Is Tele-Education a Proper Substitute for Regular Method to Train Anesthesiology Residents

Background: Communication technology development has provided easierand quicker services in various medical fields. One of the main applications oftele-communication is tele-education, which helps in remote education ofstudents. This study was designed to compare impact of tele-education andregular education methods on anesthesiology residents.Methods and Materials: Anesthesiology residents participated in both teleeducationand regular courses during a one-year period. Various relatedsubjects were taught in tele conference and regular sessions. In each course,residents were assessed by pretest and posttest exams. Finally, satisfaction wasevaluated regarding quality of sessions using questionnaires especiallyprepared for the purpose.Results: Mann-Whitney U test showed no statistically significant differencein pretest (p=0.15) and posttest (p=0.07) results of both courses, although thisdifference was notably in favor of tele- posttest results. The highest rate ofsatisfaction among residents was dedicated to saving time to get to teleconference classes. Moreover, 92.59% of residents preferred to take part intele conference classes.Conclusion: The study showed that tele-education and regular methods couldbe equally effective in the education of residents. Some advantages of teleeducationfor anesthesiology residents were high satisfaction of residents, timesaving, and overcoming long distance. Tele-education could be regarded as aneffective substitute for regular education of anesthesiology residents.

Is Tele-Education a Proper Substitute for Regular Method to Train Anesthesiology Residents Keywords:

Anesthesiology , Tele-education , Telemedicine , Medical education , Residency