Presenter Dr. Marc Willis said he thought that simulating the process of ordering imaging studies with integrated clinical decision support would be a great way to engage learners throughout medical education. When he approached the American College of Radiology (ACR) and National Decision Support (NDSC) with his idea, they agreed with his vision.
The Baylor team created a simulation portal built on ACR's Radiology Curriculum Management System and integrated it with NDSC's ACR Select CDS software using an application programming interface. In January and February of 2015, the researchers performed a pilot study of the portal with Baylor medical students. After using the portal, the students had statistically significant improvements in the number of correct answers in several categories, notably those related to topics in the Choosing Wisely campaign.
Potential applications for the portal include undergraduate medical education, graduate medical education, continuing medical education, allied health education, interprofessional education, and as an educational resource for performance quality improvement, Willis said.
The education resource is scalable and centered on the learner, he added.
"It provides an opportunity for standardized education and assessment in a simulated environment that can be implemented across the continuum of medical education," Willis told AuntMinnie.com.
