Synchronous distance anesthesia education by Internet videoconference between Uganda and the United States - 20/05/15

Doi : 10.1016/j.jclinane.2015.04.004

J.K. Kiwanuka, MBChB, MMed ^a, S.S. Ttendo, MBChB, MMed ^a, E. Eromo, MD ^b, S.E. Joseph, MD ^b, M.E. Duan, MD ^b, A.A. Haastrup, MD ^b, K. Baker, MD, PhD ^b, P.G. Firth, MBChB, BA ^b,^{^⁎}
^a Department of Anaesthesia and Critical Care, Mbarara Regional Referral Hospital, Mbarara University of Science and Technology, Plot 8-18 Kabale Road, Mbarara, Uganda
^b Department of Anesthesia, Critical Care and Pain Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, 55 Fruit St, Boston, MA, 02114, USA

^⁎Corresponding author. Department of Anesthesia, Critical Care and Pain Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, 55 Fruit St, Boston, MA, 02114, USA. Tel.: +1 617 724 2130.

Sous presse. Épreuves corrigées par l'auteur. Disponible en ligne depuis le Wednesday 20 May 2015

Abstract

Study objective

We evaluated the effectiveness of anesthesia education delivered via Internet videoconferencing between the Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, and Mbarara Regional Referral Hospital, Uganda.

Design

This is a prospective educational study.

Setting

The setting is the education in 2 hospitals in Uganda and the United States.

Subjects

The subjects are anesthesia residents.

Interventions

The interventions are anesthesia education lectures delivered in person and via Internet videoconferencing.

Measurements

The average pre-lecture and post-lecture scores of the local, remote, and combined audiences were compared.

Main results

Post-lecture test scores improved over pre-lecture scores: local audience, 59% ± 22% to 81% ± 16%, P = .0002, g = 1.144; remote audience, 51% ± 19% to 81% ± 8%, P < .0001, g = 2.058; and combined scores, 56% ± 14% to 82% ± 8%, P < .0001, g = 2.069).

Conclusions

Transfer of anesthetic knowledge occurs via small group lectures delivered both in person and remotely via synchronous Internet videoconferencing. This technique may be useful to expand educational capacity and international cooperation between academic institutions, a particular priority in the growing field of global health.

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Keywords : Anesthesia, Distance education, Global health, Internet

Plan

☆	Presented in part at the American Society of Anesthesiologists Annual Meeting, Washington, DC, October 15, 2012. “A prospective study of international education via Internet videoconference: preliminary results”
☆☆	Disclosures: Funding was received from the Massachusetts General Hospital Center for Global Health (Boston, MA). The authors have no competing interests.