Undergraduate online teaching of family medicine during the epidemic with SARS-CoV-2

Abstract

Background: At the time of the SARS-CoV-2 epidemic, the entire theoretical part of family medicine rotation had to be conducted through online teaching. Methods: Teaching of family medicine was adapted to the implementation via a video conferencing system. We added epidemic-related topics, introduced regular homework, increased the use of the virtual classroom, and introduced the use of forums. We used new methods, such as “flipped classroom”, problem-based learning with clinical vignettes and video consultations in teaching communication skills. The method of gamification worked especially well with the introduction of a quiz in teaching. Results: We asked students and teachers to assess the quality of online lessons. In the students’ opinion, the lessons went well and they liked the modern methods. They suggested there should be more discussion on clinical cases and common conditions in family medicine. They gave online teaching the same score as clinical rotation. Educators mentioned high self-motivation and innovation in changing lessons, and liked the time flexibility, but at the same time found that online teaching increased time demands. In the future, some students from remote parts could perform clinical rotations in their home environment, which would reduce the number of mentors needed in Ljubljana. Online teaching offers the opportu-nity to learn the modern skills of a family doctor (such as video consultations), motivation of students (such as gamifica-tion) and enables creation of a repository of teaching materials and participation of guests from abroad. The disadvantages are lack of personal contact with the students, and inadequate learning opportunities of clinical skills. Conclusion: With the immediate transition to online teaching, we tested new teaching methods and identified some ad-vantages and disadvantages. This experience will be important for changes in teaching in the coming years.