Authors :
Presenting Author: Thomas Pecha, BS – Baylor College of Medicine
Sharonya Shetty, BS – Medical Student, Baylor College of Medicine; Abhishek Kengen, MD – Neurohospitalist, Clinical Neurophysiology/Epilepsy, CHI Chattanooga; Jay Gavvala, MD – Associate Professor, Neurology, McGovern Medical School; Atul Maheshwari, MD – Associate Professor, Neurology, Baylor College of Medicine
Rationale:
The primary objective of this study was to assess the potential educational value of a virtual Patient Management Conference (PMC) with the introduction of inclusive anonymous polling at a comprehensive epilepsy center. The secondary objective was to evaluate differences between faculty and trainee polling results.
Methods:
Two online surveys were sent one year apart seeking opinions about a transition to virtual PMC and completed by virtual PMC faculty participants (including representatives from neurology, neurosurgery and neuropsychology). One online survey was sent to trainees (i.e., medical students, residents, and fellows) to assess the educational value of the conference. Anonymous electronic polls surveying treatment options were completed by both faculty and trainees during after each virtual PMC presentation but prior to discussing the case. Results were collected and analyzed over 16 months, including over the course of one academic year. The degree of consensus was determined by the maximum percentage that a single choice received.
Results:
Eleven faculty and twenty-two trainees responded to their respective surveys. The initial faculty survey revealed that 60.0% of faculty had an “excellent” or “very good” experience with virtual PMC. One year later, this increased to 100.0% while trainees reported 90.9%. Each virtual PMC component, including perceived standard of care, was found to be “excellent” or “very good” by most faculty and trainees, and a majority (91% faculty, 63.7% trainees) were equally comfortable or more comfortable expressing opinions during the virtual discussion. During virtual PMC polls, faculty members were significantly more likely to vote for vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) as a treatment option, while trainees were more likely to opt for responsive neurostimulation (RNS). Linear regression over the course of the academic year showed stable consensus over time for both faculty and trainees; however, the match between faculty and trainee consensus significantly increased over the academic year.
Conclusions:
Our results demonstrate that the virtual PMC constitutes an effective educational experience as an alternative to in-person conferences for the management of patients with drug‐resistant epilepsy.
Funding:
No sources of funding were utilized for this work.