Implementation of virtual pathology teaching in health professions education: A systematic review: BEME Systematic Review No. 95.

PURPOSE: Rapid changes to learning technologies, accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic, have led to the widespread adoption of virtual education. Pathology is an important medical science that is central to many curricula in health professions education (HPE). It has been impacted by the broader transition to virtual education. This systematic review and meta-ethnography evaluated the experiences of virtual pathology education within HPE.

METHODS

MEDLINE and EMBASE were systematically searched for peer-reviewed qualitative journal articles describing the experiences of virtual pathology in HPE. Of 1119 articles identified, 17 were synthesised using a meta-ethnographic approach.

RESULTS

The final synthesis represented a total of 2126 participants, including 1256 undergraduate medical students, 297 resident doctors, 473 senior clinicians, and 100 teaching faculty. We identified the following third-order constructs: 'Adaptability to learner's needs', 'negative human consequences', and 'uncertainty about trajectory'.

CONCLUSION

This review highlights both positive and negative impacts of transitioning pathology education to virtual delivery. The need to enhance current educational practice according to these findings is particularly pressing since the shift to virtual education in pathology looks set to accelerate in years to come.