Crash Course in Orthopaedics: Development and Evaluation of a 12-Week Online Trauma and Orthopaedics Teaching Program for Medical Students During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Introduction The COVID-19 pandemic caused significant disruption in clinical placements of medical students in the United Kingdom (UK), including trauma and orthopaedic surgery (T&O) rotations. Based on the British Orthopaedic Association (BOA) undergraduate syllabus, a 12-week online teaching program was designed to supplement T&O teaching for medical students across the UK while lockdown and social-distancing restrictions were in place. This study aims to describe the process of designing an online teaching program, evaluate the effectiveness of online education, explore medical student perceptions of the virtual learning environment, and report the lessons learned from this 12-week online program. Methods The “Crash Course in Orthopaedics” consisted of 12 webinars, with topics covering a range of acute and chronic T&O conditions, and was delivered through the online platform Zoom. Attendees were invited to complete a post-course questionnaire retrospectively and the results were used in this study. Qualitative data was assessed using thematic analysis. Quantitative data were presented as descriptive statistics. Results The webinar series was attended by approximately 5150 participants, with the largest demographic group being clinical medical students (49%). Results from the survey revealed three broad themes which were: 1). Interactivity: question + answer (Q+A), multiple choice questions (MCQs), online tools 2). Content: case examples, orthopaedic examinations, objective structure clinical examination (OSCE) tips 3). Accessibility: slides, recordings, duration of the session. Our study found that the online teaching program improved students’ clinical knowledge of T&O and they found learning through interactive methods such as polls, the chat function on zoom, and case-based discussions to be most useful. Also, from the results of this study, a guide on “How to Run a Successful Webinar Series for Medical Students” was developed. Conclusion Online webinars effectively supplement T&O teaching and experience for medical students whose T&O placements were disrupted during the COVID-19 pandemic. The results will be a helpful guide to those planning medical education webinars in the future.