Mawaddah AZMAN, Devyadarsshni RAJASINGAM, Rahmi Hidayati MOHAMMAD MURSAL MOKHTAR, Amir Thaqiff HAMZAH, Izzatul Ismah ISKANDARRANI, Ainur Atikah ROSLAN, Mohd Nasri AWANG BESAR.

SUPPLEMENTARY WEB-BASED LEARNING PLATFORM FOR IMPROVING DIAGNOSTIC ABILITY AND CONFIDENCE IN OTOSCOPY AMONG FINAL YEAR MEDICAL UNDERGRADUATE.

Mawaddah AZMAN¹, Devyadarsshni RAJASINGAM¹, Rahmi Hidayati MOHAMMAD MURSAL MOKHTAR¹, Amir Thaqiff HAMZAH¹, Izzatul Ismah ISKANDARRANI¹, Ainur Atikah ROSLAN¹, Mohd Nasri AWANG BESAR².

¹Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Faculty of Medicine, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia Medical Centre, 56000 Cheras, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

²Department of Medical Education, Faculty of Medicine, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia Medical Centre, 56000 Cheras, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

ABSTRACT

Introduction: Otoscopy is an important clinical skill to master in the undergraduate medical curriculum. This study investigated the effect of a supplementary web-based learning platform in improving diagnostic ability and confidence in otoscopy among final year medical undergraduate students. Methods: A supplementary otoscopy training using a web-based learning platform was provided to final year medical undergraduates who completed a three-week posting in otorhinolaryngology. A total of 45 subjects who participated in the learning platform were included in this prospective study. All of them answered questionnaires on level of confidence (LC) and diagnostic ability (DA) at three different timelines during the study: prior to intervention (T1), after intervention (T2) and 4 months following the intervention (T3). Results: LC and DA scores were significantly higher across the timelines measured: T1 vs T2 vs T3 respectively (p<0.05). Both LC and DA scores showed sustained improvements at 4 months post intervention across both external auditory canal and tympanic membrane anatomical subsites. Conclusion: We concluded that supplementary otoscopy training using a web-based learning platform complements the teaching and learning of otoscopy among final year medical undergraduates and is a useful teaching aid in the current pandemic.

Keywords: Anatomy, Clinical skill, Ear, Physical examination, Teaching, Web-based intervention.

Corresponding author: Assoc Prof Dr. Mawaddah AZMAN, Department of Otorhinolaryngology- Head and Neck Surgery, 9^th floor, Clinical Block, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia Medical Centre,

Jalan Yaakob Latiff, 56000 Bandar Tun Razak, Cheras, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Tel: +60391455555, +60163061959 Fax: +60391456675

E mail: mawaddah1504@yahoo.com

Brunei Int Med J.2021;17:116-123