Simulation-Based Teaching of Telemedicine for Future Users of Teleconsultation and Tele-Expertise: Feasibility Study

JMIR Med Educ. 2021 Dec 22;7(4):e30440. doi: 10.2196/30440.

Abstract

Background: Health care professionals worldwide are increasingly using telemedicine in their daily clinical practice. However, there is still a lack of dedicated education and training even though it is needed to improve the quality of the diverse range of telemedicine activities. Simulation-based training may be a useful tool in telemedicine education and training delivery.

Objective: This study aims to assess the feasibility and acceptability of simulation-based telemedicine training.

Methods: We assessed five telemedicine training sessions conducted in a simulation laboratory. The training was focused on video teleconsultations between a patient and a health care professional. The assessment included the participants' satisfaction and attitudes toward the training.

Results: We included 29 participants in total. Participant satisfaction was high (mean score 4.9 of 5), and those that took part stated the high applicability of the simulation-based training to their telemedicine practices (mean score 4.6 of 5). They also stated that they intended to use telemedicine in the future (mean score 4.5 of 5).

Conclusions: Simulation-based training of telemedicine dedicated to video teleconsultation was feasible and showed high satisfaction from participants. However, it remains difficult to scale for a high number of health care professionals.

Keywords: digital training; education; health care; medical education; simulation training; teleconsultation; telemedicine; training.