Virtual class room as a learning format in a family medicine residency program: Lessons learned in Palestine

Abstract

Purpose

Due to geopolitical and socioeconomic challenges, the Family Medicine (FM) speciality in Palestine is in early stages of development. Volunteer British General Practitioner (BGP) trainers worked with FM faculty to develop an online tutorial program (OTP) and a novel evaluation framework E-QUaL (Evaluation-Quality, Utilization and Learning) to enhance residents’ patient-centered communication and clinical skills.

Materials and methods

Three OTP cycles were facilitated and evaluated at An Najah National University (ANNU) in Palestine between 2017–2020. Qualitative data were collected during focus groups and online chats and analysed.

Results and conclusions

The development and joint facilitation of the OTP developed faculty skills and enhanced clinically oriented education. The collaborative (BGPs and ANNU faculty) approach and the use of the EQUaL framework helped to identify and address strengths and opportunities as well as the challenges and threats of the educational content and the virtual learning format with each iteration. The COVID pandemic provided a new and inexpensive platform which improved training quality. Issues such as the volunteer nature of BGPs, internet instability, and differing cultural approaches and expectations between physicians and patients were addressed in a continuous quality improvement approach and continues today. This may be a useful model in other low resourced settings.

Keywords:

• Postgraduate medical education
• family medicine
• low resource settings
• patient-centered communication
• online tutorials

Ethical approval

This study was performed following the ethical standards of the institutional research committee and the 1964 Helsinki Declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards. The study was approved by the Institutional Review Board (IRB) of An-Najah National University (No. 9 Dec. 2018). All subjects involved in the research were invited to participate voluntarily after the study's purpose as well as the risks and the benefits of participation were explained. Informed consent was obtained from all individual participants is included in the study.

Acknowledgements

Appreciation for Medical Aid for Palestinians and The Foundation for Family Medicine in Palestine for funding the initial tutorial platforms and the generous support of their volunteers.

Disclosure statement

The authors report no conflicts of interest. The authors alone are responsible for the content and writing of the article.

Additional information

Funding

MPA and FFMP did not fund the evaluation.

Notes on contributors

Suha Hamshari

Suha Hamshari, MD, PBFM, Department of Family and Community Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, An-Najah National University, Nablus, Palestine.

Hina Shahid

Hina Shahid, MBBS, MSc, Foundation for Family Medicine in Palestine, London.

Lubna Saudi

Lubna Saudi, MD, JBFM, Department of Family and Community Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, An-Najah National University, Nablus, Palestine.

Zaher Nazzal

Zaher Nazzal, MD, Consultan Community Medicine, Department of Family and Community Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, An-Najah National University, Nablus, Palestine.

Therese Zink

Therese Zink, MD, MPH, Department of Family Medicine/Alpert School of Medicine + Behavioural and Social Sciences/School of Public Health, Brown University, Providence Rhode Island, USA.