Panamerican Journal of Trauma, Critical Care & Emergency Surgery

Register      Login

VOLUME 13 , ISSUE 2 ( May-August, 2024 ) > List of Articles

ORIGINAL RESEARCH

Trauma Tele-grand Rounds Promoting Education Through Telemedicine: A Retrospective Evaluation

Marcus Cezillo, Ana L Ruchert Figueroa Paiva, Breno Ferreira C Pregione, Antonio C Silva, Antonio Marttos, Gustavo P Fraga

Keywords : Distance education, Surgical education, Telemedicine, Trauma, Videoconference

Citation Information : Cezillo M, Paiva AL, Pregione BF, Silva AC, Marttos A, Fraga GP. Trauma Tele-grand Rounds Promoting Education Through Telemedicine: A Retrospective Evaluation. Panam J Trauma Crit Care Emerg Surg 2024; 13 (2):82-87.

DOI: 10.5005/jp-journals-10030-1461

License: CC BY-NC 4.0

Published Online: 20-08-2024

Copyright Statement:  Copyright © 2024; The Author(s).


Abstract

Introduction: The “trauma tele-grand rounds” (TTGR) in telemedicine format enables international institutions to meet and debate the treatment of patients in critical condition. This useful tool not only fills in training gaps but also provides ongoing medical updates and exposure to various approaches to treating patients with multiple traumas. This study's goal was to describe the role of the university hospital in supporting the conferences and its characteristics during TTGR. Methods: Retrospective evaluation of trauma videoconference records hosted by the Panamerican Trauma Society (PTS) with global participation in English, and by the Brazilian Trauma Society (SBAIT) and Division of Trauma Surgery (DCT) of Unicamp, with national participation in Portuguese. All conferences were free and were analyzed in the pre-COVID-19 pandemic period (2011–2019), evaluating the topics covered, the interactivity of trauma centers, and participants. Results: Over the 9-year study period, 362 meetings involving 92 different institutions from all five continents occurred and were reviewed. Around 26 TTGR (6.8%) focused on nontraumatic acute care cases were excluded. The remaining 336 (93.2%) TTGR focused on trauma, mostly penetrating or blunt trauma. Of the 336 meetings, 240 were promoted by PTS (in English), 58 by SBAIT, and 41 by DCT, including 11 evidence-based telemedicine–trauma and acute care surgery (EBT-TACS). In addition to the presentation of uncommon cases, the TTGR allowed for constructive disagreements, educational opportunities, and lessons learned related to current natural disasters, mass casualties, and challenging decision-making in real-life situations. The university hospital conference room received a total of 818 participants, mainly medical students (93.8%), surgery residents (2.8%), and assistants (3.4%). Conclusion: In conclusion, our review indicates that TTGRs can attract students and residents to discuss trauma. This educational tool offers diverse lessons learned during discussions about challenging real-life cases led by experienced professionals. This experience promoted international information exchange and increased the motivation for discussing trauma cases and using the telemedicine room. The participation of different trauma centers allowed the acquisition of a robust technical repertoire that can be adapted to the reality of the participants, filling gaps in medical education and training participants to offer better care to trauma patients.


PDF Share
  1. Pereira BMT, Calderan TRA, Silva MTN, et al. Initial experience at a university teaching hospital from using telemedicine to promote education through video conferencing. Sao Paulo Med J 2012;130(1):32–36. DOI: 10.1590/s1516-31802012000100006
  2. Frehywot S, Vovides Y, Talib Z, et al. E-learning in medical education in resource constrained low- and middle-income countries. Hum Resour Health 2013;11:4. DOI: 10.1186/1478-4491-11-4
  3. LaGrone LN, Isquith-Dicker LN, Huaman Egoavil E, et al. Surgeons’ and trauma care physicians’ perception of the impact of the globalization of medical education on quality of care in Lima, Peru. JAMA Surg 2017;152(3):251–256. DOI: 10.1001/jamasurg.2016.4073
  4. Tiwari BB, Kulkarni A, Zhang H, et al. Utilization of telehealth services in low- and middle-income countries amid the COVID-19 pandemic: a narrative summary. Glob Health Act 2023;16(1):2179163. DOI: 10.1080/16549716.2023.2179163
  5. Parkes P, Pillay TD, Bdaiwi Y, et al. Telemedicine interventions in six conflict-affected countries in the WHO Eastern Mediterranean region: a systematic review. Confl Health 2022;16(1):64. DOI: 10.1186/s13031-022-00493-7
  6. Jamal MH, Wong S, Whalen TV. Effects of the reduction of surgical residents’ work hours and implications for surgical residency programs: a narrative review. BMC Med Educ 2014;14(Suppl 1):S14. DOI: 10.1186/1472-6920-14-S1-S14
  7. Inzunza M, Besser N, Bellolio F. Decrease in operative volume in general surgery residents in Chile: effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. Br J Surg 2021;108(6):e226–e227. DOI: 10.1093/bjs/znab082
  8. Marttos AC Jr, Fernandes Juca Moscardi M, Fiorelli RKA, et al. Use of telemedicine in surgical education: a seven-year experience. Am Surg 2018;84(8):1252–1260. DOI: 10.1177/000313481808400831
  9. Latifi R, Hadeed GJ, Rhee P, et al. Initial experiences and outcomes of telepresence in the management of trauma and emergency surgical patients. Am J Surg 2009;198(6):905–910. DOI: 10.1016/j.amjsurg.2009.08.011
  10. Dorigatti AC, Novaes FN, Pereira BMT, et al. Telemedicine as a teaching tool in the care of burned patients. J Bras Tele 2014;3(1):220–225. DOI: 10.12957/jbrastele.2014.10234
  11. Dorigatti AE, Pereira BMT, Simões RL, et al. In-person and telemedicine course models for disaster preparedness: a comparative analysis. Rev Col Bras Cir 2018;45(3):e1710. DOI: 10.1590/0100-6991e-20181710
  12. Marttos AC, Kuchkarian FM, Abreu-Reis P, et al. Enhancing trauma education worldwide through telemedicine. World J Emerg Surg 2012;7(Suppl 1):S4. DOI: 10.1186/1749-7922-7-S1-S4
  13. Marttos AC, Kuchkarian FM, Rojas DF, et al. Global connections: telemedicine as a tool to extend trauma education. Panam J Trauma Critical Care Emerg Surg 2013;2(1):62–66. DOI: 10.5005/jp-journals-10030-1060
  14. Thorne T, Smith M, Dever G. The current status of telehealth and distance learning in Palau. Hawaii J Health Soc Welf 2022;81(4):87–93. PMID: 35415614.
  15. Wootton R, Bonnardot L. Telemedicine in low-resource settings. Front Pub Health 2015;3:3. DOI: 10.3389/fpubh.2015.00003
  16. Shimizu S, Tomimatsu S, Kudo K, et al. Remote medical education in Indonesia: analysis of 10 years of activities. J Int Soc Telemed eHealth 2020;8(6):1–6. DOI: 10.29086/JISfTeH.8.e6
  17. Kim KJ, Kim SR, Lee J, et al. Virtual conference participant's perceptions of its effectiveness and future projections. BMC Med Educ 2022;22(1):10. DOI: 10.1186/s12909-021-03040-9
  18. Devaraj DK, Barua S, Nair NK, et al. Hybrid conferences in the post-COVID-19 era: time yet for a paradigm shift for medical associations. J Cutan Aesthet Surg 2022;15(1):82–85. DOI: 10.4103/JCAS.JCAS_207_21
  19. Thenmozhi S, Girija S, Viswanathan KN, et al. A pandemic of webinars in the COVID era—can it be the way forward? J Health Allied Sci 2022;12(4):398–406. DOI: 10.1055/s-0042-1742465
  20. Roffi M, Casadei B, Gouillard C, et al. Digital transformation of major scientific meetings induced by the COVID-19 pandemic: insights from the ESC 2020 annual congress. Eur Heart J Digit Health 2021;2(4):704–712. DOI: 10.1093/ehjdh/ztab076
  21. Review of European Academy of Allergy and Clinical Immunology (EAACI) Hybrid Congress. Review of European Academy of Allergy and Clinical Immunology (EAACI) Hybrid Congress. EM J Allergy Immunol 2021;6(1):13–21. Available from: https://www.emjreviews.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/Review-of-European-Academy-of-Allergy-1.pdf
  22. We must not ignore other medical topics! [Internet]. PlatformQ Health; 2023. Survey Shows HCPs Turning Online for CME: “We Must Not Ignore Other Medical Topics!” - PlatformQ Health [cited 2023 May 23]. Available from: https://www.platformqhealth.com/2020/04/28/survey-shows-hcps-turn-online-for-cme-we-must-not-ignore-other-medical-topics/
  23. Chan A, Cao A, Kim L, et al. Comparison of perceived educational value of an in-person versus virtual medical conference. Can Med Educ J 2021;12(4):65–69. DOI: 10.36834/cmej.71975
  24. Laparoscopy in the Context of Trauma: Too Slow or Too Fast? [Internet]. ACS Brief., American College of Surgeons; 2023 [cited 2023 Apr 20]. Available from: https://www.facs.org/for-medical-professionals/news-publications/news-and-articles/acs-brief/reviews/laparoscopy-in-context-of-trauma
  25. Bauman ZM, Azim A, Latifi R, et al. Advancing trauma and emergency education through virtual presence. Curr Trauma Rep 2016;2:124–131. DOI: 10.1007/s40719-016-0052-0
  26. Fraga GP, Nascimento B Jr, Rizoli S. Evidence-based telemedicine: trauma & acute care surgery (EBT-TACS). Rev Col Bras Cir 2012;39(1):3. DOI: 10.1590/s0100-69912012000100002
PDF Share
PDF Share

© Jaypee Brothers Medical Publishers (P) LTD.