Abstract

Clinical attachment is a core element of the medical curriculum. However, hospital is a high-risk area for potential viral infection. There is an urgent need for an innovative teaching method to ensure our medical students can acquire the adequate knowledge and experience needed to become a qualified medical professional, while learning outside the hospital.

Our project aims to facilitate the learning process by ‘Zooming into the Clinical Practice of Urology’. We shall develop 30 case scenarios covering various urological conditions including prostate cancer, bladder cancer, kidney cancer, benign prostatic hyperplasia and urinary stone. All cases will be adopted from real life scenarios in order to replicate what a doctor will be facing in real life situation. Problem-based learning via the case scenarios will be guided by the supervisors in a step-by-step manner. For example, when we discuss about a case, we will show the medical students a particular investigation result only when a medical student actively asks for it. Visual aids including x-rays and CT scans will be shown where appropriate. Polling questions will be posted regularly to further enhance the engagement and interaction with the students. All case scenarios will be discussed in 6 online sessions using the Zoom software.

Brief write-up

Project objectives

Our project aimed to facilitate the learning process by ‘Zooming into the Clinical Practice of Urology’. We developed case scenarios covering various urological conditions including prostate cancer, bladder cancer, kidney cancer, benign prostatic hyperplasia and urinary stone. All cases were adopted from real life scenarios in order to replicate what a doctor would be facing in real life situation.

Activities, process and outcomes

We developed 30 case scenarios covering various urological conditions including prostate cancer, bladder cancer, kidney cancer, benign prostatic hyperplasia and urinary stone. A total of 6 online sessions were conducted. Problem-based learning via the case scenarios was guided by the supervisors in a step-by-step manner.

Deliverables and evaluation

From March to July 2020, a total of 30 case scenarios were developed and 6 online sessions were conducted using the Zoom software. Comments and feedback from the students were excellent. They appreciated the learning opportunities despite the COVID-19 pandemic. From the supervisor’s perspective, Zoom teaching via the case scenarios is feasible, useful and efficient.

Dissemination, diffusion, impact and sharing of good practices

We shared our experience to the other teams within the Department of Surgery. Online teaching using case scenarios have become a major component of our teaching as we encounter repeated waves of COVID-19 cases.

Impact on teaching and learning

Throughout the process, I believe our teaching have improved in several ways as follows:

1. Pre-preparation of case scenarios can ensure the quality and comprehensiveness of teaching materials. We can ensure certain learning objectives can be achieved throughout the case scenarios.
2. Hospitals, clinics and wards are considered high-risk areas of infection. Using case scenarios and online teaching sessions can minimize the risk of COVID-19 infection
3. Online teaching is also much more efficient than traditional face-to-face teaching. Students can observe how their peers perform when going through the case scenarios and they can reflect on themselves accordingly.