemedicine was explored.Methods: An institutional review board–approved 17-question, anonymous voluntary survey was created based on the AAMC’s EPAs and administered to students at Northeast Ohio Medical University across 4 weeks. The primary outcome of this study was to assess medical students’ self-reported telemedicine comfort levels.
Results: The response rate was 141 students (22%). At least 80% of students believed that they were able to gather essential and accurate patient information, counsel patients and families, and communicate effectively across a broad range of social, economic, and cultural backgrounds using telemedicine. In total, 57% and 53% of students, respectively, believed that they were able to gather information and diagnose patients using telemedicine as well as they did in person, 38% of respondents believed that their patient’s health outcome was the same via telemedicine or in-person visits, and 74% of respondents wished that telemedicine was formally taught in school. Most of the students believed they could effectively gather essential information and counsel patients via telemedicine, but there was a notable decrease in confidence for medical students when comparing telemedicine and in-person care directly.
Conclusions: Despite the EPAs created by the AAMC, students did not self-report the same comfort level with telemedicine as they had with in-person patient visits. There are opportunities for improvement in the telemedicine medical school curriculum.
Full Article
Having trouble viewing the article content below? Click here to open it directly.
Images
References
1. Koonin LM. Trends in the use of telehealth during the emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic—United States, January–March 2020. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep 2020;69:1595–1599.
2. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. Medicare telemedicine health care provider fact sheet. https://www.cms.gov/newsroom/fact-sheets/medicare-telemedicine-health-care-provider-fact-sheet. Published March 17, 2020. Accessed December 14, 2021.
3. American Medical Association. Telehealth resource center: research findings. https://www.ama-assn.org/practice-management/digital/telehealth-resource-center-research-findings. Accessed December 14, 2021.
4. Liaison Committee on Medical Education. Standards, publications, & notification forms. https://lcme.org/publications/. Accessed December 21, 2021.
5. Association of American Medical Colleges. Provide telemedicine services: an entrustable professional activity. https://www.aamc.org/resource-library/clinical-teaching-and-learning-experiences/provide-telemedicine-services-entrustable-professional-activity. Published April 30, 2020. Accessed January 2, 2022.
6. ten Cate O. Nuts and bolts of entrustable professional activities. J Grad Med Educ 2013;5:157–158.
7. Northeast Ohio Medical University. Facts about NEOMED. https://www.neomed.edu/ir/facts. Accessed November 4, 2022.
8. Karimi M, Lee EC, Couture SJ, et al. https://aspe.hhs.gov/reports/hps-analysis-telehealth-use-2021. Published February 1, 2022. Accessed May 12, 2022.
9. mHealthIntelligence. 38% of patients have received virtual care in 2022. Published March 4, 2022. https://mhealthintelligence.com/news/38-of-patients-have-received-virtual-care-in-2022. Published March 4, 2022. Accessed May 12, 2022.
10. Sherrill WW, Mayo RM, Truong KD, et al. Assessing medical student cultural competence: what really matters. Int J Med Educ 2016;7:248–254.
11. Bickerton L, Siegart N, Marquez C. Medical students screen for social determinants of health: a service learning model to improve health equity. PRiMER. 2020;4:27.
12. Norwood C, Moghaddam NG, Malins S, et al Working alliance and outcome effectiveness in videoconferencing psychotherapy: a systematic review and noninferiority meta-analysis. Clin Psychol Psychother 2018; 25:797–808.
13. Berry K, Salter A, Morris R, et al. Assessing therapeutic alliance in the context of mHealth interventions for mental health problems: development of the Mobile Agnew Relationship Measure (mARM) Questionnaire. J Med Internet Res 2018;20:e90.
14. Lopez A, Schwenk S. Technology-based mental health treatment and the impact on the therapeutic alliance update and commentary: how COVID-19 changed how we think about telemental health. Curr Res Psychiatry 2021; 1:34–36.
15. Mulcare M, Naik N, Greenwald P, et al. Advanced communication and examination skills in telemedicine: a structured simulation-based course for medical students. MedEdPORTAL 2020;16:11047.
16. Boardman D, Wilhite JA, Adams J, et al. Telemedicine training in the COVID era: revamping a routine OSCE to prepare medicine residents for virtual care. J Med Educ Curric Dev 2021;8:23821205211024076.
17. Farrell SE, Junkin AR, Hayden EM. Assessing clinical skills via telehealth objective standardized clinical examination: feasibility, acceptability, comparability, and Educational value. Telemed J E Health 2022;28:248–257.
