ERIC Number: EJ1258928
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2020
Pages: 16
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1947-380X
EISSN: N/A
The Confidence and Abilities to Assess a Simulated Patient Using Telemedicine
Winkelmann, Zachary; Eberman, Lindsey E.
Athletic Training Education Journal, v15 n2 p132-147 Apr-Jun 2020
Context: Telemedicine is the practice of providing diagnostic consultations and therapeutic interventions to patients at a distance using some form of technology. Typically, health care students do not have the opportunity to practice telemedicine. Objective: To investigate athletic training students' ability to transfer telemedicine skills confidently and accurately in a standardized patient (SP) encounter. Design: Single cohort. Setting: Simulation center. Patients or Other Participants: Fifty-five second-year athletic training students (age = 25 ± 3 years) from 6 professional master's athletic training programs volunteered for the study after a 1-week online learning experience about telemedicine. Intervention(s): We scheduled individual SP encounters that were completed at a distance using telepresence robots. Main Outcome Measure(s): Pre- and post-SP encounter validated confidence assessment and a 50-item content checklist (yes or no) scored by one evaluator. Results: During the SP encounter, 87.3% of participants correctly diagnosed the SP actor with a lateral ankle sprain. We identified a significant improvement in confidence (P [less than or equal to] 0.001) for using telemedicine technology. On the content checklist, participants scored poorly in the constructs of data gathering (mean = 7.44 ± 2.36 of 15, 49.58% ± 15.75%) and telemedicine (mean = 6.02 ± 2.74 of 14, 42.99% ± 19.56%), but scored well in the constructs of communication/ interpersonal skills (mean = 12.05 ± 2.00 of 15, 80.36% ± 13.36%) and patient education (mean = 4.64 ± 1.06 of 6, 77.27% ± 17.67%). The mean sum score of all constructs on the SP encounter was moderate (30.15 ± 5.79 of 50, 60.29% ± 11.59%). Conclusions: Exposure to telemedicine via an SP encounter improved confidence in performing the tech-based evaluation. Athletic training students performed well in demonstrating communication/interpersonal skills and patient education, yet struggled in their data gathering and telemedicine skills. Overall, participants accurately diagnosed a musculoskeletal condition using telemedicine.
Descriptors: Health Services, Computer Mediated Communication, Patients, Computer Simulation, Athletics, Graduate Students, Educational Technology, Technology Uses in Education, Robotics, Clinical Diagnosis, Videoconferencing, Self Efficacy, Program Effectiveness, Allied Health Occupations Education
National Athletic Trainers' Association. 2952 Stemmons Freeway Suite 200, Dallas, TX 75247. Tel: 214-637-6282; Fax: 214-637-2206; e-mail: ATEdJournal@gmail.com; Web site: http://nataej.org/journal-information.htm
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Higher Education; Postsecondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Indiana
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A