Implementation and Assessment of a Novel Telehealth Education Curriculum for Undergraduate Medical Students

Introduction: Despite its healthcare advantages and expanded use during the COVID-19 pandemic, telehealth is not included in many medical school curricula. Methods: In this prospective mixed methods study (n=52), we created a novel Telehealth Education Curriculum (TEC) for the third year Obstetrics and Gynecology (Ob/Gyn) rotation at New York Medical College during COVID-19. The TEC included supervised telehealth patient encounters via video conference [and a virtual Objective Structured Clinical Encounter (vOSCE)] designed to simulate a telehealth encounter (Zoom Video Communications, Inc.). We measured student perceptions of the TEC via two 4-point Likert surveys, which included free response questions, administered via SurveyMonkey between April and June 2020. Participation was voluntary and responses were deidentified. We computed means and response distributions across survey questions using SPSS; IBM version 19. Results: The response rate was 92% for both the Telehealth (33/36) and vOSCE (48/52) surveys. Seventy-six percent (25/33) strongly or moderately agreed that telehealth and in-person patient encounters have similar educational value. Eighty-three percent (40/48) strongly or moderately agreed the vOSCE provided a valuable patient interaction. Ninety-seven percent (32/33) strongly or moderately agreed the telehealth encounters should continue during COVID-19 restrictions versus 82% (27/33) agreeing they should be incorporated into the curriculum post COVID-19. Conclusion: Almost all students responded that the TEC should continue during COVID-19 and most agreed it should be incorporated into the Ob/Gyn clerkship permanently, after COVID-19. We found vOSCEs to be an effective method for teaching telehealth to medical students. Key challenges identified by students included adjusting to a virtual format, lack of body language, and communicating empathy virtually. Positive takeaways included practice with telemedicine and an opportunity for continued clinical education during COVID-19.