Dados do Trabalho

Título

A literature review of current EEG teaching methods.

Introdução

There is a growing field in education of medicine using modern methods of teaching - such as podcasts, online lectures, and videoclasses. Their overall efficacy remains a topic of dispute and it poses the question of how they compare to traditional teaching methods. The present study focus on current trends in EEG education and their value as a teaching tool.

Objetivo

The present study aims to evaluate the previously published literature on educational interventions aiming to teach how to read basic EEG patterns and examine medical staff performance, what proposals and attempts to improve its learning have been implemented, and how effective they were, in a literature review.

Método

The literature analyzed was retrieved using a set of Mesh terms and Keywords on PubMed data-base to describe interventions in EEG education, we were able to find 217 studies, which were then filtered through our inclusion and exclusion criteria, and 17 articles dealing with EEG training and evaluations were included.
Inclusion criteria: Medical students, interns, residents, fellows and physicians were included in the analysis, from neurology. EEGs that were used as reference in previous publications and included in our criteria were obtained from adult patients, from outpatient, inpatient and intensive care units.
Exclusion criteria: Nursing staff, CRNAs, technicians, and other healthcare non-medical professionals from ancillary staff.

Resultados

The interventions performed included educational video presentations, self-guided reading material, podcasts, interactive EEG programs, and self-assessment questions with discussions with attendings. All of the publications analysed found a significant improvement on subjects' performance on reading EEG after training. Even though the standard curriculum showed overall pre-to-post test improvement, it fared worse in most metrics compared to more modern formats such as podcasts when both groups were evaluated. It seems that despite improvement in efficiency with new media formats, time spent learning is still the most important learning parameter.

Conclusão

The study aimed to analyze the teaching methodology of EEG education, as well as proposals and current ways to improve learning and the performance success rates related to their implementation. Despite the different historical approaches adopted so far, it seems new and modern formats may emerge as a shifting force in medical education, but time spent studying is the major factor responsible for consolidating knowledge.

Palavras-chave

education, EEG, epilepsy