2021/2022 Education Research & Scholarship Grant Recipients

One of the first steps in preparing medical students for their careers as physicians in medical school is teaching clinical skills. The female pelvic examination represents a critical clinical skill as it is useful in detecting a variety of pathologies. The pelvic examination represents an especially sensitive physical examination skill that historically has been difficult to learn and teach. Traditional teaching methods for the pelvic examination include teaching on mannequins, as well as teaching via Gynecologic Teaching Associates (trained, ‘professional’ patients). With the recent dissolution of Gynecologic Teaching Associate-led programs previously used for teaching undergraduate medical students, training prior to clinical rotations has been limited to practice on mannequins, whose effectiveness at teaching has been sub-par. This has raised the possibility of exploring more innovative ways to teach the pelvic examination effectively. Our study aims to fill this gap through the development of an Augmented Reality system to be used in conjunction with mannequins to address the problem of lack of visualization via Augmented Reality, and to evaluate its utility as a teaching tool.

The proposed study complements a bigger participatory research study in which we partner with Sunnybrook’s President’s Anti-Racism Taskforce (PART) and other racialized and equity-seeking Sunnybrook workers to understand the possibilities and limits of anti-racism education in an academic hospital in a Canadian settler colonial context. In the present study our objective is to use a novel digital storytelling method to explore the reception of anti-racism education and identify the perspectives and experiences that anti-racism education and praxis might exclude at Sunnybrook. The findings will inform the creation of a sustainable anti-racism agenda and recommendations to extend the possibilities of anti-racism education in the hospital and beyond.

The 2SLGBTQ+ childbearing community reports insensitivity from obstetrical care providers. However, providers themselves often do not perceive any problems with their care of this community. 2SLGBTQ+-focused education of obstetrical care providers can increase competency and allow providers to be affirming to diverse sexual and gender identities. This project will include the development of an academic half-day as well as asynchronous content (a podcast) to address the attitudes of family medicine residents toward 2SLGBTQ+ childbearing patients, and encourage the use of inclusive language. Principles-Focused Evaluation is used to determine if the principles are leading to the desired results (Patton, 2018). The principles of integrated anti-oppression, as described by the Rainbow Health Network, will be used to recognize socially constructed hierarchy in society, and the complex identities of individuals (2017).

The use of ultrasound in regional anesthesia has many advantages but requires the acquisition of new technical skills. These skills are complex and not attained by didactic teaching alone and require hands on practice. Most physicians do not have access to specialized hands on teaching and we are studying methods of remote teaching by which these skills can be taught to them in their familiar environment without the need for them to take time off or travel long distances. This would be beneficial in Canada’s rural areas where the need of ultrasound guided regional anesthesia teaching and coaching is required. If our methods are successful we can extend our teaching to train anesthesiologists around the world who do not have access to specialized training.

This is the first study looking at using immersive virtual reality to teach ultrasound guided regional anesthesia remotely. With the advent of the pandemic, teaching has ventured from in person to virtual classrooms and remote teaching, however skill acquisition has still required one on one teaching. Immersive virtual reality, with the use of head mounted displays and 360-degree cameras the student and teacher are in direct communication as if they were in the same room. This allows this technology to teach skills remotely. With this form of technology it is possible to teach in remote areas in our country and also beyond our borders.

If our study is successful, we would be able to teach ultrasound guided regional anesthesia remotely. This will also allow us to mentor physicians in remote areas. Some of the barriers we perceive are technological such as broadband internet connectivity, failure of equipment and affordability and availability of equipment.