E-learning to teach medical students about acute otitis media: A randomized controlled trial

Objectives Acute otitis media (AOM) is extremely prevalent among children but its diagnosis remains challenging. Our primary objective was to measure the impact of an e-learning module on medical students’ accuracy in diagnosing paediatric AOM. Methods This randomized controlled trial was performed at a single tertiary care paediatric emergency department (ED). Medical students on their paediatric rotation were randomized to a locally developed e-learning module or a small-group lecture on AOM. They then had to examine at least 10 ears of patients at risk for AOM. The primary outcome was diagnostic accuracy and secondary outcomes included knowledge test scores and learning modality preference. Results Between May 2017 and September 2018, 201 medical students were randomized. Eighty-three evaluated at least 10 ears and were included in the primary analysis. Diagnostic accuracies (76.5% for the e-learning group versus 76.4% for the lecture group, difference of 0.1%; 95%CI: –6.2 to 6.4%) and post-test scores (difference of 0.5/20 points; 95%CI: –0.8 to 1.2/20 points) were similar between the groups. Sixty-two per cent of participants preferred the e-learning module to the lecture, while 15% had no preference. Conclusions Diagnostic accuracy for AOM was similar between students exposed to an e-learning module or a small-group lecture. E-learning was the preferred learning modality.