Virtual learning

The integration of Computer-Aided Diagnosis (CAD) with Large Language Models (LLMs) presents a promising frontier in clinical applications, notably in automating diagnostic processes akin to those performed by radiologists and providing consultations similar to a virtual family doctor. Despite the promising potential of this integration, current works face at least two limitations: (1) From the perspective of a radiologist, existing studies typically have a restricted scope of applicable imaging domains, failing to meet the diagnostic needs of different patients...

BACKGROUND: Care partners of people with serious illness experience significant challenges and unmet needs during the patient's treatment period and after their death. Learning from others with shared experiences can be valuable, but opportunities are not consistently available. OBJECTIVE: This study aims to design and prototype a regional, facilitated, and web-based peer support network to help active and bereaved care partners of persons with serious illness be better prepared to cope with the surprises that arise during serious illness and in bereavement...

Interprofessional (IP) education is imperative to foster collaboration within and between healthcare professions to improve healthcare delivery and outcomes. Increasing the capacity of health professions faculty to effectively deliver learning about IP knowledge and skills fosters sustainability of IP care in health systems. This short report describes a series of three virtual IP faculty development workshops during 2020-2021 that used a Train-the-Trainer approach and adopted flexible and context-specific teaching methods to enhance learning...

Transformative experiences in an individual's life have a lasting impact on identity, belief system, and values. At the core of these experiences is the complex emotion of awe that promotes learning, making it worthwhile to study from an educational point of view. Drawing studies may provide a useful measure of awe in children-one that is more intuitive and attractive than questionnaires alone. Previous studies conducted with adults indicated that the diminished self, associated with transformative experiences, manifests in an actual decrease in size for figures representing the self in drawings...

BACKGROUND: The job interview can be challenging for autistic adolescents considering the required social communication skills. Further, having decreased awareness of personal strengths may make it difficult to advocate for oneself to a future employer. The purpose of the current pilot randomized controlled trial (RCT) is to examine the preliminary efficacy and feasibility of a combined interventional approach using: the Virtual Interview Tool for Autistic Transition-Age Youth (VIT-TAY) and Kessler Foundation Strength Identification and Expression (KF-STRIDE)...

PURPOSE: To investigate the pharmacokinetic changes of linezolid in patients with hepatic impairment and to explore a method to predict linezolid exposure. METHODS: Patients with hepatic impairment who received linezolid were recruited. A population pharmacokinetic model (PPK) was then built using NONMEM software. And based on the final model, virtual patients with rich concentration values was constructed through Monte Carlo simulations (MCS), which were used to build machine learning (ML) models to predict linezolid exposure levels...

Digital technologies are changing how anatomy is taught tremendously. However, little is known about the effective integration of multimodal digital resources when concurrently provided in an anatomy course. To address this question, an array of digital anatomy resources including Augmented Reality (AR) and Virtual Reality (VR) anatomy resources were concurrently trialed by a total of 326 undergraduate and postgraduate students across three undergraduate (systemic anatomy, neuroanatomy, and regional anatomy) and one postgraduate anatomy (applied musculoskeletal anatomy) curricula in 2022...

BACKGROUND: The COVID-19 pandemic triggered an unprecedented transition from in-person to virtual delivery of primary health care services. Leaders were at the helm of the rapid changes required to make this happen, yet outcomes of leaders' behaviours were largely unexplored. This study (1) develops and validates the Crisis Leadership and Staff Outcomes (CLSO) Survey and (2) investigates the leadership behaviours exhibited during the transition to virtual care and their influence on select staff outcomes in primary care...

BACKGROUND: Patient-centered educational resources surrounding rectal prolapse and rectocele can be difficult to locate and understand. Findings of video animation as patient-specific material for these conditions can help guide creation of effective educational tools for patients. OBJECTIVE: To identify female patient preferences for learning about rectal prolapse and rectocele and to obtain feedback on an animation developed to aid patient education on these conditions...

Artificial Intelligence (AI) in the last few years has emerged as a valuable tool in managing colorectal cancer, revolutionizing its management at different stages. In early detection and diagnosis, AI leverages its prowess in imaging analysis, scrutinizing CT scans, MRI, and colonoscopy views to identify polyps and tumors. This ability enables timely and accurate diagnoses, initiating treatment at earlier stages. AI has helped in personalized treatment planning because of its ability to integrate diverse patient data, including tumor characteristics, medical history, and genetic information...

In recent times, dentistry has seen significant technological advancements that have transformed various specialized areas within the field. Developed into applications for mobile devices, augmented reality (AR) seamlessly merges digital components with the physical world, enhancing both realms while maintaining their individual separateness. On the other hand, virtual reality (VR) relies on advanced, tailored software to visualize a digital 3D environment stimulating the operator's senses through computer generated sensations and feedback...

In the past decade, medical education has increasingly incorporated evidence-based lifestyle interventions as primary strategies for preventing and managing noncommunicable diseases. This shift embraces the growing recognition of the significant impact of lifestyle on health outcomes, driving diseases including obesity, diabetes, heart disease, and cancer. Now deemed "food is medicine" (FIM), diet-related interventions witnessed integration into healthcare systems and recognition in the United States' White House Conference on Hunger, Nutrition, and Health in 2023...

Grounded in communication models of cultural competence, this study reports on the development and testing of the first module in a larger virtual reality (VR) implicit bias training for physicians to help them better: (a) recognize implicit bias and its effects on communication, patients, and patient care; (b) identify their own implicit biases and exercise strategies for managing them; and (c) learn and practice communicating with BIPOC patients in a culture-centered manner that demonstrates respect and builds trust...

Humans move their hands toward precise positions, a skill supported by the coordination of multiple joint movements, even in the presence of inherent redundancy. However, it remains unclear how the central nervous system learns the relationship between redundant joint movements and hand positions when starting from scratch. To address this question, a virtual-arm reaching task was performed in which participants were required to move a cursor corresponding to the hand of a virtual arm to a target. The joint angles of the virtual arm were determined by the heights of the participants' fingers...

In the era of man-machine interfaces, digital twins stand as a key technology, offering virtual representations of real-world objects, processes, and systems through computational models. They enable novel ways of interacting with, comprehending, and manipulating real-world entities within a virtual realm. The real implementation of graphene-based sensors and electronic devices remains challenging due to the integration complexities of high-quality graphene materials with existing manufacturing processes. To address this, scalable techniques for the in-situ fabrication of graphene-like materials are essential...

BACKGROUND: The second European Consensus Workshop on Education in Periodontology was commissioned, as a result of the changes in the discipline and the advances in educational methods/technology, to update the 2009 Consensus report of the first European Federation of Periodontology (EFP) Workshop on the same topic that was jointly authored by the Association for Dental Education in Europe. AIM: To identify and propose changes necessary in periodontal education at three levels, namely undergraduate, specialist and continuing professional development (CPD), with respect to learning outcomes, competencies and methods of learning/training and evaluation...

BACKGROUND: Staffing and resource shortages, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic, have increased stress levels among health care workers. Many health care workers have reported feeling unable to maintain the quality of care expected within their profession, which, at times, may lead to moral distress and moral injury. Currently, interventions for moral distress and moral injury are limited. OBJECTIVE: This study has the following aims: (1) to characterize and reduce stress and moral distress related to decision-making in morally complex situations using a virtual reality (VR) scenario and a didactic intervention; (2) to identify features contributing to mental health outcomes using wearable, physiological, and self-reported questionnaire data; and (3) to create a personal digital phenotype profile that characterizes stress and moral distress at the individual level...

PURPOSE: Specialized robotic and surgical tools are increasing the complexity of operating rooms (ORs), requiring elaborate preparation especially when techniques or devices are to be used for the first time. Spatial planning can improve efficiency and identify procedural obstacles ahead of time, but real ORs offer little availability to optimize space utilization. Methods for creating reconstructions of physical setups, i.e., digital twins, are needed to enable immersive spatial planning of such complex environments in virtual reality...

INTRODUCTION: The COVID-19 pandemic presented an unprecedented challenge for rural family physicians. The lessons learned over the course of 2 years have potential to help guide responses to future ecosystem disruption. This qualitative study aims to explore the leadership experiences of rural Canadian family physicians during the COVID-19 pandemic as both local care providers and community health leaders and to identify potential supports and barriers to physician leadership. METHODS: Semi-structured, virtual, qualitative interviews were completed with participants from rural communities in Canada from December 2021 to February 2022 inclusive...

In industrial landscapes, spool fabrication industries play a crucial role in the successful completion of numerous industrial projects by providing prefabricated modules. However, the implementation of digitalized sustainable practices in spool fabrication industries is progressing slowly and is still in its embryonic stage due to several challenges. To implement digitalized sustainable manufacturing (SM), digital technologies such as Internet of Things, Cloud computing, Big data analytics, Cyber-physical systems, Augmented reality, Virtual reality, and Machine learning are required in the context of sustainability...